Hello and Goodbye - Long Time Disney Fan's First and Last Visit to Present-Day Disney's Hollywood Studios

I have grown to understand that there was more to Hollywood Studios than I first thought and I really wanted to finally go see it. So when the two new lands coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios were announced, I knew I had to visit Hollywood Studios in its current state before everything about it was gone.

I booked this trip for my mother and I in May so that we could celebrate both my birthday and Mother’s Day. It was the first time that I had booked a trip myself and was very excited to be able to go back to Walt Disney World. Hollywood Studios was the first theme park we went to and it was a lot of fun.

Our first activity was to watch the Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away and March of the First Order. We were lucky enough to get there just in time before it started and got a good spot. My Mom was a very big Star Wars fan back when she was younger, but sort of fell out of it because of the big break between the two trilogies. However, watching the clips during the show made her want to watch the movies all over again. Since my mom is a huge “Beauty and the Beast” fan, we then went to see Beauty and the Beast- Live on Stage. The show was very enjoyable and my mom absolutely loved it.

After that, we went to ride “Star Tours- The Adventure Continues” as our first FastPass+ of the day. It was amazing and we enjoyed it very much. Seeing the many planets and characters of Star Wars as well as the feel and movements of the ride was a lot of fun. It felt like I was in the movies and traveling in space with the members of the resistance as they fought against the Empire.

After that we decided to walk around in the Writer’s Stop. I had heard about it on the Disney Food Blog, but sadly the carrot cake cookie was unavailable. After looking around the store some more, we went to Muppet*Vision 3D, our second FastPass+. We both enjoyed it very much, but we couldn’t help but wonder since Disney is reimaging the area around it, if they might change the movie or even update it to match how the Muppets are like now with the new shows and movies that have come out recently.

We had some time to waste until our final FastPass+ so we decided to go on The Great Movie Ride. In hindsight, this ride should have been our second FastPass instead of Muppets*Vision 3D for how long we waited in line, but it was an experience learned. I’m a very big history and fact buff, so I had a lot of fun learning about the props, the movies they were in, and little tidbits of things that happen around that prop. I also connected more with my mom because she knew about some of the movies and told me about them and that made me want to watch them too. The ride was fun and entertaining to try to recognize the different movies in the ride.

After that ride, we went to our last FastPass+ of the day, Toy Story Mania. We had a lot of fun competing against each other. My mom had a lot of trouble trying to fire at the targets, but she finally learned how to use it. (I still won in the end.)

Stormtroopers at Star Wars Launch Bay

Stormtroopers at Star Wars Launch Bay

I used the Fantasmic! Dinner Package to make a reservation at Hollywood & Vine. This was my mom’s favorite part of the day and she is still talking about it. I have a food allergy and I was happy one of the chefs came out and walked me through the buffet to tell me what everything was made from and what was safe for me to eat. The theme at the time was Minnie’s Springtime Dine and we really loved the outfits that the characters were wearing. I even received a birthday cupcake that was very tasty. The food was amazing and very fresh, and so delicious that we both went up for fourths.

After an amazing meal, we headed to Hollywood Hills Amphitheater to find a spot to sit for the Fantasmic! show. We had a great spot that had a great view of the entire stage where we could see everything. The show was okay, I felt that it lacked narrative as I was a bit lost on the story line.

We were extremely lucky to be able to watch the Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular. We both love fireworks, and these were made even more fantastic considering that at the time we were leaving Fantasmic, the area to see the show was already filled with people, and we just managed to find the last open spot.

All in all, this was a fun experience for the both of us. As we left the park, having seen the many different changes that were happening and all the changes that have happen since we left, I can honestly say it was fun to visit the park in its current state. So, while I am saying "Good-bye" to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in its current state, I can’t wait to say “Hello” to what Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be in the future.

About the Author: Jasmine is a first-time contributor to PassPorter News.