Hollywood Studios - Allison's View

Hollywood Studios is one of the two parks that I have barely an inkling about.  I've been to EPCOT before, and Tokyo Disneyland, which I imagine at least to be similar to the Magic Kingdom.  Also, of course, Tokyo Disney Sea.  I have no idea what to expect at Hollywood Studios - I hope it's kitschy-fun movie-star-themed almost ridiculousness!  I imagine cast members strutting about with feather boas and cigarette holders, with a lot of shiny things around.

I have to say I am very excited about the Rock'n'Roller Coaster!  I love thrill rides - the faster and twistier the better!  (My all-time favourite roller coaster is the head-first, flat-on-your-stomach Tomb Raider at Canada's Wonderland - am I allowed to say that here?)  My only fear on this roller coaster is that Chris might barf on me.  Do you think he'd be mad if I wanted to ride in separate cars?

I'm also really looking forward to the Tower of Terror.  We rode it at Tokyo Disney Sea in 2009 and it was terrifically terrifying.  I heard the one at Walt Disney World has even more tricks up its sleeve!  We rode it twice at Disney Sea, and if Hollywood Studios is indeed one of the least popular/smallest parks, perhaps we'll have a chance to do it twice, or even three times, here!

Hollywood Studios

I get the idea that among Disney purists, Hollywood Studios is the least favourite park.  Its creation is often described as a reaction to Universal Studios, and many say that it's really not well organized with any real theme.  When Epcot and Animal Kingdom were opened there was an instant sense of what was going on at these parks; Hollywood Studios has had to evolve a little bit, and it continues to do so.  Other parks seem to add attractions, while HS seems to change them.  It seems however that this park is starting to make a niche for itself as the thrill ride hub for the Disney parks.  I'm not sure how I feel about Hollywood Studios, but I am really excited to see how it's changed since my first visit.

The two attractions that I'm looking forward to most of all on this whole epic adventure are found at Hollywood Studios.  The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and Star Tours are rides that I just don't want to miss.  The Tower of Terror I'm fairly familiar with, but Star Tours has recently updated itself and apparently it's a totally new ride.  Also at this park is one of the rides that I'm most undecided about, the Rockin' Roller Coaster.  It looks like a really great fun ride, but it also looks really intense, and I'm not sure how my stomach will take it.

Food wise I wouldn't be upset if I made another visit to the Sci-Fi Dine in Theatre Restaurant.  I went the last time I visit the Studios, and it was a really fun time with some great food.  I'd also be interested in trying the Cobb Salad at the Brown Derby as well, since it's a classic dish in the culinary world.  Other than that, the food at Hollywood Studios seems fine, but nothing really sticks out as a must try.

When it comes to the shows, a visit to the Muppet's Theatre is an absolute must.  I've seen the show before and it was one of my favourite shows in the whole park.  There are a few other shows at the park that I wouldn't mind seeing, like the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, and the Lights, Motors, Action show.

When I visited Hollywood Studios in the past, I remember it as being full of fun rides, but also full of empty spaces.  I always thought of this park as being very big with small attractions.  I also remember the general theme of the place to be a little scattered, but it didn't really bother me that much.  Some people call this a half-day park, but I think it deserves a full day, maybe even two.

EPCOT - Allison's View

Ah, EPCOT, the one DisneyWorld park I actually experienced!  It was the day after my sister's Disney-rific wedding, and so she gave her "Slave of Honour" a half day off to enjoy some Disney good times!  I went with one of my sister's friends, and my cousin.  We rode rides, we danced with Moroccan dancers, we learned about the insides of our bodies, and we ate Mexican food.  That's all I remember.

So now, I'm totally looking forward to a long, leisurely day (or two, even!) at EPCOT!  There's so much more there than I got to see before.  And it will be nice to do it without the jet lag (I'd come straight from living in Japan only five days or so beforehand).

Secretly, the nerd in me is really excited about the "Behind the Seeds" special tour.  I'm not much of a gardener, which is why I think the science of gardening is so fascinating for me.  It's like this mysterious world that I catch a glimpse into once in a while, and now it'll be time to take a Disney-style glimpse!

Chris is right about me not wanting to go to EPCOT first.  I have this travel philosophy that I don't like to go back to places I've been before, as there are so many other places I could be visiting that I've never seen!  The rule is not set in stone - I've been some places multiple times, especially some do-overs with Chris - but the least I can do is give the philosophy a nod by not running straight to the only WDW park I've already experienced.  It's nice to do something - anything - else first!

Food-wise, I'm looking forward to the Norwegian bakery, the Japanese teppan-yaki place, and the French restaurant.  I have a feeling we're going to be visiting EPCOT for food a lot. :-)

Epcot

Epcot (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) is often referred to as the "educational theme park" of Disney World.  While it has a few fun rides, it does move at a much slower pace than the other parks.  It also does offer more in the area of learning than the other parks.  I wouldn't say that it forces education down your throat, but there's a good chance you might learn something while visiting Epcot.

Attraction wise I think Soarin' is something I really don't want to miss.  It's a hang gliding simulator that flies you over California with just about all of your senses being assaulted (in a good way). I'm a big fan of the flume ride at the Norway pavilion as well.  I'm also interested in seeing what they did to the Living Seas pavilion since I last visited.

Of all of the parks in Disney World, Epcot is the park I'm most looking forward to eating in.  With the world showcase we should be able to sample some foods from many different countries.  I'm most interested in the Moroccan pavilion since I can't honestly say that I've eaten Moroccan before.  Many of the other pavilions might be fun as well, particularly if it's a place we've visited.  We can compare and enjoy the memories of our visit to these countries.

