"We should go to DinoLand U.S.A. first since the rides there usually crowd up fast." Mia says as we walk through Animal Kingdom.
"Yeah, that sounds good. We can go on Expedition Everest as our last ride then. What do you want to go on first; the DINOSAUR or the Primeval Whirl?"
"Let's go on the Primeval Whirl first. There isn't much to do here in Animal Kingdom so we should go to Hollywood Studios today too."
"Alright, let's go." I say as we make our way towards DinoLand U.S.A.. We entered the world of dinosaurs and made a beeline to Primeval Whirl. The digital clock that showed the wait time flashed the number thirty, informing us it was only a thirty minute wait.
We walked into the line and were surprised when it moved pretty quickly. The clock may have said thirty minutes but it only seemed like ten. Seconds later we were sitting in a time-machine-styled contraption and a safety bar came down over our heads. Minutes later we're climbing up a ramp and passing through a zany 4-ringed time portal before beginning a steady, swinging descent into the past.
We're swept through a series of sudden dips and turns as our time machine spins on its own path. Mia and I then whiz by cartoon-styled dinosaurs who are hastily preparing for their impending extinction and get a glimpse of a shower of kooky meteors. We're put through a thrill of twists and turns and glide through a fossilized jigsaw puzzle of dinosaur bones before leaving the past behind and making our way back to the present.
The safety bars lift over our heads, freeing us from the time machine. We get out and make our way to the middle of DinoLand U.S.A..
"Time for the DINOSAUR?" I ask Mia.
"Yeah, I guess. Just don't make fun of me."
"Why would I make fun of you?" I ask confused.
"That ride contains loud noises and Dinosaurs that are right up in your face. Believe me, if I wasn't scared of that I'd think something was wrong with me."
"Mia, we don't have to go on it. To be honest I don't really want to go on it either."
"Really?" She says, looking up at me.
"Yeah. Honestly I'd rather wait for Expedition Everest than DINOSAUR."
"Can we go on Expedition Everest then?" Mia asks.
"Of course we can." I say and grab her hand, pulling her behind me to get to Asia.
Once we made it to Asia we make our way to Expedition Everest and venture into a Tibetan-style stone structure at the foot of towering Mt. Everest. After an hour and a half of waiting we're finally at the front of the ride. We're strapped into a weather-beaten train and wait a few minutes before we start ascending a series of rolling hills overlooking a serene green forest. The train climbs a steep incline and navigates through a ceremonial stone tunnel before reaching the summit. Once we're at the "top of the world," we hold on tight as the train picks up speed and races inside the dreaded mountain.
Without warning, the train screeches to a halt: A broken and twisted track appearing in front of us. We brace ourselves as the train unpredictably begins to race backward into the darkened mountain, furiously swooping up into a double-looping turn. Inside the windswept passage, we see a shadowy figure of a growling creature on a cavern wall.
The train then hurled us 80 feet down the base of the cursed mountain and swooped in and out of murky caves and along jagged rocky ledges as the train raced to escape the dreaded monster before he caught up with us. We're brought back to the beginning (obviously we escaped the Yeti) and lift up the safety bar. We climb out of the train and head towards the exit.
"Hollywood Studios?" I ask her.
"Let's go!" Mia says, taking my hand and dragging me behind her to the park exit.
. . .
We enter Hollywood Studios and the first thing we see is an advertisement for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
"There's no way in hell I'm going on that death trap!" Mia exclaims right as we see it.
"I wasn't going to make you," I reply laughing. "I know you're deathly afraid of heights."
"Good. We won't have a problem then."
"Should we go on Rock 'n' Roller Coaster first? Before it gets too crowded." I ask her.
"Yeah, we can do Toy Story Midway Mania afterwards."
"Alright, let's go to Sunset Boulevard," I say, naming the place that holds the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.
