Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

On our last full day of our honeymoon, The Gryphon and I visited Disney-MGM Studios. Since we were on the Disney property again, we resumed wearing the "Just Married" buttons and receiving well-wishes from people.

Returning to a Disney property after two days was refreshing: the employees, or cast members, seemed friendlier, more helpful.

Disney-MGM Studios is more focused on live performances, one of which is a musical performance related to High School Musical 2, the sequel to the incredibly popular Disney Channel movie.

This took place near the sorcerer's hat in the center of the park, and it seemed we were always pushing through crowds on our way somewhere.

All the main streets converge at the sorcerer's hat, which led to the crowd congestion. Perhaps if they make that performance a regular staple, they should consider moving it to an amphitheater, like the other lives shows they offer, such as Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage.

We set out first down Sunset Boulevard, which is designed to imitate classic Hollywood buildings, including some classic theaters. In front of one of them was a beautiful car, under a red awning. We would see other similar pieces of history throughout the park.

We headed first for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which I'd heard a lot about. The ride is at the end of Sunset Boulevard and looms over the street, looking like a once grand hotel fallen on hard times.

I must admit, I was a little scared as we waited in line, because I didn't know what to expect. I knew that this ride combined a haunted house ride with a drop, and that you were loaded onto an elevator that goes crazy. Each ride is different, I've heard.

In the pre-load area, you're ushered into a library filled with antiques, and a TV comes on, introducing you to the concept of the ride. A family somehow got lost in another dimension in the hotel, and their influence is still felt today. Then we went to the loading area and waited to be loaded into seats in elevators, with shoulder bars, of course.

Since we only rode it once, I don't know what else we could have experienced, but in our case the elevator opened on a darkened hallway, where we saw the ghostly forms of a family. The elevator then moved down the hallway, through an eerie hallway filled with ghostly lights, to an empty shaft. Inside the shaft, we dropped and then rose up again. This happened multiple times, for different distances each time. At this stage, we could see out a window to the outside, which told us just how high up we were.

The ride slows you down so well on the drops that it wasn't jarring, just exhilarating. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

Also in that section of the park, we were nearby the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, but there was already a long line, so we grabbed a Fast Pass to return later.

In the meantime, we found a gift for my brother's wife in the Planet Hollywood store, then turned onto Hollywood Boulevard to experience the Great Movie Ride. The facade for this ride is reminiscent of Grauman's Chinese Theater, down to pavement squares signed by Disney and MGM celebrities.

As you're waiting for this ride, you're in a big open area with a huge movie screen that plays previews for movies that would be referenced during the ride. Then you're loaded onto a large cart-style ride, with a Disney cast member as tour guide.

Without spoiling anything, I'll simply say that this ride involves live interaction with some characters in the scenes you pass through. It's entertaining, though, and appropriate for most ages (very small children might get frightened).

Our tour guide did a great job, and we applauded him at the end of the ride.

Then we walked back down Sunset Boulevard to ride the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.

The pre-load area of the Rock 'N' Roller Coaster is entertaining, as you interact with a sound booth where projected images of Aerosmith greet you. The idea is that you show up for a studio tour and then end up following them to their next gig, riding in aqua classic cars.

An inside thrill coaster, this ride picks up where Space Mountain left off. In addition to dazzling you with lights and scenery, along with unexpected twists and turns, the ride plays Aerosmith music through speakers in the cars. A rocking good time!

We then walked to the other end of the park to ride Star Tours, a Star Wars flight simulator. George Lucas, incidentally, helped design the park, which opened in 1989 (A full history of the park is available by clicking here).

In the ride, you load onto a Star Wars style rust-bucket to embark on a tour ride to Endor, where the Ewoks live. However, your inexperienced pilot, a nebbishy robot, naturally takes the wrong way and gets you into a heap of trouble. The ride pairs simulation effects, such as jerks and tilts, with a screen where you view what's happening. It was entertaining, and I'm sure it was state-of-the-art when created, but we'd been on more impressive simulation rides during our Orlando stay. This could be why there was barely a wait.

