If you couldn't tell by the length of yesterday's post, Wednesday was a long day, so we opted to sleep in on Thursday. Besides, there was really no rush to get to the park. We were spending the day at Hollywood Studios, and, if you're there all day...you kinda run out of stuff to do.
We finally made it in around noon, but our first fast passes didn't start until after three, so we had time to kill when we got to the park. We spend the first hour or so checking out the multitude of shops along the main drag as well as the cute little outpost dedicated to Indiana Jones.
Then, we headed toward Tatooine for one more stop before lunch. After all, we'd spent the day before in MY happy place, so we had to give The Boy some time in his - Star Wars World.
We played with droids, shopped for Jedi robes, tried on Wookie helmets, and took photos pretending to be Han & Leia.
Then, we built The Boy his very own, customized lightsaber (i.e. The Boy's equivalent of my wand). It was actually pretty cool. Did you know that the handles of every lightsaber are different? I mean, I knew there were different colors...but I kinda thought that was it. No no - there are like six different elements to each one...and they're all unique! Even better, The Boy knew which ones belonged to which character. I love my adorable geek.
Lightsaber in hand, we headed down an alley to Mama Melrose for lunch. Please note, if you're in Hollywood Studios and you like Italian food, you need to try this place. It was awesome - plus, the atmosphere is so chill and adorable you almost forget you're in Disney for a minute.
We got yummy appetizers - salad & fried calamari - and two awesome entrees. I had the chicken parmesan and The Boy had the Chicken Campanelle (an Alfredo pasta creation that was super tasty.) Then, we wrapped it up with yet another AMAZING dessert trio (yay Honeymoon perks!): amaretto cheesecake, panna cotta with mango compote, and a chocolate-nutella mousse.
When we left the restaurant, the day took a bit of a turn. A light sprinkling of rain turned into a steady drizzle as we walked...then morphed into a full on rainstorm. By the time we made it to the AFI showroom, my shoes were squishing with every step. I was a bit bummed.
We wandered the showroom for a little while, trying to dry off and wait out the rain, but it was no use. It just kept pouring. So, we decided to brave it. We had ponchos, after all.
Yeah, by the time we got to the Great Movie Ride, I was soaked from the knees down and shoulders up...some poncho. At least we were inside.
The Great Movie Ride was interesting, but we kinda felt like our driver needed a shot of espresso. Poor guy probably does that a thousand times a day, but still... It got a little better when Bugsy hijacked our car, but overall...Well, at least we were out of the rain.
At that point, the rain had dried up (yay!) so we slowly made our way toward the Rockin' Rollercoaster across the park - stopping in a few shops here and there (there's an entire shop dedicated to Disney Villans!)
The Rockin' Rollercoaster was just as much fun as I remember - insanely fast at unexpected times, but not in that way that I felt sick afterwards. In that way that makes you wish it was just a little bit longer. Kinda wish we'd jumped back in line to ride again.
Instead, we decided to visit with two of our favorite Disney characters - Ralph & Vanellope. Most of y'all know, but if you don't, Wreck it Ralph was our first date! And, since then, it's held a very special place in our hearts. We waited in line for quite a while, but we were entertained by the area, and it was worth the wait. BTW, thanks, Disney for integrating clever jokes into waiting areas. Even if the kiddos don't get them, the others of us stuck waiting in line sure do appreciate it.
We told Ralph and Vanellope our story and they freaked out accordingly - tons of hugs and high fives and freaking out over the ring. It was probably the best character greeting we had all week. Thanks, you two, for a fabulous first date.
After our hugs, we raced to make the last show of Indiana Jones (fun, as always), then made our way to Star Tours - a must see. We managed to get the same mission The Boy had last time he was in Disney (a 1 in 23 chance), but a ride through space is still a ride through space, so we didn't really mind.
Our last stop of the night was at Fantasmic. If you didn't know, Disney gives you the option to get VIP passes to Fantasimic if you have lunch or dinner at one of a few specified restaurants in the park (and they don't cost you anything extra...besides the meal). Mama Melrose is one of those restaurants, so, in addition to our fabulous lunch, we didn't have to show up to Fantasmic until about 15 minutes before showtime and STILL had amazing seats - in the center about 8 rows up. If you're going to Studios and plan to stay for the show, there's no better way to see it.
Fantasmic is easily my favorite light show at Disney. I love Wishes and Illuminations, but those are mostly fireworks and what not. Fantasmic has a story to it, plus it's fireworks AND a water show AND a laser show AND projections AND characters. What's not to love? (well...we could have done without the screaming toddlers (I mean really, if your kid is having a meltdown, take it elsewhere, please)) That aside, we loved every minute.
