We didn’t actually plan to go to Hollywood Studios. (Our original plan was 1 day at Animal Kingdom, 1 day at Epcot, 1 day at Universal Studios, and 2 days at Magic Kingdom.) So on this day, we were supposed to go to Universal Studios. (Mostly so I could see Harry Potter World.) We had already paid in full our flight, hotel, and 4 day pass to DisneyWorld before we had even left for our trip. But we had forgotten to buy our tickets to Universal Studios, and when we looked online the tickets to Universal were about $150 per person, plus the bus from our resort to Universal cost $20 per person. (Not to mention it would take about 45 minutes to get there.) So the night before, we decided to ask the concierge how much it would cost to add an additional Disney ticket instead, and it ended up only being an extra $20 per person! (She said it’s actually cheaper to add tickets from the resort, which is amazing, but the only downside to this is you can’t plan stuff like FP’s ahead of time. But it does save you money!)
(One of my all time favorite rides! Sad to have missed out on it this trip, but can’t wait to go back when Brax is big enough to ride it! He was napping in his stroller behind us when we took this photo.)
So we decided to use the extra Disney day to go to Hollywood Studios, and save Universal Studios for when our son gets older. (Universal Studios doesn’t have free “fastpasses”, and also doesn’t have the rider switch program. Plus, the majority of the rides have a height minimum so it’s not as toddler friendly as Disney.)
(Pond outside the Muppets Studios. Braxton loved walking around and just sightseeing. No shame in using our Backpack Leash either.)
Since we hadn’t planned to go, I didn’t make any FP’s planned ahead of time. Luckily I was still able to get 2 fastpasses by using the app the night before. But really, we just spent most of the day exploring and looking around. It ended up being so much fun, and a great relaxing day! (Proof that you can still enjoy Disney last minute with no planning!)
Our Outfits of the Day: (Since it was supposed to be a Universal Day, they aren’t all Disney themed…)
- Blair: All Nike. Literally all Nike. Top, Shorts & Shoes.
- Nike Shoes: He gets asked about these all the time.
- Me:
- Minnie Christmas Ears
- Mickey Christmas Sweatshirt: Bought from ShopDisney during the Holiday’s. Currently sold out, link to similar product.
- Braxton:
(They had huge beautiful Christmas trees in each of the Disney parks, and they are all themed for that specific park.)
Fastpasses:
- Disney Junior Live on Stage: I wasn’t sure Braxton would sit for an entire show, but if he did, then it would be for a Disney Junior show. It was only 20 minutes, but we still sat in the back in case we had to sneak out. To both our surprise, Braxton actually sat and watched the entire show. He loved it! He clapped and tried to participate. Great show to take toddlers to! (They have characters you can meet outside the show, like Doc Mcstuffins, Jake, and Sofia!)
(He had his popcorn and his favorite Disney Junior shows. This boy was so happy!)
- Toy Story Mania: This is the only ride that didn’t have height requirement. It’s a ride that’s also a game and was so fun! (The usual wait time is at least 60 minutes. With our FP it was about 5 minutes.)
(Tons of construction going on, but the construction walls are all so cute and themed!)
Other attractions:
- Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular: They had a few Star Wars shows going on. One was in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard, and others were on Center Stage. It was fun seeing all the Storm Troopers walking around, and just getting to see shows without planning it out, waiting in line, or having to sit in a theater.
(March of the First Order down Hollywood Boulevard.)
- Jedi Training: They had the cutest Jedi Training camp for kids. It is for kids ages 4-10, and they dress them up, give them a lightsaber and teach them to fight Darth Vader. I loved watching them, and Braxton looked like he wanted to join in. I can’t wait til he’s older and can do it with them!
(I didn’t want to photograph the kids, so here’s the Jedi teacher with Darth Vader.)
- Character Meetings: They have tons of characters who you can do meet and greets with. Since we knew Braxton was terrified of them, we decided to skip them, but we did take a picture with Lightening McQueen! Kachow!
(We were a little disappointed he wasn’t in his red car color, but that’s ok.)
Food & Drink:
- Popcorn Bucket: The best purchase of the entire trip. You can buy a popcorn bucket for $10, and get refills for only $1.50! It was Braxton’s favorite snack and you can get refills at any of the 4 parks. We took it with us everyday, and refilled it at least twice a day.
- Beer: So many bars and drink places around the park. (Prices range from $7-15)
- Frozen Let it Glow Drink: A special drink they had just for the Holiday’s. It’s basically a frozen blue lemonade with vodka, and had a light cube inside. You can buy this with or without the alcohol, so that it’s kid friendly. The light cube is the only thing that makes it a “Holiday Special”. You can buy it without the cube as well. (With light cube $15, without $10.)
- Backlot Express: We went here to eat lunch. It wasn’t expensive, there weren’t any lines, and they had plenty of tables open. Highly recommend it!
I will say that there is a lot of construction and remodeling going on right now at Hollywood Studios. They closed down 2 of my old favorite rides/attractions (Great Movie Ride and Honey I Shrunk the Kids), which I was kind of bummed about. But in a few years the new attractions will be amazing! They are building a new Star Wars Land, a Mickey & Minnie Ride, and redoing the Pixar part of the park. Can’t wait to see all the new stuff when we go back in a few years!
(Even if your not a Star Wars Fan, this new land looks like it’s going to be amazing!)
Tips:
- Refilling Water: We took our own water bottles, and then when we ate lunch at the Backlot Express, we refilled our bottles there!
- Shows: This park is known for all their shows. They have tons of different types, like the Muppet show for younger kids and the Indiana Jones show for adults.
- Meeting Characters: They have the normal Mickey & friends characters, but they also have ones that you can only find at Hollywood studios! Like Olaf, Woody, Sofia the First and more! Wait times to meet certain characters really just depends on the popularity of the character. The wait time to meet Woody & Buzz was about 50 minutes, whereas the wait time to meet Jake from Jake & the Neverland Pirates is only 5 minutes.
(Again, he napped so well in his stroller!)
We stayed for the first night show, which started at 6:10 and was about 20 minutes. After that, we decided to leave because the next night show was the fireworks show, and we weren’t sure if it would scare or be too loud for Braxton. I love the night light shows because they turn off all the store, ride and other street lights so that you are fully immersed in the show! It takes place on the walls of the Chinese theater in the middle of the park, and it takes you through the some historical movies. We loved it!
(I will say that some Photopass Photographers are better then others. See here one that obviously didn’t know how to take night photos, or photos with light in the background. For the most part though, they all turned out great!)
**Click here to go back and see our Resort & Travel Day**
**Click here to read about Animal Kingdom**