Next, we headed for the Streets of America, because we thought we might have time to do the Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour before catching the live Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. But as we were waiting in line, we did a little math and determined that the wait time, on top of the 35-minute tour, would make us a bit late to line up for the stunt show. Since it was so popular, it was recommended that you show up for the stunt show early.

So we left the line and, instead, got lunch at the Studio Catering Co. Flatbread Grill. I ordered a salad and a bottle of water. The cashier, seeing our "Just Married" buttons, made me a rose out of a napkin.

We got in line, then for Lights, Motors, Action! The line control was actually really good. They brought us all around the building and then, with time to spare before the show, let us in, telling us that we could sit anywhere in the stands, which overlook what appears to be a French street, complete with shops.

It was hot, but an afternoon rain shower was threatening. Fortunately, it held off or they might have had to cancel the show. I'd seen the stunt show promoted on TV, and I was excited to see it. Even though I knew a lot about the show, there were still surprises. They did everything from breathtakingly close chase scenes to jumps. I even caught one in midair. Look for the red car just to the right of center.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the show is that they explain to you how some of the tricks are performed. They also, of course, have fun with the audience, including some interaction with pre-chosen audience members.

The whole show is set up as if it's a movie shoot, although of course, the stunts are only done once and right after each other. So really, it's more like watching the entire action sequence, something that movie stunt actors never have to achieve. Then they show you, on the big screen, the footage they captured, as well as a final scene edited together.

The stunts eventually involve both motorcycles and even a Jet Ski.

Some of our expectations were subverted, which meant that we were genuinely surprised, which is always more fun. Someone who had a better camera and had watched the show at least once could get some terrific photos, I'm sure. But it was fun being surprised.

We even got to meet a motorized celebrity, Herbie the Love Bug.

Next, we took in Muppet Vision 3-D, a 25-minute show on the Streets of America, which we spotted after leaving the stunt show. This show was very similar to Honey, I Shrunk the Audience at Epcot, but it takes it to another level, with animatronic puppets and live performers interacting with the audience, in addition to realistic 3-D and other effects.

Of course, this being the Muppets, it was particularly funny, with a 3-D animated character escaping from backstage at the Muppet Show. An animatronic Statler and Waldorf make snarky comments from their box seats. We thought it was all good fun, and it would rank as my favorite of the three such attractions we visited, including Universal Studios' Shrek 4-D attraction.

As we exited the attraction, we walked past the very colorful Muppet gift store.

The park included a lot of little surprises that would appeal to movie fans, such as places where you could pose for pictures. My favorite was an umbrella attached to a lamp post, with a motion detector that releases a wash of "rain" when someone stands underneath. It's just crying out for you to imitate the famous scene from Singing in the Rain.

Two little girls were playing in the water when we arrived, but I told them that if they would let me get my picture they could play as much as they wanted afterwards. They agreed. Their parents, sitting nearby, nodded and smiled at me.

We had time, then, to do the Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour, although the line was a lot longer than it had been earlier. Even when they were having technical difficulties leading to a delay, we stayed in line. After all, there was nothing else we really wanted to see, except for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! (exclamation point is theirs), which wouldn't be showing until later.

I'm glad we waited, because the backlot tour was both fun and educational. First, you walk into an amphitheater where you learn about special effects using water, with some volunteers from the audience starring in a short film that then gets edited together and shown on video screens. They were good-natured about it, and their performance worked out surprisingly well, considering they clearly had no idea what they were doing. Well, I'm sure it won't ruin much for everyone, given that this was a demonstration of water effects, that their primary duty was to get soaked in unexpected ways.

Then you're loaded onto a tram that takes you through the backlot area, where you can view props used in actual movies, such as this plane from Pearl Harbor.

Or this cruiser from the original Star Wars movies.

The tram becomes a boat in order to take you through an area called Catastrophe Canyon, where you get to experience some special effects. And at the end of the attraction, you walk through an area that contains costumes and props from movies, such as The Chronicles of Narnia, Pirates of the Caribbean, 101 Dalmatians and, of course, Darth Vader from the Star Wars series.

