The first park on our schedule was Hollywood Studios. The last time I visited Hollywood Studios it was called Disney-MGM Studios! The Sunday we went had Extra Magic Hours for Disney Hotel guests, so the park opened at 8 a.m. for us. Since it was our first day at the parks, it was not too difficult for us to wake up early.
Our pre-booked FastPass schedule looked like this:
- 9:30-10:30: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- 10:35-11:35: Star Tours
- 7:15-8:15: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Our plan was to “rope-drop” Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land. However, we found out that the ride was down for maintenance issues and would not be open at 8 a.m.–doh! When I have a set plan in place, it is difficult for me “go with the flow”. However, I tried to have a good attitude about it and we went on Toy Story Mania! instead. We had been on this ride at California Adventure before so I had not planned on riding it here.
The queue is mostly indoors and had a lot of cute oversize toys to look at. I’m not really a fan of these shooting for points rides because inevitably someone in our family ends up feeling sad that they lost or did not do well.
It did not seem like many other rides were open before 9 a.m. We ended up just walking around and taking in some of the sights of “Hollywood Boulevard”.
We decided to check out the Star Wars Launch Bay, even though we were not quite sure what it was. There are currently no rides here. It is more of a museum and theater. However, we saw a group of people getting in line, so we followed them. It turned out to be a meet and greet for Chewbacca!
These Stormtroopers marched up and down the park and put on performances periodically throughout the day. I felt bad for how hot they must have been!
Using our first Fastpass for Rock ‘n’ Roll Rollercoaster was a success! We tapped our Magic Bands at the entrance and had a minimal wait time. This ride is kind of like Space Mountain in that it is a dark indoor roller coaster (but this one does go upside down!) n said he closed his eyes the whole time. We ended up riding it a second time in the evening, and he said he was able to open his eyes for more of the ride.
We also used our Fastpass for Star Tours. This was another ride that we were already familiar with from Disneyland.
We ate an early lunch at Backlot Express.
Our lunch:
- Cuban Sandwich (Classically-pressed Roasted Pulled Pork, Sliced Ham, Swiss, Pickles and Mustard served with French Fries)
- Backlot Burger (1/3 lb Angus Beef Burger topped with Barbecued Pork, Pepper Jack Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato and Pickles served with Carrot Sticks or French Fries)
- Southwest Salad With Chicken (Mixed Greens topped with Grilled Chicken Breast, Crisp Wonton, Black Bean Relish and Avocado served with Vinaigrette Dressing)
We started to notice a trend with the use of pulled pork at the various park restaurants. Ordering three entrees to split between the four of us seemed to work out most of the time for our family.
As we were leaving the restaurant, a cast member that was passing by asked n if he wanted a cupcake. n was not quite sure how to react, but D said he would take it so we ended up with a free dessert! The kids liked the buttercream frosting.
After lunch we watched the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, Muppet Vision 3D, Frozen Sing Along, and the Beauty & the Beast Live Stage Show.
It was nice to be able to sit down and rest our feet during the shows. While the indoor shows were especially comfortable due to the air conditioning, the outdoor shows were not too bad because they had shades to block the sun. D and the kids liked the comedic aspect of the Frozen show while I enjoyed the singing, dancing and costumes for Beauty and the Beast.
For dinner we ate at Fairfax Fare:
- Fajita Combo Platter (Pulled Pork, Grilled Chicken and Flour Tortillas served with Black Beans, Cilantro Rice, Peppers, Onions, Sour Cream and Fire-roasted Corn Medley)
- Fairfax Salad (Pulled Pork, Wedge Salad, Bacon, Fire-roasted Corn Medley, Crispy Tortilla Strips and Cheddar served with a Jalapeño Ranch Dressing)
The salad ended up being the better value here. I am not sure if our serving was an anomaly, but it had a huge portion of pulled pork (as well as a lot of cheese, as you can see).
We checked our app and saw that the wait time for Slinky Dog Dash was not too bad so we headed back to Toy Story Land. The theming for this land is really bright and cheeful. I am looking forward to seeing Toy Story 4!
We had to wait in line for a little under an hour for Slinky Dog Dash. This was probably the longest line we waited in during our five days at the parks! I really wanted to go on it since we do not have it in California. It was a smooth, cute and easy roller coaster.
I used some of my Starbucks gift cards for an after-dinner treat.
We were planning to use our last Fastpass of the day for Tower of Terror after dinner. However, our plans were once again spoiled because the ride was not operating due to maintenance issues. Since we have been on this ride at California Adventure, it was not too big of a disappointment. Since we had a Fastpass that we could not use, we were allowed to use it on another ride. That is why we were able to ride the Rock ‘n’ Roller coaster another time at night.
We grabbed seats in the Fantasmic amphitheater about an hour before the show started. It was nice to have actual seats instead of having to fight for space as you do at Disneyland. Fantasmic is one of my favorite shows, but I have to admit I was a bit disappointed when I compared it to the one at Disneyland. I have seen the show countless times from when I worked at Disneyland twenty-plus years ago, so the differences jumped out at me. I think the show is still pretty spectacular for those who have never seen it before, so I would still recommend staying to see it if you can.
Although this was a long day for us, starting out with Hollywood Studios was a good way to ease in to our Disney World vacation. The park is relatively compact, so going from one land to another is not too much of a trek. Our afternoon consisted mostly of watching shows, so our wait times were minimal and we were able to “rest”. I felt like we saw everything we wanted to see in one day. Once the Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge expansion opens (end of August 2019), this place is sure to become crazy!
**Products that helped us to keep cool!**
The heat and humidity in Florida during our stay was no joke! The temperatures were in the low 90’s even though it was often overcast. Keeping hydrated is essential, but we were also brought along a couple of products that helped keep us cool(er)!
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D bought a 6-pack of these cooling towels before our trip, and I am so glad that he did! We wet them at the drinking fountain or restroom and sink, and they provided instant cooling relief. I wore them on my shoulders as a scarf and D put them on his head underneath his hat.
I like how this misting fan is compact. n was able to carry it in his backpack. They sell larger ones at the park but they seem too bulky to carry around (and I am sure they are a lot more expensive!) The mist of water combined with this fan really works!