Sailing the Skyliner: Life is the Bubbles on Spring Break - A March 2024 Trip Report

[DJFan88]

I love your style and reviews and the family dynamics! Sounds like everyone knows how to manage theyre time and split when needed. Enjoying your review!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Swirling saucers is almost always a pass for me. I think, by the time we get there, I am always ready to just sit for a bit so my group goes on but I wait in the shade and people watch. But I do love Batuu. I can always spend time there, looking at things.

 

[vamassey1]

Nice family picture, goes great with your TS themed outfits.

After watching the Star Wars movies, I was excited to check out this part of the park and see it in a new light! The details were really cool to take in.

So many great details and so pretty at night.

. It was time to find a show. We started with our favorite show... any guesses?

I'm going to guess Beauty and the Beast.

 

[Skywatcher1206]

I'm going to guess Beauty and the Beast.

I am going to guess Frozen. It is awesome for kids and adults.

 

[jrmint427]

We also rode this with a very short wait/walk on, thankful for that because it was SO SHORT! I think I prefer the Mater version at DL.

I've never been on the Mater version! I think I need a trip to DL so I can compare

One thing I didn't get on this trip We were walking by but in a rush to get to Mickey & Minnie's Railway and I didn't want to have to walk and chug it. I was disappointed I couldn't get it at Docking Bay 7 along with my lunch (like you can in DL). Sorry, this turned into a WDW - DL comparison post haha.

I don't mind haha! I would love to take the girls to Disneyland (and see parts of southern California) when they're a little older. I enjoy reading about the comparisons!

Looks like a pretty good start to your day, hopefully things smooth out and you enjoy some shows.... Frozen???

Great guess!!

Those wait times are crazy! I know the lines at HS get long but 30 minutes for Star Tours (?!) is nuts.

So nuts! And the Star Tours line got worse from there...

It doesn’t help that I’ve become very good at avoiding long lines at most amusement parks including Disney World - I hope I can maintain patience during our upcoming trip!

I'm the same way! Thanks to mostly avoiding long lines, I was very annoyed when we had any kind of lengthy wait.

ME TOO! I’ve taken pictures of many Disney’s garbage cans - I appreciate their attention to detail!

I'm glad it's not just me! I always admire the garbage cans at MK. I especially miss the one that used to walk around and talk in MK... I'll never forget when a garbage can yelled at me, "Hey lady!"

I really want to try this! We’re unlikely to make it to Disney Springs so I’ll miss out on the Gideon’s Cold Brew, but this looks like a good substitute. I plan to enjoy it while wandering through the shops with L while my DH and older daughter enjoy their turns on the Galaxy’s Edge attractions.

I hope you enjoy it!!

I know you love Indiana Jones but you also have young girls… it’s got to be either Indiana Jones or the Frozen Sing-Along. (Okay, yes, that’s two guesses… but I’m sticking with them!)

One of your guesses is correct ;-)

30 minutes for Star Tours! I’m shocked. Maybe all the heavy hitters were down around the same time…?

I know, right! I'm pretty sure all rides were up at that point, the wait got even worse later in the day...

 

[jrmint427]

I love your style and reviews and the family dynamics! Sounds like everyone knows how to manage theyre time and split when needed. Enjoying your review!

Thank you!! It really was helpful that we could split into different groups as needed and find rides and attractions to keep the whole family happy.

Swirling saucers is almost always a pass for me. I think, by the time we get there, I am always ready to just sit for a bit so my group goes on but I wait in the shade and people watch. But I do love Batuu. I can always spend time there, looking at things.

My dad always skips it too! It's a great place to people watch though. He usually finds coffee at Woody's Lunch Box while we ride.

Nice family picture, goes great with your TS themed outfits.

Thank you! Had to get at least one Toy Story picture in since that was our theme for the day.

I'm going to guess Beauty and the Beast.

Good guess, but it wasn't our first show!

I am going to guess Frozen. It is awesome for kids and adults.

