I woke up bright and early on day 2 because I had to work on our Genie+ situation. Genie+ is a new thing that Disney instituted in place of their old Fast Passes. The Fast Passes were free and limited in number, but this service costs money--$15 per day per person--but has some added flexibility. Not cheap, but if you're a ride nut like me (and Carter), it's worth every penny. There's definitely a learning curve, though, and I was extra nervous going into our first park day because I knew that lines at Hollywood Studios tend to be long and in order to hit up all of our priorities I needed to be on the ball. You have to buy Genie+ the day of, and at 7am you can start your first selection--and since thousands of people are doing it at once, you have to be fast to get what you want.
I basically panicked right off the bat and bought individual Lightning Lane passes for Rise of the Resistance, the new Star Wars ride that's not available through Genie+ (each park has one). Your choice for rides like that are basically either buy the ILL, wake up crazy early and be there for the park opening so you can sprint to the ride, or wait for an hour or more in the standby line. We had been gifted money for this trip so I figured it was an investment in a better night's sleep, a potentially shorter day, and happier family members. At the same time I was arranging that, I had Craig on the app on his phone setting up our first Genie+ ride, Slinky Dog Dash, a newer coaster that looked awesome. Once we had our times for both, we just had to get to the park. At least I was greeted with this gorgeous view that morning to ease the pain of waking up early!
It took me about two times past the Chinese Theater to realize that the park's most recognizable icon was no longer there! The giant Mickey Fantasia hat that used to block part of the Chinese Theater was totally gone. I missed that they had taken that out--turns out it was within a couple years of our last visit. It was sentimental to me because that was the spot we rode out our first Florida thunderstorm last time. But the theater is pretty awesome, even if the hat was iconic.
The park has changed significantly in other ways since we were there last. Not only has Toy Story gained its own section, but so has Star Wars. I was probably actually a little thankful the park was so different because I was oddly nervous I'd have some sort of emotional reaction to the area where we got the news Jacob likely had Celiac Disease. While that area still existed, everything in and around it had changed so the reaction was certainly less. A lot of this trip triggered weird memories for me since we were going through so much last time we were there, but thankfully our circumstances have changed pretty significantly so they didn't hit me too badly.
Toy Story Land was amazing! It was so neatly themed, from the Tinkertoys to the giant K-Nex pieces lining the walkways. It was so colorful and whimsical that you'd think Andy or Bonnie themselves built it.
As I mentioned, Slinky Dog Dash was our first Genie+ ride. We got to bypass a whole line and basically only waited about 10 minutes to board. It was so much fun! Well, Carter and I loved it. Craig and Jacob were less than thrilled but tolerated it. This trip was a test of their motion sickness capabilities and they're not super high, especially in the heat. But it was a fun start and got Carter and me pumped for more!
Next we headed to Toy Story Mania, which was probably one of the favorites of the day. We loved it last time, too. It's basically an arcade style shooting gallery, except it's all video-based and your car spins and moves from one screen to the next. It was so much fun! Jacob and I did really well, and had the line not been so long the entire rest of the day, we definitely would have done it again.
The entire land was so creatively themed--even the bathroom was! Tinkertoys, Scrabble tiles, Cootie, blocks--it was my childhood, all right there!
Then it was on to Star Wars Land. That was incredible. I can't even describe how crazy the theming was. To realize this was not there at all the last time we were there and now see mountains and giant, elaborate structures was shocking. It was surreal and totally felt like transporting to somewhere totally different.
We had to wait to actually ride the Millennium Falcon, but at least the boys posed.
Around every corner was a sight more elaborate than the last.
Tower of Terror's posted wait time was only a half hour, which worked well for our timeline, so I figured we could manage one wait. It actually went super fast so it didn't kill as much time as I hoped, but we both loved it. It is such a sadistic but fun ride with all the ups and downs. I don't think Carter knew what to expect and I think after hearing him talk, the guy next to me was eyeing him up mid-ride to see how he was managing. But we had a blast!
