August 28, 2013
I know Hollywood Studios isn't everybody's favorite, but it has a special place in my heart. It is my youngest daughter's park--she did her College Program there a few years ago, and we all visited her for Christmas while she was working there.
It's the home of Star Tours and Indiana Jones and the Muppets, and it's just got that cool old Hollywood vibe. And it closes early, so you can get off your sore feet and out of the stifling heat before you turn into a pumpkin. And this time, I was finally going to get to go to the restaurant I've been wanting to go to since it opened--the Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater!
The Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater did not disappoint, at least not as far as theming and atmosphere are concerned. It transported me directly back to the drive-in theaters of my youth as we listened to the crickets chirping around us and watched the cheesy black and white film on the giant "outdoor" screen. I actually had to explain to my girls what the paraphernalia hanging on the side of the car was for and how it worked. We got to sit in a car, too, which is what I was going for. It was all just perfect, perfect, perfect. And then the food arrived.
For the money, the food was no better than the cheapest counter service lunch in the parks. Dry sandwich, plain salad, frozen fries. Major disappointment. But I'd still go back! It would be worth it to hear those crickets and sit in the twilight in my car table and listen to the tinny little speaker that transports me back to my childhood. But next time I'll get what my sister told me to get: a cheeseburger and a shake. That's all they can make, she said. If only I has listened to her. So I pass that on to you.
We had to go through Honey I Shrunk the Kids to take photos of my youngest re-enacting the time she got lost there at the age of three, and to the Writer's Stop to try out their famous Carrot Cake Cookie (it was good, but I could take it or leave it). We managed to get a photo with Mike and Sully ("Act scary!") but didn't see many other characters. It didn't really matter, because we knew we'd get to see them all in Fantasmic.
I talked everybody into going to see the Beauty and the Beast show again this time and they were amazed at how good it was. Watching the Jedi Training Academy was also a treat. My son would have loved to have become a Jedi Knight at Hollywood Studios when he was a little guy! So looking forward to a Star Wars Land now that Disney owns Lucasfilm. The 3D Muppets show, one of our favorites, was closed for refurbishment, but we found the key under the mat and waved across the walk at Pizza Planet, where my daughter used to work.
We had to go through Honey I Shrunk the Kids to take photos of my youngest re-enacting the time she got lost there at the age of three, and to the Writer's Stop to try out their famous Carrot Cake Cookie (it was good, but I could take it or leave it). We managed to get a photo with Mike and Sully ("Act scary!") but didn't see many other characters. It didn't really matter, because we knew we'd get to see them all in Fantasmic.
To get reserved seats to Fantasmic, we had booked a Fantasmic Dinner Package at Mama Melrose's, which we hadn't tried before. We were very pleasantly surprised. The service was phenomenal, the food was delicious, and the Italian-restaurant-that's-been-an-institution-forever theming was just right. In spite of the good review, I probably wouldn't eat there again. I just don't want to be taken away to an old Italian restaurant when I go to Disney World!
Before we headed to Fantasmic, we rode The Great Movie Ride. I haven't ridden this ride as many times as I have ridden Small World, Pirates, or Haunted Mansion, but I still have the whole shtick memorized. It's corny and it's old news and it really needs to be updated, but it's Hollywood. Fantasmic ended my day at Hollywood Studios, but the girls pushed through until closing to ride the Rock 'n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror over and over again (no thanks).
There were so many new things on this trip for us. The Fast Pass + system worked beautifully for us and we liked staying at Pop Century with its dedicated bus and good location. We loved the character breakfast at Crystal Palace, the ambiance of the Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater, the food at Mama Melrose's, and the Pop Century food court. We loved having the luxury of being able to spend two whole days in the Magic Kingdom. We loved New Fantasyland and Storybook Circus! I did make a commitment to myself, though, that I will never go back in the summer, or, well, since it's Orlando, in May through September. Too hot for me. The heat really almost made me sick, it was so stifling, and definitely affected my mood and energy level. With the exception of the miserably hot temperatures, it really was a perfect 5-day Disney trip for three grown-up girls.
There were so many new things on this trip for us. The Fast Pass + system worked beautifully for us and we liked staying at Pop Century with its dedicated bus and good location. We loved the character breakfast at Crystal Palace, the ambiance of the Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater, the food at Mama Melrose's, and the Pop Century food court. We loved having the luxury of being able to spend two whole days in the Magic Kingdom. We loved New Fantasyland and Storybook Circus! I did make a commitment to myself, though, that I will never go back in the summer, or, well, since it's Orlando, in May through September. Too hot for me. The heat really almost made me sick, it was so stifling, and definitely affected my mood and energy level. With the exception of the miserably hot temperatures, it really was a perfect 5-day Disney trip for three grown-up girls.
