Knowing that it would be a while before we got to return, we
decided to make a last-minute trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios
today to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of Walt Disney
World. Drew, Jayden, Uncle Steven, and I spent the early part of the
morning taking Drew's senior pictures at the University of Tampa in
downtown Tampa before making the drive across I-4, so we didn't get
an early start in the park today. In fact, we ended up eating at
McDonald's on our way. When we arrived at the park we headed off
to Oscar's Super Service to rent two wheelchairs - our usual one for
Steve, and a second one for Jayden, who had sprained her MCL earlier
in the week and she wasn't prepared to spend the day walking around.
With our wheelchairs secured for the day, we headed over to guest
services to make sure that we could make sure that we were all on
Steve's Disability Access Service (DAS) pass. They weren't as
helpful today (perhaps because of Jay in the wheelchair? I'm not
really sure...) but they didn't seem overly interested in giving us
the pass that we have never had an issue securing in the past.
Regardless, we were finally able to get us all added and go about
our day. We noticed something strange during our brief time in the
park today, however, and none of us were really sure what to make of
it. After some internet sleuthing by Jay, we discovered that today
was The Dapper Day Holiday Outing, an unofficial "holiday" created
by a fashion designer a few years ago that has taken on a life of
its own. It absolutely provided some fascinating people watching
throughout the park!
Our first DAS reservation was for the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
ride in Galaxy's Edge, but we had some time to kill before we were
allowed to ride. We decided to see the Muppet*Vision 3D show,
as the wait time was minimal. This is a great show, but it
definitely needs some updates - most to the seat special effects
don't seem to work any more, and the graphics are certainly dated. I
truly think a refresh would do wonders for the Muppet franchise in
the parks! While we were in the general area, we also decided to
take a ride through the galaxy on Star Tours - The Adventure
Continues. This is a ride that has been effectively updated with
a variety of ride sequences, and that makes for a truly different
and memorable experience each time. We headed off to Toy Story Land
next to ride one of our favorites, Toy Story Mania! Aside
from the Mr. Potato Head not working during our last few visits and
some damage to the walls in the queue, this ride is certainly one of
the best arcade-style games in Walt Disney World.
It was finally our turn on the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
ride, so we headed over to Galaxy's Edge to enjoy the action. This
is an enjoyable ride for any Star Wars fan, with plenty of action
taking place throughout. Definitely a must-do! With our must-ride
out of the way for today, it was time for us to schedule another DAS
ride. We opted for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith,
mainly because Drew isn't a fan of the drop sensation on The
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Since we had a little bit of a
wait before our ride, we decided to grab a snack at Rosie's
All-American Café. We got a 50th Celebration Sandwich Cookie to try,
along with a Mickey Mouse Snow Globe sipper to add to my collection.
We enjoyed our snack before heading over to take our spin on the
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith. Although I still
enjoy this ride overall, it seems somehow different than it was
prior to its recent refurbishment. Perhaps it is my imagination, but
it just seems... off.
We had time to make one additional DAS pass before we had to call
it a night, so we reserved a time for Slinky Dog Dash. With a
bit of time to kill before our return time, we decided to try
something new - the Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy show.
We have talked about going to see this show before, and even
attempted to see it only to find it closed. The show itself is
pretty enjoyable, but definitely geared towards the little Lightning
McQueen fans, so we likely won't be making it a part of our regular
routine unless we once again find ourselves with some time to waste.
It was a fun experience anyway!
We headed back to Toy Story Land for a quick stop at Woody's
Lunch Box to grab a Frozen Mystic Portal Punch in an Alien Sipper,
yet another to add to my collection. We finally made it on the
Slinky Dog Dash rollercoaster for a fun spin around the track.
By this time it was dark, and we had already had a long day, so we
decided to head out of the park. |