Hollywood Studios has had the most major changes of all the parks in recent years, and because of those changes has been one of the most popular (and crowded) parks lately. A new land has that affect on a park usually, but Studios has added TWO new lands in recent years and people can't get enough of them. While these additions have won over the masses, I have a bit of a different opinion about the park. *Disney has changed many policies due to the COVID situation, so I can't really comment on what to expect over the next few months, just assuming that they will get back to some level of normal eventually. Serena (Living By Disney) has always been my go-to for explaining legit Disney news so check out her recent posts and stories on Insta for better updates. The addition of Toy Story Land added what I believe were much needed rides, while Galaxy's Edge offers a fully immersive playground, that's drool worthy by any level of Star Wars fan. These were two massive additions to the park, and they honestly deserve entire blog posts dedicated solely to themselves (which I may add later). But I want to give you my honest opinion and experience with the park as a whole, inclusive of all the areas. Rides & AttractionsHollywood Studios surprisingly has an awesome mix of rides, with impressive design and theming. There's definitely more thrilling rides here than at the other parks, and we went before Rise of the Resistance and Mickey's Runaway Railroad were added to the bunch. As much as I may critique the other elements of Hollywood Studios, this rollercoaster enthusiast was impressed by the immersion, interaction, and start-to-finish entertainment of the ride experience in this park. Compared to the slow-moving story guided attractions typical of Magic Kingdom, the Hollywood Studios rides kept you in the action. It may not be as much of a selling point for younger kids, who might be scared of fast coasters, but as a group of adults this was truly the highlight of the park. As the only ride available at the time in Galaxy's Edge (and still relatively new), we rope dropped Smuggler's Run. Rope drop was a crazy experience in and of itself, as hundreds of us marched through the park directly into the ride's queue. Since this was our first time seeing Galaxy's Edge, the process was sort of overwhelming and slightly rushed. I wish we would have gone through the line a second time later in the day, just so we could enjoy the interactions like using the app to scan various things and break codes, as well as just to get a better look at some of the scenery throughout the queue. The ride did not disappoint, regardless of our pilot's sub par skills (sorry Jess, you'll be better next time, I'm sure). Even as a simulation ride, you still got those gut drop feelings, and it was like stepping into an intense Star Wars scene. The whole experience seamlessly continued as you exit the ride into the beautifully designed Batuu. I can only image that addition of R.O.R. has amplified the land's attraction game. Crossing from Batuu to Toy Story Land, emphasized the stark contrast between the lands and their designs. The transition between the lands is a bit strange, though, I did get a laugh that a large space suited Buzz Lightyear is one of the first things to greet you when walking over from Galaxy's Edge. While Galaxy's Edge has the shock and awe value of a fully immersive other-worldly space port, Toy Story Land gives you this giddy childhood feeling, and shrinks you down with all your old toys. And with three completely different rides and attractions, TSL actually offered more to do than its neighboring land. Rope dropping SWGE super early in the morning, lead to us reaching TSL relatively early in the day still. I believe one of our fast passes was for Slinky Dog Dash, but it didn't look like there was much of a line anyways. I'm always excited to see a roller coaster, and Slinky was just too stinking cute. The launch area hypes you up, but little ones shouldn't worry, its no Top Thrill Dragster. The ride is smooth and cheerful, with a moderate speed. Surprisingly, our longest wait time over here was for the Swirling Saucers, at about 20-30 minutes in line. The Saucers are pretty typical of the old "egg beater" style rides at carnivals, and it was super fun to see how close you were flung your friends and family members. Just be careful not to squish your seat mate as you're spinning around. Midway Mania has been around for awhile now, and I'm not sure was was new with the addition of TSL, and what was just moved around, but I've got to say it had one of the largest indoor queueing areas I've seen. We were winding around playing cards and dominoes for quite awhile before reaching the end of the line. The actual attraction and mini games