#maestroonthemove - Dude (Looks Like a Lady)

Wow, what a day!  First full day in the park.  Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park - usually I’m done with that park by 2:00pm, but we were there from opening to pretty much close.  So many new things today.

At 6:30am, my alarm went off so I’d be ready to try and get a boarding group for “Rise of the Resistance”.  In fact, we were all doing this at our respective hotels.  Well, one of us did score a boarding group and we were in!  I then made my protein shake and headed to the Skyliner to get to Hollywood Studios.  I was early and the line was really long, but as soon as it started loading, the line moved very quickly.  I had to transfer Skyliners to get to Hollywood Studios and that line was long as well, but moved very quickly.  I made it to DHS (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) before the rest.  (Score on being on time again) and bought a few masks as I didn’t like the mask that I had with me, so I picked up 2 Disney masks - 2 for 1 now. - so that was cool - I grabbed some coffee and waited for everyone else.

Oh, on the Skyliner ride to DHS, I did a video and ordered lunch at Woody’s Lunchbox for later.  Most food either needs a sit down reservation or purchased by mobile order using the Walt Disney World app for pick up at a certain time.  It’s actually quite handy, except that you have to think ahead quite a while for lunch or dinner times.  Anyway, we headed to Toy Story Midway Mania for our first stop - I was up against Amy and she beat me by 2,000 points or so, it was really close.  

Then we got in line for Tower of Terror.  Now, the Tower of Terror at DHS was the first rendition of the ride - and the best.  The second rendition was built in Disney California Adventure in 2004 - but it was totally different. Disney felt the need to streamline the attraction and while keeping the basic idea, changed the design.  For instance, the version in DHS has the drop chamber at the front of the tower, which adds a whole new dimension to the attraction as your elevator has to move from the back to the front of the tower, which is really cool.  All subsequent Towers has the drop chamber at the back so the elevator never leaves the chamber.  Kinda boring.  There is also the issue of the random drop sequences which are cool at DHS.  The Tower at California Adventure was open for over 10 years and the drop sequence never changed.  Now, the Tower in California Adventure is themed to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and is totally different from any other Tower - so there’s that.   There are Towers in Paris and in Tokyo which are exact replicas (so I’ve been told) of the California Adventure version (before Guardians took it over, that is).  So, the DHS is the original and the only version of the Tower that was built and the best.  So good, we did it 2 times!   So, now you know!

Next was Rockin’ Roller Coaster - starring Aerosmith.  The only coaster in WDW that has an inversion. Set as a limo trying to get Aerosmith to a concert in LA traffic, the ride is scored with music by Aerosmith.  I’ve been on this rollercoaster many times, but this time, I noticed the music.  Now, I’m not an Aerosmith aficionado, but this song I knew - Dude (Looks Like a Lady) - and I was like … I know this song…. And then it hit me, it was suppose to be used in a skit for Chickens Ball last year - which we all know didn’t happen - did last year even happen?  Never mind - that’s another blog). Anyway, that brought back some memories and I was happy to know I know at least one Aerosmith song.  We hit this attraction 2 times as well.

When DHS opened in 1989 (as Disney MGM Studios - a brilliant idea by Michael Eisner to stay in completion with Universal Studios), it opened with one major attraction - The Great Movie Ride.  It was in a show building at the end of Hollywood Blvd with a facade that was a sorta replica Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.  The Great Movie Ride was a slow moving romp through the movies.  The major part of the ride never changed (as far as I know) from 1989-2017. In 2017 it closed, much to a lot of peoples sadness, to make way for a new attraction, “Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway” which brings you into in a cartoon.  It uses a trackless ride system - Disney’s newest technology - as well as video and 3D images, etc.  While I really loved “The Great Movie Ride” which was the first attraction that ever rode on my first visit in 2001, I really really love “Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway” - we rode it 2 times as well. 

We rode “Rise of the Resistance”, which I had rode in Disneyland in February, 2020 - before the world stopped (topic for another blog, of course) and it’s such a great feat of technology and story.  There is nothing much more to say about that!

“Smugglers Run” - another attraction in Star Wars Galaxies Edge is an interactive attraction where you pretty much determine the output.  We did well as a team, which was really fun.  It was so fun, we rode it later on in the day again. 

