Hollywood Studios: Top Picks!

Our next stop at the Disney World Resort was Hollywood Studios. This was the only day on our trip where it rained a bit throughout the day (we bought ponchos at a dollar store before we left for the trip, which helped immensely!). This park seemed to be the least thrilling when I was planning, but we ended up having a really fun day. Thinking back, I think one of the reasons for that may have been because there weren’t quite as many rides to go on or attractions to see, so our pace was more relaxed. Since we only had one day for each park, we had to make sure that we tried to see everything we wanted, which meant the days were very full of non-stop activities. At Hollywood Studios, it was nice to be a bit more leisurely. I quite liked the classic “Hollywood” theme of the park as well, which I found was used well throughout the lands.       

Some of the attractions arguably did seem a bit outdated, but I also felt like that worked fine in this park because of the old Hollywood theme. One of those rides was The Great Movie Ride, which took place in a replica of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The ride acted as a “tour” through Hollywood’s history featuring classic films and actors like Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz or Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins. There was a combination of real actors and animatronic characters, which maybe don’t fit in with the modern rides that are being made today (and some kids today wouldn’t be familiar with the movie scene), but there was something really nice about sitting down for a moment and experiencing a more simple ride that reminded me of some of the rides I enjoyed as a kid.

Elsa and Anna welcoming visitors at the entrance

Walt Disney bust at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza

ATTRACTIONS: 

Walt Disney Museum on Mickey Avenue: I expected to just take a few quick minutes in this walk-through museum before heading over for the start of our Toy Story Midway Mania FastPass, but ended up carefully walking and reading through this lovely little journey of Walt Disney’s history. Filled with photos, models, footage, replicas, and props, this multimedia museum was called “Walt: One Man’s Dream.” As someone who loves to draw and has always enjoyed the world Walt Disney opened to the world, I loved reading about the start of his career and his dreams for the parks, that ultimately became a reality. My favorite moments in the museum were seeing Walt’s 2nd grade school desk as well as the planning models for some of the rides and parks around the world. There is also a short film you can watch (hosted by Julie Andrews) at the end of the museum. The museum is a great way to see where the magic began and to learn more about the person who made the parks possible.

Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster on Sunset Boulevard: Featuring Aerosmith, this roller coaster ride is crazy fun. The setup is that Aerosmith is finishing up a recording session and their manager notifies them that they are late for their concert on the other side of town. So, you go along with them in a “stretch limo” and drive through Los Angeles at crazy speeds, while twisting and turning through the nighttime streets. The ride begins by literally blasting instantly off at high speeds, and by the end you will feel a bit windswept, but laughing. Before riding this, we also checked out The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror which is a ride I always get nervous about as I enter the creepy hotel's entrance, but love after it is all over. I found Florida's version to be better than its California counterpart. It was awesome, especially because of a "Fifth Dimension" scene. I wish I would have gotten to that area of the park earlier in the day so I could have gone on the ride a few more times.

Star Tours- The Adventures Continue on Echo Lake: Disney World’s Star Tours was much more expansive and updated than Disneyland’s. I especially liked the queuing area because it featured Endor and a huge replica of the AT-AT, which adds to the feeling of being immersed into the Star Wars world. What is especially cool about this ride is how each adventure is different and consists of different story combinations. They all begin the same though, as you load into a space cruiser with C-3PO at the helm. After imperial forces try to seize the ship during launch, you are piloted on an flight that takes you all over the galaxy to avoid being captured. We were there before Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released, but they already have a new location and characters from that film featured on the ride.

For The First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration in Echo Lake: While this isn’t a live musical like the one opening at Disney’s California Adventure in May, the sing-along format at this attraction is cute. The show begins with two humorous historians of Arendelle, who narrate the story of sisters Elsa and Anna. The songs and scenes from the movie play on a big screen on the stage with lyrics. Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff all show up throughout to help out with the story. The best part came at the end though, when it started to snow from the ceilings in the theater! The only bummer was that there wasn't an appearance from Olaf, but it was pretty cute to see children passionately singing “Let It Go” at the top of their lungs.

Beauty and the Beast on Sunset Boulevard: I’m always a fan of Disney’s live productions, big or small. It is always my main goal when I visit the parks to see any and all new live shows, since I really think they add a lot to the experience and make the ticket price so worth it. While this theater was outdoors, a bit of a bummer in the heat, it was covered and had some fans up above. The show tells the classic “tale as old as time” about Belle and the Beast. It was sung and performed well, particularly “Be Our Guest” was wonderfully fun as all the dishes danced around. This show isn’t perfect though, due to a few aspects being cut out, notably Belle’s dad, which in the film is the reason she goes to live with the Beast in the first place in order to protect her father. So I found that a bit odd, and don’t even remember the reasoning they chose instead, but nevertheless the show was still definitely worth a viewing. I love when the parks represent classic Disney films like this and hope they continue to feature them in the future. This show could use a bit of an update, but it did have the spirit and reminded me of the shows I saw as a kid at Disneyland (on Disney’s website it says that this show premiered the day the film came out in 1991, so that is maybe why I had that feeling!).