You got it!

 

[jrmint427]

Frozen Sing-Along, Muppets & Goofy​

Our goal for this day was to knock out a lot of the shows, and what better show to start with than the Frozen Sing-along? It’s one of my favorite shows in all the parks (maybe just behind the Lion King). We arrived at 9:16am for the 9:30am show. We only had to wait 4 minutes to enter the theater. We entered toward the front, and a CM said we could go through the aisle right in front of the stage to get seats on the other side of the theater. Other people weren’t taking them up on it, but we did!

We wound around and picked 3rd row seats. We ended up almost in the center. These were the best seats we’ve ever had at this show! The singing of the “royal anthems” is fun, but the historians always steal the show for me.

When the female historian was going on about Hans and the male historian said, "I don't like him, he's literally wearing a red flag," a kid nearby yelled, "Good!" The same kid was laughing really loudly as the female historian went from singing "Single Lady" to crying about being single, and for some reason that cracked me up even more.





However, Elsa making snow is my favorite part. I get goosebumps every time. Right before she stepped out, the others talked about how it was getting cold and that can only mean one thing and the male historian deadpans, "I have no idea what's going to happen."




The other show high on our list this day was the Muppets. It’s my dad’s favorite show and there’s the nostalgia factor for how long it’s been around, so it was a must-do for us. We arrived to the theater at 10:06am and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a line formed outside for this show; or any line for that matter! The line moved quickly though. We were soon inside the pre-show area, and then the actual theater after only 11 total minutes of waiting.



I think the entire theater was packed, and I don’t remember ever seeing that before. DD9 didn’t want to wear the glasses, but otherwise I think we all enjoyed the show.

I wasn’t sure what we should do next. It was a little after 10:30am, and we had lunch reservations at Sci-Fi Dine-In at 11:10am. We didn’t want to eat any earlier than that (11:10am was already earlier than we would have picked for lunch, but that was our only option for a Fantasmic dining package). I checked ride lines, but they were all 30+ minutes and would be cutting it too close. I looked at show times, but nothing was standing out as a good option for our 40-minute window. I checked characters next and saw that Goofy was meeting nearby. I asked the girls if they wanted to meet him and they said yes, so off we went.

Goofy was meeting with Max in an alcove across from the Muppet Courtyard, just before you get to Galaxy Edge. Goofy's line was going into the Galaxy Edge tunnel, and we stood waiting across from people who were waiting hours to ride Rise of the Resistance. We figured at least we were in the shade there, and we could bail on the line if it didn’t look like we’d get to meet Goofy before our lunch reservation, but we were hopeful. It wasn’t a super long line, but there were quite a few families in front of us. We got in line at 10:42am.



Around 11:00am we were getting closer to the front of the line, but I was not confident we would make it to Goofy before our reservation in 10 minutes. At that point, we had already invested 20 minutes of waiting and we were so close. Sci-Fi was nearby, so I walked down to the restaurant to explain we were in line for Goofy and asked how long of a grace period we could have. They said 15 minutes late was fine. I was pleasantly surprised and thought that would definitely give us enough time.

At 11:10am there was only one more family ahead of us. I knew Goofy must be getting close to needing a break, so I asked the character attendant how likely it was for us to get to meet him during this set, explaining that our dining reservation was starting right then but we could be a little late. She said she couldn’t say for sure but felt confident he could fit us in. Well, that was wrong. Goofy took the family in front of us and then needed a break (to go fishing?). They said it would be 5-7 minutes and it was 7 minutes on the dot (11:19am).

We were cutting it so close. We needed to be at lunch by 11:25am to keep our reservation, which meant we had 5-6 minutes to meet Goofy and run over to the restaurant. My dad offered to take a quick family picture and then run ahead while the girls wrapped up the meet. It was finally our turn!





More pics in the next post!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Hooray for the Frozen Sing Along! The narrators make the show for me, too.

I think the entire theater was packed, and I don’t remember ever seeing that before.