All in all, we could have done without the rain, but at least the weather for the rest of our trip was accommodating. Besides, we had a great time anyway. So, thanks Hollywood Studios. We'll be back.
Tomorrow: Epcot!
We finally made it in around noon, but our first fast passes didn't start until after three, so we had time to kill when we got to the park. We spend the first hour or so checking out the multitude of shops along the main drag as well as the cute little outpost dedicated to Indiana Jones.
Then, we headed toward Tatooine for one more stop before lunch. After all, we'd spent the day before in MY happy place, so we had to give The Boy some time in his - Star Wars World.
We played with droids, shopped for Jedi robes, tried on Wookie helmets, and took photos pretending to be Han & Leia.
Then, we built The Boy his very own, customized lightsaber (i.e. The Boy's equivalent of my wand). It was actually pretty cool. Did you know that the handles of every lightsaber are different? I mean, I knew there were different colors...but I kinda thought that was it. No no - there are like six different elements to each one...and they're all unique! Even better, The Boy knew which ones belonged to which character. I love my adorable geek.
Lightsaber in hand, we headed down an alley to Mama Melrose for lunch. Please note, if you're in Hollywood Studios and you like Italian food, you need to try this place. It was awesome - plus, the atmosphere is so chill and adorable you almost forget you're in Disney for a minute.
We got yummy appetizers - salad & fried calamari - and two awesome entrees. I had the chicken parmesan and The Boy had the Chicken Campanelle (an Alfredo pasta creation that was super tasty.) Then, we wrapped it up with yet another AMAZING dessert trio (yay Honeymoon perks!): amaretto cheesecake, panna cotta with mango compote, and a chocolate-nutella mousse.
When we left the restaurant, the day took a bit of a turn. A light sprinkling of rain turned into a steady drizzle as we walked...then morphed into a full on rainstorm. By the time we made it to the AFI showroom, my shoes were squishing with every step. I was a bit bummed.
We wandered the showroom for a little while, trying to dry off and wait out the rain, but it was no use. It just kept pouring. So, we decided to brave it. We had ponchos, after all.
Yeah, by the time we got to the Great Movie Ride, I was soaked from the knees down and shoulders up...some poncho. At least we were inside.
The Great Movie Ride was interesting, but we kinda felt like our driver needed a shot of espresso. Poor guy probably does that a thousand times a day, but still... It got a little better when Bugsy hijacked our car, but overall...Well, at least we were out of the rain.
At that point, the rain had dried up (yay!) so we slowly made our way toward the Rockin' Rollercoaster across the park - stopping in a few shops here and there (there's an entire shop dedicated to Disney Villans!)
The Rockin' Rollercoaster was just as much fun as I remember - insanely fast at unexpected times, but not in that way that I felt sick afterwards. In that way that makes you wish it was just a little bit longer. Kinda wish we'd jumped back in line to ride again.
Instead, we decided to visit with two of our favorite Disney characters - Ralph & Vanellope. Most of y'all know, but if you don't, Wreck it Ralph was our first date! And, since then, it's held a very special place in our hearts. We waited in line for quite a while, but we were entertained by the area, and it was worth the wait. BTW, thanks, Disney for integrating clever jokes into waiting areas. Even if the kiddos don't get them, the others of us stuck waiting in line sure do appreciate it.
We told Ralph and Vanellope our story and they freaked out accordingly - tons of hugs and high fives and freaking out over the ring. It was probably the best character greeting we had all week. Thanks, you two, for a fabulous first date.
After our hugs, we raced to make the last show of Indiana Jones (fun, as always), then made our way to Star Tours - a must see. We managed to get the same mission The Boy had last time he was in Disney (a 1 in 23 chance), but a ride through space is still a ride through space, so we didn't really mind.
Our last stop of the night was at Fantasmic. If you didn't know, Disney gives you the option to get VIP passes to Fantasimic if you have lunch or dinner at one of a few specified restaurants in the park (and they don't cost you anything extra...besides the meal). Mama Melrose is one of those restaurants, so, in addition to our fabulous lunch, we didn't have to show up to Fantasmic until about 15 minutes before showtime and STILL had amazing seats - in the center about 8 rows up. If you're going to Studios and plan to stay for the show, there's no better way to see it.
Fantasmic is easily my favorite light show at Disney. I love Wishes and Illuminations, but those are mostly fireworks and what not. Fantasmic has a story to it, plus it's fireworks AND a water show AND a laser show AND projections AND characters. What's not to love? (well...we could have done without the screaming toddlers (I mean really, if your kid is having a meltdown, take it elsewhere, please)) That aside, we loved every minute.
All in all, we could have done without the rain, but at least the weather for the rest of our trip was accommodating. Besides, we had a great time anyway. So, thanks Hollywood Studios. We'll be back.
Tomorrow: Epcot!
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