Disney Hollywood Studios

Disney Hollywood Studios. Is that like Universal Studios? Are we going to feel like we've been there and done that already?

These were my questions on Wednesday of our super vacay, but I shouldn't have worried. It was soooooo fun! Plus, it rained, making the experience even better because a bunch of people left.

Here's a break-down of our day:

We Loved

• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! - We barely snuck into this jam-packed show, thanks to Em's wheelchair. While we waited, we dined on our  homemade PB&Js and played Words With Friends. The scope of the show totally exceeded our expectations. They re-enacted some of my favorite scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark like the rolling stone, the chase through the marketplace, and the fight on the airplane. It was a feast for the eyes! I couldn't believe what they did by way of stunts and effects. Wow!
• Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show - Dang! There were some crazy ol' drivers in that show! We saw some amazing stunts that totally made up for the deafening noise and smell of burnt tires.
• Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage  - Beautiful sets, beautiful costumes, beautiful singing. It was top-notch. Plus, we got 2nd row seats.
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith - An indoor limo-type roller coaster? Sign us up! Emma didn't go, but the rest of us rocked out.
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - I didn't get nauseous! Neither did the kids, 'cuz they were too chicken to go on it. I expected one big long free fall, but the ride took us up and down several times at random. It was fun AND exhillerating!
• Star Tours: The Adventures Continue - They've re-done Star Tours, and it's even more realistic. I bet you can guess how I did on this ride! The gift shop is almost as fun as the ride. We spent quite awhile in there. Jake and Emma even got to build their own light sabers. Cool!

 

We Liked

• Muppet Vision 3-D - I propbably like this more than the rest of the family. I grew up on the Muppets. Those guys are just silly!
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid - There were some neat effects that made us feel like we were underwater. The glow-in-the-dark puppets were cool too. It was a really cute show.

 We Could Have Done Without

The Great Movie Ride - snore

 We Missed

• The American Idol Experience - We totally ran out of time because of the rain storm. Bummer!
• Sounds Dangerous! - We never walked by it.
• Jedi Training Academy - We figured it was for little kids. 
• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure - We've seen something like it at Disneyland,
• Studio Backlot Tour - It was closed.
• Walt Disney: One Man's Dream - The kids weren't interested.
• Toy Story Midway Mania! - ridiculously long wait in line.
• The Magic of Disney Animation - Again, the kids were not interested.
• Disney Junior - Live on Stage! - Eh. That was for little kids.
• Fantasmic! - We've seen it before at Disneyland.

It's too bad the park closed at 8:00 because we could have stayed longer. We really enjoyed ourselves after we ate and the crowds died down. A rain storm arrived around dinnertime, so we chose to dine at the park. We ducked into this restaurant that feels like a drive-in movie. The booths are designed to look like cars that face a big screen playing old sci-fi movie clips. It was a great way to wait out the rain.

We would have taken more pictures on this day, but we were too busy having fun! We highly recommend Hollywood Studios to families with older kids like ours.