The MUPPETS theatre was packed?! That’s insane! I’ve never seen that, either!

She said she couldn’t say for sure but felt confident he could fit us in. Well, that was wrong. Goofy took the family in front of us and then needed a break (to go fishing?). They said it would be 5-7 minutes and it was 7 minutes on the dot (11:19am).

Darn! At least they were timely with Goofy’s return. I can understand wanting to wait (I mean, I LOVE Goofy!) but that is cutting it awfully close to your ADR.

 

[vamassey1]

Good guess, but it wasn't our first show!

Darn. Frozen was my second guess.

Our goal for this day was to knock out a lot of the shows, and what better show to start with than the Frozen Sing-along? It’s one of my favorite shows in all the parks (maybe just behind the Lion King).

We love this show. I think Dennis actually likes it more than me.

The singing of the “royal anthems” is fun, but the historians always steal the show for me.

However, Elsa making snow is my favorite part. I get goosebumps every time. Right before she stepped out, the others talked about how it was getting cold and that can only mean one thing and the male historian deadpans, "I have no idea what's going to happen."

I love the snope too.

It’s my dad’s favorite show and there’s the nostalgia factor for how long it’s been around, so it was a must-do for us.

I have a soft spot for Muppets. I loved watching them when I was a kid.

We were cutting it so close. We needed to be at lunch by 11:25am to keep our reservation, which meant we had 5-6 minutes to meet Goofy and run over to the restaurant. My dad offered to take a quick family picture and then run ahead while the girls wrapped up the meet. It was finally our turn!

You were making me very nervous.

 

[awrites]

Oh, the Frozen show sounds fun! I’ve never seen it. We’ll have to prioritize it next time!

Funny that Muppets was so packed. Maybe all the people feeling nostalgic wanted to go at the same time! Muppets is another show I’d like to see when we go back. Hoping to get DD4 at least a little interested in the Muppets before then!

Whoa, cutting it close with the Goofy meet! I hope the 15-minute grace period is correct and you make the ADR!!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

e were the first people let into the roped-off standing area, which meant we had a fantastic view!

Great spot!!!

I thought it was a beautiful fireworks show. I can see why it’s not everyone’s favorite, and it isn’t one I would need to watch every night, but I was glad we made a point to watch it this evening. Pictures never do fireworks justice, but here are a few.

Same! They are fine. I would watch them again but not rushing to do it again.

We were in line for the Skyliner at 7:17am this morning, and this time the line was longer, wrapping back to the blue yo-yo at Pop. We still only waited 7 minutes to get on the Skyliner. I took this picture of the sunrise from the Skyliner at 7:26am.

Beautiful

it took us only 36 minutes from leaving our room to enter Hollywood Studios

That isn't too bad even with the wait to start.

We were on the ride at 8:04am, with a 14-minute wait (vs. the 10 minutes posted time).

That's not bad. I would have worried the same thing. I am guessing some people were hedging bets that it would open.

She still did pretty well without them and said she had just as much fun! Our scores:

She did great!

I was on a mission to find Kat Saka’s for the Cold Brew Black Caf (Joffrey’s coffee cold brew topped with sweet cream cheese and chocolate puffs, $5.79). I was really tempted to add the chocolate liqueur but that would have been $15, and not a snack credit. I used snack credit 5 of 32 for this.

I am still made, I never remember to try this!

We arrived to the theater at 10:06am and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a line formed outside for this show; or any line for that matter! The line moved quickly though. We were soon inside the pre-show area, and then the actual theater after only 11 total minutes of waiting.

The same for us, and it was crazy!!! It just means they need more things in Hollywood Studios.

We were cutting it so close. We needed to be at lunch by 11:25am to keep our reservation, which meant we had 5-6 minutes to meet Goofy and run over to the restaurant. My dad offered to take a quick family picture and then run ahead while the girls wrapped up the meet. It was finally our turn!

Of! That was cutting it close. I hate when that happens and all you can do is stress!

