Hollywood Studios

Our final day in the happiest place in the world kicked off on a chilly Sunday morning. As we had a jam-packed day planned it was stink jobs first...washing. Sam and I found the laundry and got our clothes in, however true to Disney's promise, even chores were significantly less painful. Sam and I spent the next hour peacefully dangling our feet in the toasty spa pool and drinking a morning coffee while reading the New Zealand news online and waiting for the washing to finish. With jobs complete Sam arranged a place for brunch giving me all of 10mins to shower and change before we needed to be there. The scrambling effort and rush was worth it and we had a yummy Brunch at Kouzzina. A restaurant run by celebrity Iron Chef Cat Cora on Disney's Boardwalk.

Early in the afternoon we met Vickie and Fraser at Hollywood Studios where they had lunch at the Scifi Dine in Theatre. The afternoon was once again spent hunting down and coordinating park rides, shows and entertainment to maximise our final day at the Park and believe me we did. Feeling full from Brunch led us to check out the  a movie tour ride which took us through scenes of some of Disney's classic films from Mary Poppins to Aliens. Although the guide we had was a little annoying and spoke too loudly we were able to appreciate the detail and effort that had gone into recreating these sets. From here we went for more thrilling rides starting with a Star Wars Stimulation ride (not a patch on mission to Mars from Epcot) and Tower of Terror.

The Terrorising Tower

A "ghost elevator" which once we were seated (and not very securely fastened) took us 199ft up then proceeded to both propel us up and send us plummeting to the point that you didn't always know when you were going up or down except for the terrifying change in direction causing brief weightlessness. I can't speak for the others but it was the anticipation of the drop which kept me holding my breath.  Finally of the park's "Big Thrills" was the "Rock n Roller Coaster". Sam and I managed to avoid the huge line with some Fast Past tickets we scored from a guy leaving the park on our way in. The story to the roller coaster would have us believe that we were VIP members headed in a very fast limo to an Aerosmith concert. Well strapped in we were blasted from 0 - 100ks an hour in 2.8 seconds a terrifying start to what was an awesome ride with loops and twists all to some classic rock. We were repeat visitors to this one.

At 5.30pm we hit the Indian Jones stunt show which was entertaining and very well done, with stunts performed by Harrison Ford's stunt double from the movie, with fight scenes and explosions. We also checked out "One Man's Dream" a gallery and film tribute to Walt Disney and how he came to develop what is now an international mecca of not only children's animation but family entertainment. Following this show Vickie and I pondered how much this information affected our perspective of Disney. Until now Disney was only associated with the fantasy of the "once upon a times" and "happy ever afters" but it is actually someones name, a person who came up with this idea and then planned and made it happen. I certainly have an appreciation for the vision he had and the success he has in for fulling his dream.

Run Indie!

At 7.30pm we joined 10,000 other Disney guests for "Fantasmic", a show in which Mickey Mouse battles all Disney Villains in a display of water, music, fire and light. It was a series of spectacular techniques in which pictures were projected onto sprayed walls of water to create a screen.  Its hard to explain but it was very awesome to watch and the fireworks alone were worth the rush to get seats.

We had trouble getting a reservation for dinner in Hollywood Studios tonight so we opted to use our last table service at a Buffet. I haven't eaten at many buffets of late but I would have to say this was one of the best. We all made the most of the carved meat and fresh seafood. We were determined to make the most of the rides while the park was open from 9pm until midnight for only guests staying in the resort, which is exactly what we did. First up was a repeat at the Rock n Roller coaster, followed by a 3D Muppets show. We then joined the queue for the Toy Story 3D shooting ride. It was possibly the longest wait we had our whole time in Disney but after witnessing some shameful family domestics in the queue we were strapped in. The ride was like a carnival game combined with a ride in which you were moved around a track and shot and both still and moving targets of varying values. It was a long wait but very enjoyable. I will take this opportunity to mention that I did beat Sam and unfortunately the wait time did not allow for a re-match.  The boys hit the Star Wars simulator again while Vickie and I mooched around the Star Wars gift shop trying to avoid being talked into buying some Star Wars junk. When we were sure we had squeeze every little drop of magic and excitement from the park it was to the bus and back to the resort. History indicates it could be a while before we staying somewhere this nice again so I was straight into bed to make the most of it. Who knows what kinda bed we will be sleeping on for the next few nights.

Beer of the Day:
Shock Top Belgium White - Bottle - Artificial orange nose, comes through weakly in the taste with hints of coriander. Non-offensive but I wouldn't seek this one out again.