Since we still had more time to kill, I figured we could wander over to Toy Story land to maybe ride the Alien Swirling Saucers. I wasn't jazzed to ride a spinning ride but figured late in the day I'd manage. But then we noticed that Slinky Dog Dash, which had been closed, was testing. We figured we'd stick around close and if it reopened, we could ride it again with a short line. Alas, that didn't pan out so we didn't do either. I think Carter was a little disappointed, but that was short lived.
We stopped in a shop and I had Carter wear this hat because I took a picture of him as a baby wearing a similar one. You can see it in this post.
It was finally time to head out, and just in the nick of time since it was threatening rain. At this point, Jacob and Craig were at the Saratoga Springs resort down the road from ours, since it had a functional basketball court. Apparently they got there and walked on the court only to have it start downpouring like crazy. Oddly, it never rained on us at Hollywood Studios. But the bus that got us was wet and the resort was full of puddles, too. The property is so big that it happens like that sometimes!
Then it was on to Star Wars Land. That was incredible. I can't even describe how crazy the theming was. To realize this was not there at all the last time we were there and now see mountains and giant, elaborate structures was shocking. It was surreal and totally felt like transporting to somewhere totally different.
 |
| The Millennium Falcon! |
We had to wait to actually ride the Millennium Falcon, but at least the boys posed.
Jacob got a fun, futuristic bottle of Sprite (written in Star Wars language) that he kept as his souvenir.
Each area was more elaborate and so impressive.
It was finally time for our ride on Rise of the Resistance. I can't even describe this ride. You walked through a series of rooms to set the stage for your ride. The last part uses a cool trackless ride system that's almost like skating across the floor. There were animatronics and walk throughs, and at one point the car flew up in the air like an open elevator and then did a mini drop that scared the crap out of Craig and Jacob. But the whole ride was so elaborate and so cool. I was doubtful anything else could beat it (but spoiler alert: it only ended up #3 on my list by the end of the week!).
We had to strategically pick a time for the Millennium Falcon ride and needed some lunch anyway, so we grabbed some pizza and went to the Muppets 3D show, which we'd seen previously but Carter obviously didn't remember. It had changed slightly (we think) but Carter was amused by the humor.
We hit up Star Tours after that, which we'd been on before. Jacob didn't like it as a kid because it's a pretty intense simulator, but Craig and Jacob gutted it out--just barely! It's definitely quite a rockin' time! Carter loved it, of course.
I took this picture of Carter with his glasses because it was very similar to one I took of Jacob last time.
We needed to kill a little time before the Indiana Jones show, and I happened to catch this fun photo where the ibis was in the same position as the dinosaur.
We also randomly ran into a character parade during that time that had a bunch of Toy Story characters. Funny story--One of the toy soldiers told a girl watching the parade that he liked her boots (she had on combat boots) and on the flight home Carter mentioned something about the toy soldier saying something inappropriate during the parade. Then he spelled out what he thought he said, and Carter thought he was complimenting her "assets" with a term that sounds very close to "boots". I set him straight that it was definitely the boots!
The Indiana Jones show was not my favorite way to spend an hour since we've seen it 1-1/2 times (last time it got cut short due to weather), but Craig loves it and Carter needed to see it. We got there early and had to wait a while, but at least we were shaded and there were big fans so I felt like maybe COVID was less of a concern despite the crowd since the breeze was moving pretty good. The show was exactly what we remembered (other than no volunteers, much to Craig's dismay), but it was fun to see the big ending since we missed it last time.
Then it was off to the Millennium Falcon ride. On that one you go through a couple rooms of prep before settling into your own Millennium Falcon cockpit. There were two pilots, two gunners, and two engineers. We ended up with one random single rider as our sole engineer. Craig and Jacob were pilots and Carter and I were the gunners. You go through a simulator run steering the ship and when buttons lit up, you pressed them. There actually was some skill involved in piloting and Jacob won't be driving anytime soon because he hit so many asteroids that he cost us 1,000 points! But I did get this cool picture of warp speed!
Once we finished that ride, the big boys were ready to be done. We had hit almost everything they wanted to ride, and we decided they might as well go back and get some resort time while Carter and I finished our rides. That brainstorm ended up becoming a bit of a trend, but it probably made the trip work much better than it could have otherwise. They got some popcorn in our refillable container and headed out, while Carter and I headed up Sunset Boulevard to make our Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Genie+ reservation.
