Sunday, May 18 cont'd...
On our way out of AK we stopped for a couple photopass pictures in front of the entrance. I think this trip we got a bunch of photos in spots we haven't done before which was cool. As we were leaving we saw a big group of people with suitcases and stuff which I was curious about. Well, as it turns out, they were going on one of the cruises because there were a few of the
DCL buses in the parking lot. I was super jealous of that! Maybe one of these days we'll go on a cruise...
Anyways, before we went to return the rental car we went to get some lunch. We stopped at the McDonald's that's right by the All Star resorts before heading over to the Dolphin. From there we took one of the boats over to Hollywood Studios.
I have to say that the entire Epcot resort area is so cool with all those hotels right there (oh yeah, and of course Epcot!). I would love to stay in one of those resorts in the future. Such a great atmosphere with the Boardwalk and everything.
The boat ride was only a few minutes before we reached the Studios. As we'd been doing each day, the first thing we did was check the tip board to see the wait times. I can't remember exactly what they were but nothing too extreme. Then we went to see the Indiana Jones show. I cannot remember the last time I saw this show in person so I was pretty excited to see it. We got to the theater fairly early so it was nice to relax for a bit. They did the casting for extras in the show which was pretty entertaining. Some of the stuff they did with the people was hilarious. Then it was time for Indy!
Now, I am a big Full House junkie (and when I say big I am not kidding...I own all 8 seasons on DVD
) so when Indiana Jones got "ran over" by the giant boulder, I couldn't help but think of the WDW episode when DJ screams out "STEVE, NO!" I was waiting for someone to scream, actually. haha
The show was great. I couldn't believe some of the stunts they did...very cool. A couple more pictures I took:
After Indiana Jones, Dad suggested we go see if Toy Story Mania was doing previews. So we walked over there, not really expecting anything, especially after what they told us on Thursday. But...as we got closer we could tell that the big planters they had blocking the area off on Thursday weren't there!
Could they possibly be doing previews?! We asked a CM and she said they were!!! YESSSSSSSS!!! Now, our original plan was to see the Block Party Bash but hey, Dad and I saw it when we were in
Disneyland and we all wanted to do TSM so badly! It said there was a 30-minute wait for standby but we were willing to wait (it turns out we might've waited 15 minutes, 20 max.). Ahhh I was so excited! I suppose now I should warn you if you don't want to know about the ride...so skip ahead if you don't want to read any possible spoilers!
*BEGINNING OF POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
As soon as we walked into the building it was AMAZING! The queue area is so detailed and very colorful. And we can't forget the giant Mr. Potato Head inviting everyone to come join the fun. He also talks to the guests as they wait in line.
So back to the details...there is so much to look at! The ceiling is a giant Scrabble board and there's also some monkeys from Barrel of Monkeys (there are some of these on the outside as well).
Here's me by the giant Lincoln log cabin.
But I think my favorite little detail was this:
I love how they took things from the movie! When we got closer to Mr. Potato Head, we had to stop and take a picture like everyone else was.
Now, as you may or may not know, TSM is not only a ride, but it's a 3D ride so we grabbed our 3D glasses before heading up the stairs. We did find that sort of strange how there were stairs in the queue.
But oh well. Once we got to the top of the stairs we got our first look at Andy's room!
Again, amazing details and now I was getting even more excited about this ride. You can get a pretty good idea of the ride vehicles from the picture...there are 2 cars per vehicle and each car holds 4 people. Then, when you get to the games the cars rotate so you are facing the screens to shoot at the targets. I should also note that the cars stop for each game before spinning onto the next one. Before you begin the games you are given a practice round to get used to the spring-action shooter. I thought they'd be hard to control, but we all agreed that they were easy to get used to and WAY easier than the guns on Buzz Lightyear.
Once you're done with the practice round, there are 5 different games...there's a dart throw, an egg toss, a ring toss, etc, each hosted by a different Toy Story character. I'd say you might stop at each game for 45 seconds or so. Of course the ride vehicle keeps track of your score. When you hit certain targets, there are special effects...for example, you might pop a balloon with the darts and you might get a little squirt of water. SO GREAT!! Then at the end of the ride you get one last bonus round to rack up the points. You're given a "prize" based on your score...a virtual prize of course.
Overall, this ride is great. When we first heard they were building it we were thinking it was going to be just another Buzz Lightyear, but it's really not that similar at all. It's so much better! Everyone getting off seemed to enjoy it. It was such a nice surprise to actually be able to do it, especially on our last day.
*END OF POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
We also got another surprise on our way out...we saw that there was a meet and greet with Prince Caspian so we went to say hello to him.
Prince Caspian was awesome! He was so in character and very charming. He even told me to come visit Narnia sometime.
I said OK (how could I say otherwise?!)! hehe
So even though the end of our trip was drawing closer and closer, the afternoon could not have gotten off to a better start.
I know the feeling you got when you were waiting for the show to start and you knew that your time at Disney was coming to an end. We usually watch Illuminations the last night and when we walk back to the Boardwalk all of us feel so sad 
.... it is such a fun place to be! It's hard to leave!! 
I hate leaving my favorite place!
