Florida - Day 7

From Hollywood Studios

Today started with a trip to Downtown Disney to drop off the car and catch a bus over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We wish we had done this from the beginning, as it allowed us to see some of the resorts (you take the bus to a resort, then hop one to a park) and would have saved us $12 a day on parking. We arrived at DHS on a 78 degree January morning and were really excited to hit up two of the main attractions; The Tower of Terror and Rockin’ Roller Coaster.

From Hollywood Studios

We grabbed a Fast Pass for Rockin’ Roller Coaster and then ran over to Tower of Terror. I didn’t give any secrets away to M, because it was her first time riding and I wanted her to experience it for herself. Surprisingly, there was only a brief wait to get on. The queue snakes through an old dilapidated hotel and goes down into a grungy basement. This is one of my favorite queues, because it’s not only the sights but the smells and sounds that really make it magical. They’ve upgraded the ride in the last few years so that every single experience is different. M was clenched on to my arm so tightly that it felt like she was going to rip it out of the socket. Up and down we went, and of course, the screams followed. Once the ride ended, we thought we wanted to walk away. We got to the main street and M turned to me and asked me if I wanted to ride again. Of course I did.

From Hollywood Studios

After our second ride, it was time for Rockin’ Roller Coaster. This ride is great because it’s based around Aerosmith, complete with a semi-interactive video of the band set in a “recording studio”. This coaster is incredible. The entire ride is indoors. We rode in a super stretch Cadillac limousine that goes from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds. M and I made sure to practice our “rock hands” with our tongues out for the ride’s photo. The really cool thing about this ride is that it’s basically pitch black with just some black light effects and the coaster goes upside down in all sorts of twists and you never see it coming. Of course, like every other Disney ride, once it was over they dump you off into a store… and this one turned out to be a lot more fun than usual. We tried on crazy wigs, which turned us into instant rock and roll legends.

From Hollywood Studios

From Hollywood Studios

Next up was the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. We were lucky enough to sit in the front row, right next to the sound board and close to the action. This show is a behind the scenes look at how stunt work is done on a movie set. They go through three different famous scenes from the movie, starting with the “golden statue snatch”, which leads to the giant rock chasing Indy. It was really cool. The two scenes to follow were also classics from the movie, but I’ll save the secrets for your trip. On the way out of the stadium we waited for the crowd to disperse, and we were lucky enough to walk by a cast member holding the golden statue. I asked if I could take a picture of it, and he did me one better. He let M and I hold it, while he snapped a picture of us. That was incredible.

From Hollywood Studios

Star Tours was next… and being a huge Star Wars fan, I always love going to this attraction. They have an animatronic R2D2 and C3PO, which you can get pretty close to for pictures. The ride itself could use a little modernization, but it was still fun. The store here was something out of one my dreams. If I could have one of everything, I’d be a happy man.

From Hollywood Studios

From Hollywood Studios

Muppets 3-D is a cleverly orchestrated show, which includes not only the movie you see on screen, but animatronic muppets such as the two grumpy old men in the balcony and an animatronic penguin orchestra. Like most Disney shows, it employed all of your senses. I really enjoyed this one.

From Hollywood Studios

Lights, Motors, Action was up next. It’s a live action stunt spectacular performed twice a day to about 5000 people. The show is amazing… we saw stunt drivers performing incredible maneuvers. In cars, on motorcycles, and even on jet skis. This was our first time seeing this and it didn’t disappoint. Next time, we would get there earlier so we could get seats down in front at the end of the aisle. M had a very loud family behind her that drove her a little crazy.

Lunch was at 50’s Prime Time Café. It’s like stepping back in time to 1950s America and sitting down in your grandma’s kitchen. They even had the wooden fork and spoon on the wall… you know what I’m talking about…

From Hollywood Studios

The menu is based on comfort food you grew up on… like meatloaf, mac and cheese, tater tots, etc. I enjoyed a very unhealthy but delicious meatloaf, and M enjoyed a very unhealthy but delicious malted milk shake. One of the cool things about this restaurant is that the servers all act as if you’re family members. We happened to be served by our “cousin” JL, and they talk to you as if you are related. They even tell you to get your elbows off the table. Great place.

We attempted to visit the Toy Story Mania ride, but since it’s new, everyone else was there. There were no longer Fast Passes available for the day, and the standby line was 2 ½ hours. There was no way either of us could take that. So we headed next door to Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream. It’s just what it sounds like… a walk-through attraction, followed by a brief movie. The walk-through portion includes historic artifacts of Walt Disney himself, such as his complete office and props from some of the early live action movies. We learned that the idea of Walt Disney World came from his desire to have something fun to do with his two daughters. He dreamt of an entertainment complex… not just for children, but for adults as well. His life was very interesting and he was a special man.

The line at the Little Mermaid show was longer than we wanted to wait, so we headed to the Great Movie Ride and then Disney Animation before the light show began.

From Hollywood Studios

The Great Movie Ride is set inside a replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theater. It’s a journey through movie history. We stood in a really long line, but the payoff was pretty cool. Just like in Hollywood, this theater front had handprints and signatures of celebrities in the cement. Let me tell you something…. Tom Cruise’s feet are small.

From Hollywood Studios

The Magic of Disney Animation is a short interactive film, with a cast member and Mushu from Milan speaking to the audience. Mushu is voiced by Eddie Murphy, and of course it’s really funny. Unfortunately, the cast member’s microphone had a lot of static and took away from the experience and you could tell he was disappointed by that. Once the movie ended, we were let out into character areas that had interactive video games that M and I decided to play with. Remember, it’s all based on animation and bringing cartoons to life, so we got to sing and act a couple of lines from the Lion King. Good times.

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. It’s a sensory overload. They actually made it snow in Orlando!

From Hollywood Studios

Turns out there are about 45 hidden Mickeys, one hidden Minnie, and one black cat (which is actually pink). You might ask why there is a black cat in a Christmas scene. Well apparently the Osbornes packed it up with their million or so Christmas lights when they shipped them to Disney and they decided to keep it in the set. M and I have been on a quest from day one to find as many hidden Mickeys as we can, and this was the ultimate challenge. Before we decided to head out, we found 16 hidden Mickeys total. M found the hidden Minnie and I found the hidden black (pink) cat.

From Hollywood Studios

The first two days of overcrowded park torture were worth it to be able to be here for the holiday season to see this light show. Next time though, we wait until after New Year’s to start the park visits.

From Hollywood Studios

Disney does such an amazing job of producing night time closing shows that we were really disappointed to find out that Fantasmic wasn’t going to be performed tonight. M and I took an opportunity at the end of the night to stroll down Hollywood Boulevard and to absorb the ambiance of “Old Hollywood”. That’s code for “shop”.

While Disney’s Hollywood Studios may not have a huge amount of attractions, it’s quality, not quantity that matters here. Back to finish up Epcot tomorrow…

From Hollywood Studios