Disney World Day 2- Sunset Boulevard

Sunday was our first day to go to the Disney theme parks. We decided to go to Disney Hollywood Studios the first day, because they had longer hours on Sunday, and I had a hunch it would be one of my favorite parks (I was right). We got up bright and early because the guide book I had read strongly advised getting to the parks before they opened to avoid long wait times for attractions. We arrived at Hollywood studios about 30 minutes before they opened. We were disappointed when we picked up our map for the park and saw that the Rockin’ Roller Coaster was temporarily closed. This was one of the attractions we were most looking forward to since it was one of two intense roller coasters in Walt Disney World. Thankfully, while we were waiting for the park to open, a cast member told us that the ride would reopen on Friday, the 21^st which was our last day at the parks. It was perfect timing.


When we arrived at Hollywood Studios, we knew that we needed to ride the Toy Story Midway Mania first thing that morning because it was the most popular attraction in the park and would have the longest line if we didn’t ride it immediately, so we lined up behind the rope closest to that attraction. The rope drop remains a vivid memory for me. There was a huge mob lined up behind the rope all planning to head straight for the Toy Story ride as soon as the rope dropped at 9:00am. To avoid a remake of the stampede scene in the Lion King, a line of Disney workers stood in front of the crowd and continued to carry the rope at a fast walk all through the park until we got close to the Toy Story attraction. It was my first glimpse at how well thought out and organized the theme park was. When we entered the Pixar Studios area of the park, Matt and I laughed as we saw what we thought were life size statues of the green army men from Toy Story. We laughed even harder when we heard one of them yell through a megaphone and walk around. It was hilarious. They ran off yelling to the other army men that Andy needed them for a mission. That’s another great memory. Matt got a picture with one of them on Friday when we went back to Hollywood Studios.

After the rope really dropped and we were free, we got in line for the Toy Story ride and only had to wait about 5 minutes to enjoy the attraction. The ride was so fun. We got our 3-D glasses and got in the car that was made to look like Andy’s bed with two guns mounted on the front. During the ride, we used our guns to shoot at various 3-D targets from the Toy Story movie. After everything we did during the whole week, this attraction is still one of our favorites. Matt called it a video game on major steroids. As soon as we finished we headed outside and got fast passes so we could ride it again later in the day without having to wait in line.

In line for the Toy Story ride

Ready to score some points!

After the Toy Story attraction, we headed over to Sunset Boulevard to ride the Tower of Terror, one of the attractions I was most looking forward to. It didn’t disappoint. I still would probably say that I like the Superman ride at Six Flags better because it is taller and the drop is more thrilling, but this one was so neat. From the moment we stepped in line it felt like we were really at the Tower Hotel and the decorations, music, and atmosphere all contributed to an eeriness that continued throughout the ride. It was so fun, so much fun that we immediately got back in line and rode again. Another one of my memories from that day is the picture they take of you when you’re on the ride that we saw in the gift shop after the ride. In the picture I was screaming and had a terrified look on my face with my hands high in the air, all the while Matt’s head is turned and he is staring at me with a smile on his face. He commented several times that he enjoyed my expressions during the rides more than the actual ride itself. He also mentioned how loud I screamed or how nervous I was when I was waiting in line for a thrilling attraction.

The lobby that we stood in while we "waited to check into the hotel"

After we got our Tower of Terror fix, Matt needed a Star Wars fix, so we rode the Star Tours ride which is a flight simulator ride based on the Star Wars movies. I wouldn't say it was one of my favorite attractions, but Matt enjoyed it. After that ride, our fast passes were ready at Toy Story so we walked back to the other side of the park to improve our scores on the ride. I'm a little too goal oriented when it comes to video games, so I'm glad I got a chance to beat my old score :). Matt still beat me though. After that ride, we stopped by Pizza Planet to grab some lunch and then walked over to see the Beauty and the Beast show. Yes, my husband loves me enough to watch Beauty and the Beast with me at Disney World. Beauty and the Beast is probably in my top 5 favorite Disney movies, so it was fun to see the highlights again. I hadn't seen the movie in a long time, but I love the songs and the story line. It was just a 30 minute show so they cut a lot of the plot out, but kept all the popular songs and had great costumes.

Since Matt willingly watched Beauty and the Beast with me, I returned the favor afterward and we got in line to watch the Indiana Jones stunt show. Umm, is it bad for me to admit that I've never seen an Indiana Jones movie in my life? I still enjoyed the show though, and it brought back memories from the Full House episode when the family visits Disney World (ha, ha). After that show, we started to get pretty tired and maybe a little grouchy, so we decided it was time for a break. We caught a bus and went back to our resort for a couple of hours to rest. My guide book recommended this schedule, and we stuck to taking a break in the middle of the day every day we were there. We were able to avoid the hottest part of the day and the heaviest crowds by taking a break in mid afternoon.

After our nap, we went back to Hollywood Studios for the evening. Let me again say how sweet my husband is, because the first thing we did when we arrived back at the park was wait in line for the Little Mermaid show (My all-time favorite Disney movie). Again it was an abbreviated show, but they performed all the great songs (except "Kiss the Girl"-I was a little disappointed about that). We grabbed some dinner when the show was over and then enjoyed a couple of the smaller attractions before we headed over to the Fantasmic show. We got there about an hour early because we had heard that it was immensely popular, and the auditorium often filled to capacity prior to the start of the show.

It was overcast and drizzly and we worried for awhile that they would cancel the show. They did postpone it for about 5 minutes, but thankfully they didn't cancel it. The show was my favorite thing about day 2. They performed it in the middle of the lake and had fountains, a water screen they projected video clips on, fireworks and almost every Disney character imaginable along with incredible musical scores. It was Disney at its finest. I loved it. It really captured the entire Disney experience for me.

One of the few non-blurry pictures of the show. Matt kept reminding me during the show that he needs a better camera.

Our first day at Hollywood Studios was probably one of my favorite days of our entire trip. The whole day was great. The Toy Story ride and the Tower of Terror were 2 of my favorite attractions of the whole trip, and the shows we watched were everything I was hoping for at Disney World.