Hollywood Studios

All the different parks in Disneyworld have something special to offer. I feel like Disneyworld is what Disneyland would be if there was unlimited space to expand onto cheap land and you didn’t have to build rides in old parking lots (Indiana Jones).

Animal Kingdom has the Expedition Everest Ride, the amazing safari (we went twice this time), and all the little details that make the different “lands” resemble small, ancient, Asian and African towns. If you’re ever there and you’re hungry, check out the Yak and Yeti restaurant, it has really delicious food and shave-ice martinis! Can’t beat that. Technically, they are snow-cones, not shave-ice, but we will let that go. They were yummy anyway. This time, at Dinoland, I kept my eyes open the whole time on the Dinosaur ride. I had a pretty significant fear of animatronic dinosaurs as a child, and although I have gotten over dreading the museum exhibits, having scary dinos lunge at me still gives me a chill.

Then there is Epcot Center, which I really like. I am very into Disney’s view of the future as imagined in the past (like old school tomorrowland), Epcot is a good example of this. Also, they have the new Mission Space ride, with its crazy realistic g-forces. Always choose orange. Plus, there’s the great food at World Showcase, which I already discussed.

Magic Kingdom I just love because it is nearly the same as Disneyland, though it’s a small world is actually small and there are some rides scattered throughout the rest of the parks. I like that I don’t need a map to get around, and I know exactly what I want to go on before the end of the day. Plus, if I miss a ride, oh well, because we go to Disneyland at least once a year.

And last, but not least, there is Hollywood Studios. I think I might like this one the best. There’s the Brown Derby for your good eats, the behind-the-scenes tour experience (reminiscent of Universal Studios), and several good rides. We have Star Tours with the big Imperial Walker outside, Rockin’ Rollercoaster (love that one, a funky coaster in the dark that actually goes upside-down, set to Aerosmith music), Tower of Terror (way more involved than the one at CA Adventures), Toy Story, etc.

To wrap up the re-caps, here is our photo tour of Hollywood Studios. Enjoy.




Me, outside of the Brown Derby. Check out my awesome shirt, got it at Dinoland the day before.



A better view of the Sorcerer's Apprentice landscaping.



Mike, loving the Rockin' Roller Coaster.



Great Movie Ride, an animatronic journey through a bunch of the classics, including special effects and your guide getting involved in the action.



Mike, trying to escape the storm troopers on the forest moon of Endor.



He can't catch a break, now the walker is after him. They used to have a snow speeder, but it got replaced by the Jedi Training academy. We spotted the speeder in storage on the Behind the Scenes tour.



And, in the end, it was a tale of 2 monkeys.