Then it was back to Toy Story Land for lunch at Woody’s Lunch Box.  Which we mobile ordered earlier in the day.  I had the Totchos - which were basically nachos made with tater tots instead of chips.  They were delish!  We did a few more attraction in Toy Story Land including “Slinky Dog Dash” - which is a great “first” rollercoaster.  Very well done.  Although, one could say “Goofy’s Barnstormer” in Magic Kingdom could be a good first coaster, but that’s about 40 seconds long!  Anyway, I digress.

We killed some time and ducked into some AC and attended the “Frozen Sing-A-Long” which was a lot of fun.  It’s fun to sing those songs and. The narrative that held them all together was very clever.

We hit the major attractions again and heading back to Galaxies Edge to ride “Smugglers Run” again and got caught in a crazy big rainstorm.  So we ducked into the stand by line for Smugglers and rode again.  Dinner was at Docking Bay 7 and I finally got to try a Ronto Roaster - which was really yummy. Want to know what that is?  Google is your friend.  I also tried both the Blue Milk and the Green Milk (at different times) in Galaxies Edge.  I was reticent… oh yes, oh yes I was reticent…. but I took a chance and tried the blue milk first.  It was really good. Later on, I tried the green milk and it was pretty good as well.  They both have a slushy consistency and taste sorta fruity - of fruit I can’t quite taste - but I know people who have hated these drinks, and I don’t see why -  I think they are very tasty.  You can get them both with alcohol as well, which I passed on.  They were both a tasty risk! 

We basically closed down the park. Oh, when it’s raining, the Skyliner doesn’t run. So, the gang had to take a boat back to Yacht Club and I had to take a bus back to Pop Century.  The bus stop was the farthest away and had the longest line.  Anyway, Disney was smart and hired charter buses to handle the big crowds that should have had to take the Skyliner back to Pop, so the line went quick and I was home in no time.  

Tomorrow is another epic day.  Luckily, it starts a little later because EPCOT opens at 11:00am.  So a little more sleep which is great.  Stay tuned.

So, now you know!

#maestroonthemove - Get Me To the Park on Time

 Today was a great day - beginning with a romp on Space Mountain and a wet walk around World Showcase.  And I was on time!

I know I’m on vacation, but I have a lot to prove - it all goes back to one to the last trips to WDW in 2018.I was traveling with the Costa’s, they were staying at the Yacht Club I was staying at Port Orleans Riverside.  Now, when you stay at Port Orleans Riverside, you’re stuck with one mode to transportation, the Disney Bus.  I have a love/hate relationship with the Disney Bus System.  They are never available when you want them, they used to pack you in like sardines (not now because of COVID) and at Port Orleans Riverside, there are at least 4 bus stops around the resort.  When I was here in 2018, I had a really difficult time getting to where I needed to be at the right time.  I remember it took me at least 3 days to locate the best bus stop in relation to my room.  So, that was the joke... Mattei was never on time.  I remember trying to get to the Polynesian Resort for breakfast one morning and I was doing great on time, until the monorail was delayed at the Ticket and Transportation Center.  I was late, I jumped off the monorail and walked to the Polynesian.  I was late, of course, and Amy had told the server that I was in the restroom so they could get seated.  The server inquired at one point if I was still in the restroom and if I was OK.  I finally showed up and the server asked me if I was ok, or if I needed some Imodium.  We are still laughing about this 3 years later.

So, that said, this time I am bound and determined not to be late.  So far, I’ve been great.  The plans was to be at the Magic Kingdom at 7:00am this morning, and I was up at 5:15am. I made my protein shake, filled my camelback and packed up the backpack and took off - way too early, but was there on time!  (Before the others) I ended up taking a Lyft - with a driver that didn’t believe in AC - in Florida!  So, I was thankful to get there without being drenched.  But we couldn’t get to the entrance of the Magic Kingdom because in order to get there, you have to take a monorail or the ferry.  Well, since we were all there, it was great.  We ended up talking the monorail to the Magic Kingdom.  It was great being back in a Disney park after more than a year away.  We hit the ground running and head to Space Mountain and continued from there.  Winnie the Pooh (better in CA), some iced coffee, Peter Pan’s Flight, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, It’s a Small World, the Tangled restrooms (poor Tangled doesn’t get an attraction but instead, themed restrooms) Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Tiki Room, Dole Whip, Little Mermaid, and Pirated of the Caribbean (better in CA). We never stopped - and that was all before 12:30pm!

