I‘ll admit, I don’t spend nearly as much time in Hollywood Studios as I do some of the other parks. But that’s not to say that I still don’t have favorites and things I try to make sure I do when I make it to the park. Now that they have Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge, as well as the new Mickey and Minnie ride, there is a lot more to do there. Here are my current favorites, since it has been a hot minute since I’ve been able to go to this park.( Side note, I did go to the park back in January but we were there all of a half hour before we got rained out and decided to leave)
Favorite Ride– Tower of Terror! I mean who doesn’t love a good trip on the Tower of Terror. I think this may be my favorite ride in all of Disney. I love the queue of this ride, and walking through the hotel lobby, I love that you never know how many drops and lifts you’re going to get, the story behind it all. It just is a great ride.
Favorite Shop– Mickey’s of Hollywood. I wasn’t quite sure which shop I was going to go with for this one. I don’t do a lot of shopping when I’m at Hollywood Studios, so I can honestly say, I had to sort of research this one out. I went with Mickey’s of Hollywood because this is the store that pretty much has all the different types of merchandise you could want. It’s easy to find all your souvenirs here, so that’s the reasoning behind my pick.
Favorite Show/Parade– Citizens of Hollywood/ Osborne Family Lights. For this one, I went with a past and a present, because the Osborne Family Lights should still 100% be around in my opinion. I love the Osborne Family lights, the music, the dancing, the feeling you get when you hear the songs, it’s just an amazing time. I’m so sad that it’s gone, and really hope somehow we can find a way to get it back to Disney in some capacity. For my present favorite, it would have to be the Citizens of Hollywood. These folks are a riot, and if you ever meet them on the street, or catch some of their shows, you definitely have to stop. How they are so quick on their feet, and come up with the material, and really stick to their characters is awesome.
Favorite Snack– Mickey Ice Cream Bar. I know you can get these in all the parks, but I really couldn’t think of any other snack at Hollywood Studios that I get often, or enjoy, and you can’t go wrong with the classic Mickey ice cream bar.
Favorite Quick Service Restaurant- Back lot Express. Another category where I really sort of had to think about, and do a little research on, because again, we never really go to Hollywood Studios, and when we do, we aren’t there a super long time, so I didn’t have a lot of choices I could really call out as a favorite. I went with a timeless one, the back lot express. You can get your basic american fare food here, so there isn’t a whole lot of specialty going on, but they are nice meals.
Favorite Table Service Restaurant– Sci Fi Dine in. Now this one I had no doubt in my mind about. I absolutely LOVE the Sci Fi Dine in restaurant. The food is good, it’s somewhat a step above theme-park basic food, but it’s always cooked great and tastes wonderful. My love for this restaurant falls on the ambiance of it. You get to sit in cars and feel like you are at a Drive-In movie, watching Sci Fi clips and ad’s. It feels like it’s dusk/night time, so it just makes you really immersed in it all. Either it’s becoming more popular, or they just don’t do as many reservations, because it’s been harder and harder to get a dining reservation the last few times I’ve tried.
Favorite Character Meet– Hollywood Studios is one where I honestly haven’t met a lot of characters. So with that, out of the few I have met, Vampirina is going to be my favorite. My daughter is a big fan of Disney Junior, so it was fun to see them interact, and they both had pigtails so it was almost like they were matching. Super cute!
After reading over this list, I have got to go back to Hollywood Studios and give it more of a fighting chance to have some decent favorites.