During this ride, both of my camera batteries died on me. I'd forgotten to recharge my spare after using the camera earlier that week, and I'd been using my camera a lot. So I don't have any of my own pictures from the rest of the day.

We headed then for Journey Into Narnia: Creating The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. This was the one attraction that really disappointed us. You get ushered into a room that looks like the winter landscape in Narnia, complete with the lamp post. On a big screen, you watch a summary of the original movie, and then an extended preview for the sequel.

Even though there is a little bit of live acting, it just seemed like a way to trick us into watching a preview. The rest of the attraction was simply a room containing props and costumes from the movies, with a few design sketches. Unless they update and expand this attraction, I'd recommend skipping it.

Our final experience at the park was the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! This takes place on a large soundstage with stunt actors, special effects and also, of course, some volunteers from the audience.

The show begins on a set reminiscent of the opening to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, complete with the big, rolling rock. Amusingly, though, just like they did with the car stunt show, they reveal the tricks of the scene after the fact.

Then the assistant director of the performance grabs some volunteers from the audience, who go backstage for costuming. Stage hands remove the original set and open it up to a Middle Eastern market. After some preparation for the volunteers, who primarily serve as a crowd of vendors, they begin the scene, an action sequence including hand-to-hand combat and even an exploding truck.

Through the course of the show, you see everything from free falls off buildings to impressively choreographed fight scenes, involving pyrotechnics. Here's a picture I found on Wikipedia of one of the later moments, which recreates a runway scene from one of the Indiana Jones movies.

The stunt double for Indiana Jones did such a good job I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he'd actually doubled for Harrison Ford. If he hasn't, he certainly could.

The stunt show was a dramatic end to a fun stay at the park.

We were hungry and weren't sure what we wanted to do for dinner, so we tried some of the sit-down restaurants in the park, such as Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano. All of them were booked full, so we headed back to our resort, Port Orleans - Riverside, to change and regroup.

Once more, we set out for Downtown Disney, where we weighed the options and decided on Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant. The pub is imported from Ireland, with Irish owners, and features a contemporary Irish menu along with performances of traditional music, with a clog dancer who performs on a raised stage in the center of the room.

Here's a photo from WDWinfo.com that shows the main floor of the restaurant on a night that was considerably slower than when we ate there.

This blog entry at Jim Hill Media covers the opening and provides a glimpse inside the restaurant.

I ordered the chicken version of their bangers and mash, which is Irish sausage served over onions and mashed potatoes, paired with a pint of Irish beer. We enjoyed the live entertainment and probably would have stayed for another beer if we weren't determined to do a little club hopping at Pleasure Island.

Each of the clubs charges a $10.95 cover charge, or you can pay for a pass that will get you into any club, which is about $22. When the clerk at the ticket booth saw our "Just Married" pins and heard it was our last night at Disney, he gave us an additional discount. Cool!

Unfortunately, shortly after we'd paid, my stomach started to act up, making me miserable. I think it's because of a week of rich foods. We found a little park where I could lean against a rail, while The Gryphon went to a nearby drink vendor and purchased me a ginger ale. That helped a little bit, but I was still feeling horrible, so we stopped in the nearest Disney store to ask where we could find some antacid. The clerk directed us to another section of Downtown Disney, which was due to close soon. We walked quickly, and when I could no longer keep up, I told The Gryphon to go on without me while I waited. Soon, a bench opened up and I could sit.

After I took the antacid, I knew it was just a matter of time before I'd feel better. While I wasn't up to dancing yet, there was no reason we couldn't enjoy some of the other clubs. The Gryphon suggested the Comedy Warehouse.

Though I was miserable while we were waiting, when I finally got to sit, and to sip on a Diet Coke I ordered, I felt better. We were at a table down front. Here's a picture I grabbed on the Internet, showing the entire theater from the back.

