First Trip to Disneyworld -- Hollywood Studios Day #2

Hollywood Studios here we come!

We arrived at the park at 8:30am; it opened at 9am. Perfect! Brian took Lauren to rent the double stroller. Andrew came with me to get first visit buttons. Then a pit stop. Then we were headed thru the gate for rope drop. Unfortunately, there was a problem with Andrew's ticket. We went to guest services & got it straightened out in less than 10 minutes. (Our helpful CM also gave ADV Buzz & Woody stickers for being so patient -- love those thoughtful touches!) Now we joined with the masses & easily caught up to Brian heading to Toy Story Mania.

It was so fun to watch the kids' wide-eyed wonder: "Mom - it's the hat! It's Sorcerer Mickey's giant hat!" Jay FP'd TSM & we lined up to ride stand-by. (It was 9am, and we were already sweaty. It was low 90s all week!) The queue is amazing. And Mr. Potato Head is entertaining. The Maurer, Volk & Colwell kids were dancing around in line & taking pics of everything. After 20 minutes, we picked up our glasses & we were off. Andrew decided he wanted to ride with Mom. He did really well with the blaster gun. It was an awesome ride and the perfect first attraction!

The kids were jazzed. We loaded up the strollers and headed to Star Wars. We waited around for the 9:55am Jedi Training Academy, but none of our kids got picked. Next year :) So we got in line for Star Tours. Andrea & I did the child swap w/Lilly & Lauren. That way the boys (& Robbie) got to ride it twice. They had fun announcing what was going to happen next. Then it was on to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. It worked out great. The kids got to run around in the shade while I ran to FP Tower of Terror & RocknRollercoaster.

Then it was off to the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. We got there just a few minutes before it started. Far house left, but on the eighth row. It was nasty hot. It's an outdoor amphitheatre, but it does have a roof. However, the fans on our side weren't operating, so it was this stagnant, heavy heat. Gotta love Orlando... The show itself was only a moderate success. The boys were into it; the girls were at times bored or scared. And we were all so hot! I'd imagine LRV will want to pass on this one next year.

After the show, the Maurers & Volks led the crowds to Pizza Planet. (The Colwells had a noon reservation at PrimeTime Cafe.) We were all ready for a break. It was nice to be in air-conditioning. Jay & I got a table & did bathroom breaks while Andrea & Brian ordered the food. As long as you beat the crowds, it's a great lunch place. Service is a little slow, but big portions. Pizza, salad & fruit all around.

After lunch & more potty breaks, we headed over to Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I hadn't seen it before. Cute, but a little dark. The Volks & Maurers headed back to POR after the show. We hit the quiet pool right outside our door for 45 minutes. Then showered and met up with the Maurers to return to Studios at 4pm. We had 4:50pm reservations at Hollywood & Vine for the Fantasmic Dinner Package.

While H&V gets pretty low marks on the discussion boards, we really wanted the FDP. It ensures reserved seats for Fantasmic. You can show up 20-30 minutes before the show and have a place to sit. So much better than waiting in line for 90 minutes. Kinda like a FP I guess :) But the restaurant exceeded my expectations. I'm not a buffet fan; I'm snobby about sneeze-guards. However, I found turkey breast w/red wine sauce, juicy pork tenderloin and a yummy salad. Robbie & Andrea raved about the spoonbread.

After dinner, we hit TSM again w/our FPs from earlier. Maybe a 10 minute wait. This time I rode with Lauren. Her score improved from 0 to 500. Mine went from 60,000 to 80,000. Brian smugly broke 100,000. That ride is so great! Then we broke out into guys & girls. The girls walked right into the 6:15pm Playhouse Disney Show. I was super-impressed. They knew their audience & paced it just right. You quickly hit Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Tigger & Pooh and Handy Manny. Bubbles & confetti fall from the sky. You get to sing & dance to all the theme songs. I would guess this was Lilly's favorite thing all week. She & Lauren danced and sang with huge grins.

After PHD, we met up with the boys at Tower of Terror. I could not believe it. They ALL went on it. Andrew was so proud of himself! Apparently when the lights went down, Brian asked Andrew how he was doing. He said, Good, but can I hold your hand? Afterward, he said it was fun and terrifying, and declared he would never ever do it again. But all with a huge smile and lots of pride. The boys took the kids while Andrea & I rode RocknRollercoaster. Still my favorite coaster in the parks. So fun. And a relief to have a break from the kids for a bit :)

The dads & kids went to Narnia. It must have been a bust, b/c they definitely weren't excited about it. Robbie, Andrea & I took the little kids to our VIP Fantasmic entrance around 7:50pm. The dads and Will rode RRC. I got snacks. Then Andrea got snacks. The only time I ever got nervous was when I had four kids by myself. But the dads returned w/Andrea just a few minutes before showtime.

While we had been waiting, I had talked to the little kids about what was going to happen. I told them Mickey has a dream w/all the good guys in it. But then the bad guys get together to make it a bad dream. But good is stronger than evil, so the good guys win in the end. But you will see a snake and a dragon that breathes fire. So remember when things get scary, that good always beats evil.

It seemed to work. No one got freaked out. We talked them thru the scary parts. Lauren loved seeing the princesses dance on the boats. And everyone loved it when Sorcerer Mickey appeared at the end. Huge success. And no nightmares that night! Everybody wins :)

Hollywood Studios went so smoothly. It was a great park to start with. We did a lot. But there are still lots of things we skipped; lots that will be new to our kids next time. Couldn't have been more pleased with our first full day at WDW :)