Tag Archives: Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Disney World’s Toy Story Midway Mania – Love it but…

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DSCN2524There’s a reason Toy Story Midway Mania (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) is wildly popular.  It is (in The Fam’s opinion) one of the most action-packed, fun-filled experiences you can have at Disney World – even for people like me with no eye-hand coordination and poor aim!  As the name suggests, this ride simulates carnival midway games.  In 3D!  And the games include all your favorite Toy Story characters.  So what’s the “but…” for in this post’s title?  I’ll tell you, but first the good news… 

The GOOD News – About the Ride:

Once you make it to the front of the line, you board an adorable little ride vehicle – seats for two onDSCN2527 the front and on the back, everyone facing outward.  In front of you is a little toy cannon-looking thing with a pull-string on the back.  This is your “weapon” – a launcher of virtual items you will “throw” during the various midway games you’ll visit during the ride.  3D glasses on, you’re vehicle spins you into position in front of the first game – you get a little practice first – and then?  Game ON!  Pull that string on the back of your cannon as fast and as often as you possibly can and hit as many things as you can before time runs out – rack up points as you move from game to game (breaking plates, popping balloons, shooting ducks, etc.).  I just laugh hysterically while this is all going on – it’s that much fun!  Probably, the laughing hurts my score as much as the poor coordination and aim, but hey – I just love this ride.  You may have a seriously sore arm later from pulling the string to fire that cannon aIMG_3072 gajillion times.

The BAD News – About the Queue:

The fastpasses for TSMWM go fast – like all gone for the entire day by midmorning!  If you don’t get to this ride first thing, you either have to wait in what is usually a very long line (60 minutes or more) or pass altogether.  Lets say you choose to wait in the standby line – let the rest of this post serve as a strong warning against doing that!  The queue for this ride is almost indescribably horrible.  At first you’re like all “wow!” and “cool!” and “this is great!” – but those feelings fade away all too quickly.  Here’s the dealIMG_3071 – yes, there are giant toys and games and a giant talking Mr. Potato Head – but somehow after just a few moments of nostalgia and feeling toy-sized yourself, it gets annoying – really REALLY annoying.  The colors are too bright, Mr. Potato Head won’t be quiet and you are winding back and forth and back and forth for an eternity before you finally get to the 3D glasses.  Surely this means you’re almost to the ride boarding area, right?  HA!  Joke’s on you – still more waiting in line to go!  As much as I love the actual ride, I just cannot endure waiting in line for it – seriously, it could be used as a form of torture to extract top-secret information from international spies or something.  Please!  No more!  I’ll tell you anything!  Cannot take moreIMG_3081 giant toys!  Make Mr. Potato Head stop talking!

Consider this my last official public service announcement for 2013.  DO NOT wait in the standby line for Toy Story Midway Mania.  You’re welcome.

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Character Dining at Disney’s Chef Mickey’s

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I don’t know about you, but when I go to Disney World, I still want to see Disney characters.  I do know how old I am (parts of me are reminding me of it all the time)…I can still be a kid at heart, right?  I love Donald!!!  In this post, I suggested some ways to meet characters on a Disney vacation.  One of them, probably the one I like the best, is character dining – our favorite of which is at Chef Mickey’s.  Why we love it?  It gives children (and adults like me) the chance to meet Disney’s Fab Five:  Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, and Goofy – while enjoying a meal just a short monorail ride away from the Magic Kingdom.  Let me add:  This is a Princess-Free diningIMG_2651 experience which appeals to many families – especially ones with boys! 

Located inside Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Chef Mickey’s is a buffet serving Breakfast, Lunch (certain times of the year only) and Dinner.  The food, while certainly not of the fancy gourmet variety, is goIMG_2654od and offers a large selection of basic, American fare to appeal to just about everyone – including picky eaters.

A bit about the food:  At breakfast you can expect eggs, potatoes, sausage, bacon, fruit, danish, pancakes, French toast, cereal and the ever popular Mickey waffles.  Dinner items include things like soups, salads, a carving station, pasta, roasted chicken, ribs, mashed potatoes, veggies, chicken tenders, mac & cheese, and several desserts including all the fixin’s for ice cream sundaes and yummy bread pudding. IMG_5370

During your meal, the characters come around to your table for a little one-on-one time.  Not a long time, mind you (the whole no talking thing kinda rules out idle chit-chat), but long enough for some great pictures and memory making.  It’s good to see The Fab Five without waiting in line outside in the hot Florida sun!  It also seems to me that the characters tend to be a bit more playful here than they are in the parks.  There’s a little routine to get everyone excited where guests are encouraged to wave their napkins over their heads to music.  Just go with it, you won’t be alone.  

IMG_5372As you arrive at the restaurant (reservations strongly recommended), you’re given the opportunity for a family photograph before being seated (photo package prices vary).  Have we done that?  Yes, but if I had it to do over, I would have saved the money.  I don’t like those pictures nearly as much as the ones taken table-side by my own camera.  You can decide what’s right for you, but do have your camera ready at all times and I promise you’ll get some excellent photo ops!  Good food, good company – who could ask for more than that?

What’s your favorite Character meal at Disney World? 

 

What’s so Great about Disney World’s Tower of Terror?

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“Hollywood, 1939. Amidst the glitz and the glitter of a bustling young movie talent at the height of its golden age, the Hollywood Tower Hotel was a star in its own right. A beacon for the show business elite. Now, something is about to happen that will change all that.” -Mark Silverman as the voice of Rod Serling, Tower of Terror Introduction

 

Disney WorldIMG_0870‘s Twilight Zone Tower of Terror…The ride that divides The Fam like no other.  Raymond and Megan really don’t care for it and will ride it one time (and one time only) during each trip to Disney World – just to be polite.  Joseph and I love it (Joseph’s all time favorite ride) – we can and will ride it again and again.  Once we even scored a surprise fast pass when got off so we got right back in line!

