The Disney Parks - Magic Kingdom & Hollywood Studios
We bought a 14 day ticket that covered Disney Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. We had scheduled in the days we would visit each park and this was largely driven by the fast pass bookings that our friend had organised. 30 days before you arrive you can book up to three fast passes for a particular park although they are limited and it gets very busy. It’s a little complicated but that’s where I can help so if you are going to Disney and want more advice on this then get in touch and I can go through it all.
Our daughter is type 1 diabetic and cannot stand in a queue for too long as this affects her blood sugar levels, So on arrival at our first park, Magic Kingdom, we proceeded to guest services who were extremely helpful and issued us with a Disability Access Service (DAS) pass, this allowed our party to use the fast pass lane for most rides. When we arrived to pick up our 14 day passes at the entrance to Magic Kingdom, we purchased a ‘magic band’ (approximately $15 each but well worth it – we linked our memory maker photos to this but again, too much to explain here so come and see me for more info!) Our DAS pass was also linked to the magic bands which made life so much easier.
Magic Kingdom: The only place to start really, it’s what makes Disney, Disney! The first thing to do was to arrive and get parked up. $25 for the days parking but that ticket was for the whole day so you could come and go as much as you wanted or visit the other 3 parks that are linked to each other. Once parked up you get either a monorail of ferry to the park entrance. We travelled on both and either way is quick, easy and not too busy. When we got through the entrance, the magic unfolded! There is nothing that says Disney more than the castle and to walk up the boulevard with singing, dancing and music everywhere. So I purchased the obligatory Disney ears and started my holiday in style.
We went on several rides including thunder mountain (very fast and bumpy), seven dwarfs mine train (just as fast and bumpy!), space mountain, splash mountain and Buzz Lightyear's space ranger spin (great fun!) We also visited the haunted mansion which was very impressive and the ride was amazing.
The best parts though were the parade and in the evening the show that is projected onto the castle accompanied by fireworks. If you do this, it is advisable to get there early as is incredibly busy and there is literally no room to move. However, as with everything at Disney, the organisation is incredible and the show was well worth the wait. I won’t give you too many details as it really is something you need to witness for yourself.
Hollywood Studios: Hollywood Studios was another highlight, absolutely loved this park. We travelled from the car park on a very long tram and it started off our day brilliantly as the person at the back giving out useful instructions and information actually sang it all! Everyone at Disney is so helpful and cheerful it really does make for a pleasurable experience. It even rubbed off on my usually grumpy husband!
So inside Hollywood studios and we made our way around the various areas. There was a Star Wars event talking place on the stage by the entrance so we bumped into some storm troopers and Darth Vader which was scary. We then headed out to Toy Story land which was brilliant. A real mixture of rides with great fun in Toy Story Mania which is an interactive ‘shoot ‘em up’, a crazy ride on slinky dog and a great take on the classic tea cup rides. It topped it all off by meeting Buzz, Woody and Bo Peep.
The fastest ride there is the Rock n Roller Coaster which is crazy fast! We all absolutely loved it but came off with shaky legs. We also had to put ourselves through the ultimate scare by riding the Hollywood Tower of Tower…. A lift that drops you very, very quickly. We all managed it though, even my 7 year old so very proud of ourselves.
Speaking of our 7 year old, he has been a massive Kermit the Frog fan since he was a baby so we had to go and find Kermit which we managed. We also sat down for the Kermit 3D show which although a little dated compared to the rest of Disney, it was still enjoyable and ticked a box. Of course, I have to also mention Start Wars. The new Galaxy’s Edge area of Hollywood Studios opened a couple of days before we left and it is really well worth a visit. It’s so realistic and very funny walking around being stopped by Storm Troopers and brushing shoulders with Chewbacca! There are new rides that have opened subsequently but the big ride when we were there was the Millennium Falcon. I actually got to fly (and crash) it!
to be continued.....