Our second stop of our epic week long spring break trip brought us to one of my most highly anticipated parks of the last couple years, Disney’s Hollywood Studios (with a late-night cameo from EPCOT). The day was long and exhausting, but we accomplished so much and had endless amounts of fun along the way. Check out the recap video from our crazy second day in Orlando:
My day started with a 6:30am alarm clock, and I sprung out of bed with one goal in mind: to acquire boarding passes for the Disney’s latest and greatest attraction, Rise of the Resistance.
If you haven’t heard by now, Rise (shorthand) is a “dark ride” that opened at Hollywood Studios just a few shorts months prior last year’s pandemic closure. It is the most technologically advanced attraction ever built, so naturally the hype surrounding the ride is astounding. I think I read somewhere that only 30% of all park guests (on a given day) at Hollywood Studios get a chance to ride because there is such an extreme demand. The reservation system that the park utilizes allows ticket holders to reserve a time slot to ride each morning at 7am, but they tend to be completely sold out out in a matter of seconds. Four seconds to be exact. After hearing horror stories about said reservation system, I was so nervous that we would miss out on this cutting-edge attraction. Thankfully, my extensive research into best practices paid off and I was able to secure us a boarding group.
With the most stressful part of the day out of the way, we grabbed a quick breakfast at Chick-Fil-A and hit the road for the park. It was just the kids heading to Hollywood Studios as my mother decided to sleep in for a few hours. With our abnormally early start, we were able to get in line prior to opening of the parking lot entrance gates. Fifteen minutes or so later, we were parked and heading through the turnstyles. Super easy entry, no problems at all.
Our early arrival paid off handsomely, as we were able to book it to Slinky Dog Dash at the back of the relatively-new Toy Story Land and get in line for a short ten minute wait. I went into this coaster with relatively low expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised (as was the rest of the group). It was very enjoyable for a family coaster, with two good launches and a solid ride length. Mixed with the excellent theming they had in the station and throughout the course, it made for a great experience and was the perfect way to start our morning.
From Toy Story Land, we headed immediately over to what I thought would be another lengthy wait. This time, in a galaxy far, far away. We got in line for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run around the time the park officially opened (9am). This turned out to be another great decision, as we were able to board within ten minutes, even though the wait never got below forty minutes for the rest of the day. The Falcon was so much fun, albeit not super thrilling but with four individual “characters” needed for the attraction, our group of four was the perfect fit. We had a blast attempting to fly the ship and complete our mission. I will say we didn’t do so hot (*pilots* ahem), but we definitely had a great time.
Continuing along with our method of jumping between themed areas, we headed back to Toy Story Land and were able to pretty much walk-on both Alien Swirling Saucers and Midway Mania. I had never done the saucers before but we had a hoot on that ride. It was definitely meant for children and it’s not something I would wait any more than ten or fifteen minutes for, but it was fun to listen to the music and swing back and forth. The alien commentary was hilarious as well (“the clawwwwww”). Definitely a great ride for the little ones. Midway Mania was a fun time as always. The design of the ride is super clever and the shooting games are really entertaining and visually impressive. I will say, my wrist always feels like its about to fall off after riding this attraction. The motion that you use to “shoot” your individual blaster (pulling a short rope repeatedly) is exhausting. Olivia and I are super competitive so we can never take a chill ride on this thing–it’s always for bragging rights. I’ll try to let you guess who won this round…
After a barrage of morning attractions and the Florida heat beginning to be a factor for us, we decided to take it easy with a viewing of Muppet-Vision 3D. It’s easily been fifteen years since I’ve seen this show, but I really enjoyed it. the Muppets will always have a soft spot in my heart, so maybe I’m a little biased, but I definitely thought Muppet-Vision was funny and entertaining, even after thirty-plus years of operation. Not to mention, the A/C was killer as well.
After cooling off inside a bit, we decided to grab some cold brews at the nearby Baseline Tap House. At this point, we were about an hour or so away from our boarding group being called for Rise of the Resistance. I knew this was an experience my mother would not want to miss, so I convinced her to venture over to the park while we enjoyed our first round as Baseline. She arrived just in time for our group to be called, and before we knew it, we were heading back into Batuu to get a ride on the newest gold standard of dark rides.
Rise definitely lived up to the hype. From the moment we stepped foot in the queue, the experience was next-level immersive. Making our way through the various pre-shows (four to be exact), I actually felt as if we were part of the action. The final actual “dark-ride” portion of it is a three-minute long adventure that uses GPS technology to guide the ride vehicles autonomously (without a visible track). Some of the scenes and animatronics depicted were mind-blowing, and the thrilling finale was the icing on the cake. Although it was a bit stressful securing a ride on this top-notch attraction, it was worth every second of effort. Definitely a highlight of our day.
