luvflorida
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
My husband and I spent a wonderful day at Hollywood Studios yesterday! We arrived at the entrance to the parking lot a little after 9 and waited in a short line of cars. They started letting cars through at 9:15. Parking attendants were leaving an empty parking space between each car, which was nice. We had a short walk to the entrance of the park. Temperature checks were done in walk-through tents, then it was on to security/bag check. No lines at either place. So much easier to be able to just walk through the metal detectors with your purse/backpack.
Our main goal for the day was to get a spot in the virtual queue for Rise of the Resistance. We decided to head right over to Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad and try to secure a spot for RoR while waiting in line. The wait time was at 25 minutes and the line seemed to move pretty quickly. We got a little nervous that we'd be inside the building before 10am, and we weren't sure how cell phone reception would be inside. It was kind of funny, because we were hoping the line would slow down and not move as fast as it was! I mean, how often does anyone stand in a queue at Disney and actually hope the line moves slower instead of faster! LOL! We were seconds from entering the building when it turned 10am on our phones. We both tried immediately to secure a boarding group and luckily, I got one for us on my phone. I was so excited! There was a cast member standing right at the entrance to the building and he was rooting for us, and everyone else in line trying to do the same thing! We got boarding group 49 (300 minutes) and that was only a few seconds after 10am, so I'm guessing all boarding groups for that time slot were quickly filled.
It was our first time on MMRR and we really enjoyed it. I thought it was a cute, fun ride! After MMRR we headed over to Star Wars Land just to walk around a bit. The line for the Millennium Falcon was at 30 minutes, so we decided to get in line. Again, I think the actual wait time was shorter. We've done MF several times in the past, but neither of us has ever gotten to be pilots. Well, with the way Disney is handling safety/health and social distancing concerns, groups of guests are not put in close proximity to other groups of guests. So, my husband and I had the whole spaceship to ourselves...and we both got to pilot the ship! We had a blast, even though we weren't (okay, mostly me) very good at our jobs!
I forgot to mention it above, but we were also the only people in our train car on MMRR!
We walked out of Star Wars Land through the back exit and into Toy Story Land. I was just amazed at how few people were in TSL. The crowds were low throughout the entire park, but I felt it was especially noticeable in TSL, because I've never been in that area without it being packed with people. Everything was walk-on, with just a short wait for Slinky Dog Dash. Crazy! We don't do coasters or spinning rides, but all I could think was how awesome it would be to have our grandkids and their parents there with us, because they would have LOVED going on everything without having to wait in lines! Unfortunately, they don't live in Florida. However, my husband and I love Toy Story Mania, so we went on that...twice.
Next up, we went into Walt Disney Presents and watched the film about Walt's life story. I've seen it many, many times, but it never gets old! My husband took this opportunity, though, for a short nap.
Earlier in the day, we secured a lunch reservation for 1:50 (only available time slot) at Mama Melrose's Italian Restaurant. We kept checking frequently on our return time for RoR, which seemed on track for 2:45ish. We took a stroll Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd and browsed in a few shops. We caught a couple of the small pop-up parades as we walked back over toward Star Wars. I have to say, I really like the cavalcades they're doing now in the parks. It's a nice surprise when they occur, and there's no waiting curbside in crowds of people. I feel that the characters do an especially great job of interacting with guests, even though they're at a distance. Many of the characters make it a point to pose and wave and acknowledge everyone watching along the parade route, especially the kids.
Speaking of kids, it is a weird feeling being in the parks and not seeing a lot of little ones around. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was, but after being at the MK and HS, I've realized that, along with very low crowds, it's the lack of strollers and the lack of hearing kids yelling, laughing, crying, etc. that really contributes to the atmosphere of the parks feeling strange, and at times, a bit unsettling!
We had an hour until our lunch reservation, but we decided to go over to the restaurant to see if it was possible to get in earlier than our 1:50 time slot. It was indeed, so we were seated and had a delicious lunch! It was very relaxing to sit in air-conditioning and take our masks off!
Ahhhhh....Rise of the Resistance! I can't even...it was absolutely incredible!!!!
It was our first time experiencing the attraction, and it was everything everyone says it is! Our grandson and his dad got to experience RoR soon after it opened. They are huge fans of Star Wars and they said it was the best Disney attraction they've ever done...ever! Our grandson has been telling us for months- "Gramma and Grampa, you HAVE to go on Rise of the Resistance...you just HAVE to!" Well, we finally did!
Lucky for us, our boarding group time of 300 minutes was very accurate, and we walked on right around 2:45. We kept our fingers crossed throughout the day that the ride wouldn't break down or close before our boarding group was called. Again, the social distancing was great and groups were kept together. No crowding whatsoever. And, my husband and I had a vehicle all to ourselves, so of course, we got front row seats! There was a group of three that was in one of the rooms with us and then they were in their own vehicle. We loved RoR! I felt like I was actually in a Star Wars movie! When we got home later that night, we video chatted with our grandkids, and our grandson was so excited that we got to go on RoR! He was thrilled that we liked it so much!
After RoR, we walked around the park a bit, then headed out. We really enjoyed our day at Hollywood Studios! As far as health/social distancing concerns, we felt perfectly safe in the park (as I did the day I went to MK) and feel that Disney is doing a fantastic job with temp checks, masks requirements, social distancing markers and cleaning/sanitizing. Honestly, I feel safer at Disney than at my local Publix! The pros to going now to WDW: low crowds, little to no waiting in lines, no need to feel rushed or hurried to get to the parks. The one thing that is a bit disappointing is that a lot of the small food carts are closed, along with some of the quick service restaurants. We like getting ice cream from Hollywood Scoops on Sunset Blvd, but it was closed. No popcorn available anywhere, either.
