On Monday, April 16, 2012 we went to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Arriving shortly after the park opened, we went directly to “Toy Story, Midway Mania” and got a Fastpass which ended up being for between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM.
After getting the Fastpass, we went to the “Studio Backlot Tour” which had a relatively small line so we got in relatively quickly. Unfortunately they had not solicited the crowd for volunteers for the special effects segment and therefore, they demonstrated the special effects rather than the mock filming of a movie that they typically do.
After the Backlot Tour we went to see Muppet Vision 3D which is always fun. I was able to get a picture or two during the event thanks to the new camera which takes decent pictures in low light without using flash, thus following the rules of the attractions. After Muppets we rode “The Great Movie Ride” which is always a favorite of ours. What was interesting was as we entered the attraction there were several characters off to the side of the attraction with a handful of guests. I, and many others, approached to take a picture but we were turned away by a row of cast members who said the characters were not there for pictures or autographs. I’m not sure why they were there then!
We then returned to Toy Story and used our Fastpass and I scored above 1,300 which is good for me as I’m never good at any of these point and shoot games. I guess I need to practice my video games more. After Toy Story we had lunch in the ABC Commissary.
It was then time for “Beauty and the Beast” the stage show which was great as always. We took quite a few pictures during this event. Next up was “The American Idol Experience” which was great because all three performers were good but there was a young man who did a very nice job and I voted for him and he ended up going to the 7 PM show. After American Idol we walked directly to “Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular” which was scheduled to start at 2:00 PM (5 minutes from when we left “American Idol”. When we got to Indiana Jones it was quite full but we got a nice end seat on the right hand side of the stage which was great for taking pictures.
After Indiana Jones we walked over toward “Star Tours” and the area was mobbed. The line for “Star Tours” was long so we got a fastpass which was for 3:20 PM to 4:20 PM. So we did some shopping starting at “Tattoine Traders” where I picked up the new series 5 of the Star Wars Disney figures which are really nice including Stitch as General Grievous and Goofy as Cad Bane. I also picked up the four new Muppet Star Wars packs, the “Ambush at Star Tours” set and a Jedi Robe outfit for Duffy the Bear. After some other window shopping, we returned to “Star Tours” and the sequence that we saw was 1) Millennium Falcon scene where the Star Tours shuttle is scanned by the droid, 2) Transmission from Princess Leia, 3) Tattoine and the pod race, and 4) Coruscant starting with the Battle of Coruscant and then driving through the space lanes.
Our next stop was the 4:30 showing of the “Lights, Motor, Action Stunt Show” which is always a favorite. I like the new Lightning McQueen sequence that was added but miss the Herbie the Love Bug scene they used to do. The last event we attended at “Hollywood Studios” was “Voyage of the Little Mermaid” which I was also able to grab some photos at for the first time thanks to the new camera.
Dinner was at Narcoosee’s at the Grand Floridian which is now our new favorite restaurant after last trip. We had surf and turf followed by strawberry shortcake for dessert which was amazing. We went through some of the shops at the Grand Floridian and then caught the monorail back to Bay Lake Tower. We watched the short electrical parade they do in the water outside of the Contemporary which is always nice as well.
The plan for Tuesday is to return to EPCOT as there are “Extra Magic Hours” in the morning. Look for another update tomorrow.