We had a lunch reservation at 1:35pm at the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian Resort, so we took a Ferry over to the TTC and walked over from there..  The whole time watching the thunder and lightning that was getting close to where we were.  When we made it to the restaurant, we sat down to wait for our table and BAM, it startled to pour.  Lucky!   Lunch was really yummy, I had a Mahi BLT which was very tasty.  After lunch, I took Lyft back to my resort and took a nap. 

After the nap, I processed to head to EPCOT.  Well, it was thunder and lightning again and when that happens, the Skyliner doesn’t operate.  So, I took the bus.  There is only one stop at Pop Century, so lines could be long, but the line for the bus was short - only because the bus wasn’t showing up and people were bailing out the line.  The bust finally came, and we were off.  And - at the same time, the Skyliner was up and running.  

I love EPCOT, and walking in was a little emotional.   There is a lot of work going on at the front of the park so I headed to World Showcase and met up with everyone.  We ended up on Listen to the Land - one of my favorite attractions, and then on Soarin’ Over the World.  Not as great as Soarin’ Over California, but fun nonetheless. We walked around World Showcase eating and getting wet from the rain and I hopped on the Skyliner and headed back to Pop.  We have an EPCOT day this week, so I’m excited to get back.  

Tomorrow, first thing at 7:00am, we will all attempted to get in the virtual queue for Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios.  I plan to be on time! 

#maestroonthemove - There’s No Cure Like Travel

 Wow - today I rode on an airplane - seems like the first time in forever - cuz it was!   

After a year of teaching in a global pandemic, it was time to put on the traveling shoes and get away for a while.  So where is the first place I decided to go? Walt Disney World - which I know doesn’t surprise anyone.  

So here I am, at my second favorite Walt Disney World Resort - Pop Century.  (My first favorite is. out Orleans Riverside - which hasn’t opened up yet) Flights were fine.  Masked the entire time, but if you aren’t used to it by now, don’t bother flying/traveling. When I booked the vacation in April, masks were still required everywhere in WDW, and as the date approached the rules changed.  On June 15 (Tuesday) the mask mandate is simple - no masks are required unless you are using Disney transportation.  So, we’ll see how things go.  

Check in is easy.  In fact, I checked in on Friday.  When you arrive, Disney sends a text with the location of your room and you can open the door with your magic band or the Walt Disney World Experience app. Saves on long lines at check in.  My room is in the 70’s section of Pop Century.  There is a huge 8-track Tape marking. The building and a very large model of a Foosball Game outside my door.  This is considered a “value” resort.  All of Disney’s Value Resorts are themed with oversized “props” from popular Disney icons or in Pop Century’s case, oversized icons from the past 4 decades or so.  It’s fun.  It’s worth a google if you want to check it out.

I unpacked and started today’s blog, then it was time to meet my travel people at the Disney Boardwalk Resort for dinner at Trattoria I’ll Forno.  I’m traveling with Amy (my boss) her mom, her sons Gavin and Mason and Gavin’s GF, Ella.  Amy and her family and I have made the trek out to WDW many times - once we get here, it’s like getting right back on the horse.  So, we had dinner, which was OK - nothing exciting but it takes a REALLY good Italian meal to impress me, but we had a great time and that’s what counts.   Oh, I took the Skyliner over to the Boardwalk area and back again afterward.  I’m obsessed with the Skyliner, I admit it.  Even though it’s had a few mishaps in the past few months, it’s still a favorite mode of transportation. 

I got back to Pop and headed to the bell desk to pick up my Instacart order.  Almond Milk, bananas, peanut butter, lots of water and Diet Coke.  Ordering groceries is a “thing” and a great idea.  From what I spent on my Instacart order, that was more than a week of just bottled water alone. In the morning, I’ll fill my Camelback backpack with ice and fill with water - and then bring along an extra bottle.  Saves a ton of bucks.

So, that’s it.  First night here.  Tomorrow is a new adventure.  

Evita, Cats and IKEA

Hallo!!

The last few days have been just right for a vacation.  Some down time, some up time, some shows, some YouTube, some IKEA assembly, and a little sleep.

Let’s work backwards.  I still have not been able to adjust to Netherlands time.  I’m trying!   I find myself nodding off during the day, etc.  I realize it takes time to adjust, but by now I should be a little bit more adjusted.  However, that hasn’t stopped me from having a vacation!!  