Fantasmic! on Sunset Boulevard: What I absolutely loved about Fantasmic! at Hollywood Studios was that it had stadium seating. This was such a treat at the end of a long day to actually be able to find a seat to sit on and really enjoy the show. This is my biggest issue with most of the parks parks, because there are such limited viewing areas if you don't arrive way in advance or you have to pay for a dining package to have reserved seating/viewing. At the end of the day we are always so exhausted, and we often decide to not stick around for the big show at the end because of not knowing if we can deal with crowds and standing anymore. We grabbed a box of popcorn and got to a seat quite early. It was insanely hot at first, but as dusk finally arrived, it cooled down a bit. The only thing I didn’t like though was a “DJ” who was playing pop songs to pump up the crowd, which featured current music from Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, etc. It just took me out of the “Disney magic” a bit, and it would have been much more fitting to use actual Disney songs. Once everyone was squeezed in and the light-up Mickey ears were glowing throughout the crowd, Fantasmic! began and we watched Sorcerer Mickey use his imagination to defeat villains who want to turn his dreams into nightmares. Water, fire, lasers, projections, and fireworks were used throughout the big show. My favorite moment had to be when the heroes of the classic Disney films sailed by on a boat after Mickey saved the day. While most who have seen both versions of this show say Disneyland's Fantasmic! is better, the seating options here make it a lot easier to enjoy.

FOOD:

Cobb Salad at The Hollywood Brown Derby: The Hollywood Brown Derby is a recreation of a restaurant that could be found in the real Hollywood during the Golden Age. The vibe of the restaurant felt very glamorous and retro. There were actors walking around to provide entertainment (one came up to me and wanted to be my “agent”), which isn’t something I am particularly fond of, but thought it fit in with the theme quite cleverly. My favorite part was the caricatures of old Hollywood performers that were hung all over the walls. I read that the cobb salad originated at this restaurant, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it. This salad was truly beautifully plated and brightly colored, and when our waiter offered to mix it up for us, I almost didn’t want it to be touched. Tossed together though, the ingredients were fresh and the salad was as good as I had read.

The Cobb Salad

Mini Dessert Trio at The Hollywood Brown Derby: These were so remarkably good, it was incredibly difficult to choose three! We had read that the grapefruit cake was a must, plus it sounded so unique! We also chose amaretto flan (topped with an almond cookie) and the chocolate mascarpone sphere (with a white chocolate “Brown Derby” hat on top). The desserts came out so adorable and perfectly presented. My favorite ended up being the chocolate sphere, which also had a hazelnut praline chocolate and orange-white chocolate mousse. I really liked that we were able to try a variety of options, and the size helped us not feel too stuffed at the end of the meal. The whole experience at the Brown Derby was both an entertaining and scrumptious treat, and ultimately one of our nicest meals on the trip. 

(from left) Amaretto Flan,  Chocolate Mascarpone Sphere, and Grapefruit cake

Carrot Cake Cookie at Writer’s Stop: I read that this coffee shop is closing next month (due to work on new attractions in the park), which is a shame because it was a nice cozy and calm stop that proved to be a great little break in our afternoon. My goodness, this cookie was yummy! It basically felt like a carrot cake sandwich with delicious cream cheese frosting holding the two pieces together. I would most closely compare it to a whoopee pie, (a spicy, carroty one at that!). The store was shockingly quiet compared to other stops in the park, but the shop is a bit hidden and may be easily missed if you are not looking for it. We also got an iced coffee, which was a big pick me up. If Writer’s Stop is indeed closing, I read that the carrot cake cookie can also be found (thank goodness) at Sweet Spells, located on Sunset Boulevard. 

Carrot Cake Cookie

Overall, I found Hollywood Studios to be a great park, and a bit underrated. In the next few years, this park will be getting the biggest overhaul of all of the Disney World Parks, which I think will really boost it and give it the attention it deserves. Most notably, the park will be getting both Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land. Both look pretty exciting from the sketches/mock-ups they have released, and hopefully can live up to the amazing job they did on Cars Land at California Adventure. I like both Star Wars and Toy Story much more than Cars, so I am hopeful the lands will both be amazing!

The park is already getting special Star Wars additions though, all of which were added after my visit. I already mentioned the additions to Star Tours, but they have also opened up Star Wars Launch Bay, which features exhibits about the movies, special merchandise, and character meet and greets with Chewbacca and Darth Vader.

Additionally, I am most excited about a fireworks show called “Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular”, which features the fireworks set to John Williams' famous score. 

All of these changes are exciting, and I can’t wait to see what the park is like the next time I visit! My final “Top Disney Picks” is coming up next, which was the park I may have been the most excited to see…Epcot!