Hollywood Studios at Christmastime - 2021/12/06

Catching up on previous trips. 

Just a few days after going to the Magic Kingdom, we were all excited to go to a new park. Hollywood Studios! There's lots of rides here the kids haven't ever been on and we're excited to check them out!

It's Monday and the kids are finished with school. It's nearly 3pm, but let's go to Disney's Hollywood Studios anyway! Hopefully as the night goes on, the lines will get shorter and shorter!

Cast Member Haley started our day off well by calling the kids over and offering them stickers. She's got lots of different characters, though Ian still picked Mickey, but Alli got Cinderella!

First ride, why not a classic Star Wars ride? Star Tours launched 35 years ago at Disneyland! It's seen some changes over the years, but it's still a fun ride that puts you right in the middle of the action! Theresa even goes on it (though she's staring at the floor most of the time). 

I really want to check out the Toy Story Land they've built here in Hollywood Studios. We've been to different versions all over the world, like Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Let's see what Florida has to offer. 

Alien Saucer spin? That sounds a lot like another ride we used to go on a lot. 

It's just like Mater's Tractors in Disney's California Adventure! 

Except Theresa noted that it's a lot smoother than Mater ever was. There's also no blue-eyed baby tractors that the kids picked as their favorites. They'll have to come up with some other unique feature to be their favorite for these alien saucers. 

I didn't feel like I was "whipping" around as much either, though I did purposefully put a little more emphasis on some spins while I was squishing Ian. 

Oh yeah! Here's a ride that both kids have been looking forward to. They were too little to ride the Incredicoaster back at Disneyland, and so Aerosmith's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster is now going to be their first looping coaster ever! We waited in way too long of a line outside (nearly an hour) while the people who paid for Genie+ kept filing past us in the line. Grr. 

I asked who wanted to go first. They were both willing, but Ian let Alli take the honor. Theresa waited with Ian while I took Alli. 

If you've been on the ride, you know that instead of a lift hill, it's a magnetically driven launch that takes you from 0 to 57mph in 2.8 seconds! Alli has her eyes closed and is holding on tight! When we were done I asked how she liked it. She loved it!

I picked up Ian from Theresa and was able to go right to the front of the line. 

Literally! We're in the front row! What a spot for your first looping coaster!

Hey, he's even got his hands in the air for the launch! That's what I'm talking about! 

Congratulations Alli and Ian! You just did your first looping coaster! And it even has a corkscrew! They both thought it was awesome! Their favorite coaster ever now!

Here's another ride you haven't been on. Well, sort of. This is the Hollywood Tower of Terror. They've been on Guardians of the Galaxy plenty of times back home. Same idea, just a different theme. 

Ha! Kids you can put your hands down. Rocket doesn't need to scan them to gain access to the Collector's security systems. 

But yes, feel free to keep them raised while we're on the ride! Those are my little thrill seekers! 

Alright, we've done enough rides without Theresa, it's time to get back together as a family again. Toy Story Midway Mania was always a favorite back home. This was another queue that I've never walked through since I had always used a fastpass before. 

Ian and I were right back in old form, opening all the hidden secrets and working as a team. 

I'm still a bit rusty though. Theresa saw my score and let out a big "Awww!" I beat her by 200 points. We'll have to ride this a few more times to get back into shape. 

How about another Star Wars ride? This time we hopped on board the Millennium Falcon for Smuggler's Run. 

We've gone on this a couple times back home in Disneyland. 

We tossed the kids in the pilots seat, hoping they'd have grown enough since last time to give us a smoother ride. 

No such luck yet. They are getting there, but the full range of motion is not quite there. It was a very bumpy ride. 

Ever since Rise of the Resistance opened, I have avoided reading anything about it. That's a long time to wait to not see spoilers! Tonight we're going to complete the Star Wars ride trifecta and go on every single one! 

The wait times for this ride are always long, regularly reaching 100 minutes. We timed it such that we were hopping in line about 10 minutes before the park closed. Once you're in line, you get to ride, even at the park closes for the night. You also get the benefit of not having any of the Genie+/Lightning Lane guests going in front of you, so the line moves even faster after the park closes. Just hope the ride doesn't break down because you'll have to leave the line and there's no getting back on later.  

Did it live up to all the hype? For me, eh, not quite. Don't get me wrong, it's a good ride. The immersion and detail are pretty amazing. Seeing those giant set pieces and different characters was really fun. But would I choose Mystic Manor (Shanghai) or Pirates (Shanghai) over it. 

Today was a fun day though, and I'm amazed by everything we got in, even though we got here quite late! Nighttimes might just be our new way of seeing Disney!