On our previous visit to MGM, we had a great time but didn’t hit most of the big-ticket attractions because we went around dinnertime. This time, we hit the park first thing in the morning. We started off with the Indiana Jones stunt show, which recreates a couple of scenes from various Indy movies. It’s actually quite cool. Thomas was particularly enthralled, since now he knows how to throw a character punch (plus there were lots of explosions, always a plus for the 5-year-old set.)
Mom, Thomas, and I rode Star Tours, which was mildly amusing; it’s a simulator ride through a Star Wars space battle. I rode the Tower of Terror— it was great. You go up in a Twilight Zone elevator, then you free-fall a random distance, then you repeat that cycle a few times. Matt has since taken great delight in pointing to the Tower every time he sees it and intoning “Tower of Terrrrrr!”
David, Mom, and Thomas went to the Drew Carey “Sounds Dangerous” show, which the non-Disney guidebooks all describe as lame. They all liked it, though. For lunch, we had reservations at the Prime Time Cafe, where the schtick is that you’re eating at home with “Mom”. Our waiter, Mickey (yes, that’s really his name), was very zealous at reminding the boys to keep their elbows off the table, and he wouldn’t let Arlene or David order dessert because they didn’t clean their plates. He also did something that I found incredible: after Thomas popped Matthew’s balloon sword, Mickey went next door to the Indiana Jones shop and bought Matt a plastic sword to replace it. Try that at Burger King.
I didn’t keep any notes on them, but there were two other noteworthy activities. David and I played Millionaire, which was loads of fun. It was wicked cold in the the studio, though. I squeezed in a ride on the Rock-n-Roller Coaster. I’m not a huge Aerosmith fan (as in, I wouldn’t have them over to dinner), but this ride was particularly good at providing an immersive environment– you see a projection of them in the studio, then descend into a very realistic parking garage for a “limo ride” to the concert. A very fast, smooth launch and several corkscrews.
Then we went back to the hotel and ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, one of our favorites. The food was excellent and served in large portions (I recommend the Parmsesan-crusted snapper). We got a coupon from the hotel concierge that gave us head-of-the-line seating and a free appetizer. The animatronic animals are pretty neat, and they play some really invigorating background music. The fish tanks are impressive, too. Note that there are two of these restaurants here: one in Downtown Disney and one in Animal Kingdom. Then, to bed.
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