To Infinity… and Hollywood Studios
Writing these wrap-ups has taken SO much longer than I planned. I am bound and determined to finish them though! I shared more about our trip here, here and here. Today, I’m taking you through our day at Hollywood Studios!
Kiddo Favorites
Our son was generally cool with just about everything we did at Disney. Our daughter was more particular. Overall though, I think Toy Story Mania was one of her favorites. Despite some initial hesitations about how quick the ride spun from one direction to another, she exited the ride telling us how much fun she had. We all enjoyed it. The movements were just jerky enough to give you a little thrill, but since they lasted only a few seconds at a time, it wasn’t overwhelming to the kids.
The kids also enjoyed Alien Swirling Saucers. As an adult, I wasn’t wow-ed by this ride. It was fun, but it’s not something I would wait 30 minutes for if it was only me and my husband. This is another one that has some quick movements, but nothing that is too much for the little ones.
We also walked right in to Muppet*Vision 3D. After a day on our feet, it was a great respite. Bean thought the Muppets were hilarious, and so did I.
Parent Favorites
T’s absolute favorite was Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster. The only other time he’s been to Disney as an adult (when we went in 2007), this coaster was closed for refurbishment. He was super bummed, so getting him on this ride was a priority this time around. We scored Fast Passes, thankfully. He rode it first while I took the kids for a snack, and once he was done, he sat with them to watch the Tower of Terror drop so I could ride. I’ve been on that one three times previously so I thought I knew what to expect… but man, it felt INTENSE. I don’t know if my memory failed me or if it’s just the result of being older now, but it was a total adrenaline rush followed by wobbly legs.
My favorite experience in Hollywood Studios was For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. I went into this expecting it to be a typical show, but I was wrong. The premise is that Arendelle has two town historians and they’re here to tell you the story of Anna and Elsa. They do a fantastic job of narrating the story and their comments are interspersed with musical scenes from the movie. What I wasn’t prepared for was how funny these historians were… particularly Eric. He was just spectacular. I laughed til I cried.
I found a video with Eric, which is below. He shows up around 2:00.
Finally—and I’m including this on behalf of T—another favorite was March of the First Order. Honestly, I’m not really in to Star Wars, but my husband was so darn happy we got to see this performance before heading out for the night. And our kids sat mesmerized for the entire thing. We’re pretty sure Bean was trying to use The Force at one point. It made my fam happy, so it made me happy.
Other Things We Rode
T took Bean on Star Tours. It did not go well. You can read about the Test Track experience here; just reapply it to Star Tours. Same thing.
What We Thought We’d Ride…
Well this was obviously just wishful thinking, especially since we weren’t able to get Fast Passes for it. But in spite of that, my husband and I both thought we might get a shot at riding Slinky Dog Dash. Since we rope-dropped, we believed there might be a chance that one of us could jump in line right at 9:00. Buuuuuut… we were among hundreds (maybe thousands?) rope-dropping. We walked into Toy Story Land around 9:03 and the line was already at 80 minutes. Considering we would’ve had to ride one at a time while the other parent wrangled two kiddos, we decided to skip it.
What We Knew Better Than To Try
To my surprise, Bean was actually tall enough to ride Tower of Terror. Thankfully we all had the good sense not to take her on it. Drop rides have never been my favorite, and I think my husband knew at this point that a thrill ride like the Tower wasn’t going to sit well for her.
Who Did We Meet? What Did We See?
We managed to meet quite a few characters while in Hollywood. In the Disney Junior area, we met Pluto and Sofia the First. Both kids love Sofia (and honestly, as far as kids shows goes, I dig it too) so that was a big one. Vampirina was there as well and while my daughter really hoped to meet her, the line was way too long.
We also got to meet Olaf after the Frozen Sing-Along and that was a fun moment. We dressed the kids as Elsa and Olaf for Halloween in 2017, so even Dude was exposed to these characters pretty early! Olaf—even without speaking—was super fun and engaging.
The character highlight in Hollywood Studios had to be Woody and Jessie. When we arrived in Toy Story Land, we knew quickly that Slinky Dog Dash wasn’t a possibility, and our Fast Pass for Toy Story Mania wasn’t for another 40 minutes. We happened to catch out of the corner of our eyes the photo area for Woody and Jessie and jumped into line before it got too long. When it was our turn and I set Dude down, he sprinted into Jessie’s arms. Bean went to chat with Woody, and it was just such a pure moment—so much joy and happiness.