On Friday, John and I had breakfast HERE - it’s a place called “The Breakfast Club” and the good was really great.  Afterward, we did a little adulting HERE at a cigar place called “Cigaragua” where we met up with Mike and Bart.  We had a lovely time with some sparkling conversation and some lovely cigars.  Afterward, Krijn and the dogs met us there and we did some errands and headed home.  We relaxed a bit and John made dinner and we watched “Solo” which I hadn’t seen yet.  I thought “Solo” was a great movie and did what it set out to do which was to give us a backstory for Hans Solo.  If you paid attention,  you caught all the references that would foreshadow the “upcoming” adventures of Hans Solo.

On Saturday morning, we set out for the town of  Maastricht which was about 2 hours south of Beets to see the NL National tour of “Evita”.  The drive was lovely, everything is very green here and there is a lot of water everywhere.  Sometimes it reminds me of how the Walt Disney World area looks.  When we finally made it to Maastricht, it was cold and sprinkly, and we couldn’t find parking - sounds like home!   LOL.    We finally found parking and we walked into the town proper.  There was a cool Christmas Fair happening.  Almost like a small version of Christmas in the Park in SJ.

We found a lovely restaurant for dinner - after a not-so-lovely host at another restaurant decided that 3 big sized men would break the chairs of his restaurant. - we immediately started a campaign on the FB and YELP giving this place a bad review and encouraging others to do so as well.  Anyway, we ended up at another place with lovely chairs!   I had the Wiener Schitzle which was fantastic.

The show, (EVITA) was in Dutch, obviously.  But who needs to know the words when you have all the English memorized!   We did have Krijn to help with some of the “newer” translations and things that might be different from the English lyrics.  This was one of the most slick productions of Evita I have ever seen.   It was directed well, sung well, played well and the set was perfect.  Why couldn’t the recent national tour/Broadway revival been as good as it totally paled in comparison.    I wish I could say the same about the British National tour of Cats which we saw the next day.   The ride home was quick and we got in after 1:00am, so it was to bed we went.

Here are a few random pics from Maastricht 

The next day, we had breakfast and set out to put together a trundle bed from IKEA as we are expecting another house guest on Monday!   Krijn and I put the bed together in a few hours.  It was fun putting IKEA furniture together with another person. John and I completed the drawers today and here’s what it looks like.

After we cleaned up, we had dinner and headed into Amsterdam to see the British National Tour of Cats - which was performed in English.  Over all, the show was the same staging I saw in NYC in 2017, but this production seemed “slower” and not as well sung.  Old Deuteronomy cracked several times in his big numbers and Grizabella cheated on her vowels in the big climax section of “Memory” which was a disappointment, and the tempo’s were a little slow for my liking which made the show drag a little.  Still, a great show.  I realize people don’t understand why I like this show as much as I do, I have to admit, if I hadn’t seen the original Broadway production in 1999 to see how the show was originally conceived for Broadway, I probably wouldn’t feel the way I do about the show.

Today, John and I finished the bed and I had some time to update the blog, which will be published in the right blog this time.  Tonight, we are heading to my cousin Melinda’s for a New Years Eve party - which is the reason I decided to take this trip a few years ago!

More soon!!

#maestroinwdw - The Epilogue - Part One

Well, I'm home, and there is a lot to recap after 5 days without a blog.  There's an explanation, of course, but first, the fun parts.

Tuesday, June 12

I believe I left off on Tuesday.  So, Tuesday - the day began at Hollywood Studios hitting the main attractions - except Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular - but I have to say, we were done by 1:00pm.  The majority of the park is under Star Wars and Pixar Lands construction.  The Hollywood Tower of Terror is the best in Orlando because it's was the first incarnation of the ride, therefore has a total different ride system than its predecessors.    All subsequent "Towers" (whether of Terror or Guardians) have the same ride system where the ride vehicle doesn't leave the drop chamber at all. Anyway, it's always a must ride in Orlando.  We hit the Rockin' Roller Coaster and Star Wars and we were out.

Our party got a little smaller at the end of our time at Hollywood Studios and a few of us went on to the Magic Kingdom for the afternoon.  After lunch, we visited the Haunted Mansion and the Pirates again.  We rode the train around the park for about 1 and half times, which was a nice rest.  We rode Goofy's Barnstormer in Storybook Circus, which is about 20 seconds long, but fun.  When you have a fast pass, it's all worth it.  We walked back to Splash Mountain and splashed down for the second time on this trip.  I love Splash Mountain and in Orlando, it doesn't matter if you get wet, you're dry in minutes.  And for the record, no one wore a poncho on this attraction!!!

