Flashback Friday / Magical Memories: Toy Story Maniaaa!!!!

Dear Readers,
    Please see below pictures of my first time at Toy Story Mania.

"But V, they are all so blurry!  Why did you not take the time to focus your photos at this prime Disney attraction?" you are probably exclaiming.  Well, the reason is this: I was the VERY FIRST RIDER on TSM that day!  I couldn't stop to take photos or all the guests behind me would have overtaken me!  But let's start from the beginning.

This was my first WDW trip since TSM had opened, so I had never ridden it before.  With all my blog-reading and podcast-listening, however, I was well aware that we'd have to get up early in the morning to get there before the wait became unforgivably long.  I was traveling with my friend J and her husband, her husband's friend and his girlfriend (why, yes, I was a 5th wheel).  Although I had emphasized my strong desire to ride TSM (having heard the legends of its intense awesomeness) we got a slow start due to injuries and not-morning people and not-Disney-commando people.  By the time we got to the ride (around 11 am), the Fast Passes were long gone and the wait was 85 minutes.  I do not do waits longer than 20-25 minutes, so we headed toward Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and I pledged to wake up early and ride TSM another day.

Three days later, I woke up early as promised and took the bus to the Studios.  I waited in line and finally got to see the opening ceremonies!  The fam was never an early-morning group so we'd usually roll into the parks around 10ish.  No, I've never seen the opening of Magic Kingdom (it is on my bucket list, don't worry) or any of the other parks.  Anyway, DHS opening ceremonies are kind of adorable.  Although I wasn't at the forefront of the crowds, I eventually found myself following the Cast Member in charge of preventing human-trampling. 

Thankfully, I was blessed by having no children and no companion to drag around.  I could walk as quickly as I wanted (and allowed by the CMs) and skirted past parents parking strollers and groups of guests trying desperately to stay together.  I bypassed the Fast Pass line and was the very first person to enter the queue.  Wait time: 0 minutes.  I took some quick pics of the queue as I was walking through it but I knew I could not surrender the honorific of being the first guest of the day on TSM.  I grabbed my glasses, got to the CM loading the vehicles, told him "party of 1", and rode a truly awesome first ride ever on TSM.  Traveling solo has never felt so good.  



And here are the suckers who weren't as fast as me (about 10 minutes after I first entered the queue - note the posted wait time) HAHAHAHAHA!