We caught Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage mid-afternoon. As a musical theater fan, I was in heaven for this. Be Our Guest was such a treat to watch. The kids did pretty well too. I still think animation holds their attention better than live action, but they recognized the music and were a mostly captive audience.
What We Ate
LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT WOODY’S LUNCH BOX.
ALL CAPS INTENDED.
I adored this place. It’s a FANTASTIC grab-and-go option. We stopped by around 10:30 and ordered a chocolate-hazelnut lunch box tart, a raspberry lunch box tart, a banana split yogurt parfait and a few coffees for me and T. The chocolate-hazelnut tart was the bee’s knees. Seriously, so delectable. I am already excited to go back someday* and enjoy another one. We took turns snacking on various items as we sat and watched the Green Army Drum Corps. It was sunny and we were together and we were happy.
Lunch was a quick stop at ABC Commissary. It was fine. Although we ordered our food online through the Disney app, we still had to wait about 20 minutes to get it. It felt good to sit down for a few though. The morning had been busy enough that both kids were content to sit at the booth and eat too.
How We Made It Special
This day just had such a good vibe going. It was smack-dab in the middle of our trip, so we were kind of in a routine (or as close to routine as you can be on vacation) but still energetic. It was a chilly morning but warmed up nicely. There was something there for everyone. My husband was able to geek out on Star Wars stuff. I swooned over that pastry at Woody’s Lunchbox. Bean got SUCH a thrill from watching the Tower of Terror move up and down. (Nevermind that she now refuses to ride in elevators. We’re working on it.) Dude was REALLY into the fries at lunch.
He and I also got a few moments of mama-baby time. When T took Bean on the Star Tours ride, I strapped Dude into the Ergo, parked the stroller, and went for a walk with him. We went in out and out stores and wandered for awhile. He was content to people-watch and snuggle in with me. It was heaven. I just love having my babies close. He’s almost too big to wear like that anymore (though I continue to try!) and so I really cherish the opportunities I get for that closeness.
*Someday is coming much sooner than I originally anticipated. We have a family trip to Anna Maria Island coming up, and my husband and I are going to sneak away for a day at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The kiddos will be content on the beach with their beloved Grandma and Papa, and we will ride all the things we had to skip this time around because of kids 😉 We’re excited to be planning the trip through Starting With A Mouse.
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51 Comments
Chris
Awesome post! Thanks for giving some love to MuppetVision 3D, an overlooked attraction that I hope never goes away (updated, maybe, but not removed.)
Eric – the historian in Frozen – has a HUGE following. My son is always disappointed when we see the show and he’s not in it.
I agree about Woody’s Lunchbox. Can’t wait to eat there again next time I’m at WDW.
Looking forward to your next posts!
Katie
Thanks, Chris! Eric was phenomenal. We were looking forward to the sing-along, but had NO idea just how entertaining it would be 🙂
Kyndall Bennett
Some friends and I were able to take my fiance to Disney for the first time in his life for his 31st birthday, but we took him to Magic Kingdom instead. He was cool up until he disappeared in the crowd to try to catch up to either Tigger or Clarabelle!
Katie
Disney turns my husband into an excitable kid too 🙂
Laura
I’m with Dude. I’m really into fries too. 😉
Katie
LOL he ate them with such gusto!
Cindy
Sounds like such a fun experience. You are creating wonderful family memories.
Katie
It really was such a great trip 🙂
Charlene
I fell down the rabbit hole that is that video you embedded – WOW can we say HILARIOUS!!! I want to go see the whole thing!!!!!
Katie
Oh gosh, Charlene, he was just so funny. I’m not sure I could go to the show again without Eric there—it just wouldn’t be the same!
Suzan Ferreira
Rock-N-Roll rollercoaster is one of my favorites. I see you and your chins enjoyed it as well 🙂 LOL!
Katie
LOL we all had a blast!
angela
The Frozen Sing-Along looks amazing. I do not believe we have that here in the CA Adventure park, bummer. Do they have parent rider swap out there? We do here in CA for rides that kids are either too small for or scared to go on, so one parent stays back and when the first one is done, the second parent goes through a shorter line – usually up the exit? SO if the wait is crazy like 80 minutes, the second parent likely waits only 10 for their turn up the exit?
Katie
They do have rider swap in Orlando. We were going to use it for Test Track, but our daughter did NOT enjoy the ride when she went with my husband, so we moved on quickly. I was bummed not to get to ride it, but she was desperate to be as far away from it as possible!
Karla
I enjoyed getting to see your trip. It looks like the kids had so much fun.