The walls are decorated with old props from Disney shows and the various Disney parks. The seats for the audience, when viewed from the floor, resemble crates, as illustrated in this photo by Sue Holland from a Disney review site, Mouse Planet.

The show started out with one of the actors welcoming us and explaining that they were going to do improv comedy based on suggestions from the audience. Then she kicked off the evening by picking up the phone and calling an audience member, who happened to unknowingly be seated next a wall phone.

Since the phone is patched into their sound system, the entire conversation was audible to the audience, as she asked him questions about himself and his family. We learned that he is the president of the Art Institute in Philadelphia (go, Philly!) and that he was there to celebrate his 33rd wedding anniversary with his wife. Their grown daughter was accompanying them, while their two sons did not. He also admitted that he didn't know much about art and that he didn't know the secret to his wedded success.

The rest of the cast members came out, and they sang an opening song based on the information they'd learned. Rather than the way we do songs at ComedySportz, where we do it one line at a time, each person did an entire verse. I gathered they'd been thinking about it backstage during the phone conversation.

This probably aids them a little bit in terms of coming across smoothly, but it did lead to one actress admitting that she'd forgotten what she was going to say. Nevertheless, the audience laughed. After all, there are no mistakes in improv! Plus, they did an ingenious job of working in the material they knew, such as the fact that the couple had brought only one of their three children with them, and the fact that the president of the Art Institute claimed to have no knowledge of art.

Since the show was fairly short — only about 30 minutes — they only did four total games. The next was Expert Panel, which was done the way we did it at ComedySportz, with a bit of a difference. Three of the players went backstage and put together some costumes, while the fourth, who was acting as the moderator, got a suggestion from the audience for a topic for the talk show. The suggestion was party planning.

Now, at ComedySportz, we normally rely on the panelists themselves to dictate the questions (i.e. someone might have specific questions for a sailor or a bar maid). But this trope meant that all questions had to be related to party planning, regardless of the characters.

First was a blonde who was on the petite side and who seemed to be in her early '30s. She came out chewing gum, with something huge jammed in her shirt front to create a big chest. She was the only one I could find a picture of online, though not, of course, from the same performance. The other actors behind her were not in the performance we saw.

Her performance was my favorite. She played a bubble-headed coed who liked keggers. When the moderator took my question for her, I asked what sort of elegant soiree I should throw to impress the neighbors. She answered, "Beer and Cheetos! Woo!" And then practically fell off her stool.

The second player was a tall, lean African-American guy who also appeared to be in his early '30s. His character was a very cut-and-dried sort of businessman who specialized in "potty planning", or planning out bathroom-related needs for parties. The audience loved this because it was a little naughty, although he skirted anything truly nasty.

The third player was the woman who had started our evening, a medium-sized brunette who seemed to be in her '40s. She had adorned herself with a gaudy-looking outfit and was a specialist in Tupperware parties. Of course, she was shocked with most of what the other contestants said but reluctantly admitted, in response to a question from the audience, that Tupperware had some naughty uses, as well.

Our moderator, the fourth player, was a shorter, medium-sized fair-skinned guy with light brown hair who had gotten in some of the best lines during the opening song, portraying the son who was left behind while his parents celebrated their anniversary in Disney World.

The two men were the focus of the next game, which was a scene game where they get part of their dialogue from the audience. Namely, they chose two audience volunteers, both of them 20-something women, and had them sit on stools on-stage. The two players began a scene based on a suggestion from the audience, which was "shopping mall", and then at key points, they would turn to one of the volunteers and ask them to say a word. That word had to be the next one they said.

This was a great idea in theory, but the two volunteers were initially afraid to go with their gut and throw words out there. Those in the audience probably didn't appreciate how difficult that position was for them, especially since neither of these volunteers likely had any improv experience.

However, the two guys ran with it and eventually got them to the point where they were more comfortable and offering suggestions off the top of their heads. The story developed that the two men were offering samples for foods that they hoped to market. One of them, the African-American player, had better luck (other players would come through and take things off their pantomimed trays). Eventually, he admitted he was a skilled motivational speaker, and he helped the other guy turn his attitude around and therefore get more takers.