I won't lie, it felt really good (but rather guilt-inducing) to skip an hour-long line, especially since we were getting tired. Carter loved the ride, which is a very fast launched dark coaster with a lot of black-lit signs. He was ready for a good coaster, and he got it! Every time the coaster launched out of the station, I giggled because it went SO fast!
We wanted to do Tower of Terror next but we had already made a Genie+ reservation for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, which was booking later into the day. That left us with some time to kill. Part of the challenge with Genie+ is booking the most popular rides before they run out, while also not locking yourself out of things in the meantime. You end up either needing to find standby lines you can manage or booking at a time where killing two hours isn't a problem, because you can book a second ride two hours later, even if you haven't ridden the first one yet. So by strategically using meals and other lines, it can work. I decided we should check out this Lightning McQueen show next door before going to Tower of Terror. The only wait was waiting through the previous show (15 minutes or so) and I figured killing time in air conditioning was better than anything else. Carter was less than thrilled because he wanted to ride other things and thought it was a little kid show. He couldn't understand that we just needed something to pass the time and this was better than sitting in the heat or walking around on tired feet.
It was finally time for our ride on Rise of the Resistance. I can't even describe this ride. You walked through a series of rooms to set the stage for your ride. The last part uses a cool trackless ride system that's almost like skating across the floor. There were animatronics and walk throughs, and at one point the car flew up in the air like an open elevator and then did a mini drop that scared the crap out of Craig and Jacob. But the whole ride was so elaborate and so cool. I was doubtful anything else could beat it (but spoiler alert: it only ended up #3 on my list by the end of the week!).
We had to strategically pick a time for the Millennium Falcon ride and needed some lunch anyway, so we grabbed some pizza and went to the Muppets 3D show, which we'd seen previously but Carter obviously didn't remember. It had changed slightly (we think) but Carter was amused by the humor.
I took this picture of Carter with his glasses because it was very similar to one I took of Jacob last time.
The Indiana Jones show was not my favorite way to spend an hour since we've seen it 1-1/2 times (last time it got cut short due to weather), but Craig loves it and Carter needed to see it. We got there early and had to wait a while, but at least we were shaded and there were big fans so I felt like maybe COVID was less of a concern despite the crowd since the breeze was moving pretty good. The show was exactly what we remembered (other than no volunteers, much to Craig's dismay), but it was fun to see the big ending since we missed it last time.
Then it was off to the Millennium Falcon ride. On that one you go through a couple rooms of prep before settling into your own Millennium Falcon cockpit. There were two pilots, two gunners, and two engineers. We ended up with one random single rider as our sole engineer. Craig and Jacob were pilots and Carter and I were the gunners. You go through a simulator run steering the ship and when buttons lit up, you pressed them. There actually was some skill involved in piloting and Jacob won't be driving anytime soon because he hit so many asteroids that he cost us 1,000 points! But I did get this cool picture of warp speed!
Once we finished that ride, the big boys were ready to be done. We had hit almost everything they wanted to ride, and we decided they might as well go back and get some resort time while Carter and I finished our rides. That brainstorm ended up becoming a bit of a trend, but it probably made the trip work much better than it could have otherwise. They got some popcorn in our refillable container and headed out, while Carter and I headed up Sunset Boulevard to make our Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Genie+ reservation.
I won't lie, it felt really good (but rather guilt-inducing) to skip an hour-long line, especially since we were getting tired. Carter loved the ride, which is a very fast launched dark coaster with a lot of black-lit signs. He was ready for a good coaster, and he got it! Every time the coaster launched out of the station, I giggled because it went SO fast!
We wanted to do Tower of Terror next but we had already made a Genie+ reservation for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, which was booking later into the day. That left us with some time to kill. Part of the challenge with Genie+ is booking the most popular rides before they run out, while also not locking yourself out of things in the meantime. You end up either needing to find standby lines you can manage or booking at a time where killing two hours isn't a problem, because you can book a second ride two hours later, even if you haven't ridden the first one yet. So by strategically using meals and other lines, it can work. I decided we should check out this Lightning McQueen show next door before going to Tower of Terror. The only wait was waiting through the previous show (15 minutes or so) and I figured killing time in air conditioning was better than anything else. Carter was less than thrilled because he wanted to ride other things and thought it was a little kid show. He couldn't understand that we just needed something to pass the time and this was better than sitting in the heat or walking around on tired feet.
