MGM Studios

MGM Studios Logo

Get up late again – not our usual style of holiday – and I languish in the bath for ages – well until I have finished my book. Everyone has baths or showers, and we dress. Andy and Anita were first done, and head off to the reception area to use the Internet – looking for horse riding stuff, and Zoë 101, which Jan has asked us to look for, for Jodie. It is a TV show and has only just taken off in the UK, Jodie loves it – and Jan has previously obtained her some Zoë 101 clothes – but has had to order them in.

Anita manages to book a gentle trail ride, using the concierge, in Fort Wilderness for Friday. There is also another place in Kissimmee as well to review. Fort Wilderness can be cancelled up to 24 hours before, so we will go and look at the other one before – so that Lauren can make the decision on which ride she wants to do.

No joy on the Zoë 101 stuff – but Andrew has found a hotel that is all Nickelodeon (the television station that Zoë was created by) that has a supermarket in it! We have seen it a few times as we have driven around – but decide to go and have a look. We drive towards the hotel – and park in the visiting area, and go into the reception area. All around us we are surrounded by Bob – yes the one and only Spongebob Squarepants! Stef is in seventh heaven, once again.

Nickelodeon resort

We ask the concierge if he knows anything about Zoë 101, and he doesn’t. He seems to think that we are hotel guests, because he starts to look up stuff on the internet for us! We ask where the supermarket is – and it turns out it is just a little shop! We walk around the hotel to where the shop is. Looks like a really great hotel – especially if you are into the cartoon characters. It has two great swimming pools – one with loads of flumes etc. When we get to the shop – no luck – with Zoë 101, we even ask the ladies that work there – and they can remember seeing posters for the show – but that was about a year ago. They think it must have been canned. Oh well at least we tried. As we are returning to the car Anita goes and tells the concierge that we had no luck, and he has tried to find us some details on the web – but without success.

We drive off towards MGM, and park in Film 32 (still making a note of the parking space – just in case!). We board the tram from the parking area to get to the park itself, and go through the bag-check area.

MGM Studios - "Mickey's hat"

As we walk up Hollywood Boulevard we can hear a parade or some such. It is High School Musical II! They are having a pep-rally as we walk up towards Mickey’s magical hat that is the centrepiece of the park. Stef and Lauren run off and join in the singing and dancing – while Anita, Andy and I walk to the announcement board –and see that the Lights Motors, Action - Stunt Show (which Andy really wants to see) is on in about an hour. The pep-rally finishes, and the crew drive off in their float, past us – and we walk up to the Arena.

There are signs all over the place stating that the auditorium will not open for another half an hour or so. People begin to queue outside, getting ready – in the burning sun. It is very hot, and there is no shade here. We turn around to go and find somewhere to hide away from the sun – only to hear the attendants announcing that they are going to open early – as there is some cover inside. We again turn around and join the rush, and manage to be in the first 100 or so. We have to wait for 45 minutes – but we are undercover – as we want to be!

    

MGM Studios - Lights, Motors Action

Once in the auditorium we find a good seat – almost in the middle. We will have a great view! There are cars and motorcycles and boats and trucks used in the show. As it starts it is just cars – but Andy says he can hear motorcycles. As each scene is shot the narrator advises us of what is happening, and it turns out that the cars have been stripped out of everything to make them extra light – including their engines. They are powered by motorcycle engines! Andy was right he could hear motorcycles!

The show is superb, loads of tyres screeching, rubber burning, bullets, explosions, and tricks. Herbie makes an appearance – a funny one and splits into two! A little boy is taken from the audience to remotely drive one of the cars, which shoots off at very high speed and nearly crashes. As the car turn round you can see that the driver is sitting alongside the car – on a special seat – and the little boy was not doing anything at all!

The whole thing is really good – probably one of the best stunt shows we have seen in all our visits here! The funny thing is – it originated in Disneyworld Paris!

Catastrophe Canyon

From here we go on the Back Lot Tour – which includes a trip through Catastrophe Canyon, where 30,000 tons of water is dropped at us – most missing though I did get a touch wet! The water is then recycled ready for the next bus, which is only about 10 minutes!

We are then on Star Tours, a simulator ride, based on Star Wars (surprise surprise!). it is a very good simulator – but Stef looses her sun-glasses! Indiana Jones Stunt Show next – just as good as always – even if a bit cheesy – with the audience participant who gets beaten up turning out to be a stunt man. The show hasn’t changed since the first time we saw it – nine years ago!

The Muppets 4D is another great show – but again it has not changed – so is looking a touch dated. In fact MGM must be the least updated park in Disney, the only “new thing” is the Rock ’n’ Roller coaster and that was here in 2000! Andy wants to ride it – but the wait time is far too long. We continue round the park – and everyone once again appears a little drained – must be the heat!

TGI Fridays logo

We decide to go and eat – but somewhere different. We drive up I-Drive and Stef spots a TGI Fridays – so we all decide that would be good and pull in. We are seated at our table – and as usual our server is good – as is the meal. We all eat as much as possible, and I am feeling very bloated. When we ask for the bill, Anita also asks where the server would go to buy an Ipod. She says there are a few shops in the malls – but the best place would be a Buybest and gives us directions (a long way away I might add) – and she also says that the shop just along – well two doors away - might be good too.

We go into the shop, and are served quickly – and I ask if they have one, and she says “yes but” and I think on no she hasn’t any big ones – only her but is that she only has 80gig ones! She states that the cost will be $370 – which works out about £50 cheaper than at home. As I hum and ha about it she says she will take a further $10 off the price. I say yes please – and then she tries and sells us a couple of mp4 players for the kids. $170 each she says. I say no – just the Ipod please. I give her my credit card, and she rings it up – and I sign the form, and we leave. I look at the bill and notice that she has only charged me $170.00. A result! I feel a bit guilty, but all Andy can say is that I feel that guilty give him the Ipod! Cos he wasn’t going to be!

We quickly leave the area, me still feeling guilty, thinking that I might have cost that lady her job. (When we get home and get the credit card bill the $170 is there – along with a second debit of $200! Oh well!)

Further down I-Drive and we pull into one of the cheaper (aka tacky) shops – the ones with 5 t-shirts for $10.00 kind of… We purchase loads of tacky gifts - well we have to give a lot of presents when we return – and of course there is always Christmas.

We return back to the Fountains – the kids go off for a swim, while Anita lists the presents we have bought so far – as I try and find them in the rooms! We even start to mentally sort the presents – these for Christmas – these as holiday presents etc.

The kids return, and we have a snack, and soon bed is calling us – actually it called Stef first (no surprise there then!) about half an hour before anyone else!