Hollywood Studios Day- Sept. 20
Before we went to bed, DH & I had made the decision to change our HS plans. We had TSMM fpp at 9:15am and had planned on RDing TSL. But we knew that we needed to let the kids sleep in. {Insert lesson learned about ‘resort days’. This would have been the perfect time for one!} The issue was that TSMM fpp was Disney issued so I couldn’t modify it, (glitch at 60 day mark) so I made my way to the concierge at the resort on Thurs morning, while everyone else slept. The concierge was able to get us a new fpp time for 6:45pm without canceling our 9:15. Weird, I know but he said in case we make it to the park in time. We didn’t. We took our time, ate breakfast at the resort and got on the bus by 11ish. We had RnR fpp at 11:15 so we made it to the park just in time to use our first fpp. DS12 and I were the only ones to ride RnR. We both loved it!
Because we scratched our original TP, the rest of our day was very scattered and we did a lot of backtracking. DD5 and I hit all the Disney Jr meet and greets at the Animation Courtyard. The boys headed to Star Tours to use our 1pm fpp. When they were done, we all met up at ABC Commissary for lunch. The philosophy of avoiding the crowds by eating at off times didn’t work for us on this day. It was after 2pm and ABC was packed! I should’ve used mobile ordering. While eating, I thought I’d check MDE and see if it would let me get a fpp. Even though we still had the 6:45pm TSMM, it let us get a fpp for Muppets 3D. A useless fpp, I know but I snagged it anyway. When my DH, who knows only what I’ve told him about Disney planning, said, “I thought we don’t need fpp for shows”, I may have rolled my eyes really hard. I wanted to yell, oh shut up! but I bit my tongue!
We then headed to the Indiana Jones show. It was good but DD5 was really bored. Both boys thought it was really cool. After this, looked like it was about to rain, so DH found a covered area to wait with the stroller, while the kids & I went to meet Olaf. While we did this, DS12 said he’d changed his mind about ToT. I checked the app and got he & I a fpp. Once we met back up with DH and the rain subsided, we headed to ToT. I’m so glad he changed his mind because I’d forgotten how fun this ride is! He really liked it. Unfortunately, the guy in front of us raised his hands and completely blocked our faces in the picture. When we met back up with the others. we decided to head to Launch Bay and meet Chewbacca & BB8. This was my favorite meet and greet of the whole trip!
We’ve now reached the time when I’ve realized that I’ve made the biggest mistake of our trip. On Mon, DS12 saw a Star Wars sweatshirt at Epcot. I didn’t let him buy it bc 1. it was our first day. 2. We’d probably see it in another shop. Well here it is, 5:30pm, on our last park day and we haven’t seen the sweatshirt anywhere. I thought surely they’d have it at the gift shop at Launch Bay but no luck. I even checked the app with no luck. We had to make a decision. If he and I went back to Epcot, we would miss seeing TSL. After discussing it, we decided to go. We left HS and I knew that you could walk between the 2 parks. I immediately sent a msg to my Disney guru friend and she explained it to me. As we were leaving the park, I ran into LauraLyn Johnson, the founder of Smart Moms Plan Disney. She was so friendly and when I told her our dilemma, she suggested taking the boat instead of walking. We took a picture together and we then we headed to the boat. We enjoyed this experience and even the corny jokes but it definitely wasn’t a time saver. We entered Epcot through the International Gate and quickly made our way back to the Mission Space gift shop. We found the sweatshirt and made our purchase. Before we left Epcot, I called DH to tell them to not wait for us to use the 6:45 fpp, there was no way we’d make it back in time. I told them we would meet up with them at the Fantasmic show. DS12 and slowed our walk back to HS and we even learned about taking the short cut around the Boardwalk pool.
We made it back to HS and as we’re walking up the path to Fantasmic, an announcement is made that there is standing room only! UGH! I called DH and he has seats saved for us. DS12 aka eagle eye, spots our stroller in the sea of strollers so we drop off his bag and we find a bottle of water. Whew! When we walk in and I see the arena, I realize that DH is on the very far left and the CM had just opened a section right at the entrance. So DS12 & I grabbed a seat. We’re about 4 rows back from the lake. I called DH and tell him we’ll meet them at the stroller after the show. I had read and heard so much about Fantasmic so I was really looking forward to it. I wanted to love it but I just didn’t. I just felt that it was very dark. I did like when the characters come out on the boats. But it’s definitely not a show I care to watch again.
Leaving HS was the only time this week that I felt like we were in a crowd. The fenced off walkway to the resort buses was so crowded, that I had to pull back and let the crowd disperse some. Once we made it to the bus line, we met 2 TAs. I want y’all to know that during our conversation, they didn’t share anything about Disney that I hadn’t already read here or been told by my liner friends! You guys are a wealth of information! And although today was full of rookie mistakes on my part, our trip was a huge success!
Up next: Going home day! DH calls an audible and it turns out to be a huge success!
