Christmas in July is here! I held back my Thanksgiving Walt Disney World trip report due to time constraints, and I’m so excited to finally share it with you. Click here for the setup, and read all the posts in this report here. Onward!
I was always under the impression that Walt Disney World during Thanksgiving week was likely to be a madhouse. As such, I was surprised by how smoothly the previous couple of days had gone.
WELL. Enter the madhouse!
HOW I ALMOST MUCKED UP OUR DAY AT DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Our plan for that day was Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and in my capacity as The Official Genie+/Lightning Lane/Virtual Queue Girl, I was up at 7am to wade into the morass. I was alarmed to see how quickly slots were filling up, and in a fit of nerves I slammed on a Rise of the Resistance Individual Lightning Lane spot for late afternoon.
It was only after I had paid that I realized that I’d double booked us with our Topolino’s Terrace dinner reservation. DRAT. See, unlike Genie+ reservations, you cannot modify your Individual Lightning Lane reservation (even if there are times available!), nor cancel it for a refund and try again. Shouldn’t there be a 5 minute cooling off period or something? I mean, sheesh, Disney!
I did, however, want to make sure the girls got on Rise without waiting a million years in the standby line. Time to think fast! I power-walked down to the concierge desk in the Contemporary lobby and asked the Cast Member there if I had any options.
Oddly enough, she wasn’t sure herself. She didn’t know if she could provide a cancellation, but she was able to change the time on her end. Knowing that those ILL slots were going fast, I elected to simply change it to a time after dinner rather than wait to find out about the cancellation thing. Not how I would have planned it, but totally workable. Whew! Whew!!!!
Disaster thus averted, I pondered proceeding directly to the Studios myself for green milk and tequila from the Milk Stand in Batuu. Alas, I was traveling with children, so I abstained. 😜
ANYWAY. My pulse, as the Rolling Stones would say, was now under control, and I could continue with my day. Since I was there anyway, I grabbed some lattes from Contemporary Grounds for me and Pat, then went back up to the room to get ready. And then I got more coffee, like a responsible adult who is already having a morning.
AND THEN WE ACTUALLY WENT TO DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
The girls were ready to go shortly after, and we piled into Egon’s van for our Studios journey! We started by fueling up at Sci-Fi Dine-In, which is always a fun one.
We had a bit of time to burn between lunch and our first Genie+ reservation, so our first attraction was the Frozen sing-along. As I mentioned during my previous Epcot trip report day, this probably would’ve hit harder a year or two ago when the girls were deep in their Frozen fever dream, but it’s a great show regardless. Except for the holiday tag, which has entirely too much Anna and Elsa and entirely too little Aria and Just Eric for my taste. Blah, blah, blah, I love you sister, whatever. MAKE ERIC DO MORE HIGH KICKS.
Star Tours had a manageable standby line, and I dutifully herded the hang over there next. If only I were a more studious Star Wars scholar, I could even tell you the planets we visited. Lupita Nyong’o was definitely there.
We took a quick break in everyone’s favorite Studios bathroom…
… and then it was time for that perennial classic, Muppet Vision 3D! I defy you to produce a single Disney movie that has stayed as completely fresh as this sucker. And if you don’t like this foolishness, what foolishness would you like to see?
Finally we arrived at our first Genie+ reservation of the day, which was for none other than the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror! I’m glad I finally conquered my anxiety over variability of this ride; I wouldn’t want Rod Serling to be disappointed in me. And – great news – the girls loved it! No hesitancy at all! No doubt they were bolstered by the way I confidently strode into the elevator. I’ve done this before, kids.
I made everyone take photos to commemorate the experience; here, once again, is a childless Mondrian slice-and-dice of the outcome. Fun, right?
From there we were able to head directly to Toy Story Land for our Slinky Dog Lightning Lane time. (See, I didn’t completely botch the Lightning Lane job that morning.) I think Slinky Dog is very cute, but I definitely wouldn’t wait in the kinds of standby lines it pulls. Pat and I found the Spanish language version of the safety instructions very amusing; Spanish Slinky Dog is… not good at pronunciation. Mahn-ohs, brazzz-os, pee-ess, y piernass dayntro delllllll ve-hiculo!
As Slinky Dog himself might say, it was then time to mosey on out of the Studios temporarily, as we had an early dinner reservation at the Riviera. A leisurely Skyliner trip deposited us there in short order, and we skittered to the top of the building for an excellent dinner at Topolino’s Terrace. I don’t plan on a full review as I didn’t order much that’s new to me, but I’ll add my meal to my snack roundup at the end of this report. Far be it for me to deprive you of every detail.
Alice and Cindy, lucky girls that they are, were each permitted to pick out an item from the Riviera gift shop. They do have some cute stuff in there… including a pretty Dooney & Burke Cinderella Castle purse that I admired and put back. Pat later bought it for me for my birthday! Good man, that Patrick.
A TRIUMPHANT RETURN WORTHY OF A DISNEY DAY FINALE
Dinner was over, but not the day, and ultimately my booking snafu worked out just fine. We gondola’d back to the Studios and showed up at the Galaxy’s Edge just as our Rise of the Resistance time opened up. Neither Cindy or Alice is a particular Star Wars buff, but Egon is a fan, and the ride is so impressive I defy just about anyone to enjoy it.
We took a spin through Batuu so Egon could see the Millennium Falcon, then headed to the front of the park. While I was in Topolino’s, I had managed to snag a Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Lightning Lane slot. I had to prove I was in fact a power user, y’know?
The girls loved this one! While I do miss the Great Movie Ride every single day, I do understand why: the frenetic pacing makes an otherwise fairly time ride feel thrilling. It was an excellent topper to our evening. Jenn does it again!
Ending with that high note, we hopped into the van and drove back to the resort. Pat and I grabbed some more room wine and a dessert from Contempo Cafe, and we regrouped on the balcony for fireworks. Not a bad way to live, no?
There’s more Disney magic where that came from – see ya for the next installment real soon!
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!
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