Just after getting off RotR around 1pm, the sky began to turn a distinct shade of gray. There was certainly a chance of rain in the daily forecast, but we initially thought this band would pass through quickly (like most Florida storms). Unfortunately, this was not the case. After huddling under a small area of cover in Batuu for fifteen minutes, we made the executive decision to head out into the downpour and head for the car. Of course, we were soaked by the time we made it, but thankfully our hotel was nearby. We were able to enjoy a few hours of rest before making our way back to the park around 5pm.
By this time, the storms had cleared and the beautiful Florida sunshine had returned. We were rested up and ready for our night session, and it started with a return trip to Hollywood Studios for the three attractions that we had missed earlier…
We started the evening with a ride on Rock’n Roller Coaster–always a classic. Although a posted thirty minute wait, we were on in half that (in the front row no less). My mother didn’t join us for this one, but I think she would have enjoyed it. The coaster still has a nice powerful launch and a smooth run through the course. I hope this guy is here to stay for some time.
After taking a glance at the wait time for the Hollywood Tower Hotel, we decided to save it for last and head to the Hollywood Brown Derby for a quick libation. Not unlike us, we ended up sitting and chatting with an elderly couple for 30+ minutes. They were hilarious and we had a great time getting to know them. Before the time got away from us, we peeled ourselves away from the bar for a spin on Hollywood Studios’ newest attraction, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
After a short wait, we were on the boarding platform in less than fifteen minutes. Unfortunately with COVID protocol we were unable to see the pre-show (which looks super cool from the videos I’ve seen), but the ride itself was more than enough entertainment for us. It was visually stunning and really kept us on the edge of our seats for the entire duration. I had seen POV’s and such going into it, but still kept my expectations in check. I’m glad I did because the whole group was pleasantly surprised by this attraction. I wish we could’ve gotten one more ride simply because there is so much to see in each and every show scene.
Saving the best for last (with fifteen minutes left until park close), we made our way down Sunset Boulevard one last time to queue up for my favorite ride at Hollywood Studios, the Tower of Terror. The line moved somewhat slow for this one, but that only built the anticipation. Forty or so minutes later, we were in the drop shaft screaming our lungs out. I will say, after experiencing Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout at Disneyland in California, the ride cycle in Orlando seemed a good bit shorter. Maybe this had something to do with the current capacity issues, but the re-themed tower on the west coast seemed to have a much longer drop sequence. Still, I much prefer the aesthetic and theme from the east coast version, and I hope it sticks around for a long time to come.
With that, it was about thirty minutes after eight o’clock, and most normal people probably would’ve called it a day by now. However, we are not most people, and with EPCOT having the late closing time at 11pm, we were psyched to check out the ongoing Flower and Garden food booths. Unfortunately, a lot of these booths closed early, but we still got to experience a taste of the park.
It started with the grand (and recently-renovated) entrance to EPCOT, where I took plenty of awesome photos and video of the freshly installed pylons that mark the entrance to Future World (or what is currently left of it). The renovated entrance is epic. The pylons look phenomenal, especially at night with everything lit up. The park is definitely in a period of transformation, but regardless it is always a treat to visit EPCOT. This time around we started with a lap on the timeless Spaceship Earth, which I was very keen on riding, given the multitude of refurbishment rumors floating around the interwebs. They have added a few touches to this attraction over the years, but it has mostly stayed the same. Nostalgia overload for sure.
After our ride inside the big golf ball, we made our way to the World Showcase, specifically the Mexico pavilion to indulge in some authentic margaritas from La Cava De Tequila. They were absolutely delicious, and a great way to kickoff our short stay at EPCOT.
For the next hour or so, we made our way around the World Showcase (counter-clockwise), striking out on most of the Flower and Garden food booths that we encountered. The majority of the booths we wanted to visit closed an hour or so in advance of park close. So that was a bit of a bummer, but it was still awesome to wander the different pavilions at night. We did manage to find a couple snacks and drinks along the way, but we certainly wanted to end the evening on one last attraction. We landed on Frozen Ever After, but upon approach we realized that this ride was closed early as well. With just a few minutes left until park close, we booked it over to Test Track. We were some of the last riders of the night, and it was a fantastic way to close out our visit. Although I still prefer the original incarnation of the ride, the new version is a refreshing change. I just wish we could’ve designed our own cars like they typically allow you to do (pre-COVID, of course).
With that, we had shut the park down, and we were all ready to climb into bed and call it a day. I think we maxed out around nine miles walking for the day at around 24,000 steps, but it was all worth it. It was such an epic day, full of amazing experiences and fantastic memories that our family will hold onto for some time to come. This unfortunately concluded our time at Disney, but the fun was not ending, as we were about to transition to the park just up the interstate: Universal Orlando. Thanks for reading, and be sure to stay tuned for more updates from our epic spring break trip, and the conclusion of our time in Orlando!
– Walker
Texas-Ranger Travels 