Katie
Thanks, Karla 🙂 We all had a great time.
Ramae Hamrin
I’ve never been there, but it looks like a great time! I never did things like this with my kids but wish I would have. Yours will have such great memories!
Katie
It was a LOT of work with two little ones… we will do it again, but it won’t be for another few years!
Brittany
How fun!! We are taking our kids for the first time next year! I can’t wait for this family adventure!
Katie
Have a great time, Brittany!
Stacey
I love visiting Disney World! Hollywood Studios I so fun; I love Tower of Terror. I haven’t been since Toy Story Land opened, so I’m glad to get a glimpse of the food from the Lunch Box! I can’t wait to try it!
Katie
I was really impressed with Woody’s Lunch Box! As far as quick service meals go, it’s a winner 🙂
Eileen
This looks like so much fun! My daughters would love the frozen sing alongs! I can’t wait to take them when they get a little bit older!
Lisa
What a dream come true!! These are great ideas for when we take our little one…Thank you!!
Katie
No problem, Lisa! Have fun!
Leigh Ann
The Frozen singalong sounds amazing! I love to laugh so this would be something I would want to see too.
Katie
It really was a highlight of the day!
Emily
YESSS! I am totally saving this for when we take our kiddos next year! LOVE! Thank you!
Katie
Glad this might be helpful! Have a wonderful time when you go 🙂
jen
Always a great place to go with family
Katie
Agreed. It was a wonderful trip!
Heather
Great post! Hollywood Studios is my second favorite park of all 4. I just love the whole movie vibe. Of course, the addition of Toy Story land is amazing and I can’t wait to be down there for Galaxy’s Edge! Love all the photos, especially the one with your son and Jessie. Reminds me of my boys when then were little.
Katie
I love it there too! With young kids, it’s hard to beat Magic Kingdom, but my husband and I are partial to Hollywood Studios 🙂
Junell DuBois
Hollywood Studios is so fun! I can’t wait to go back when all the new Star Wars attractions are open.
Katie
Same! My husband and I are heading back to Disney for a day this summer (sans kids!) but we will be just a few weeks early for Galaxy’s Edge. Guess we’ll just have to plan ANOTHER trip 😉
Lina
It looks like everyone had a great time! All smiles 🙂 We loved Hollywood Studios and my boys were SOOOO in love with Frozen a few years back.. So much that we took them there to watch the sing a long and stood in line for 2 hours to meet them at Magic Kingdom. Now, they don’t even want me to mention that they were in love with Queen Elsa and Princess Anna.
Katie
Aw! Their tastes change so fast as they get older. They might come back around. My husband is 34 and he’ll openly admit that Frozen is a pretty good movie 🙂
Carolina
We went to Disney a few months back and loved it. I can’t wait to go back, The Rock n Roller coaster was our favorite there. You did a wonderful review.
Katie
That’s so nice of you, Carolina – thank you! I love Rock n Roller coaster, but I’m definitely not as adventurous with rides as I once was.
T.M. Brown
Glad you had fun! DHS is one of my favorite parks and will be even more when September rolls around!! I’m a huge fan of Tower of Terror, but Rock ‘n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is a family fave.
Katie
Thank you! They’re both great rides, although it’s been awhile since I rode Tower of Terror. I’m not sure my stomach could handle it anymore!
Tiffany
Cannot wait to try the new Toy Story world! And online ordering – how fun! Didn’t realize that was even a thing – we didn’t do that the last time we were there!
Katie
The online ordering is really nice! Sometimes you still have to wait a bit for your food, but you get phone alerts when it’s ready so you can grab a table and relax while you wait.
Angela Greven | Mean Green Chef
Looks like so much fun for the little ones and us grown-ups too! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Katie
We all had fun for sure!
Pauline
Oh how fun! We’ve never been but I’ve always wanted to go. I think I’d enjoy the food the most.
Katie
The food is definitely a big draw for us. Have you ever checked out Disney Food Blog? We check out their YouTube channel a lot and drool over all the options 🙂
Annette
WOW!!! Such a FUN visit!!! I love the video you shared!!! It certainly shares the fun and sites that are there!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Katie
Thanks, Annette. That video cracks me up every time!
Shanna
This looks awesome! I’m in California, so all of our experiences are with Disneyland. We’re very excited to travel cross country to check out Disneyworld.
Amanda
There’s nothing better than Disney with kids! We loved Hollywood Studios. My kids were older when we went so we got to ride all of the bigger rides. But all of the new additions weren’t there so I would love to go back and do it all again!