Birt Family Focus

Disney MGM Studios - Parades, Shows and Other Events -- 03/26/03

Howdy everyone-

Today's focus is to fill you all in on a few other things available at MGM for your entertainment. There are a number of special events and such that you will need to plan ahead for, and then there are the little, neat things, that happen everyday. I love these - I can sit on a bench and be happy watching the parade and the streetmosphere. Fantasmic! is one of the best finale shows I have ever seen. It's my hubby's favorite and we never miss it when in MGM in the evenings. The parade changes from time to time as all Disney parades do, but I have never been disappointed by the MGM offerings. Right now the parade is the "Stars and Motorcars" theme. I would LOVE to have some of those cars.

This parade is WAYYY cool. The cars are all convertables and custom decorated to match the stars riding in them. In this parade, you will get to see live versions of some characters that you NEVER see anywhere else. It may be possible to even get autographs from these characters at times, ask at customer relations. This parade was started in conjunction with the 100 years of magic celebration, so see it quick, it will likely be changed soon. The parade is interactive and an announcer shares nuggets of Walt's wisdom throughout the parade. The cars are very creative- the Toy Story one looke like Andy's bed. Mary Poppins' car looks like a carousel. Alladin's car is Genie. A black stretch lime carries the villains. Mike and Sully are there in Sully's new red convertable, of course. There are several other cars as well as many characters walking along interacting with the audience on the street. Darth Vader, R2D2, Pain and Panic, Alice, the White Rabbit and others walk along beside their cars. The parade is about 20 minutes and happens at 3pm daily. The EmCees along the route are streetmosphere performers. It's fun to stand next to them and listen to their patter throughout the parade.

Speaking of streetmosphere, that is the next subject in our look at "other stuff to see" at MGM. Various performers may be found in several areas throughout the day in the park, but you will always strike gold if you sit on a bench outside the Villains store and wait. I find it's easiest to wait here while munching a chocolate and caramel covered apple from the Villians Chocolate counter. ;-) There is a whole cavalcade of folks you may see and they are all funny. There is a schedule available but part of the fun for me is the randomness of the encounters. Some characters you may run into are: Italian Actor Alberto Dante, Al for short..., Otto, the director, a detective straight out of a 1940's film noir movie- he will ask you for evidence, and a whole slew of others. Sometimes they perform alone and sometimes there are groups of them. I recently saw about 6 together who stopped and had a joke telling contest in which the audience gave them a subject and they had to come up with a joke off the cuff. It was hilarious. ALWAYS talk to these folks, you'll be glad you did.

Lastly, cap your day off with a viewing of Fantasmic!. We get food at the little fast food places across from the entrance, or you can get hotdogs and wrap sandwiches in the amphitheater. You WILL want to get something to eat and bring it with you or plan a very late supper, because if you don't get a seat early, you won't get one. Even on the "slow" days, Fantasmic is crowded. Folks leave other parks or come to MGM specifically to see this show, so you can't guage how soon to get a seat by how crowded the park is that day. I recommend going up a minimum of 1 hour early. We grab our food and schlep it up the hill, get a seat, and eat. Then we engage the folks nearest in conversation and wait. There is always stuff going on- watching folks arrive and negotiate a place to sit is more interesting than I thought it would be. Then there are the vendors hawking neat stuff like light up hats and cool junk like that. They also hawk popcorn and sodas. There is a catered dinner with reserved seating on a terrace above the regular seating to the left of the theater that is expensive, but can be worth it. I noticed a more elaborate dinner there last time I went then I have seen previously and was told that particular dinner was corporate sponsored and private- no tickets available. I was given to understand you can purchace tickets for a dessert seating there, though. I don't know if you still can, that was several months ago. In any case, Fantasmic tells the story of how the Villains tried to ruin Mickey's dreams and let the bad guys win. Of course, they can't but the presentation of the story is beautiful with both boat floats of characters, and live action scenes of the bad guys fighting the good guys. There are mist screens where pieces of Disney Animatied films are played out, telling the story of Mickey's dream. If you sit down close to the front, particularly on a windy day, you will get wet. The crowning glory of the whole presentation, at least in my opinion, is the coolest, most awsesome dragon I have ever seen. It is 40 feet tall and breathes fire. I swear it looks as real as possible. It is a triumph of animatronic technology. This show is 25 minutes long and when it is over, you are herded out though a path that goes backstage. It is dark, but I still think that is tacky. If you are late, count on standing for the show. There are bathrooms and snacks- but the snack booths close just before the show starts. Also, if you have a stroller, you will have to stop and park it in the stroller area, and carry your child in to a seat. You will then have to go and claim it after the show, so leaving after the show can be an ordeal for some. You can still get a Fantasmic Dinner Package at some of the restaurants, in which you ask for the package when you make your PS, then you are guarenteed a reserved seat and don't have to arrive early. You go to a prearranged meeting area with the chit they give you at the restaurant, and are led in and seated just a little bit before the show begins. During the holidays or on special occasions, Fantasmic is performed 2 times per night and often the second showing is the best for seating. No seats are bad, though. I have sat on both sides, in the middle, down in front and up at the back and seen everything no matter where I sat. The only difference is that you will get wet if you are down in front and it's easier to leave if you are up in the back. Just to put in perspective how popular this show is, it seats 6500 and stands 2500 and is often full. That's 9000 guests per performance.

In addition to these, there are a few special events that happen seasonally in Disney MGM park. You may want to plan you vacation to include Super Soap weekend and hang with your favorite ABC soap stars, or Star Wars weekend and let the force be with you, or stroll through the Osbourne Lights display during the winter holiday season, or attend when there are special celebrity events and show tapings. These are usually not announced more than a week in advance and you almost always have to depend on serendipity, but check with Guest Relations, they sometimes have a schedule.

Well- that's it for this week. Next week, I will begin with the last park- Animal Kingdom. Hopefully I won't be late or forget to do it- LOL

Sla`inte~