Day 5 of 5 at WDW: Disney's Hollywood Studios

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.

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.

Our Penultimate Day at Disney World: Magic Kingdom, Day 2

4th day in the parks, 2nd in MK

August 27, 2013

This day was devoted to the rest of the Magic Kingdom outside of Fantasyland, and especially to the unpopular rides. We went on every one of them.

Crystal Palace Breakfast and Character-fest
We started our day at the Crystal Palace with a breakfast buffet with the Pooh characters (before the park opened, which was way cool). Worth every penny. The food was great, the service was great (what a sweet gig for a server), and the characters were great. Great, great, great. We didn't feel rushed and the characters spent plenty of time going around to the tables to see everybody. And when Eeyore found out that my oldest daughter used to be "best friends" with him, he grabbed her for the promenade around the tables and made her join in! Magical.

The Unpopulars
The rest of the day was magical for me because, even after all the trips I've made to Disney World since it opened, I discovered some attractions that I had never been on before. I thought I had done it all, but after studying the map, I realized I had never ridden on the Liberty Belle riverboat or seen the show at the Hall of Presidents. They were both on our list of unpopular rides, excuse me, attractions, to see that day, and from now on, I will be going on both of them every time I visit. Especially if it's as hot as it was the day we were there--you can catch a breeze standing on the deck of the riverboat and enjoy air conditioning throughout the entire Hall of Presidents presentation.

And most of the rest of the unpopulars are popular with me, too--Carousel of Progress, the People Mover (which might have a different name now that I don't know), and the Country Bear Jamboree. Of those three, if I had to rank them, the People Mover would definitely be first (no line! great view of the park! ride inside Space Mountain!), although the other two should probably edge it out during the hot months for their great air conditioning. These attractions are classics and are very nostalgic for me because back when each ride cost a different amount, they were the ones I could afford to go on the most. I'm a lot older than you, aren't I?

While in Tomorrowland, we joined Stitch at a dance party

The only unpopular attraction I saw for the first time and which I'll skip from now on is Stitch's Great Escape. The fake chili dog smell that permeated the room (part of the story line) was disgusting, and the whole experience would've been a total eye-roller if it hadn't been for the little guy in the row next to us who totally believed the whole thing was real and screamed with delight throughout. That little guy was far more entertaining than the attraction itself, and his magical moment with Stitch became my magical moment.

Magic Kingdom Munchies
On this second day at Magic Kingdom we had traditional snacks to eat, too, and we partook of our MK trifecta--Dole Whips, churros, and cinnamon-glazed almonds--throughout the day. Wouldn't be a Disney trip without those treats. We also managed to snag an upstairs table with a lovely view of the Haunted Mansion at the Columbia Harbour House, where we enjoyed the delicious lobster roll and the equally delicious broccoli peppercorn salad for lunch, after a huge disappointment at Sleepy Hollow.

Waffle Woes
I had been looking forward to eating a waffle sandwich at Sleepy Hollow ever since I read that they existed on some Disney blog. Of the three options, Nutella and fruit, fried chicken, and ham, prosciutto and Swiss, I decided on the ham and Swiss. I ordered it as the parade started and had to wait so long for it, I almost missed the entire parade, but I thought, at least it'll be worth the wait. Wrong. It was terrible. The waffle tasted like a thawed Eggo that had been sitting out for hours, cold and limp. The ham and cheese were even colder and also scarce, and the ham was so cheap it tasted like pressed sandwich meat. I can't believe the rave reviews I read online about this sandwich. It was inedible! I didn't even take a picture of it. I let my oldest daughter try it, and one bite was enough for her, too. The only good part about ordering the sandwich is that I discovered a covered eating area behind Sleepy Hollow with picnic tables that I never knew existed where I could rest my painfully throbbing feet. And watch other parents deal with crying babies and toddler meltdowns while I fondly remembered doing the same in days gone by.

Magical Moments of the Day
What was magical about this day was that it was the second day in the same park, because Magic Kingdom is just not a one-day park any more!

