A Decade of Disney Dreaming - 2017- Day 17- So long, farewell Great Movie Ride - then off to MK.

[walt4it]

Welcome back and apologies for to Flo-tinka for leaving you hanging last night. The last round of the US Open golf just distracted me to post this in any sensible state!

Anyway welcome back everyone and thanks for reading on and on and on - by the time we get to day 17 most trip reports have arrived home and are washing their laundry and looking for new flights again!

Not this one however- as much as we have days ahead we also have an epilogue that involves the small claims court - now there is a nugget to keep you all reading


DAY 16 is a click here away



The whole index if you have missed this epic so far - you can catch up by clicking here.


Welcome to Day 17

Saturday 12th August

The prebooked FP’s looked like this

Magic Kingdom

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM
Splash Mountain
12:50 PM - 1:50 PM
Peter Pan's Flight
2:15 PM - 3:15 PM


A cunning plan to beat the grass cutting team- get up and get out. Usually works on any theme park I tend to find

By the time we left at 8-10 there was no sign of them, maybe they were enjoying a Saturday morning lie in! Which had eluded us in the past two weekends.

We had other far more important plans today. A plan that did not involve the sniggering of a number plate on our way into the park – this has happened before and the Geographical or is that phonetical understanding needs a bit of work!

Unlike the work that was now going on in the car park - this was new!

We had a goodbye to share and one that had to happen today.

We parked at the Studios and walked to bag check, through the magic band scan and straight up to Toy Story Mania- we literally walked on, slowing only to pick up 3d glasses.

Josh won, for the record, and then we had the end of Cars 3 spoilered by the photo opportunity at the end – why do they do that?

Now, you are thinking we have lost all directional sense as our planned park was Magic Kingdom.

Not today – we simply sought to pay a fitting final respect where it was due. As a result I found this shot to take a photo – have walked past it so many times yet today it hit home.

We then paid the price of our walk-on TSM, We then joined the advertised 75 minute queue for The Great Movie Ride. Now less than a month ago, the announcement of the closure of this ride had not even been mentioned – along with the extermination of Ellen, that we endured just a few days ago – AT D23 in July 2017 these closures made big news as they came from nowhere.


There were so many with exactly the same thought today- as we tried to get a selfie , we were approached by a Canadian family who offered to take the photo.

Having read in other online places tee shirts that stated, “Make the Movie Ride Great Again!”
Today was the end of an era for The Studios as a park. An awareness that the past was going to see nearly everything that has been an established part of this park disappear in an extraordinary short space of time.
Nobody saw this announcement coming on July 15th, thankfully we were here on August 12th, the day before it closed.

The added wait time was an enforced pleasure (bet you never thought I would say that!) and it really was, we were forced to look that bit harder at the detail and to watch the videos that in the past we would have strolled through and ignored. Today, it was about soaking it all up – it will never be seen again.


It was such a fitting farewell and we got lots of good photos too.

You can sense the speech bubble here -STAR WARS INCOMING!

It also completed our End of an era in The Studios- we rode The Backlot Tour on its final day and with the removal of the Movie Ride I think this is the complete end of it being the studios as it has ever been.

Being a mug for merchandise I bought the tee shirt, just as well as they sold out today leaving many disappointed on the final day.

Our very good friend Karen had actually snagged the passholder version of the tee shirt which was exceptionally cool, to have my non passholder version of the tee shirt to sit along side my Farewell to Wishes tee shirt that cost quite a bit to ship from the US, at least we could buy this one in person.

We then hopped on a bus and avoided the whole monorail/ parking shenanigans that Magic Kingdom always brings.

We were dropped at the main gate and in good time too. We even had the opportunity of a cinnamon roll for breakfast/ brunch/ lunch well whatever you call it. It was good and after our early start well needed.

We photopassed with a few different photographers.

Big Thunder Mountain was our next stop - we rode at the back before getting on the train to do two circuits of the park and just soak up some of the heat of the day and to just enjoy the whole MK experience.

That second circuit was possibly a bit of a blessing in disguise - even just to use the zoom on the camera to it's full capacity whilst in the station and fixated by its movement.

We got off the train and were now well inside our FP window for Splash Mountain- we joined as the stand by queue was 105 mins.
What happened next was that the whole queue was evacuated, followed by those on the ride being walked off some 25 mins later to the offer of fast passes and bottles of water.

Rather than scuttle off we ensured our FP was replaced with a paper one for another day. Many around us in the FP queue had simply listened to a rather paniced sounding cast member and gave up their place in the queue and then vanished.

We chose to walk through the queue and as a result had another paper ticket and water thrust into our hands. We did not want to appear rude so accepted the apologies and took a bit of pixie dust away with us.

Had we not have gone for that second circuit of the park we would have been stuck on the ride and knowing our luck probably right beside that waterfall as you end the ride. We were thankful and as we watched some on the ride being led off a good time later,

We extended our relief by getting in a visit to the Country Bear Jamboree out of the way and also to shut Josh up as he likes the thing for some reason.
We endured it, whilst he enjoyed. When you think of the rides they have closed I once again photographed the best bit first -

We were then off to Peter Pan’s flight. A fast pass I get into trouble if not booked for at least once in the holiday as we would never queue for it.

Just before our FP time was due the skies opened again - the dry hot weather has turned to the more traditional hot then stormy weather pattern we have got used to in August- you could see it build, a bit like a pressure cooker, and the rain was torrential.
It also made for some rather interesting photos though

It would be very easy to gloss over what you have seen - I was going to but , it needs a point to actually notice those Disney plastic bags wrapped around those Nikes. We were in pieces giggling, and still are
Can't even begin to think how much more expensive his trainers were than mine but come on?

