My daughter (12) and I recently returned from a 10 day visit to WDW. Stayed at the POP Century. Had the deluxe dining plan.
Much to my surprise we found ourselves returning to the Studios repeatedly during our trip. I know there has been a lot of negativity about HS but we really had a great time and when MK was massively crowded and AK was so hot I thought my brain would melt and my feet hurt from walking around world showcase at EPCOT, we found ourselves back at HS. Park Hopper obviously made this possible. A couple times we took the boat from EPCOT, which is really nice, especially if you're in World Showcase and don't want to walk all the way back to the front of EPCOT.
My daughter and I both loved Rock n Roller coaster and used fast pass and the single rider line several times to ride it. I think we did it 3 times one day.
Also the Tower of Terror is awesome and we did that ride 8 times during our visit. The cast here is so great, they really get into their roles. My daughter was totally creeped out a couple times by the cast and they really set the ambiance. The gift shop here is also pretty neat all kinds of little attraction themed items.
Frozen... I know some of you are getting sick of it. But this was the first time we've been to WDW since the film came out. Although my daughter has seen it many times I had only seen it once (grudgingly I have to admit) but enjoyed it. We both thought the Frozen themed shows were VERY good, the sing along was funny and great. The short film was also fun (and a nice break from the heat outside). The dance party was good and my daughter had a great time there as well. And we loved the fireworks, glad to hear they will be doing them here for Star Wars as well it's really a good touch. We also sat at by the lake one night at the POP Century and had an awesome view of the fireworks. It would be a nice touch if the resort could pipe in the music so guests could gather and listen and watch.
It was difficult to see Toy Story but that's been that way for years. Only saw it 3 times. I think we used a single line here as well once.
Indiana Jones is pretty unchanged, kind of wish they'd update it a bit or modify the story some. I really hope that when the Star Wars upgrades start Indiana Jones still has a presence in the park in some form either as a ride or show.
Star Tours was good as well and we tried it numerous times, never had the same story line twice. Lines were always pretty manageable as well.
Did Fantasmic which was good and changed from my last visit a couple years ago. Beauty and the Beast musical is still one of the better shows at WDW. SO elegant.
Can't forget the Muppets, still corny as heck, but fun. I hope they can update this one sometime. The venue is ok, just need to change up the film some.
Ate at several locations, Mama Melrose, Sci -Fi, 50's primetime twice.
Mama Melrose was not very good in my opinion, steak was average with decent pasta (but hey, it's an italian restaurant it should have good pasta!) although my daughter loved the spaghetti. She's 12 what can I say,( she also likes spaghetti o's LOL). We also had to wait at least 30 minutes past our reservation time.... not good. I'd say it is still better than Tony's in the MK.
Sci-Fi was good, we had burgers and milk shakes. Pricey as you kind of expect. Had a 15 minute wait here as well.
50's is very popular and we had a good 20 minute wait. Food was not as good as we've had in the past but still good. The servers were awesome. My daughter dressed up in a 50's "Pink Lady's" satin jacket and poodle skirt and really made an impression (she was adorable), When we came back a couple days later our server from the first day stopped to visit with us to see if we were enjoying our vacation. I was really impressed that she remembered us, even remembered my daughters name! It really made us feel part of the family.
I know some people think Hollywood Studios is a partial day visit, but the quality of attractions, shows and food is really pretty good. I think we were there 5 times in 9 days, 2 of the days for most of the day. When they add the new Toy Story and Star Wars stuff we will love it even more although the crowds will then be a lot worse. If your kids are older this park is a good place to spend some time.
Much to my surprise we found ourselves returning to the Studios repeatedly during our trip. I know there has been a lot of negativity about HS but we really had a great time and when MK was massively crowded and AK was so hot I thought my brain would melt and my feet hurt from walking around world showcase at EPCOT, we found ourselves back at HS. Park Hopper obviously made this possible. A couple times we took the boat from EPCOT, which is really nice, especially if you're in World Showcase and don't want to walk all the way back to the front of EPCOT.
My daughter and I both loved Rock n Roller coaster and used fast pass and the single rider line several times to ride it. I think we did it 3 times one day.
Also the Tower of Terror is awesome and we did that ride 8 times during our visit. The cast here is so great, they really get into their roles. My daughter was totally creeped out a couple times by the cast and they really set the ambiance. The gift shop here is also pretty neat all kinds of little attraction themed items.
Frozen... I know some of you are getting sick of it. But this was the first time we've been to WDW since the film came out. Although my daughter has seen it many times I had only seen it once (grudgingly I have to admit) but enjoyed it. We both thought the Frozen themed shows were VERY good, the sing along was funny and great. The short film was also fun (and a nice break from the heat outside). The dance party was good and my daughter had a great time there as well. And we loved the fireworks, glad to hear they will be doing them here for Star Wars as well it's really a good touch. We also sat at by the lake one night at the POP Century and had an awesome view of the fireworks. It would be a nice touch if the resort could pipe in the music so guests could gather and listen and watch.
It was difficult to see Toy Story but that's been that way for years. Only saw it 3 times. I think we used a single line here as well once.
Indiana Jones is pretty unchanged, kind of wish they'd update it a bit or modify the story some. I really hope that when the Star Wars upgrades start Indiana Jones still has a presence in the park in some form either as a ride or show.
Star Tours was good as well and we tried it numerous times, never had the same story line twice. Lines were always pretty manageable as well.
Did Fantasmic which was good and changed from my last visit a couple years ago. Beauty and the Beast musical is still one of the better shows at WDW. SO elegant.
Can't forget the Muppets, still corny as heck, but fun. I hope they can update this one sometime. The venue is ok, just need to change up the film some.
Ate at several locations, Mama Melrose, Sci -Fi, 50's primetime twice.
Mama Melrose was not very good in my opinion, steak was average with decent pasta (but hey, it's an italian restaurant it should have good pasta!) although my daughter loved the spaghetti. She's 12 what can I say,( she also likes spaghetti o's LOL). We also had to wait at least 30 minutes past our reservation time.... not good. I'd say it is still better than Tony's in the MK.
Sci-Fi was good, we had burgers and milk shakes. Pricey as you kind of expect. Had a 15 minute wait here as well.
50's is very popular and we had a good 20 minute wait. Food was not as good as we've had in the past but still good. The servers were awesome. My daughter dressed up in a 50's "Pink Lady's" satin jacket and poodle skirt and really made an impression (she was adorable), When we came back a couple days later our server from the first day stopped to visit with us to see if we were enjoying our vacation. I was really impressed that she remembered us, even remembered my daughters name! It really made us feel part of the family.
I know some people think Hollywood Studios is a partial day visit, but the quality of attractions, shows and food is really pretty good. I think we were there 5 times in 9 days, 2 of the days for most of the day. When they add the new Toy Story and Star Wars stuff we will love it even more although the crowds will then be a lot worse. If your kids are older this park is a good place to spend some time.
