Disney's Hollywood Studios

So Remember that vacation I took to West Palm Beach and Sanibel Island, Florida in late October / early November? That vacation where I dedicated eh, about 15 posts recapping the family time, the beaches, the magnificent sunsets and of course the dinners and drinks?! Yea, you know the one. The Tour De Florida grand finale as you may recall was a weekend in Walt Disney World. In case you feel so inclined to relive the magic:

Magic Kingdom
Epcot Food & Wine Fest
Epcot Future World
Animal Kingdom
All Star Music Resort

Our time at Hollywood Studios escaped the recap, until now that is! Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park is dedicated to entertainment. It captures the glitz and glamor of old Hollywood through neon, chrome and art deco buildings mixed with modern day architecture. The rides and shows follow a similar theme, based on film and TV productions both old and new. The streets and sections of this park are designed as a movie set capturing the bustling and behind the scenes Hollywood style atmosphere and action.

Must Ride: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith.
This high speed coaster is backed by a soundtrack recorded by the rock legends themselves as you weave through the "LA Traffic" to arrive on time to their concert. We rode it twice!
Must Ride: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™. In this stomach dropping escapade you plunge down the phantom hotel elevator shaft beyond the eerie 5th dimension. Must Drink: Below Tricia & I savor our last Yuengling drafts in the warm Florida sunshine. Must Ride: The Great Movie Ride. Take a guided journey through the set of famous movies scenes, where you land right in the middle of all the action. Why not: Muppet*Vision 3-D. This one proves to be a whacky 15 minute movie among the Muppets Lab.If there's time: Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. This is a walk through attraction featuring a multimedia gallery that tells the story of the man behind the magic and the mouse. One of a kind memorabilia, photographs and audio interviews are featured. Eat at: ABC's CommissaryA standard burger and fries hit the spot for me. Snack on: A Mickey's Premium Ice Cream Sandwich!Must Ride: Toy Story Midway Mania! This was our last official ride at Disney. The 4-D ride features a medely of interactive games with Toy Story characters. Hollywood Studios offers some other worthwhile attractions such as Voyage of The Little Mermaid (wish we had time!), Star Tours (was closed for construction), Studio Backlot Tour (there was talk of, but we didnt make it), Indiana Jones™ Epic Stunt Spectacular! (been there done that, more than once.) Plus, we had a 6pm flight to catch! Our time in Disney was a blast and I would recommend it to Adults of all ages. P.S. Gotta love Chip & Dale!This belated recap finalllly and officially concludes our vacation in Florida. Where should we travel to next?!

All Star Music Resort & Tonga Toast

All this blogging about the Walt Disney Theme Parks, you must be wondering where on earth did I rest my head after riding Expedition Everest four times and drinking in every country imaginable at the World Showcase. Well curiosity aside my friends because I'm here to let you know I stayed in the fabulous All Star Music Resort. All Star Music is one of Disney's value resort hotels located inside the park grounds, however not within walking distance. Guests of Disney resorts receive the benefits of Magic Hours and Fast Pass, as you may have noted us taking advantage of in previous posts! Staying inside the park is key for these reasons alone. The value resort family includes two other hotels, All Star Sports and All Star Movies. All Star Music is the only value resort offering family suites which are advertised to sleep up to six guests. This cheap and affordable option worked well for our group. It was admittedly a bit small for six adults, but since we spent such little time here all we really needed was a place to rest our heads and to shower. (Two full bathrooms were key). Something like this would be perfect for a family visiting with young children. The palm tree lined grounds are pristine and the guitar shaped pool is huge and heated though we never had time to use it. Our suite was located in the "Calypso" building decorated with massive maracas to represent the classic music genre. Other building themes include jazz, country, rock-n-roll and Broadway show tunes. With rates from $82 per night plus tax for a standard room, $190 for a family suite, this bright and whimsical Disney Resort is quite a deal. The resorts central lobby "Melody Hall" is decorated with iconic musician photos and houses the Intermission Food Court, Maestro Mickey's shop and the Note'able Games Arcade.But enough about the hotel! Let's talk about the best brunch this side of the resort gates.
Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort was the first stop on our last day in Disney. We had been neglecting proper breakfasts in lieu of line free roller coasters, but today it was time to get our fill. Two words: Tonga Toast ($10.99)Banana stuffed Sourdough French Toast rolled in Cinnamon Sugar and served with a Strawberry compote and your choice of ham, bacon or sausage. I'm usually one for savory breakfasts. But this was too intriguing to pass up. It was scrumptious and as sweet, with every inch of bread coated in coarse cinnamon-sugar crystals. The compote was a blend of fresh strawberry and yogurt which I drizzled generously over the thickest slice of toast I've ever laid eyes on, stuffed full of pillowy banana. The sausage brought the savory. When visiting Disney World, do yourself a kindness and visit the Kona Cafe at the Polynesian and indulge in the Tonga Toast. I was completely stuffed and ready to take on our last day at Hollywood Studios. Only one more recap of Florida life to go.....

