When I priced the pass online, I saw that next week Hollywood Studios would get a new entryway, south of the current one and much more direct. Getting ready for the new Star Wars land coming next year and the massive influx of guests, I guess. I'm sure Disney wants this Star Wars franchise to be the equivalent of the Harry Potter expansions over at Universal. I'm sure it will. The old entry was still in effect but I saw the blocked off new entry on the way in.
I picked Hollywood Studios as the first park for my return since I thought they might not be as busy as the others and there were a lot of changes that I wanted to see. Well, as far as changes, I guess that can be said of all the parks, eh?
Was hankerin' for a beer right at the get go. Got through the gate around 4:00 pm (planning to stay 'till closing) and made a beeline for the nearest beer stand after paying for my Weekday Only annual pass featuring select blackout days (a couple weeks over the Holidays but mainly most of the summer) for a cool $345 or so. Grabbed a 16 oz. Kona Longboard for $10.50. Seeing prices like these reminds me of one of the volunteers that got picked for the Indiana Jones show later this evening. He had a t-shirt that read: "Most Expensive Day Ever." Cute, but also likely VERY TRUE! I shudder at the thought of having to travel here adding airfare and hotel expenses, especially for an entire family, into the mix. No wonder that I chose to live here.
Despite still being above 300, and affected by my right toe bone spur, I think I walked pretty well throughout the park. The $50 orthopedic insoles really do help. Zipped through crowds effectively. Oh, and crowds there were. It was packed! Of course the newly opened Toy Story land was a likely culprit but, I think, it's also because, well, the park is now likely the smallest of the Orlando Disney parks, if not all the major chains. All that New York area is gone as well as the Backlot Tour area and the stunt car show arena. The Toy Story addition is very compact and takes up a section that was previously backstage support buildings but only about 1/3 the size of the land that was lost. No doubt much of that is slated for the Star Wars shit. The artist renderings of what's to come look awesome.
Of course due to the crowds, wait times for favorites like Tower of Terror or the new family coaster Slinky Dog Dash were way too long. I checked out the Star Wars Launch Bay attraction. Online it looked like a big memorabilia museum but even though it had some really nice movie props, models and costumes, it was much smaller than I thought. Had an interesting little 10-minute movie about the making of the movies which was cool.
Made my way over towards what used to be the entry into the New York area and there's a new swank wine and craft beer bar (Baseline Tap House) near the Sci-Fi Theater restaurant. Had a nice 22 oz. Stone Delicious IPA with a good 7.7 ABV. Hey, need to get the most buzz out of my $10.50. This is probably the best beer value in the park. Although factor in the fact it's bar-tended rather than just a kiosk so fork over a $2 tip.
A jaunty ride on Star Tours, bouncing to and fro and staring at a 3-D screen with a belly full of beer was quite a trip into near nausea but I persevered and stumbled out just as the nearby Indiana Jones show was about to get underway. Minor, incremental changes over the years but still essentially the same show I was a hammy audience participant in almost twenty years ago.
After a much needed late dinner of "Totchos" (potato puffs, chili, shredded cheddar, Fritos and sour cream...freakin' awesome...and very filling...$8.99) from the new Woody's Lunch Box and an absolutely decadent Napoleon pastry ($4.25) from the Trolley Car Cafe, I made my way to the old Merlin's Hat area (miss it) for the finale light shows. By the way, as usual, I forgot to use my passholder's discount for the food items. Ugh!
The first show (8:00) was a light, laser and music tribute to various Disney movies. The Chinese Theater facade was used as a projection screen for the montage of images set to a spectacular music medley. The next show (8:30) was similar but it was all about the Star Wars films and added MORE lights, pyrotechnics, lasers and fireworks all synchronized to the iconic music of the franchise.
All in all, it was nice afternoon and evening with perfect upper 70's degree weather but I think I'll wait for the new land to open before coming back. To have to endure crowds such as I did last night, I may as well be doing so for a really good reason.