Three Grown Women do Disney World, Day 3: Magic Kingdom Fantasyland and New Fantasyland

Yep, those are Mickey and Donald shirts

Obligatory castle shot after entering

The heart of the magic of Disney World is the Magic Kingdom, and the heart of the Magic Kingdom is Fantasyland. We love the Magic Kingdom so much that we planned to spend two days there and we didn't even have any little kids with us. Since we had the extra day to spend, we decided we were not only going to hit our favorite attractions, the New Fantasyland attractions, the new Storybook Circus area, but also all of the "unpopular" attractions--the ones like Country Bear Jamboree, Hall of Presidents, Liberty Belle riverboat, the Enchanted Tiki Room, and the Carousel of Progess--that everybody usually skips. We planned to split the lands up, with Fantasyland and Tomorrowland the first day, and Adventureland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square the second. We were surprised to find that we only had time for Fantasyland the first day! We were also surprised to find out how much we loved all of the new attractions.

Enchanted Tales with Belle

Our reserved FastPasses for the day were Enchanted Tales with Belle, Ariel's Undersea Adventure, and Space Mountain, so we headed straight to the back of the park as soon as we entered and walked right into Maurice's cottage (have I mentioned how much we loved FastPass+?). I won't go into the minute details about the storytelling experience with Belle, and don't google it or anything, because spoilers abound, and you want to be surprised (there is a magical surprise! And some fantastic animatronic characters--and Belle!) We enjoyed it all the more because we hadn't peeked online at all and had no idea what to expect.

The girls were chosen to take part in the story (my oldest daughter was the Wardrobe, my youngest was Mrs. Potts), and if your kids (or you!) want to get picked, just be sure to be super animated and into it when the cast member is handing out the parts. If you don't get chosen for a main role, don't despair--at the end, they ask if there's anyone who wants to be in it who didn't get a part, and they have multiple silverware and napkin roles they can hand out. (There was a tiny little 3-year-old girl in a Belle costume who stepped forward at that moment and grabbed the silverware prop. Her parents were shocked!)

Belle and her Wardrobe

Mrs. Potts pours (with assistance, hehe)

 If you want your photo taken by PhotoPass with Belle, be in the show. The audience doesn't get a photo op. The whole thing took 20-30 minutes, but we were cycled through three different rooms with three completely different settings, so we were never bored, and Belle's story was charming, mostly because of everybody else who was in the story besides Belle--and because of Lumière, who was amazing. Afterward, Belle really took her time with the "actors" in her story, posing with them, talking with them, and--in the case of the little 3-year-old with stars in her eyes--holding her on her lap and hugging her. It actually was enchanting, just like its name says. It's Disney at its best. Don't miss it because you think it's just for little kids.

We kind of regretted getting the FastPass+ for Ariel's Undersea Adventure because there was no line. We tried to play the crab game in the queue, but we couldn't figure it out, and the ride only took about 5 or 6 minutes. Still, that's pretty long for a dark ride, and I thought it was really a step up from the old classic dark rides like Peter Pan. The girls were unimpressed. I guess Enchanted Tales with Belle was really a hard act to follow.

Be Our Guest
It was time for our lunch reservation at Be Our Guest, so we walked right past everyone in line with umbrellas to keep the hot sun off their heads, and were seated at one of the best tables in the restaurant, in the back of the ballroom by the big windows, with a perfect view of the whole room. We took a few minutes to walk around and check the place out. It was so well done! The ballroom looked exactly like the one in the movie, with the painted ceiling and the huge chandelier. Again, I don't want to ruin the surprises, but watch the windows, the portrait over the fire, and the rose, and wait a little while, especially after the lightning, to see what changes. Disney did such a great job recreating the Beast's castle and we were so glad it was open for lunch or we would never have seen it--dinner reservations are booked up for months ahead of time (we were offered lunch reservations as a bonus for being some of the first people to test MagicBands. Disney magic!)

Watch the portrait carefully!

Our only disappointment with Be Our Guest, and it was a big one, was the food. Two of us got the ahi salad and we couldn't even eat it, it was so fishy and old-tasting. We didn't like the salad dressing, either, and we'll eat anything. The vegetable quiche was bland and unappealing, and it was served with salad with the salad dressing on it that none of us liked. We did like the soups. We tried the potato leek and the French onion and I'd recommend both. If (when!) we go back for lunch, we will only get soup. Also, we thought our seats were in the best location--the beautiful ballroom--because the West Wing was very dark (but that might be nice at night), and the third room, the Rose Gallery, was a yawn (it looked like any other quick service venue). Request the other two rooms if you have a choice.