were not what I expected, and my competitive side took over. Those little shooters are not as easy to figure out as one would expect, and I can only image how silly we looked. Every ride in Toy Story Land is fun in it's simplest form. You are just enjoying the ride, silly sounds, and the interaction with your family or group members. The land may lack "thrill" but its really great to be able to experience excitement without any fear response, which makes this whole area perfect for kids. The only other two rides open and operating during our trip, were outside of the "lands" and held their own themes consistently from start to finish. The Tower of Terror is classic and has a similar following to that of the Haunted Mansion. I am not a big "drop ride" person, but I knew I had to do it just once to experience all the pre-show spookiness. My anxiety anticipating the drop was so high, that I couldn't even tell you what happened after being seated in our ride car. To this day I don't know how people can pose or raise their hands as they drop you. I swear we were the most stiff people in the photo. I really liked Rock 'n Roller Coaster as a fast-paced classic coaster, but the theming was lost on me. Its not that there wasn't consistent theming, just that it felt like it wasn't relatable to me, and I didn't have any attachment to, or much knowledge of the celebrities narrating the pre-show. The roller coaster was indeed a true coaster with dips, drops, tight turns, and a lot of speed, but speeding past what looked like thin cardboard cutouts didn't add much to the ride for me. If I were to do anything differently, it would be getting back in line for Smuggler's Run. Regardless if there was a huge wait, I would have spent the time taking in all the effort that went into the ride's design. I don't think there's any ride/attraction that I would have skipped here, they all had their own unique qualities and I couldn't honestly say any of them were bad rides. Restaurants & FoodWhile Hollywood Studios has some notable restaurants, there was not a lot of variety. Here you are limited to pretty standard "American" fare. And I've made a habit of trying to avoid stuff like this on vacations, I want something I haven't had before, something I can't order back home. This is just a personal preference when I travel. I'm not saying the food in Hollywood Studios isn't good, I'm sure its great quality, but nothing seemed to jump out as a unique dish. Given this, picking places to eat was based on two things, their drink menu, and how enjoyable the location was to be in (atmosphere, decor, theming, etc...), in addition to testing out trendy treat that had been hyped up non-stop on our social media feeds prior to the trip. This of course included the Num Num Cookie over in the Incredibles area. Reviews had been hit or miss, and it seemed like it all depended on if you got a fresh batch or one that had been sitting out for awhile. For us it was just okay, I bet if we had brought it back to the room with us and popped it in the microwave for a few seconds it would have been heavenly. BUT if we hadn't gone over there to try it out, we never would have ordered the Key Lime Pie Popsicle, which all of us agreed was the true show stopper. Baseline Taphouse became an awesome chilling spot for my mom, while my sister and I waited in line for Tower of Terror. It was quiet, comfortable, and she had great conversation with a CM who was finishing up for the day. When we finally met back up with her, I ordered an ACE Space Bloody Orange Hard Cider and joined in. Our only full meal here was actually in Galaxy's Edge at Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo. We ordered both the Batuuan Beef Pot Roast, and the Endorian Fried Chicken Tip Yip. Surprisingly, these both surpassed our expectations for a quick service meal, and they had a really cozy and homey feeling. The dining area is entirely inside and there was plenty of seating. Before leaving Galaxy's Edge, I decided that even though we were told you could only get in to Oga's Cantina with an Advanced Dining Reservation (which wasn't available even 180 days in advance), we were going to at least try to get in. And voila! I asked the CM if we could get our name on the list and we waited in line for maybe 15 minutes before being called in. Now, Oga's Cantina came with a strange set of rules at the time, and you were seated wherever there was an open inch, whether that be at your own seat at the bar, or crammed into another group's booth. It was a bit awkward, I'm not ganna lie. BUT the drinks each had some odd ingredient to make them unique, like foam that made your lips tingle! And every single drink was made pretty damn strong, not great for my mom, but ended up spectacular for me. |