 

[jrmint427]

The MUPPETS theatre was packed?! That’s insane! I’ve never seen that, either!

I know, right? This was our first sign that the spring break crowds were going to make things challenging.

Darn! At least they were timely with Goofy’s return. I can understand wanting to wait (I mean, I LOVE Goofy!) but that is cutting it awfully close to your ADR.

Yes they had the time down! We were cutting it so close but after investing 30+ minutes in the wait already, we really didn't want to bail. The girls' other grandpa had also said Goofy was his favorite, as did DD9's bestie at school, so the girls wanted that pic with him.

I have a soft spot for Muppets. I loved watching them when I was a kid.

I think it must be the nostalgia factor that pulls people!

You were making me very nervous.

I was making myself nervous My blood pressure was rising as I typed that section!

Oh, the Frozen show sounds fun! I’ve never seen it. We’ll have to prioritize it next time!

You have to put it on your must-do list next time! It's so entertaining and different every time (the historians tell different jokes).

Funny that Muppets was so packed. Maybe all the people feeling nostalgic wanted to go at the same time!

It was those Spring Break crowds! There was nowhere else to go at HS haha.

Whoa, cutting it close with the Goofy meet! I hope the 15-minute grace period is correct and you make the ADR!!!

Thank goodness they honored that!

That's not bad. I would have worried the same thing. I am guessing some people were hedging bets that it would open.

You're probably right! I was so worried not knowing where that crowd might go instead.

The same for us, and it was crazy!!! It just means they need more things in Hollywood Studios.

They seriously need to improve the number of rides and shows for the number of people they let into that park. It always feels like the most crowded park to us.

 

[jrmint427]

Goofy & Max, Part 2​

It was 11:19am when we began our meet with Goofy, and we needed to make it to Sci-Fi by 11:25am to keep our reservation by arriving in the 15-minute grace period window.

The girls started with hugs and autographs.



Our PhotoPass pictures from this meet weren’t the best. They were a little off-center and moments like hugging Goofy were not captured (the pictures above were stills from video I took). But, the girls really enjoyed it and were excited to send their grandpa back home more pictures of Goofy. DD9 also mentioned that Goofy is one of her best friends’ favorite characters, so she was excited to be able to share she met him. As a side note, she also told me that friend was at Disney at the same time as us but did not know where she was staying and never got me their mom’s number so I could connect with them in advance or while we were there.




We took our family of 7 picture, and then my parents took off to make it to the restaurant ahead of the rest of us.



We went through our standard process with our family of 4 up next.



This would have been a good picture if DD9’s eyes were open; usually the PP photographers would take multiple pictures with at least one coming out well, but we only got this one.



Then it was just the girls. I wish the photographer would have had them standing closer together, but oh well.



I don’t remember having much of a conversation with Goofy and Max (as much as you can have a conversation), but we got our Goofy pictures! Just for fun, here’s a Goofy meet pic from my family trip in 1995 for comparison.



And Pat on his family trip in 1996 (with his dad who loves Goofy):



We wrapped up and walked quickly to Sci-Fi, actually catching up with my parents and entering at 11:23am - with two minutes to spare!



It took 7 minutes to be seated. We had never eaten here before, so we were excited to check it out. They asked if we were okay with a car in which we would all be facing forward in rows of 3, 2 and 2, or if we wanted a table where we’d be facing each other, 3 on each side of a table. I initially asked about the seats where we could face each other, if that was an option or if there would be a longer wait for that. The CM said it wouldn’t be a longer wait but looked confused and asked again about the car with the seats facing forward, so we said that would work fine for us.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I’m catching up. I love SciFi not so much the food but the atmosphere and the chill vibe!
I love the Goofy and Max pictures!
DHS wait times grow quickly and even with early 30 minutes prior to RD, it is difficult to get in more than one headliner!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

e facing forward in rows of 3, 2 and 2, or if we wanted a table where we’d be facing each other, 3 on each side of a table. I initially asked about the seats where we could face each other, if that was an option or if there would be a longer wait for that. The CM said it wouldn’t be a longer wait but looked confused and asked again about the car with the seats facing forward, so we said that would work fine for us.