Inedible ahi salad but yummy potato soup

Boring quiche and salad

Beast's castle is in the "distance." Guffaw.

I also just have to say that the outside version of Beast's castle, which is supposed to look like it's in the distance, just looks like a dinky little toy castle. Remember the first time you saw the far-away version of Hogwarts at Universal and it took your breath away? Don't expect the same reaction to Beast's castle. We snorted. We also weren't crazy about all of the fencing around the New Fantasyland area, hiding the construction sites, but appreciated the holes in the fence, high and low, for taking peeks at what was going on.

It took us almost until sunset to ride all of the Fantasyland rides, meet the Fairy Godmother, Peter Pan and Wendy, and dance with Goofy during the Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it! Street Party. One of our favorite magical moments of the day was when Goofy saw my oldest daughter from his float in the parade and swooned over backwards, leaning on the railing for support and reaching out to her with his arms. She had worked with Goofy when she was "best friends" with Pluto at Disney World years ago when she was a cast member. As soon as the float stopped, he jumped down and hugged her and they danced together in the middle of the street. And I took a hundred pictures of it. It was so fun, so funny, so magical (although the little kids who were desperately trying to get Goofy's attention might not have thought so). So much Disney magic in one day!

Storybook Circus

Interactive Dumbo queue with games & AC!

The last area we visited was the Storybook Circus. We had mixed emotions about even seeing the whole place, especially since it replaced Toon Town, which my kids grew up with, but mostly because we knew it was really designed for younger children. But Disney did it again. And we loved it. It might even be my favorite spot in the whole Magic Kingdom now. The theming was so immersive that you felt like you had walked back in time into the 1940's when the circus was in its golden age. Instead of buildings, there were circus train cars and big top tents, and there were two Dumbo rides, with a fantastic interactive queue inside a big top tent in the A/C!

The Dumbo attraction cast member costume

Peanut shells and elephant hoof prints!

And instead of looking costume-y and forced, everything looked real, and as if it had been there forever--the vintage posters, the signs, the cast members' costumes, even the cement sidewalks (which had "peanut shells" in them). We rode Dumbo and Goofy's Barnstormer (which is the same ride, except for the location of the queue, but is now called The Great Goofini) and checked out the Big Top Souvenirs and Pete's Silly Sideshow, where you can meet Donaldo, Goofini, Minnie, and Daisy, although we chose to skip that line. We didn't want to leave, but it was finally time to wrap up our day and go to the Wishes Dessert Party at the Tomorrowland Terrace.

Wishes Dessert Party
The dessert party is something I'd been wanting to do for years and could never either afford or get reservations for, so I was thrilled when it was available our first night in the Magic Kingdom, but I'm just going to say in all honesty, it was not worth the wait. True, we had an unobstructed view of the fireworks and could sit down right up until the minute they started (when everybody moved to the railing), but the desserts were just so-so, the atmosphere was very fast food-ish, and the view of the fireworks was from the side, so our grand photos of fireworks above the castle turned into photos of fireworks to the side of and behind the castle. It was definitely the best view of Tinkerbell I've ever had, though. For the three of us, it was 83 bucks, and I would rather have spent that on something else. We are happy just standing in the middle of Main Street with the crowd, watching the fireworks above the castle, and that view doesn't cost any [extra] money.

Our first day in the Magic Kingdom would have been a frantic, rushed day if we had only had one day to spend there, but knowing we were returning the next day gave us the freedom to take our time, meet characters (Fairy Godmother was a first!), have plenty of PhotoPass pictures taken, dance in the parade, and enjoy our meals (we especially loved our seats-with-a-view in Pinocchio Village Haus at the window above It's A Small World and sipping on La Fou's Brew at Gaston's Tavern). It ended up being my favorite day of the five we were at the World. I'm not a kid any more, and I didn't have any young kids with me, but the Magic Kingdom makes me feel like a kid again. And it almost, just ALMOST, made me forget about the heat. But not quite.

LaFou's Brew was delicious but the cinnamon roll was meh

The view from our table in Village Haus

Ta-dah! We did it!