Disney's Animal Kingdom

When it comes to vacation my motto is go big or go home. The Tour de Florida is still alive and well and has a few Disney theme parks left! The largest one offers lots by way of adventure and discovery through expeditions and safaris. The focus is on nature and of course animals who are among you in the plush surrounding park habitats. Our total time in Disney was limited to two and a half days. With Magic Kingdom under our belt, the full second day slotted for Epcot and the third day (where we needed to be at the airport around 4:30) was left for Hollywood Studios. We decided to fit Animal Kingdom in on the morning of the second day before Epcot, taking advantage of Magic Hours (extra time extended to guests staying in the park) which began at 8am. The park opens to the general public at 9am so we had a free hour to basically do one thing before the masses arrived: ride Expedition Everest.
Yes my friends, that Himalayan mountain in the distances houses a roller coaster. At Expedition Everest you board a high speed train and zip through the misty unknown. But beware of the Yeti! You never know when the fierce legend might appear on your expedition. This must ride coaster is located in the Asia section of the park. Walking the streets of Asia definitely transcends time and place. I love the outdoorsy scene combined with the oriental Coca-Cola advertisements, among other appropriately themed architecture and signage.With an under 5 minute wait we managed to ride Everest three times in a row! Since we had plans for one other ride in Animal Kingdom, we picked up a Fast Pass knowing we'd want to return afterward to seek one more thrill line free, before we left for the day. In the meantime was off to DinoLand U.S.A.The other must ride in Animal Kingdom for us was Dinosaur. Aboard terrain vehicles you blast back 65 million years to save the last dinosaur!
The park has a lot more to offer if you can dedicate a full day, from The Kilimanjaro Safaris to the Wildlife Express Train, to the It's Tough to be a Bug 3D Show housed in The Tree of Life. I have experienced most of these on a past trip, so I didn't mind passing this time around. I wouldn't have minded riding the Kali River Rapids, except for the fact that it was a chilly morning and whitewater rafting in turbulent waters would have proved for a miserable start to the day. Adventure awaits at Animal Kingdom so be sure and check it out if you plan a trip!

Epcot: Discover The Wonder

As enamored as I was with Epcot's World Showcase and the Food & Wine Festival, I had a blast exploring the rest of the park. Epcot offers some of the best rides in Disney, many of which were not around when I visited ten years ago. As we finished the our beer and wine the group headed to Future World to redeem our Fast Passes and check out some of the other attractions.
Must ride: Soarin' - an exhilarating rush on a free flying hang gliding adventure.My best advice would be to get a seat in the middle, if you can. Soarin' is definitely one incredible ride.
Must ride: Mission SPACETap into your inner astronaut as you blast into space without leaving Earth.
I was fascinated with the solar system entrance. Experiencing it is even more fascinating and exhilarating. In fact, this was the majority of the guys favorite ride at Epcot. Must ride: Spaceship Earth. I'd say its a "must ride" as long as the line is short. It's a classic, after all.
See yourself in the future as you ride, play, create, compete and explore inside the parks amazing icon.
Drunk smiles all around....I snapped a photo of our photos on the screen in front of us in our car. They were too funny not to!If there's time: The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Board a 'clamobile' and join your undersea pals on a quest to find Nemo. If there's time: Journey Into Imagination - a journey that will engage the imagination and senses. Must see (?): Captain EO - A 3D film that follows Captain EO (played by a young Michael Jackson) and his crew on a mission to rescue the planet through the gift of music, dance and light. I could have passed on this to be honest, but I was the minority (read: the only one). I do understand going in light of MJ's death, but I got nothing out of this whacky movie that does not even incorporate real MJ songs.
Must Ride: Test Track - Aboard a GM vehicle you speed through a racetrack on the fastest attraction in Disney history!

Epcot is just as fascinating, if not more so than I remember it. After this vacation, my childhood favorite Disney Park remains at #1!!