I am intrested to hear how your expierence was here. We had mixed feelings about our visit.

 

[jrmint427]

I love SciFi not so much the food but the atmosphere and the chill vibe!

The food was better than we expected (but we probably had low expectations based on other reviews). I agree though, we enjoyed it for the atmosphere, it's a unique dining experience.

DHS wait times grow quickly and even with early 30 minutes prior to RD, it is difficult to get in more than one headliner!

Yes, so true! Especially without Genie+.

I am intrested to hear how your expierence was here. We had mixed feelings about our visit.

I'll share my full review! The food was better than we expected, but in part because we didn't have high expectations. We did like the experience though and might go back for that, in part because there aren't other table service experiences at HS that we really love. The quick service outshines the table service options at HS in our opinion.

 

[jrmint427]

Sci-Fi Dine-In​

As we were walked back to our table, we were told we were actually traveling back in time to the 1950s. I immediately loved the ambiance and was excited to watch some of the films.



My mom sat in front with the girls, my dad and I sat in the middle row, and Pat and his mom sat behind us.




It was fairly dark, and while there were low lights in front of us, some of the adults needed their cell phone flashlight to read the menu. We were all doing the Fantasmic Dining Package, and four of us were using TS Dining Credits. Our server explained that we were all going to have different rules. All of us could pick an appetizer and a main meal (the Fantasmic package was a fixed price). I don’t remember for sure if our server said it had to be an appetizer or just steered us away from ordering a dessert instead of an appetizer.

The dining plan adults could pick an alcoholic drink to be included in our meal, but the other adults could only choose from sodas/basic drinks. The kids could choose milk shakes. I don’t remember for sure, but I don’t think they were allowed to get the kids specialty drink. There were so many choices to make!

We started with drink orders. I excitedly picked out the Orbiting Oreos (Oreo shake mixed with Mozart chocolate liqueur and a souvenir glow cube). Our server then said he should have told me I could have any drink except that one. I asked about having it without the glow cube, but he still couldn’t sub that. It was only odd to me because that drink was priced at $17, which was the same price as the Long Island Lunar Tea that Pat ordered, which was an included choice (Bacardi superior rum, Tito’s handmade vodka, Hendrick’s gin, Corazon blanco tequila, Cointreau liqueur, and sweet-and-sour with a splace of Coca-Cola).

The server tried to convince me to buy the Orea Shake anyway, telling me that Sci-Fi is the only place you can order that. But I couldn’t get past the $17 price tag when other $17 drinks were already included in what we had paid for the dining plan. So, I ordered the Indigo Hibiscus instead (Empress 1908 gin, Bols blue curacao liqueur, Minute Maid premium lemonade, Orgeat (Almond), lemon and hibiscus grenadine, $16).



It was just alright. I liked it, but it was pretty sweet, and I probably would try something else next time. Pat’s Long Island was strong! I only had a few sips of that. I kept passing my drink back to Pat’s mom to help me with it. The girls ordered Oreo milkshakes, which were included in their meals. They were pretty good and I was wishing I could have gotten the Oreo drink too! Next time, especially if we’re not on the meal plan. The Oreo milkshake picture taken by DD9:



When our appetizers came out, we quickly realized we could have made a meal out of appetizers alone. If we are not on the meal plan next time, I would probably just order appetizers and the Oreo shake. I ordered the Sci-Fi Impossible Nachos (fried tortilla chips topped with plant-based black bean chili, avocado cream, pico de gallo and cilantro, no cilantro please, $13).



These were really good! Thankfully the cilantro was huge on top and easy to remove. It was dark and difficult to eat a messy meal like this without better lighting, but I really liked the nachos. Pat’s mom and my mom ordered the onion rings (served with horseradish dipping sauce, $11).