Tomorrow, we're headed to Animal Kingdom, and looking forward to walking around and going on Kilamanjaro Safaris!
Our main goal for the day was to get a spot in the virtual queue for Rise of the Resistance. We decided to head right over to Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad and try to secure a spot for RoR while waiting in line. The wait time was at 25 minutes and the line seemed to move pretty quickly. We got a little nervous that we'd be inside the building before 10am, and we weren't sure how cell phone reception would be inside. It was kind of funny, because we were hoping the line would slow down and not move as fast as it was! I mean, how often does anyone stand in a queue at Disney and actually hope the line moves slower instead of faster! LOL! We were seconds from entering the building when it turned 10am on our phones. We both tried immediately to secure a boarding group and luckily, I got one for us on my phone. I was so excited! There was a cast member standing right at the entrance to the building and he was rooting for us, and everyone else in line trying to do the same thing! We got boarding group 49 (300 minutes) and that was only a few seconds after 10am, so I'm guessing all boarding groups for that time slot were quickly filled.
It was our first time on MMRR and we really enjoyed it. I thought it was a cute, fun ride! After MMRR we headed over to Star Wars Land just to walk around a bit. The line for the Millennium Falcon was at 30 minutes, so we decided to get in line. Again, I think the actual wait time was shorter. We've done MF several times in the past, but neither of us has ever gotten to be pilots. Well, with the way Disney is handling safety/health and social distancing concerns, groups of guests are not put in close proximity to other groups of guests. So, my husband and I had the whole spaceship to ourselves...and we both got to pilot the ship! We had a blast, even though we weren't (okay, mostly me) very good at our jobs!
I forgot to mention it above, but we were also the only people in our train car on MMRR!We walked out of Star Wars Land through the back exit and into Toy Story Land. I was just amazed at how few people were in TSL. The crowds were low throughout the entire park, but I felt it was especially noticeable in TSL, because I've never been in that area without it being packed with people. Everything was walk-on, with just a short wait for Slinky Dog Dash. Crazy! We don't do coasters or spinning rides, but all I could think was how awesome it would be to have our grandkids and their parents there with us, because they would have LOVED going on everything without having to wait in lines! Unfortunately, they don't live in Florida. However, my husband and I love Toy Story Mania, so we went on that...twice.
Next up, we went into Walt Disney Presents and watched the film about Walt's life story. I've seen it many, many times, but it never gets old! My husband took this opportunity, though, for a short nap.
Earlier in the day, we secured a lunch reservation for 1:50 (only available time slot) at Mama Melrose's Italian Restaurant. We kept checking frequently on our return time for RoR, which seemed on track for 2:45ish. We took a stroll Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd and browsed in a few shops. We caught a couple of the small pop-up parades as we walked back over toward Star Wars. I have to say, I really like the cavalcades they're doing now in the parks. It's a nice surprise when they occur, and there's no waiting curbside in crowds of people. I feel that the characters do an especially great job of interacting with guests, even though they're at a distance. Many of the characters make it a point to pose and wave and acknowledge everyone watching along the parade route, especially the kids.Speaking of kids, it is a weird feeling being in the parks and not seeing a lot of little ones around. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was, but after being at the MK and HS, I've realized that, along with very low crowds, it's the lack of strollers and the lack of hearing kids yelling, laughing, crying, etc. that really contributes to the atmosphere of the parks feeling strange, and at times, a bit unsettling!
We had an hour until our lunch reservation, but we decided to go over to the restaurant to see if it was possible to get in earlier than our 1:50 time slot. It was indeed, so we were seated and had a delicious lunch! It was very relaxing to sit in air-conditioning and take our masks off!
Ahhhhh....Rise of the Resistance! I can't even...it was absolutely incredible!!!!
It was our first time experiencing the attraction, and it was everything everyone says it is! Our grandson and his dad got to experience RoR soon after it opened. They are huge fans of Star Wars and they said it was the best Disney attraction they've ever done...ever! Our grandson has been telling us for months- "Gramma and Grampa, you HAVE to go on Rise of the Resistance...you just HAVE to!" Well, we finally did!Lucky for us, our boarding group time of 300 minutes was very accurate, and we walked on right around 2:45. We kept our fingers crossed throughout the day that the ride wouldn't break down or close before our boarding group was called. Again, the social distancing was great and groups were kept together. No crowding whatsoever. And, my husband and I had a vehicle all to ourselves, so of course, we got front row seats! There was a group of three that was in one of the rooms with us and then they were in their own vehicle. We loved RoR! I felt like I was actually in a Star Wars movie! When we got home later that night, we video chatted with our grandkids, and our grandson was so excited that we got to go on RoR! He was thrilled that we liked it so much!
After RoR, we walked around the park a bit, then headed out. We really enjoyed our day at Hollywood Studios! As far as health/social distancing concerns, we felt perfectly safe in the park (as I did the day I went to MK) and feel that Disney is doing a fantastic job with temp checks, masks requirements, social distancing markers and cleaning/sanitizing. Honestly, I feel safer at Disney than at my local Publix! The pros to going now to WDW: low crowds, little to no waiting in lines, no need to feel rushed or hurried to get to the parks. The one thing that is a bit disappointing is that a lot of the small food carts are closed, along with some of the quick service restaurants. We like getting ice cream from Hollywood Scoops on Sunset Blvd, but it was closed. No popcorn available anywhere, either.
Tomorrow, we're headed to Animal Kingdom, and looking forward to walking around and going on Kilamanjaro Safaris!
