Spring Break Day 2: Disney's Hollywood Studios

The order in which we visited the theme parks was not exactly random; we consulted a Crowd Calendar at Undercover Tourist on the crowd levels at the various theme parks on different days, and visited theme parks on days where they were supposedly not so crowded. By the end of our trip, we still had no idea if the Crowd Calendar was not accurate, or the large crowds and long queues we encountered were already considered low.

Walt Disney World Resort is HUGE. Besides the theme park, the resort comes complete with hotels, a Downtown littered with restaurants and pubs, and a free transport system including buses, monorail and ferries that takes people in between hotels and the theme parks.

As the title implies, the first theme park we visited was Hollywood Studios. Our journey there was long, having to take two buses to reach the Disney Ticket and Transportation Center, then a free Disney bus to Hollywood Studios. We were tired out by the time we reached there, and the day had just started!

No prize for guessing which is the flagship theme park among them.

At the Ticket and Transportation Center. Besides driving, bus is the only way into the Hollywood Studios.

Landscapes of Walt Disney characters were common around all Disney theme parks.

At the entrance!

Random Disney employee greeting us with Mickey Mouse.

Crowd levels were manageable that day.

One of many mobile performances that ran around the park.

After a quick lunch we were just in time for the first performance: Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!

Basically it was a show explaining how stunts were done in Hollywood movies.

Omg the stage opened up to more props!

Showing us how explosions were coordinated in movies.

Immediately after the Indiana Jones show it was a rush to our second show: Lights, Motors, Action! Exteme Stunt Show.

This time round it was a show explaining how car stunts were done in Hollywood.

Cars' Lightning McQueen appeared too. It didn't do any stunts other than raising and dropping its suspension though.

Drifting, doughnuts, driving on two wheels, explosions etc. All ingredients of a typical car chasing scene.

After the show we went for the first ride of the day: Toy Story Mania! 

Basically a little shooting game.

Fortunately we went in early; by the time we came out, waiting time had ballooned to 110 minutes!

After that we went for Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage. I fell asleep halfway though, not because the show wasn't good, but because I was too tired. Haha.

Next ride: Star Tours, which is a motion simulator ride. Just outside the ride, a little Jedi Training Academy for kids.

As usual, Stormtroopers.

After that we went to Muppet*Vision 3D.

I was never quite a Muppets fan, although I loved the movie and the humour. There was no lack of it in this show.

The Great Movie Ride, which brought us through some of the famous movie scenes in history, many which I had no clue of.

Halfway through the ride, our guide was kicked out of our ride and this 'gun'-toting actor took over her job.

Ended our day there with Fantasmic, a 25 minute nighttime fireworks and water show.

Various Disney characters.

Entire show concluded with fireworks, which I didn't really manage to capture on my camera.

Day 2 started and ended on a slightly low note; it was a day of more shows than rides, which was what Hollywood Studios was about anyway. Hollywood Studios was a nice place, but it might not appeal to those seeking thrills and excitements. The good thing, however, was that our stay in Orlando would only get better as we went to the other parks!

Spring Break Day 2: Disney Hollywood Studios