We walk towards Sunset Boulevard and once inside, make a beeline to the coaster. Once inside we walk in the dark on our way to the Aerosmith concert, passing legendary landmarks along the way. We tour the famed music studios of G-Force Records, where the legendary rockers Aerosmith are wrapping up a recording session. When the band's manager informs the group that they're late for a concert on the other side of town, the band invites us to come along.
Thirty minutes later we hop inside a gleaming, super-stretch limo. We hold on tight as it takes off three minutes later at a whopping 60 miles per hour into the Los Angeles night-hard-rockin' grooves of Aerosmith echoing all around us.
The super-stretch limo careens up and down into the inky, nighttime city darkness. We then rocket through the famous Hollywood sign and speed past illuminated landmarks. The limo maneuvers through city traffic and swoops in and around 3 thrilling inversions-2 rollover loops and one corkscrew-as the wind races across our faces.
I can surprisingly hear Mia screaming and laughing beside me as the Aerosmith song, Sweet Emotion, continues to blast throughout the ride and into our ears. The super-stretch limo then pulls into the stopping point, "arriving" at the concert of the year. The music stops and the safety bars lift, allowing us to get out of the super-stretch limo.
"Well that was fun," Mia says.
"Yeah, it was. Ready for Toy Story Midway Mania?"
"Definitely."
We made our way over to Pixar Place, which held the famous Toy Story Midway Mania ride. Once we arrived we stepped inside Andy's room and made our way through a toy treasure chest of classic playthings. We passed a Candyland game box, Viewmaster discs, crayon drawings and a Scrabble board before picking up a pair of special 3D glasses, waiting for the fun to come. Inside the vibrant toy box, we met Mr. Potato Head, who was decked out in a 1920's barker outfit, as he introduced us to the attraction.
Minutes later we climbed into an early 20th-century-inspired Carnival Ride Tram and grabbed our spring-action shooters. With the 3D glasses on, we glided into the Toy Story Midway Games Play Set and took aim at stationary and moving 3D objects in a variety of fast-paced games.
Mia and I played five games while inside Toy Story Midway Mania. Hamm & Eggs, Rex & Trixie's Dino Darts, Green Army Men Shoot Camp, Buzz Lightyear's Flying Tossers, and Woody's Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Gallery. As we completed each game the Carnival Ride Tram quickly rotated and slid onto the next game. When the ride ended the safety bar that had been placed over our laps rose, allowing us to get out and move onto the next ride.
"We should get something to eat and then meet some of the characters here," I say to Mia.
"That sounds good. Where do you want to eat?" She asks me. I pull out my phone and go onto the Disney app that I had downloaded onto it.
"Well it says here that most of the characters are near the Streets of America. Do you want to find something to eat over there?"
"Yeah, we can do that. What characters are there to meet?"
"From what I see on here there's Mike & Sulley and there's Phineas & Ferb."
"Okay, let's go eat and then decide what we want to do after." Mia says and I nod, agreeing with what she said.
. . .
We had just finished eating at Pizza Planet and were now deciding on what we wanted to do.
"How about we go meet those four characters and then go back to the hotel and just hang out." I suggest.
"Yeah, I can do that. Let's go get in line for Mike & Sulley." Mia says and we walk over to get in line.
We wait for about ten minutes before making it up to where the two monsters are. The camera lady takes pictures of Mia and I, just Mia, and just me with Mike & Sulley. We then make our way towards Phineas and Ferb where we wait another ten minutes before getting our pictures taken with them as well.
"Okay. Ready to head back to the hotel?" I ask Mia as we walk away from the four characters.
"Yup, let's go."
. . .
It had been four hours since we got back to the hotel room. In those four hours we talked, swam, and looked in some of the shops the hotel provided. We had also ordered some room service for dinner.
"We hit Epcot and then sadly have to return to the real world tomorrow." I tell Mia as we both get into our separate beds.
"I know, it honestly sucks." She replies, turning out the light on her side.
"Yeah, it does. Well, goodnight and be prepared for a lot of walking tomorrow."
Mia laughs, "Goodnight, Jay."
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