I did some shopping and headed back to the resort.  It was then that I discovered I was out of cold medicine and my cold which I arrived with, hasn't gotten better.  In fact the right side of my face hasn't really been totally clear at all.  On top of all this, I had a tooth that was beginning to bother me a little, bottom right, first molar was beginning to hurt at the root.  This wasn't good. I emailed my Dr.  I kinda blew it off as part of this sinus issue I was having on the right side of my mouth.  So, I was hoping that getting back on the sinus medicine would help everything.  I ended up taking Lyft to a Walgreens to obtain these items, because while Disney has these things, they come a cost, of course.  So, I had to go to a Walgreens and a CVS because neither had Advil Cold and Sinus, my sinus medication of choice, so I had to go with the CVS version.  I took LYFT back to Disney Springs and had dinner at "The Earl of Sandwich" which is a favorite.  At this point, it was hard to chew on my right side.

I didn't write the blog that night because I was quite out of it.  It had been a long day.

Wednesday, June 13

Another water park day.  This time at Typhoon Lagoon.  The slides were great, the Lazy River still remains my favorite part of the park.  Typhoon Lagoon has a great big wave pool.  The waves are tall and strong.  Great for catching a quick wave so you are sitting on top of the world.  It was fun to watch people getting trampled by the waves.  Sounds great?  Well, I was REALLY out of it today.  May have been the cold medicine I was taking, but I wasn't great company and rather quiet.  My tooth was worse today, and I was surviving on Advil whenever possible.  Not a good thing, I know, but it was what it was and I kept pushing on.  I was not going to let this ruin my trip at all.  In the meantime, I had heard back from Dr. who offered to call in a prescription for an antibiotic, which in hindsight, I should have told him to do, more on that later.  But he did suggest I add Mucinex to my regimen of cold meds, so I found a pharmacy that delivered to Disney and put an order in.  It arrived at my resort a few hours later.

I headed back to the resort and iced my jaw for a while and headed back to the Beach Club resort for dinner at Cape May Cafe.  This was a buffet restaurant featuring Seafood - and it was REALLY good.  I was able to have a great time eating and chatting despite everything else.  I just was not going to let any of this hinder my vacation.

After dinner, I headed back to Disney Springs to transfer back to my resort - planning on taking the boat back instead of the bus.  Well, it had started sprinkling, so there are no boats when it rains, so I walked around hoping it would stop.  However, it didn't stop, so back on the bus I went.

The bus - the bane of any Walt Disney World resort guests existence.  I have to say, I remained patient with the bus system on this trip.  Besides LYFT or Uber - or if you had a car, you're kind of bound to the bus system. It's getting better, I have to say. But by now, I was a little over the bus.  Especially since I was fed up with how this sinus issue was going.  I think I lost more patience with that than I did with the bus. With the exception of Animal Kingdom, my resort was no more than 10 minutes away from the other parks and Disney Springs.  You aren't able to bus from one resort without changing buses at a theme park or Disney Springs.  Same with the Water Parks now.  You either have to change at Animal Kingdom for Blizzard Beach or Disney Springs for Typhoon Lagoon.  In the past, there were direct buses from your resort to Water Parks.

Enough of the bus.

Next time, the final two days.   Wait for it!

#maestroinwdw - Water and Fire

This is going to be short.  Today was a water park day, so most of the day was spent at one of two water parks here in Walt Disney World, Blzzard Beach - where it's winter (and Christmas) all year long.  There was water, slides, chair lifts, group raft slides and well as a lazy river, which I enjoyed being lazy in several times.  All in all, it was a relaxing day.  Except for getting there- required a bus trip to Animal Kingdom and a transfer to another bus to Blizard Beach.  Because of the new Pandora land, Animal Kingdom is quite popular, making the buses crowded all the time.  Anyone, I'm not complaining,  I was even going to try and take LYFT back to my resort from Blizzard Beach, but honestly, I wouldn't know where to stand to wait for one, so I ended up taking the bus back.  That is when I discovered the bus stop closest to my room.  2 minutes to the door.  All I needed to do is figure out the route and BINGO, accomplished.  Only took me 4 days,

I headed over to the Magic Kingdom in the evening for a few rides and some dinner.  All of which were fine.  Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Small World... good times.  I even caught the fireworks show - which is more about the show on the castle - brilliant as it is - and less about the fireworks.  The soundtrack is fantastic as well.  I was waiting for "Let it Go" and it never happened.  That was nice to know.

