We had a slow start to today with no Fastpasses planned until the afternoon in Hollywood Studios. It was a lovely morning, so we decided to spend some time at the pool.
I did also take the opportunity to have a little wander around French Quarter to see the different buildings and cute road sign names.
I was starting to think I could get used to relaxing by the pool reading a book, it was a lovely way to spend the morning.
After lunch we queued for the bus to Hollywood Studios. We were followed out of the resort by a huge school party which would have taken up a whole bus all alone. They were of course also going to Hollywood Studios, so there was a huge crowd as we waited for the bus.
The bus driver who arrived was amazing, immediately called for another bus to accommodate the school group. This meant they could all stay together and there wasn’t a big scurry for any remaining spaces on the bus.
Into Hollywood Studios and we headed straight for Toy Story Land. It was our first experience of the new land, and we had a Fastpass for Slinky Dog Dash. The ride was great fun, slightly similar to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in speed, but it had more dips and also it’s an open coaster so you can see the ground a lot more.
I was glad we had a Fastpass as the queue didn’t have a lot of shade which was a shame.
Abby and Hubby had a date with Rock N Roller Coaster so we made our way across the park after having a quick look around Toy Story Land. I was hoping to see Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage but our timings were a little off with other commitments of the day so it didn’t happen.
After waiting for what seemed like ages for them on Rock N Roller Coaster, it was time for our dinner reservation at Hollywood and Vine. The timings were a little early, but we had taken advantage of the Fantasmic show package meal option.
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The characters were great fun, even though Abby decided she’s a little old for characters, but they had some fun doing boomerangs together. It’s nice to find different experiences as she gets older.
We have eaten in Hollywood and Vine before and decided it was similar to before. It’s never the best quality food but it’s tasty and there is plenty of choice.
I think the only thing that let it down was the gluten free dessert option which was a chocolate brownie. It turned out to be quite a tough and chewy brownie to eat which was a shame.
The one great thing about having the Dining plan that includes alcohol this year was being able to have a Magical Star cocktail.
We had some time after dinner before our last Fastpass at Tower of Terror and then Fantasmic. As Hollywood Studios is a smaller park, we spent some time people watching which was lovely. The weather was perfect and it was lovely to rest and watch the world go by.
Abby and I decided to go and queue for Toy Story Mania, and then had fun with the instagram wall at the exit of the ride. We both get quite competitive in this ride and had great fun.
For whatever reason, Abby and Hubby took an age to ride Tower of Terror, and the time was ticking towards Fantasmic. We were watching floods of people going in and were willing them to hurry up so we would be able to sit in the meal and show area of the arena.
Finally they arrived and we made our way up to the amphitheater. There was an amazing atmosphere and plenty of pre show entertainment.
I love Fantasmic and it’s well worth a visit. A Fastpass isn’t necessary however I did like being in the middle section, an area we haven’t ever been in before.
The queues leaving Fantasmic are horrendous, so we stood up and watched the final fireworks from the top of the steps so we were ahead of the queues. The other way to do it is to sit and wait for the crowds to leave, but this way meant we were back at the busses ahead of the masses, and as we were quite tired, this worked well for us.