As we were trying to figure out where to have dinner, Goofy suggested that we see how long the wait at Planet Hollywood was. After all, we were already right there. Turns out we would be able to get in right away, so in we went. Buzz and I had eaten at Planet Hollywood with our parents about 15 years earlier shortly after it opened. I I really dont remember a thing about the food there, but Mom and Dad were less than impressed. We never went back aftet that. I figured it was one of those one and done restaurants that wasnt worth revisiting. Still, Goofy hadnt been there before, and I thought it could be fun.
One change from last time Buzz and I were here was that they now take your picture in front of a Hollywood backdrop before you go inside to your table. Of course, later in the evening, you can buy the photo for a (fairly high) price. The picture didnt turn out very well, and none of us wanted to pay for it, so we passed.
The three of us were seated on the first floor not far from one of the Dorothy dresses worn by Judy Garland in
The Wizard of Oz. For those who may wonder, there were no ruby slippers in sight. You'll have to go to the Smithsonian to see them. Im a sucker for those old MGM musicals and
Oz is one of my favorites.
The dress was flanked on its right and left by a pair of jackets worn in the same film by a couple of the Munchkins.
Our server said we were free to look around the restaurant and take as many pictures as we wanted, so I did. Nearby the Oz display was a costume for the character Mark from
Rent. I assumed it was the original from Broadway or maybe the one from the movie, but it was actually the costume that Joey Fatone of NSYNC wore when he did the show. It seemed a little random until I realized that it was part of a display that featured local celebrities and that he was originally from Florida.
One of Gene Kellys costumes from one of the few Gene Kelly movies I havent seen-
The Pirate. Ive heard its not one of the best and thats why its not shown or released very often, but hey, with Gene Kelly, Judy Garland and songs by Cole Porter, it cant be all bad.
A magic book from
Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Anybody else remember that show?
Of course, since this is the Downtown Disney Planet Hollywood, there are plenty of props from Disney movies scattered around as well. One of the bars has the mermaid tail from
Splash hanging over it.
I think one of the staircases up to the upper floors must be dedicated to parts of Disney movies that freaked me out as a kid. Remember when Judge Doom got run over in
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Bette Midlers Winifred from
Hocus Pocus turned to stone before turning to dust was also slightly traumatizing.
Little Shop of Horrors! This was one of Audreys dressed- I believe she wore it while singing
Somewhere Thats Green.
More
Little Shop costumes.
There really was a ton of stuff from
Roger Rabbit around. This was one of the dresses worn by Eddies girlfriend Dolores.
Nearby, a stand-in weasel prop from the film stands holding a bomb.
After looking around, our food was ready. I went with the hamburger, and I have to say, it was pretty good. It wasnt anything too out of the ordinary, but I really enjoyed it. Buzz had the BBQ Turkey Burger while Goofy got the Philly Cheese steak- both of which I think they enjoyed. I was honestly expecting the food here to be a dud, but it was actually a good meal. True, we didnt get too adventurous and stuck with burgers and sandwiches (for all I know, the rest of the menu could have been lousy), but what we had was pretty tasty.
As were eating, I noticed this costume from the Jolly Holiday scene in
Mary Poppins right across the way. The place was so packed with movie props, costumes and memorabilia that it seems like every time you looked around, you saw something new!
After dinner, I took another look around to see what I missed.
Only 333 days until Halloween! The City Hall set from
Nightmare Before Christmas was a lot bigger than I would have thought.
A miniature model of Rex Harrison used in some effects scenes in the original
Dr. Dolittle.
I really wasnt sure about Planet Hollywood, but it honestly exceeded by expectations. The food was good and getting to look around and see all the props was a lot of fun. All in all, it was a fun evening.
After dinner, we decided to look around Downtown Disney some and headed towards Pleasure Island. Goofy wanted to check out the Harley Davidson store, so we looked around there.
Near Fultons, we spotted a familiar group from Disney past- Nova Era! Years ago they use to play in the Italy pavilion at EPCOT and they were one of our familys favorite music groups. I dont know quite how to explain their style of music. I suppose you could call them modern classical. We stopped to hear the end of one song and the beginning of another, but Goofy wasnt all that interested and we moved on. It was nice to get to see then at Disney again though.
By the time we made it to the Marketplace, Goofy was about ready to head back to the Coronado, and since Buzz and I had an early morning trying to get to the Magic Kingdom for rope drop the next day, we decided to head back with him. Once again, we were the only people on the bus.
Goofy took the bus back to the stop by the room, but Buzz and I got off at the lobby. We had bought our tickets from
AAA before we left and needed to exchange our AAA vouchers for actual tickets. We had done this at the concierge desk at Riverside last year and thought we would be able to do the same. Turns out that they dont seem to be doing that at the resorts anymore, and we were told that we would have to do it at one of the parks. No problem. We would just head to Magic Kingdom a little earlier than planned and take care of the tickets then.
Another shot of the Coronados dome now lit up for the evening.
As we were walking back to the room, we could hear some loud explosions and looked over to see some of the Magic Kingdoms fireworks up in the sky. From where we were, it looked like they were exploding right over the Coronados pyramid, as if it was a special show just for the resort and meant to be seen over the pyramid instead of over the Castle. Words really cant explain just how cool it looked, and Im sure a picture couldnt have captured it either. It was just a beautiful sight, and a great ending to the day.
Next chapter: Our first ride on the newly-refurbished Space Mountain.
). Gives me something to do at Downtown Disney. 
Hope you have a blast at Downtown Disney. 
