Hollywood Studios

After the convention ended on Wednesday, we were ready for more Disney fun on Thursday at Hollywood Studios.
Micah found a photo op within moments of entering the park.
Boy, do I have them trained well!
We had been well warned that we needed to head straight over to Toy Story Mania due to the popularity of this ride. We had no idea that there would be a 20 minute wait just to get a FASTPASS! Although it was 9:00 in the morning, our Fastpasses were not good until 1:00 pm! While Daddy waited to pick up our fastpasses, we decided to kill two birds with one stone and stand in the line to see Buzz and Woody.

We love us some Toy Story characters!

Micah's very own Buzz and Woody dolls show evidence of much love over the years. And now that he has seen Toy Story 3 they have made a reappearance in our home along with MANY other neglected toys. In fact, since seeing the movie, our home has become a bit of a toy shrine or museum. But that's another post for another day.

I love it that Disney keeps you entertained even while you wait in line with all the fun cartoon cut outs. What amazing attention to detail!

When we finally met up with our good buddies, they were super stoked to see that Savanna and Micah had Buzz and Woody Silly Bandz bracelets on.

We found lots of cool stuff on the Back Lots tour including some of my beloved topiaries. I can remember being mesmerized by these as a kid!Since Savanna has taken a recent interest in sewing with my Mom, she was most excited to see where they make the wonderful character costumes.

Just a few thrills and chills at the backlot.

Walt Disney's original plane that he used to scope out the land he would buy for Disney World.

We found a few of our other favorite rides like the Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show and the Muppets 3 D Show.

We had back row seats for the Indiana Jones show, but as it turns out, there really are no bad seats at a Disney show!

I guess no good vacation would be complete without some tribute to Andy Griffith. Last year Brian had his picture taken with good ole Andy's star at Universal.Always a must do to have your mug shot in front of the hat!

I had no idea who this guy was supposed to be, but the kids were quick to inform me that he is Lots-O-Huggin' Bear from Toy Story 3. Keep in mind, this was the week BEFORE the movie came out. That's pretty good marketing if you ask me. Funny faces while waiting to see Mr. and Mrs. Incredible.

Mr. Incredible stamps his signature instead of writing it with a pen, which meant he couldn't sign the kids' pillowcases where they were collecting autographs. Mrs. Incredible didn't miss a beat and signed his signature for him while the cast member explained that she knows how to make his signature because she uses his credit card all the time. Crack me up!

Good old Herbie at the stunt show.

Micah found some fun souvenirs in the Star Wars gift shop.

Finally it was time to go back and redeem our fast passes at Toy Story Mania. Am I ever glad we had those lovely fast passes since the posted wait time in the regular line was now 170 minutes!!! Seriously????

Do people do that?

I CAN NOT imagine making our children, or MYSELF for that matter, wait in a line for nearly 3 hours?!?

I caught a glimpse of this people counter along the way.

Whew!

Over 7,000 people and it wasn't even halfway through the day!

Turns out it lived up to all the hype.

Super fun ride!

I am of the personal opinion that the Great Movie Ride is a neglected gem!

It is a fun walk down memory lane featuring some of our all time favorite movies and classic characters that we stumbled upon on our last visit simply as an escape from the rain. We now have added it to our must see list.

I mean, who wouldn't love a ride with Mary Poppins, John Wayne, and the Wizard of Oz, right?

We couldn't wait for our early dinner at Prime Time Cafe.

We have had several friends tell us fun tales of their delicious and entertaining meals at the 1950's style diner where there are black and white tv's at each table. The waitresses take their role as "Mom" very seriously and make you set your own table, inspect your hands for cleanliness, and will only give you a refill of water after 2 sodas. Too funny!

Micah was instructed speedy quick that he better take off his hat and Savanna and I got in trouble for putting our elbows on the table.

We had some of the best fried chicken, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes I have ever eaten.We felt like we had been to the real American Idol! Really neat getting to hear 3 regular people from the park sing while we got to use keypads and vote for our favorite.

The American Idol experience gave just enough time for our food to settle before we headed on to the 'big dog' rides like Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster.

This picture is so classic!

It is so telling of their two VERY different personalities. Adventursome, daredevil Micah with one foot always OVER the yellow line, while cautious, obedient Savanna points out the clearly marked boundary.

Micah was all smiles when he realized that he was FOR SURE finally tall enough to do the upside down Rockin' Roller Coaster ride! He even picked his shirt out with the hopes he would be able to do it. Uncle Brad promised Micah bubble gum if he could keep his eyes open the whole ride. Micah's first request after getting off the ride was to call Uncle Brad to tell him he owed him some gum.After a few more rides and some ice cream for dessert, we made our way over to the fabulous Fantasmic show!