Disney Quest #2: Best Score on Toy Story Mania!

“I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get along without it.” -Walt Disney

Toy Story Mania current wait time is… 105 minutes? Yes, this is the reality if one were to pursue this attraction any time after a few minutes after opening. Although TSM was opened in 2008, there has not been a lull in the attractiveness of the $80 million 4D computerized games. This quest, however, begins many moons before ever setting foot in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Since the entire goal is to beat whoever is sitting next to you on the ride, practice must be throughly performed prior to attempting a “best score” on the real thing. Therefore, $59 was spent on the purchase of the Wii Toy Story Mania game to provide ample pre-game practice. The warm up doesn’t stop there, YouTube and other online cheats were used to gain access to the most opportune moments to score points on each of the attraction’s game screens.

This may all seem a little over-kill to some unbelievers who have not yet experienced the thrill of having the best score of the day, even if you were the 17th person on the ride for the day, that matters none! You may ask, how did you get to be the 17th person on the ride with absolutely not wait time? Arrive at Hollywood Studios early before opening, discretely shove your way through to the front of the line for the distraction pre-show, get to close to the rope people that they can smell your competitive pixie dust, and when they let you go -walk-run to the entrance!

 

So, some pre-TSM pointers: stretch out your trigger hand (you don’t want to cramp up when those plates are  flying in your face a million miles an hour), don’t waste your fine motor skills on the pie shoot practice round, and don’t worry about the accuracy score (no one cares as long as you win)! If you have access to the TSM Wii game, it is pretty excellent practice material for the big game. The earlier you are, the better your score will look when the “Best Score of the Day” is displayed on the monitor. Last but not least – look for the fox…

Disney Quest #1: Find a Palm Tree (better yet, an armadillo)

The elusive palm tree.

Even before landing in Orlando, the quest begins – palm tree hunting. I’m sure those accompanying us on the plane to Florida are super annoyed with a semi-adult woman bobbing and weaving from the aisle seat to peer out a 1X1 window repeating the words palm tree with glee.  

Although these Arecaceae may be a rather routine sighting for those living in areas with more than 2% humidity, up north in the Idaho/Wyoming/Colorado range we have mere spruces, ferns, aspens, and the all too familiar maples and ashes. I complain as if these  indigenous trees are somehow inferior to the almighty palm, but instead, the novelty of the flowering, towering palms seem to protect the specialness of Disney World.

The first visit to WDW in 2008 started with Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where the obsession with these trees began.  Palms here seem to invite and invoke a feeling of prestige and grandeur as they are perfectly aligned along the boulevard. Together with the unmistakable smell of Disney (a combination of humidity, concession food, air conditioning, and pixie dust) these palm trees appear almost consistently when  memorializing my happiest Disney memories. Their wavering, lazy, casual way of being are the perfect backdrop for reminiscence.

The long-legged protectors of Sunset Blvd.

 Even more elusive and mysterious is the quest for armadillo sightings. Since we are very frequently guests on Disney’s complimentary motor coaches, there is ample time to observe the Florida countryside for a seemingly sneaky and shy animal. I ensure all those in my party are peeling their eyes in unrelenting pursuit of this animal with a shell. My family is thankfully on the professional level of animal watching from being raised near Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. This training has prepared us to crave the simple but fantastical joy from being the first to spot a bear, buffalo, or the ultimate prize a wolf.

 These years of elite training have proved to be all for naught when encountered with Florida wilderness. All four years we have been in WDW, we have only seen this exotic animal once after departing from the Magic Kingdom. Those riding on the bus with us that day will likely never forget the sound of ecstasy that resulted from the fleeting drive-by view, it was comparable to meeting the Big Cheese himself!

Although Disney World is meant to immerse you in the magic the of four parks by os”mouse”is, there are many other little joys that make the holistic experience memorable, addicting, and fantasmic!

Dear Armadillo, your hard shell, weird tail, and cute ears will not eldue me forever!