The shows in Epcot aren't really the same as the shows at other parks.  They don't seem to really have any Broadway style theatrical performances, just small shows all over the park.  I like the idea of just walking around and bumping into entertainment, rather than having to wait in line to go into a theater.  I'm not sure if this counts as a "show" per se, but in the Japan pavilion they have a girl named Miyuki that makes awesome candy art that I'm really keen to watch her work.

I think this might be the park I've visited most of all.  This is also the only park that Allison has visited in Florida.  Because it's the only park she's been to, she's informed me that in no way are we visiting this park first.  Not that she doesn't like it; she just wants to be sure to see at least one other park on this adventure.  I seem to remember this park having a really nice relaxing vibe about it, so I think on a day where we want to walk around and not rush around too much, Epcot will be perfect.

The Magic Kingdom - Allison's View

Unlike Chris, the Magic Kingdom will not be an adventure in nostalgia for me... I've seen it, I've been close to it, but I've never actually been inside.  The closest I ever came was Tokyo Disneyland - with my friends Yuriko, Mikiko, Tsuyako, and Mami-chan.  What an amazing day of fun that was!  Perhaps the Magic Kingdom will stir up some fond memories of that day.

Without the nostalgia factor, I'm a total Magic Kingdom blank slate!  There are so many elements of it I'm familiar with, but it's still this exciting unknown to me.  I've been on Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain and even Splash Mountain in Tokyo, but the idea of experiencing these at Walt Disney World is so cool!

 I want to try all of the rides (except the teacups - without Chris, what's the fun in riding a ride that's meant for spinning your friends around?) - everything from Space Mountain to the Carousel of Progress.  The best part, though, I think will just be the experience of it all - the parades, the atmosphere, Cinderella's castle, the other people there to have fun, and a whole bunch of Cast Members who are there to help us have fun.  And they speak English!  That is going to be a real treat!

Speaking of treats, that turkey leg sounds unbelievable.  In my imagination, it has become gigantic.  I can't wait to finally try one!

The Magic Kingdom

The magic kingdom is really the flagship park in the Disney World complex. It was the first park to open, and it contains the most pure Disney character based attractions. If you can only visit one park in all of Disney World, this is the one. But you wouldn't be alone, because according to many statistics I’ve read, the Magic Kingdom is the busiest theme park in the world.

The attractions at the magic kingdom are the classic Disney rides you know and love. When I visit the Magic Kingdom I'm interested in nostalgic rides more than thrills. I'm also interested in some of the updates that have happened since I last visited. Since I've been there the Haunted Mansion and Fantasyland have both had some major upgrades (the Fantasyland upgrades aren't even finished yet). I'm also looking forward to some of the classic rides, like the three Disney mountains (Big Thunder, Space, and Splash), and my childhood favourite it's a small world.

Much like the rides at the magic kingdom, the food options I'm most looking forward to are the ones that give me a sense of nostalgia. I'm certainly not looking for fine dining at the Magic Kingdom; instead I'm more focused on a Mickey Mouse ice cream treat. Allison's focus at the magic kingdom food wise is their famous turkey drumsticks, something I'm probably going to sample (from hers) but I don't think I can handle one on my own.

As far as shows go at the Magic Kingdom, I'm not really too excited about anything in particular. The only exception is probably the classic Electro Land  light Parade, mostly because it is a classic piece of nostalgia. I'm also looking forward to the light and fireworks shows in the evenings, only because the innovation they put into these shows is always legendary.

The magic kingdom holds a certain place in my heart because it was the first Disney park I'd ever visited. I was about 8 years old, and it followed my first ever plane ride. I have only a few memories of this visit, some good, like meeting characters, others not so good, like riding the tea cups. I've been back a few times since, and each time I've come home with a smile on my face.

Feeding Ourselves

It used to be that Disney was simply filled with food stands selling standard carnival/Americana type foods.  The quality was there, but the variety was lacking.  Today Disney world has become well known for the variety of restaurants available, and even boasts some world-class eateries.  Best of all they managed to do this without simply eliminating the classic treats you’d expect.  Needless to say the challenge of Disney World is not finding a place to eat, instead it's trying to pick which place you want to eat.

After reading several websites dedicated to the food at Disney World you start to find some meals and treats you don't want to miss.  So the first goal is to list some of theses treats and keep track of where to find them. The intended plan is to pick up all the meals and treats as we visit each park, but that's not really that simple.

The first problem about trying every restaurant and snack item at each park that we want is all the parks are not equal. Some parks have great snacks, but not so many meal options; other parks may have many lunch choices, but almost no dinner options. So you may find yourself in a park stuck with a dinner that's OK, but at another park there's a million dinner options.  The best example of this difference is between Epcot and Hollywood Studios.  While Hollywood Studios has a couple of OK meal selections, for the most part it's just a lot of the standard American food.  Epcot on the other hand has such a huge selection of food options that it holds an annual food and drink show.

So even if we manage to pick out nice meals at all of the parks, we can't forget the resorts.  So many of the resorts have amazing restaurants in them, which are exclusive and found nowhere else in Disney World.  So if you want to sample something from a resort, you may have to leave a park for lunch and come back. I'm not too sure if we'll have time for many of these adventures without missing out on park attractions.

While the first two problems aren't really that big a deal, making sure we have reservations is.  I've read that some of the more popular restaurants can be filled up 180 days in advance.  Since neither Allison nor I are experts on all of the restaurants, we're never really sure where to book something.  All the advice we have is from Disney food websites, and that can be difficult.  Some food writers have different tastes than Allison and myself, and it's not like we have any range of comparison since most of these writers only write about Disney food.

I think our plan so far is to pick a few of the popular restaurants and make a reservation.  We most certainly want at least one character dinning experience as well.  Other than that we'll hunt and peck, and hope that we have some great meals.