Of course, then they decided to go into business together and market some sort of ridiculous underwear with feathers (thanks, volunteers!). The very end came when they found a way to gracefully work in the ending line, which they'd already solicited from the audience. I think it was "Go away" or some such. They got a lot of applause for a skillful job, and the audience volunteers seemed relieved to return to their seats.

Finally, the players solicited a topic for a closing song. They wanted something that was an unusual pet peeve, and they rejected a few before accepting one woman's complaint, that she didn't like the butt marks on the toilet seat in her office! Ewwww!

Now at ComedySportz, that would be off-color enough to make it off-limits, but this crew ran with it and turned in a funny song. My favorite line was the blonde player, who sang a verse as if she was that woman's coworker. She sang that she didn't know why the butt prints bothered her, "Since hers are all over the copy machine."

By the end of the show, I was feeling a lot better, and I was ready to hit another club. We walked to the nearest one, the Adventurers Club. You can find out all about it in this excellent article on All Ears Net.

Basically, the Adventurers Club is like a gentlemen's club from the '30s, as depicted in countless movies. As you enter, you walk through the mezzanine and around to the stairs, peering down at the action taking place in the room below. Here's a picture I found at Humu Kon Tiki, a traveler's blog.

The club is the hangout spot for a number of adventurers, who share their stories, participate in various events throughout the night, and regale the visitors with entertainment.

Unfortunately, I spent far too much time in the bathroom, because out of three stalls only one was operational. I could hear one of the Adventurers regaling the room with, I believe, sonnets. I entertained myself talking to the woman ahead of me, who works in Disneyland, California, and visits other Disney properties throughout the year, with her employee discount. She said that Disneyland has much more local flavor.

She also was getting married soon, so I gave her a few tips, such as appointing someone to serve as her coordinator on the big day, to field problems for her.

When I finally emerged, I found The Gryphon, who seemed to be enjoying himself. The club members opened the library doors and ushered us all inside for a show, so we found a seat near some bookshelves and ordered drinks. I got a Smirnoff Ice, since I was finally feeling capable of drinking alcohol again.

The club put on a cabaret performance, the Bon Voyage Hoopla!, with each of them taking turns and singing songs that sounded like they could come from the '30s. I knew that one of them, however, was a bit more recent: the "Masochism Tango" by Tom Lehrer! I found myself singing along, and cheering at appropriate moments. The actor who sang it, aviator Hathaway Browne, enjoyed flirting with the ladies and was a crowd favorite.

Below is a photo from a Disney blog, The Magic in Pixels, posted in February this year. The wimpy-looking guy in a green scout uniform was the only performer we saw.

We were also entertained by the club president, Pamelia Perkins, who dragged an audience member on-stage to help her with a very quirky song involving sound effects.

Off on the side, the proceedings were commented upon by a guy in a white suit and a fez who had a keen wit and kept making asides. Of course, because it was the Bon Voyage Hoopla!, he encouraged us to call out "hoopla" randomly throughout the events. Loads of fun.

We had a little more time before we would turn into pumpkins, so we hit one more club, the '70s and '80s dance club, 8 Trax. Here's the exterior, in daytime, from Sue Holland's write-up on Pleasure Island at Mouse Planet.

Despite the overtly '70s design of the exterior, the club that night was playing mostly '80s hits, which had the mostly '30s and '40s crowd moving and grooving. The matchin '80s videos played on a big screen, and the dance floor was packed.

The Gryphon and I had a fun time dancing, even though a guy wearing a Penn State shirt, who seemed every bit the overgrown frat guy, was drunkenly crashing around the floor and shouting, so that his buddies had to step in and get him under control.

We slow-danced to "I Had the Time of My Life", singing along, and the words seemed so perfect we knew that should be the last song we danced to that evening.

More Musings on Alyce's honeymoon:

Honeymoon Index

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

October 2007 Index

Musings Index

What do you think? Share your thoughts
at Alyce's message board (left button):