There are times, even at Disney , that August weather catches up with you - people like him will mean I will have to pay Ł10 for a poly bag when shopping at this rate


We decided to cut our losses for today and head to Walmart where once again you find things that you never thought possible.

Industrial sized Cheese balls!

We declined buying them though and then bought a heap of other things to ensure we ate properly today. Once again we had fallen for the lack of food whilst we park hopped.

As you can see the evening meal was on the table very quickly and the sun came out for a pool night, together with Football highlights - Orlando City commentary via their app and baseball on the TV – You can get used to living like this!

In the meantime, we had an early start in the morning and the boys were already packed and ready to go!

Early night for them and plans for tomorrow already let out of the hat!

As much as we have seen many rides, parades , characters and more slip away during the last decade of Disney Dreams - today we lost something that every film loving family will hopefully treasure.

As much as The Movie Ride really revisited many of my favourite films , I think the kids sit there and really recognise why video games were invented and how life has moved on from the great blockbusters that this ride highlights.


I will miss The Great Movie Ride (not in a Spectromagic way, if you read regularly you will know that) but I will miss it, so much more than Ellen though!
To continue to show films and pay for the privilege has a limited shelf life in the current structure of the Disney Organisation and this loss is very much money saving driven, the loss of TCM as a sponsor possibly was the catalyst to closure, what happens next - who knows but I am unsure as to where the theatre part fits in. The previously removed hat would make a recognisable icon in which we could all trust where this park is going. As with so much else it is gone and we await a true clarity of vision for the park.

It was a wrap and it will be missed.

RIP - The Great Movie Ride

Hope you join us for golfing mayhem in day 19!Just click here to read Day 19

[walt4it]

Wow- can't believe how many photos I just included in that - hope you enjoy the read in between, and apologies if reading on your phone, it will mean a lot of scrolling

Sorry!

[mick]

I loved the Great Movie Ride it was one I remember so well from our first visit in 1990

Joan

[mouselover22]

You can never have too many photo's

Love your homage to The Great Movie ride. So cool you got to ride it on the last day

It's lovely when you hear people talking about soaking up the atmosphere at MK A small detail over-looked by so many because of the hustle & bustle.

Another chilled evening, perfect.

[Goldia]

We loved backlot tour too! It really felt like both that and the movie ride were the epitome of HS. Even though my kids have never seen half the movies included in the great movie ride they are still disappointed it's gone. It was a fab long ride which was fun too, they both enjoyed that it skipped along and you weren't stuck somewhere boring for too long. DD was a bit sad when I told her it was gone as she said that now she wouldn't be able to try riding it and keep her eyes open during the alien bit.

They also really miss the honey I shrunk the kids play area, even though they are way too big now for this sort of attraction. I bet your boys had fun times on this back when it was still open.

I like the teaser trailer to keep us all hooked until the end, hmm small claims court, I dread to think what happened to you I hope it wasn't too serious. No need to rush though, I can be very patient and I'm happy to wait.

[Taffy1959]

Good day and nice to see you going on the GMR for the last time.

[collybird]

As sad as I am about the demise of GMR I am more at peace with it than I am Ellen, Mickey’s deserves his own attraction, and the Studios is just so far removed from the ‘Studios’ that GMR didn’t it anymore. I am, of course, still very sad about this. Well done on snagging the t-shirt! It’s lovely.

I agree with your concerns regarding the vision of the park. I feel like the mishmash of lands akin to IOA is somewhat beneath Disney. I was originally against the prospect of a name change but now I feel it necessary. I just saddens me that Hollywood Studios is an excellent concept for a theme park and they have chosen to move away from it rather than amalgamate new attractions into it. Very sad from what I think was my favourite part after our first Disney trip, and that's as a non-thrill ride rider.

Wow, I think that is the worst rain I have ever seen.

Your dinners always look lovely, I’d love to pop over for my tea.

[walt4it]

Originally Posted by mick

I loved the Great Movie Ride it was one I remember so well from our first visit in 1990

Joan

See more...

I think the problem was that it never updated from 1990
Too many old films that went beyond classic and became unwatched

Originally Posted by mouselover22

You can never have too many photo's

Love your homage to The Great Movie ride. So cool you got to ride it on the last day

It's lovely when you hear people talking about soaking up the atmosphere at MK A small detail over-looked by so many because of the hustle & bustle.

Another chilled evening, perfect.

See more...

Glad you enjoyed the photos
Love that you saw this as a homage to the Great Movie Ride - that was how it was intended. Thank you.

As for Mk, I have said it before and will say it again - the slower you go the more the magic comes to you. It is so easy to keep the pace at break neck and then miss the finer details and indeed the whole experience.

Appreciate your continued reading and the detail in your replies too - thank you

[flo-tinka]

Poor excuse walt4it. I lost my OH to the same golfing extravaganza over the weekend too
Goldia I can’t agree with your “no need to rush”. He’s got a countdown and also other readers who are definitely impatient
Farewell GMR...another one bites the dust...

[walt4it]

Originally Posted by flo-tinka

Poor excuse walt4it. I lost my OH to the same golfing extravaganza over the weekend too
Goldia I can’t agree with your “no need to rush”. He’s got a countdown and also other readers who are definitely impatient
Farewell GMR...another one bites the dust...

See more...

They will keep coming don't worry - I have the next two days done for posting when I get a spare hour

Always good to have ongoing readers impatient

Was good to be able to say goodbye to GMR