Movie Magic

April 2012 Walt Disney World trip continued

Then we went on the Great Movie Ride where the audio descriptive device did work. The device described all the various sets you went through, and the location of all the props, such as the Alien. The description seemed pretty consistent with the scenery floating by, except it would occasionally get a little off track. The ride was more or less narrated by the driver of the boat, except for the part where the boat was hijacked by a gangster.

Then we went to Toy Story Midway Mania, which is another of those shooting rides I like. I can get a high score, and have absolutely no earthly clue what I'm shooting at. Toy Story is a bit different from Buzz Lightyear because the targets are much closer than the former. The other difference is the 3-D glasses, which you put on after boarding the ride. Then you wend your way through a series of arcade style games shooting at out 3-D pie plates and other stuff.

I heard the audio description about halfway through the ride, but I was concentrating on getting as high a score as I possibly could. I think the description would serve someone who's completely blind well but even so I don't know how useful it would be. Since I didn't hear the description, I don't know if it told you in which direction to aim. Anyway on the ride I got 44,000 points, which was the same score as my mother.

We then went to Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and to a large extent it's a character-based experience. I don't think the attraction had a description, but one would've been nice for the scenery. We sat near the front, so I had a good view. Next time we go, there will be an actual Little Mermaid ride in the Magic Kingdom, so I'll be able to compare them. The fact that you get a tad wet in the little mermaid may also have something to do with the fact there isn't a description.

The Back Lot Tour came next, and this attraction didn't have a description either. I can see why because your journey through the Back Lot is narrated by the driver, even so the audio descriptions are more detailed. Since most of the tour is outside, it's harder to see far in the nice sunny weather. It's cool to see some of the props such as The Alien and Darth Vader when you get off the ride.

Next stop, Muppet Vision 3-D which had a description. The description was a nice compliment to the parts I already could see. I could see a lot of the 3-D effects, but the audio also covered the background scenery. For example, it described the objects in one of the Muppet Labs.

Then we broke for lunch at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiana, and I had Chicken Parmesan and chocolate cannoli cake. It was all very good.