We all agreed these were good, they were fried nicely. Pat ordered the Fried Dill Pickles (served with your choice of ranch or horseradish dipping sauce, $12), which were really good too. We shared all three appetizers.



My dad ordered the Sci-Fi Smoked Chicken Wings (hoisin-glazed smoke chicken wings served with house-made sesame-red cabbage slaw, $15). He said they were tangy, but good.



It was so much food. It was a little awkward to pass food back and forth the way the table was set-up, but we made it work. It was also a little loud for me, but I think it’s because I had one of the speakers right in my ear.



I wondered if I could have heard a little better if I wasn’t sitting right next to those speakers, which were playing sounds from the movies on the screen ahead.

Stay tuned for our main meals! Can you believe we still had full entrees coming?

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

My mom sat in front with the girls

Good thing the girls were still little! 3 in those seats was probably tight! But those are the "good" cars in my oppinion. It is akward to share food and talk in.

excitedly picked out the Orbiting Oreos (Oreo shake mixed with Mozart chocolate liqueur and a souvenir glow cube). Our server then said he should have told me I could have any drink except that one. I

I get it but why? Why does Disney make things so complicated.

These were really good!

Our server suggested these to us. But we didn't get them, maybe next time!

I wondered if I could have heard a little better if I wasn’t sitting right next to those speakers, which were playing sounds from the movies on the screen ahead.

Probably! We weren't near one and it was fine.

 

[suse66]

When the female historian was going on about Hans and the male historian said, "I don't like him, he's literally wearing a red flag," a kid nearby yelled, "Good!" The same kid was laughing really loudly as the female historian went from singing "Single Lady" to crying about being single, and for some reason that cracked me up even more.

Love Frozen sing along so much! There is something for everyone in this show.

However, Elsa making snow is my favorite part. I get goosebumps every time. Right before she stepped out, the others talked about how it was getting cold and that can only mean one thing and the male historian deadpans, "I have no idea what's going to happen."

The "snow" is magical!

I think the entire theater was packed, and I don’t remember ever seeing that before. DD9 didn’t want to wear the glasses, but otherwise I think we all enjoyed the show.

Muppets are classic!

Goofy was meeting with Max in an alcove across from the Muppet Courtyard, just before you get to Galaxy Edge. Goofy's line was going into the Galaxy Edge tunnel, and we stood waiting across from people who were waiting hours to ride Rise of the Resistance. We figured at least we were in the shade there, and we could bail on the line if it didn’t look like we’d get to meet Goofy before our lunch reservation, but we were hopeful. It wasn’t a super long line, but there were quite a few families in front of us. We got in line at 10:42am.

That's a meet I haven't done yet but it looks fun!

We were cutting it so close. We needed to be at lunch by 11:25am to keep our reservation, which meant we had 5-6 minutes to meet Goofy and run over to the restaurant. My dad offered to take a quick family picture and then run ahead while the girls wrapped up the meet. It was finally our turn!

Yay for your Dad!

We took our family of 7 picture, and then my parents took off to make it to the restaurant ahead of the rest of us.

This is a great picture of all of you!

When our appetizers came out, we quickly realized we could have made a meal out of appetizers alone. If we are not on the meal plan next time, I would probably just order appetizers and the Oreo shake. I ordered the Sci-Fi Impossible Nachos (fried tortilla chips topped with plant-based black bean chili, avocado cream, pico de gallo and cilantro, no cilantro please, $13).

It sure is a lot of food! The nachos look really good.

 

[disneyAndi14]

We did the Fantasmic package this past trip and waaaay too much food for the 3 of us especially since we share so many things!
We were able to get appetizers and dessert. 2 apps and 1 dessert split by all 3 of us.
The price was hard to swallow compared to when Andi and I go and share everything but really worth it when we got premium seats at Fantasmic and didn’t have to show up super early!
It seems really weird the Oreo drink wasn’t included when the same price
It is hard with more than 2 people in the cars!