Our activities during our last few hours in Disney Hollywood Studios involved a combination of things from the past with a glimpse into the future.
About 4PM we headed for Pixar Place to take advantage of our Fast Pass Plus reservations.
The queue is very detailed and a lot of fun to take in while waiting to ride. There are so many references and representations of classic toys that everyone remembers from their childhood.
The animated target game based on popular carnival midway games is a lot of fun. You have to wear 3D glasses which gives the target screens their depth. You use a spring action shooter just like those you might see at an actual carnival.
It took us about 10-15 minutes to get to the front of the FP line. We were split into 2 groups but put in the same car. As you can see from the picture below (not our car) the seats are back to back. Paula and I were on one side and the kids were on the other. That meant we rode back to back so I couldn't see Aria's reaction to the experience.
At the end of the ride you get to see a screen with your scores. Brandi took a shot of their screen. She was player 2 and had the highest score of all of us.
As we exited the Midway Mania building we were all talking about how cool it was.
I now understand why some guests are willing to wait in line for hours for the ride. It's a "must do" for any park visitor.
We walked around Pixar Place for a while and ran into one of my favorite walk around characters from Toy Story.
I already had a picture of me and him together from our 2010 trip. So I thought it only appropriate to have someone else do the honors this time. You know, a kind of "Thank you for your service" type moment.
I am a really big fan of Disney history. In Walt Disney World this is where you find it.
Because of the planned expansion and changes in the park the rumored closing of this attraction has been circling for quite a while. Chances are it's exhibits are going to end up at the Disney Family museum out in San Francisco. So this was probably my last chance to visit it.
I explained my reasons for wanting to see the attraction to my family and they agreed to wait for me to go through.
As I walked inside, Paula and Aria soon followed me. Between the two of us we managed to keep an eye on our granddaughter and take in the memorabilia and models on display. Here are a couple of my favorites:
A scale model of Cinderella's Castle used as a guide during the construction of the Magic Kingdom...
...and an exhibit about the creation of "It's A Small World" with a picture of Walt and costume designer, Mary Blair.
After visiting "One Man's Dream" and heading down Sunset Boulevard to get in line for Fantasmic, we returned one more time to the Animation Courtyard. That's where we saw the "Voyage of The Little Mermaid" show.
This was yet another classic Disney story retold live on stage with live actors...
and, of course, music. Although Paula had seen this show back in 2004, it was the first time for the rest of us.
As I mentioned in my last post, I like any show Disney does with puppets. That includes this one. However having been in "The Studios" for 24 years, it is showing it's age and, in my opinion, is in need of a refurbishment. But it probably won't happen because, I'm not sure it's going to survive the expansion of the park over the next few years.
By this time of the day our buffet lunch had worn off and we were all hungry. We headed down Sunset Blvd and stopped at the food court area on the left side. Although it was crowded and a bit busy, we managed to find a table to sit and eat something.
It was about this time that the fatigue of the day kind of set in for our group. We needed to rest and refuel. We ate our supper and then got in line for the 7:30 Fantasmic show.
After the short walk up the hill to the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater. We found our seats in bleachers on the right side facing the lagoon and gigantic mountain.
For the 2nd time in the day, I got to sit next to Brandi and Aria. However, my grand daughter was busy talking to her aunt on the "Face Time" app and playing with her Nana.
She also met and enjoyed interacting with a little girl who was sitting behind us. Coincidentally, her name was Aria too and she was only about a month or two older than my grand daughter.
James seemed to like that he had met someone his own age to talk to. It was good to see him be the social type person I know he likes to be.
"Fantasmic" was just as good as it was when I saw it for the first time 12 years ago. I love the water screens and Mickey appearing in both his sorcerers' outfit and in his tux.
We had one final event to enjoy before our long day was over. It required us to cross the entire park one more time.
Based on my research I decided that the best place to view the "Symphony In The Stars" fireworks was in front of the Hollywood & Vine restaurant.
Once we arrived back in the Echo Lake area we claimed a spot on the wall in front of the restaurant. But the view wasn't as good as I expected it to be. After doing some solo scouting I moved our group down to sit on some steps near Echo Lake. It was close to where Aria had fed the ducks earlier.
The fireworks show set to the iconic John Williams Star Wars soundtrack were amazing. Although I didn't take any pictures myself, I did manage to find this shot online. With the boat that houses Min & Bill's Dockside Diner in the foreground, it is very close to what was our view.
Our day at Disney Hollywood Studios ended about 8:15. The long walk out of the park to the car made me realize just how tiring the last couple of days had been.
A good night's rest was very much needed. A visit to James' favorite Disney Park awaited us the next morning. The story of our magical vacation continues in my next post.
Coming Up: Going on Safari, the Fab 5, and taking the night off.