The show was a little kid-ish but it was cute (and nice and cool). And we got to see Lightning McQueen in the flesh...or paint, rather! He was a really cool animatronic, moving his tires just like he does in the movies and using a screen for his eyes and mouth animations. It was actually pretty neat, even if the storyline was cheesy. It was basically a 180-degree movie screen up above with the animatronic below, and it culminated in a fun video game-style race.
Tower of Terror's posted wait time was only a half hour, which worked well for our timeline, so I figured we could manage one wait. It actually went super fast so it didn't kill as much time as I hoped, but we both loved it. It is such a sadistic but fun ride with all the ups and downs. I don't think Carter knew what to expect and I think after hearing him talk, the guy next to me was eyeing him up mid-ride to see how he was managing. But we had a blast!
Since we still had more time to kill, I figured we could wander over to Toy Story land to maybe ride the Alien Swirling Saucers. I wasn't jazzed to ride a spinning ride but figured late in the day I'd manage. But then we noticed that Slinky Dog Dash, which had been closed, was testing. We figured we'd stick around close and if it reopened, we could ride it again with a short line. Alas, that didn't pan out so we didn't do either. I think Carter was a little disappointed, but that was short lived.
 |
| Swirling Saucers with the peaks of the Star Wars Land mountains in the background |
 |
| This was a view of a section of Slinky Dog Dash where you thought the ride was over but this turned into a booster that sent you into another set of track, much to Craig's and Jacob's dismay! |
It was finally time for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. I wasn't sure what to expect but had seen positive reviews of it, so I figured we should make sure we rode it. It was in the Chinese Theater, and we checked out the concrete handprints and footprints on the sidewalk outside until our reservation time came up.
This ride started in a standing theater space with a Mickey and Minnie cartoon, and turned into an exploding train and a busted movie screen that you then walked through to load onto the ride. It looked like a roller coaster at first but used the same trackless system that Rise of the Resistance has, so there were individual cars that went into different rooms. One made it feel like going down a waterfall, one was windy like a tornado, and one was a dance studio where Daisy Duck led the cars in dance lessons, making all four cars "dance" back and forth to her counts before conga-ing to the next room. It all ended happily with Mickey and Minnie having a picnic. It was a neat combo of actual scenery and video projections to animate the faces. It was such a cute ride that simply left me smiling with the creativity.
For the rest of the week Carter kept bringing up how Goofy (the engineer) "tased" us at the end of the ride--it was just a funny little electric shock feeling but it cracked him up.
Here's a pic of the busted movie screen on the way out. I still can't figure out how they did it. It definitely looked like a full screen when we got in there.
We stopped in a shop and I had Carter wear this hat because I took a picture of him as a baby wearing a similar one. You can see it in this post.
We decided to head back to Disney Springs for dinner because there was a restaurant that had good gluten-free reviews. In the end it wasn't exactly what we were expecting for Jacob, but the food was really good nonetheless. We did a little more shopping after that and Carter asked to have his picture taken with Buzz!
It had been a long day but I think we handled it really well with the split day. I loved all the rides we did so much and was really impressed by all the Toy Story and Star Wars theming. The magic was kicking in a bit, for sure! We had one more extra-long day (with a little extra something to celebrate) coming up before a much-needed break, so it was back to the resort to wind down (with another jacuzzi night for the boys) before heading off to bed for my last time as a 43 year old.
It had been a long day but I think we handled it really well with the split day. I loved all the rides we did so much and was really impressed by all the Toy Story and Star Wars theming. The magic was kicking in a bit, for sure! We had one more extra-long day (with a little extra something to celebrate) coming up before a much-needed break, so it was back to the resort to wind down (with another jacuzzi night for the boys) before heading off to bed for my last time as a 43 year old.
No comments:
Post a Comment