 Today we start off
back at Disney
MGM Studios. Everyone was up and ready in record time this
morning - I think we are getting good at this! We grabbed a bagel
in the room today, and then headed down to catch the boat. It
delivered us to MGM around 8:30 and we quickly passed through the
security check and up to the ticket readers. Forgot to mention
that it was raining again today. A light drizzle sort of rain
that meant that those ponchos would again to needed off and on.
 They let us through
the turnstiles around 8:50, and then we went with
most of the crowd to Sunset Blvd to wait for the rope drop to Tower of
Terror (ToT) and Rock and Roller Coaster (RnR). The plan was for
Kristen to grab fast passes for RnR and then to ride with Brinn in the
standby line. I headed to ToT with Maddy - she has been wanting
to ride ToT most of the last year. Until today. :-)
Now that the time has come, she is just a bit daunted by that huge
building and once we get inside, she is even more worried. I
talked her through it, but she was still scared by decided to
go. The wait went really quickly, and the left path to the
elevators was almost empty so we got on the next elevator by heading
that way. Ended up in the front seat which probably was NOT
best for Maddy's fears, and she pretty much huddled into my side
throughout the ride. It was a good one, and we bounced up and
down many times. While I can't say she ended up loving it, she
did better than a teen across from us. She was in tears and
wailing. I think she actually made Maddy more scared!
 After leaving we checked out the picture and decided to
buy it as proof
since Madison wasn't too interested in riding again anytime soon!
;-) Off to find Kristen and Brinn at RnR. They were
to be waiting in the store area after the ride, and that's where
we found them. Brinn had wanted to wait for me before
riding. We had a 20 minute wait until our Fast Pass time was
good, so we shopped and then took a restroom break. Then off
Brinn and I went. It wasn't long before we were on the ride and
off. Brinn was doing great, and just a bit worried. She
REALLY can't stand drops, but luckily, RnR doesn't really HAVE big
drops. It flips you upside down several times, but no huge
drops! ;-)  Brinn actually
liked it OK. She wasn't
ready to do it again with Kristen, but she said she would ride it again
in the future. Whew! :-) We love this ride and look
forward to a time when the whole family can ride together. Maddy
should be tall enough in a year or two.
After Kristen got her chance to ride RnR it was off to Playhouse
Disney. We arrived JUST in a nick of time, and he CM even walked
us in a side entrance since the show had just started. The girls
plopped down on the floor to watch while Kristen and I sat in the back
on benches. It was not too crowded - I think the rain is keeping
some people away today. The show was great and we headed out onto
Mickey Ave to find some characters. JoJo and Goliath were slated
to be back there, and the girls wanted a picture with them. We
also stopped in to see Sorcerer Mickey for the first time. I
horned in on this picture! I wanted to meet Mickey too!
;-) It was great since the line was really small for both
pictures.
 I also haven't mentioned that this super hot summer heat
down here
seems to have broken for this trip. Yes, its been a bit rainy,
but it has NOT been too hot! Its been almost pleasant at
times. This also reminds me about our refrigerated room!
Our unit at Boardwalk Villas has been VERY cold. The A/C was
maxed out and is in FINE working order! ;-) The girls like
to play in the walk-in closet since there is no A/C in there!
:-) But we've got it figured out a bit now and its a bit more
tolerable! Anyway, back to MGM...
 We had grabbed
fastpasses for Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and headed
to that show now. It was a good show, and the host was
pretty funny. Kristen and I never even made the top 10, but it
was still fun playing. Now it was time for some lunch. I
grabbed some fastpasses for Star Tours, and then we tried the Sci Fi
Drivein first, but it was packed out the door, so we headed to the ABC
Commissary instead. It was NOT too crowded, and we all enjoyed
lunch there. The girls had chicken nuggets, and Kristen and I
tried the Cuban Sandwich. It was pretty good and cost around
$28. Used the Disney Rewards card again. I don't think I've
paid cash for a meal yet! :-)
Off to Star Tours, and walked by a VERY long standby line.
We are loving Fast Pass as always. Our longest wait so far has
been about 15 - 20 minutes. Using Fast Pass when needed is
definitely the way to go! The girls loved it as always, and
wanted to go again. No way with that standby line! We
headed to the BIG Hat area, but not too many characters were around in
the off again on again drizzle. We decided to head back for a
break and then it would be off to Epcot for the evening.
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The girls took a nap
until
about 4pm, and then we headed to Epcot. The boat arrived just as
we
were walking by, so we opted to ride over. Since the boat goes
directly from BW to Epcot it was a quick ride. It was still
drizzly,
but not bad at all. And pretty pleasant temp wise.
Tonight we are
doing the countries. The girls grabbed masks in France, and
proceeded
to hit Kidcot stations all round World Showcase. 
They love
getting the
stamps, and coloring the mask a bit at each stop. They are pretty
good
about going when we call them as well. Some parents seemed to be
dragging their kids off kicking and screaming! :-) Guess
Kidcot is a
mixed blessing... 
We worked our way around World Showcase, and enjoyed
looking around
each pavilion. We stopped in Mexico for dinner outside at the
Cantina
and ate beside the lake. Normally, I can't stand eating outside
in the
Florida summer, but again it was very pleasant. Warm, but not
uncomfortably so. Very nice.