Disney Vacation: Day 2, Part One -The Park Formerly Known As MGM Studios

Friday evening, 6:26 p.m.

We are now back in the hotel room. Niko is laying in bed watching Reba on Lifetime and I’m sipping my coffee and writing my blog entry.

After breakfast at the hotel cafeteria, our first destination was MGM Hollywood Studios. Oops! Excuse me. Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This is the park with Mickey’s large, cobalt blue sorceror’s hat as the centerpiece. The park itself is designed to capture the romanticism, spirit and glam of Hollywood’s Golden Age.



One of the most amazing things to me about Disney, aside from their dedication to service, is their attention to detail, detail, detail. And since the devil, they say, is in the details then Disney must be the King of Demons! Even now, as I think about it, I realize that out of all the pictures I took, nothing will do it justice. It's one of those places that simply must be experienced. Though I will certainly add photos to this entry, at the end of this piece will be a movie clip to give you a better idea of what it's like here.



And trust me when I tell, Disney is NOT paying me to write this!

I love it here, though. I would love to live here. Period. Okay, maybe not live here but perhaps an overextended stay at the hotels for about a month. That includes the parks since I’m a Park Junkie!


The wait for the “Hollywood Tower of Terror” was close to 90 minutes. So we decided to take the Fast Pass and return at the appropriate time. In fact, I will recommend, at all parks, Fast Pass it whenever possible for the more popular rides.


We walked around through the shops. We went to a Narnia “pseudo-ride” where we saw a specially edited, extended trailer for “Prince Caspian” and some props from the movie.


Then we went to the new Toy Story 3-D ride which was loads of fun. You sit in this little buggy type thing with 3-D glasses and shoot at an animated range. But the buggy doesn’t sit still. You’re at one location for like, maybe, a minute. Then you’re whisked along to another shooting range. Lots of fun!

Another ride we did at Hollywood Studios was “The Great Movie Ride.” The outside is done like Graumman's Theatre in L.A. Like many of the other rides, we've gone on this one before. Although they haven't changed it in a few years, it's another one of my favorites. You sit in an open-top trolley-like thing and you get pulled along from one movie set to another. If you get a tour guide that isn’t very exciting then the ride can be a bit dull. But if you get a good one, even when they’re corny, it makes the ride much more fun. The clip at the bottom of this blog entry will give you a taste for what it's like. It will also give you a clue on one of my favorite movies. And if you can't figure it out, I'll give you a hint: I'm a friend of Dorothy's.

And, of course, no trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios would be complete without a visit to “The Muppets.” This is a 3-D movie and you sit in a pseudo-theatre to be a part of their usual Mayhem.


Lunch was at the "Brown Derby" and the food here was delicious! This is the second time we've eaten here and both times not only was the service impeccable, but everything they served was extraordinarily delicious. Even the dessert was a work of art!


Hint about food and restaurants: it's expensive here. I would highly reccomend one of the Disney Dining Plans. And another feature you want to take advantage of: Reservations!

For now, though, I'm signing off. I'm going to take a nap and rest up because tonight we're going to The Magic Kingdom!