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Disney's Hollywood Studios Review
5/11/08- Happy Mother's Day!! Well our plan today was to head over to Hollywood Studios (MGM Studios new name) to try out the new Toy Story Mania ride during the Passholder preview. We planned on it being a very hot and very busy day at the park and were not entirely sure what all we would get to do there on this trip, but getting on the Toy Story ride was at the top of the list. When we arrived at the park just after noon we were pleasantly surprised to get a parking space within easy walking distance to the front gate. Then as we got out of the truck we were greeted by a howling wind that kept this hot spring day from being unbearable. Before I continue with this review I must say that we did not get to ride Toy Story Mania today. There was a two hour wait and we NEVER have waited two hours for any ride. We buy seasonal passes every year so that we know that if a line for a ride is too long then we can always come back another day. As badly as we wanted to be one of the first people to try out the ride it just would not have been worth the ordeal of having our kids deal with their grumpy parents for that long. It also turns out that we picked a great day to visit the park.
For the remainder of this review I will discuss what we were able to do as well as explain some of the attractions that we did not ride today, but know plenty about from many past visits. I also have some firsthand knowledge of the park as I was a server at two of the restaurants within the park many years ago.
Once we knew that we would not be riding Toy Story Mania we turned our attention to getting Ethan (Our eight year old) his opportunity to ride Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster for the first time. When we saw the 10 minute wait time for Tower it was on. Of course Amber (Our 4 1/2 year old) wanted nothing to do with Tower and I let mom and Ethan take it on. Amber and I went through some of the stores lining Sunset Blvd. I will right here give you a huge tip when traveling to Disney or any other theme park for that matter. Bring your cell phones so that you can keep in touch if you should need to split up. Now I am ALWAYS the one to remember my phone and mom is ALWAYS the one to forget hers. Today as I was looking through a store with Amber I realized that I had left mine in the truck! Oops. I figured that we had better get back outside to start checking for mom and Ethan. While waiting on a nice shady bench with the other wusses Amber and I checked out the ice cream from the vendor right between Tower and Rock 'n'. No complaints from either of us there (Tip- Turkey legs are located right next door! There are multiple quick service places right there so just get in the shortest line). We then saw Ethan and Mom coming out from Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Ethan seemed to really enjoy his first real roller coaster. We did not get to see the Beauty and the Beast Show (It is absolutely killing Mom and she has not been able to see this show with Amber yet). Next up was a trip to see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show in the Animation Courtyard. The show is a great way to escape the summer heat and it is entertaining (Pay attention to how they speed up the songs to keep the show moving quickly). If you time it right you can rush across the courtyard to catch the next showing of Playhouse Disney- Live on Stage. Now this would not normally be something we would stick around to see as both kids have just about outgrown these shows, but this was our first chance to see the new version. See ya Bear in the Big Blue House, hello Manny and Little Einsteins! I personally liked the older show, but that is because the shows they highlighted were the ones Ethan grew up watching on the Disney Channel. Before the show had ended Ethan was asking if we could get out of there. A sure fire sign that the shoe is geared towards the younger kiddies. We then took the round about way through the park past The Great Movie Ride (Another great way to get out of the heat and enjoy a pretty mellow ride) and took the kids to see inside the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant. We already had our dinner plans worked out, but neither of the kids had ever seen inside the place. You are seated at tables in the shape of cars and watch old B/W Sci-Fi movies. Mom and I both ate there during our WDW employment and look forward to visiting with the kids in the near future. We got over to the Honey I Shrunk the Kid's Movie Set Adventure in time for the kids to run crazy for awhile. The playground is a wonderful place to unwind for a little bit and there are plenty of shady spots for parents to hide in while the kids get even more sweaty. From past experiences the Studio Catering Co. which is located right between the playground and the Studio Backlot Tour is a great place to grab lunch or a snack. The Backlot Tour is pretty entertaining for everyone over five or six. In our experience the younger kids really don't have any idea what is going on until the fire and water appear. Ride the ride and you will understand. We did get to catch the Lights, Motor, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and that was pretty crazy watching those little cars zip around. Although if the wind is heading in your direction you had better like the fine smell of burning rubber. Now it was getting later in the afternoon and we headed on over towards the Toy Story Pizza Planet for some games and pizza. We passed by Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano which is a fine place to stop for great Italian Cuisine. The little Christmas store was closed for renovations and then we arrived at Pizza Planet. It only takes a single word to describe the pizza here, YUM! Of course if you don't care for pizza it might be better to just walk on by. One word of warning, DO NOT leave your food unattended outside as the resident birds will take your food before you can say "My name is Buzz Lightyear and I come in peace". I made this mistake as I went looking in the arcade for the rest of my family only to find another very kind family guarding our food from the pack of birds hopping around looking for an opening. Now after filling up on a couple of just out of the oven pepperoni pizzas we continued our trip through the park. Amber decided not to enjoy the Muppet 3-D Vision Show which is great for kids of all ages even though they probably have no idea who Kermit and Miss Piggy are. I was hoping to use Muppets as a way to keep Amber and Mom busy while Ethan and I took on the Empire in Star Tours, but that will have to wait until next time. We passed by the Backlot Express which offers burgers, sandwiches, and more on our way to Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. Oops, I read the wrong time and we missed out this time. The show is as classic as the movie and definitely worth seeing. Since it was a a school night we figured that we had better head on out and get moving in a homeward direction. There are several shows and attractions that were not mentioned in this review as we are saving them for future reviews. As summer Blackout Days will be starting around the middle of June we will more than likely not be visiting Hollywood Studios until the fall. Look for future Grub Gab reviews from the many restaurants in the park once our passes kick back in during August.
Some other places that might interest you at Disney's Hollywood Studios
50's Prime Time Cafe- A great place to get a delicious, filling, and entertaining meal (This was the last location I worked at on WDW property in Orlando).
Hollywood and Vine- Family Style dining and the only place to dine with Disney characters at Hollywood Studios.
The Hollywood Brown Derby- Fine dining with some flair.
Fantasmic- Always a great way to end the day, but little kids could be in for a fright.
Photos from Hollywood Studios
Ethan Says
Coming Soon!!
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