Took the bus back to the my resort and I am BEAT!!    Tomorrow - Hollywood Studios and I would assume something else as not much is open at that park at the moment because of contrunction.  So, I'm up for an adventure.

#maestroinwdw. - The Good, The Great and the What the HECK Was That??

Today was an EPCOT day, and you can guess that I was up and out of bed on time and out the door on time to get to EPCOT because I really wanted an iced coffee.  Well, the bus was fine, but the security line and the line to get in the park was not.  I'm not complaining because that's not what I'm doing this week, but it was a set back.  However, the line for Starbucks was the quickest line of the morning. When I walked in, I expected it to take forever, but they have the system down.  I met Amy and we high tailed it over to the Imagination pavilion and went on the attraction.  It's still a cute attraction featuring "Figment" a classic EPCOT character.  After, we went into the Magic Eye theatre and saw a few 3-D shorts.  That was a lot of fun as well.  There's a cute one called "Feast" and it's about a dog.  It was really good.

We all went on Test Track, the car that Sena and I designed did ok, considering neither of us knew what wUIKeyInputDownArrowe were doing when we were designing the thing.  We then started a slow work around WOrld Showcase to get to Germany where we had a lunch reservation.  We stopped in Mexico and wandered around and went on the ride again.  We finally made it to Germany and had a delicious buffet lunch, heard a terrific band, and sent texts to the wrong people.  Man, I look good in red.  There are pictures on the Facebook and the Insta of this great experience.

After lunch, our group got a little smaller and some of us went on Mission Space - the GREEN side.  I normally do the ORANGE more instense side, but I'm here to go with the flow this week, so I went on the GREEN side, and it really was fun!  I didn't miss the intensity of the ORANGE side at all.  We then hit up the movie in Canada, which is one my favorites, and moms as well.  I think that was out of order, but whatever.

It was then time for "Frozen Ever After".  Basically, before this attraction, there was a ride in place that took you through the fables of Norway, and then you sat through a movie at the end, etc etc.  So, when Frozen became a big hit, they decided to take the ride and make it over into "Frozen Ever After". The track layout is the same as well as the boat vehicles, but everything else is different.   It's really great.  Disney did a great job here.  They created a story - basically you're going to the first ball that will be held in Elsa's ice castle.  Olaf is the storyteller, and that, of course was my favorite part.  I was even wearing my Olaf sleeveless shirt that my pal Matthew painted for me.  It was a great experience.  Except the part where I left my hat on the attraction - but I went back an hour later and they had it!!   Disney magic again!

I wandered around World Showcase solo for a while, but it was hot, and I didn't have a hat (yet) etc etc so I retrieved my hat and grabbed a margarita in Mexico to celebrate the finding of said hat and headed out back to my resort.  On the way back, I made a decision to head to Animal Kingdom this evening for a quick bite to eat and a viewing of their new show on the river "Rivers of Light" or something like that, and i reserved a fast pass for the 9:35 seating.  So, I got back to my resort, uploaded all my pics and changed my clothes and out the door I went.

When I got to Animal Kingdom, I located the fast pass line and then went off to get some dinner.  Typical Disney dinner, burger, etc.   I then got in line for the show.  We were seated, and it started to rain, but that wasn't stopping the prep for this show, it kept going.  Unlike the rain, which of course eventually stopped, like it does here in Florida.  The wind picks up, it rains a little, the wind goes away as does the rain.

This show "Rivers of Light" - or something like that, and I can't remember the title because the show was very forgettable.  With the technology of World of Color, you'd think they could come up with something a little more exciting?  There were fountains, boats, projections, water screens for the projections, etc... all a hot mess.  No real organization at all.  I'm pretty sure there wasn't a story.  Just how land and see and fire can all meet and live happily ever after.

Was is worth the wait?  Sure - once.  Was the amphitheater full?  More for the the early show and more than half empty for the later show which I attended. I wonder if this well go the way of "Light Magic" - even after Disney built a beautiful amphitheater for this show.

The bus ride home was quick, the driver knew where the gas pedal was and used it!

Congratulations to "The Band's Visit" for practically sweeping the new musical category at the TOny Awards!  Well deserved - fantastic show

Tomorrow, Blizard Beach!