OK, that was a long time between Part 2 and now. I blame James Lileks – he has been blogging so heavily he has caused an imbalance in the blogosphere that has sapped my ability to complete any posting I start.
Also, I’ve been burning a lot of mental energy trying to figure out the last episode of the Sopranos. I think that when Tony looked up and after the shock-cut to black Steve Perry came in the diner and demanded a royalty check. Tony and he disagreed, and Perry got whacked as Tony hummed “Open Arms.”
But that’s just my take on it.
Ah, yes, the trip report. Well, after the talk show with the Star Wars celebs (who I would hope are well-compensated for dealing with both rabid fans and the Summer heat simultaneously) we attended the Stars and Cars parade, which had a couple of Star Wars-themed elements – “Luke” and “Leia” ride in a Sandspeeder-type car, followed by Darth Vader, on foot. Why Vader has to walk, I don’t know – “can’t a Dark Lord of the Sith get any respect around here?” Then again, the one scene in the movies where we see him sitting down, he looks kind of goofy – His legs were folded “Indian-style, ” I recall. Not very menacing, but it is the perfect position if you are sitting down to eat S’mores near the campfire.
The mix of Disney characters was old and new – Mary Poppins preceded Buzz Lightyear – and I was surprised to see so many kids recognized the Dick Van Dyke character at Mary’s side. The wonders of home video. BTW, apparently the cast members who play Dick Van Dyke are given explicit directions – Mug with your chin, bend your knees and kick the air, and avoid any ottomans.
By this point the rest of the family had melted into a pile of protomatter that barely resembled a cohesive whole (did I mention it was hot? Yeah I know, Florida hot in June what a shock). We ran into Star Tours, sitting in the back row (which is the best place – all the g forces are centered there). It was our youngest son Mike’s first real “thrill ride” – Dumbo doesn’t count – and we were happy. Finally, our son had been introduced to the brave new world of motion sickness!
Fighting our way out of the Star Tours gift shop/exit (it was moments like this that made me sad that lightsabers weren’t real) we tried to see the Indiana Jones stunt show but, for the first time EVER, they ran out of seats (OK, maybe not the first time ever, but the first time we’ve seen it over numerous Disney trips). We ate a late lunch and then went back to our hotel.
The family stayed and I went back to watch the Hyperspace Hoopla (I’ll write about that more later) and the Fantasmic laser show.
A fun trip was had by all, though the crowds were MUCH larger than last years and, due to ongoing construction for a new Toy Story ride, the facilities dedicated to Star Wars activities were significantly reduced. As reflected in my earlier postings, this made movement sometimes – well, impossible. So, if you are planning to go to any of the remaining weekends, be prepared to wait – we certainly did.