Like Rock’n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror is located in Disney’s Hollywood SIMG_3026tudios at the end of Sunset Blvd.  The queue for this ride is, as Disney tends to do with newer attractions, cleverly detailed and carefully crafted to immerse you in the ride’s theme and story line long before you board the ride vehicle (in this case a seemingly innocuous service elevator).  From the winding garden paths through the overgrown greenery, past the once grand outdoor courtyards of the Hollywood Tower Hotel to the perfectly dusty and slightly sinister-looking hotel lobby, guests paying careful attention will find wonderful gems in the details.  Hidden Mickeys abound IMG_0876along with several nods to the Twilight Zone television series.  Even the sullen, grey- uniform-clad bellhops add to the depth of theming for this attraction.  If the day is not too warm, I find the stand-by line for this ride actually quite enjoyable, but that’s not why Joseph loves it.  The constant screaming coming from the hotel “guests” is a good clue about the real reason this ride’s a big hit with thrill-seekers like Joseph.

IMG_3521As you draw closer to the pre-ride intro show, you begin to feel a sense of dread.  As if the hotel lobby is emitting a warning to you.  The bellhops will guide you into the library.  Joseph describes it this way – “The feeling of impending doom is created by the cast members working at the tower and the abandoned, worn-down look of the hotel – inside and out.  Like somewhere you don’t want to be.”

The pre-ride show provides the backstory (I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s great!) after which you are led into the hotel’s basement to the service elevators.  The theming and mood-setting details continue –IMG_3525 watch for another Hidden Mickey on the wall.  TIP: Going to the left instead of right in line is generally faster.  Once you board the elevator (you must be 40″ tall to ride and health warnings exist), fasten that seatbelt – you’re gonna need it!  The best part of this attraction is the layers of build-up to the finale.  Everything, from the first step in line, leads up to what happens in that elevator!

Continuing with the story introduced in the library, the elevator travels through several scenes before you hit the real action.  The elevator drops, shoots up, drops, and so on – riders are constantly surprised.  Random drop Tower of Terror Collagesequences are what keep people coming back for more.  There’s no way to predict the exact pattern of elevator movement.  When the elevator is “falling” it is actually being pushed downward – gravity alone would not be this fast.  This is VERY scary for many people – as evidenced by the screaming!!!  Joseph and I both LOVE this part – we don’t find it frightening, just incredibly fun.  The sense of weightlessness is what makes this ride so great!

Have you visited the Hollywood Tower Hotel?  What did you think?

 

Favorite Ride at Disney World? Rock’n’ Roller Coaster

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I Recently polled The Fam and asked them about their favorite ride at Disney World.

Raymond didn’t actually have to respond to the poll.  You can’t be married to the same person for 24 years and not know their favorite Disney World ride – Rock’n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith has been Raymond’s favorite ride since he first rode it in 2004 (the ride originally opened in 1999).

I did ask him what specifically about the ride made it his favorite…is it the introduction?  The dark?  The speed?  The loops?  The music?

Raymond’s answer?  “Yes.”  (Know what?  You just can’t get him to quit rambling on about stuff!)

What’s not to love about this ride?  If you are a thrill ride junky – this is as thrilling, as extreme a ride, as you will find at Disney World.  Here are the deets (Spoiler Alert):

Rock’n’ Roller Coaster is located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the end of Sunset Blvd.  Since it is right next to Tower of Terror, best to hit them both first thing in the morning and/OR score some fast passes for at least one of these if you love them.  Just FYI:  Toy Story Midway Mania (which I’ll talk about in detail at another time) is located very far away from these two rides (Pixar Place) and is also a headline attraction.  To tour successfully at the Studios, have a good plan for how you will accomplish all three with a minimum of wait time.  Use fast passes and early arrival (extra magic hour if available) to your best advantage.

Now back to R’n’R…

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The Studio at G-Force Records

Pre-Ride:  Enter the recording studio for G-Force Records where Aerosmith is busily working when their manager informs them they’re going to be late for their own concert.  Luckily you score back-stage passes and a ride to the concert in a super-stretch limo – head out into the alley to wait for your ride and get ready to blast off onto the LA freeways.

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Cheesy Ride Photo!

Brace yourself – this is no ordinary limo!  This ride hurls you from 0-60 miles-per-hour in 2.8 seconds!  Then you’re flying through banks, turns, dips, and corkscrews (yes, upside down!) before reaching your final destination.

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In the Alley Waiting for a Ride

 

 

 

 

Look for:  The limo’s licence plates!  There are five different limos, each sporting it’s own vanity plate.  (1QKLIMO for example) – while you’re looking at the plates, see if you can spot any Hidden Mickeys!  There are MANY both in the queue and on/around the ride.  For the most part, each limo plays different Aerosmith songs.  Listen carefully if you hear “Love in an Elevator” – the words are a bit different, recorded just for this ride!

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Safe and Sound Post-Limo Ride

You must be 48″ tall to ride.  There are health warnings for this ride and if you’re prone to motion sickness or have claustrophobia, I’d sit this one out.  Due to the nature of the ride, the harnesses that hold you in the limo are big and restrictive.  If you’re brave enough and get a kick out of a major adrenaline rush, you’ll love it just as much as Raymond does.

What’s your favorite ride at Disney World?