A Note on Toy Story Mania: This is another FastPass must! Wait times for this are usually quite long, but completely worth it if you happen to end up waiting. We love this ride!!
Hollywood Studios is not short on Character Meet & Greets, so we spent some time hanging out, playing and dancing with a few friends. Like Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars ...
Mike & Sully from Monsters, Inc.
Princess Sophia
Buzz & Woody
And Phineas & Ferb
You may have noticed that we are all wearing Frozen-inspired clothing again today. :) For Christmas, my parents gave our family tickets to a Special Event happening at Hollywood Studios called The Frozen Premium Package. This event required an extra ticket in addition to our park ticket, that included entrance into the Dessert Party with special seating for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights (Wait til you see the pictures from this!), a commemorative lithograph and pin, as well as reserved seating "For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration".
I'm sure many of you are thinking, "Really!?! More Frozen!" But I can honestly say this ranked among our Top 10 favorite things from this trip. The preface of this show is that the Royal Story Tellers were there to give you a lesson in the history of Arendelle. They were hilarious!!
It was a perfect mix of jokes for the kids as well as a few directed specifically toward the parents. :) For example, "Here's the song everyone has been waiting for, especially all you Dads...."
:) There was a large screen that played the movie clips with the corresponding song in the background. And yes, we ALL sang along with each of the songs as loud as we could. It was fabulous!
Alas no Frozen experience would be complete with out Elsa & Anna ...
I will not lie when I say that I got a little misty-eyed during the finale when Elsa actually made it SNOW in the theater. (Yes, it was real snow!)
I would recommend this show to anyone heading to Hollywood Studios. We loved it so much that we went to see it a second time later on in the week. Amazing!
Hollywood Studios is obviously designed around movies: how they are made, tricks of the trade, etc. And it showcases some of the most memorable and influential films ever created. Walking down Hollywood Boulevard and the Streets of America, you may see pieces of some of these amazing films intertwined into the scenery. After our many trips, I was finally able to find one that I had read about countless times... the umbrella from Singing in the Rain starring Gene Kelley. Apparently, there is a special spot that you can stand on and it rains all around you. Unfortunately, we couldn't find "The Spot", but I was tickled just to find the umbrella!
The boys then headed to ride Star Tours while Miss B & I went to see The Voyage of The Little Mermaid. We met back up in Animation Courtyard where we decided to visit the Animation Academy. We all enjoy drawing, so we were excited to get to learn how to sketch a Disney character from one of the Pros. (Bet you can't guess who C wanted to draw.)
We had never done this before either, so it was a treat! Each of us were given our own drawing stations and the instructor walked us through the steps of how to draw Eeyore.
It was a great experience!
After class, Honey went up to the instructor and asked about how to draw Chip n' Dale. (Have I mentioned that they are my ALL TIME FAVORITE characters?) He took out a fresh piece of paper & in a matter of seconds (literally!) had created a masterpiece that he was kind enough to sign and let me keep! (squeal!) Now I just need to find a special place to put it (hmmm....)
Because of our Dessert Party later on, we made reservations for an early dinner at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant. So off to eat we went . . .
This is a dinner & show, so to speak, set up like a 1950's drive-in theater. No matter what time of day, you dine under the stars seated in a classic car-shaped booth while watching clips from various B-rated Sci-Fi movies of the 50s & 60s. It's definitely an experience to be sure! We have been here before & enjoyed the atmosphere as well as the All-American cuisine, complete with burgers and milkshakes to die for! Our kids enjoyed it, but it may not be for those with younger kids due to the nature of the movies. It's Disney, so nothing gory or gross ... think the REALLY old Godzilla movies & you'll get the idea. :)
We finished eating just as the sun was about to set, so we headed over to the Streets of America to see the switch "flipped" that turns on all the holiday lights that make up the wonder that is The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. I say "wonder" because it is MILLIONS of Christmas lights and decorations that are set to music that cover the entire street from top to bottom. Not to mention, it snows there as well. :)
The story behind the light show is that the Osborne family set up an elaborate lights display every holiday season, which grew in size every year. In 1995, the family decided to share their "Magic" and Disney made it a special part of their holiday celebrations for all to see. These pictures don't even do it justice!
At long last, The Frozen Dessert Party was about to start. Cue the fanfare....
We walked through the gates at the end of the Streets of America to a special area designed and decorated especially for the party. It was truly a sight to see! And it had the most amazing view ...
We picked up our goodie bags, complete with 3D glasses that turned each little light into the shape of a Mickey head. Unaware of this little extra, included in our gift from my parents were glasses that turned the lights into little snowmen. Great minds think alike!! And so much fun!
There was every kind of dessert that you could imagine! From cupcakes to chocolate mousse, eclairs to creme puffs and don't forget the infamous Mickey Ice Cream Bars! YUM!
There was also a bar that served kid-friendly beverages that included soda, water, and sparkling juice as well as adult beverages like champagne and beer.
Everything had a Frozen inspired name and was displayed perfectly according to theme of the movie. Too say we enjoyed ourselves would be an understatement! Did we eat too much... Yes. Was it worth it ... Definitely!! Thank you Mom & Dad/Grandma J & Grandpa B for such an unforgettable gift!! It couldn't have been more special than if it was sealed with a kiss . ..
It takes place in an outdoor amphitheater with amazing special effects, lights, lasers, pyrotechnics and 1 million gallons of water. All combined to create the perfect atmosphere that makes you feel as if you are entering into Mickey's dreams. It all starts off sunshine and roses until the Evil Queen, from Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, brings together the other Disney villains to turn his dreams into a nightmare.
But of course, Mickey's imagination can't be turned evil & he inevitably saves the day!
Where he's then joined by his friends in celebration . . . (The number of Characters included in this show is unbelievable, which is one of the reasons I think I like it so much!)
I love absolutely every single minute of it! It's "Fantastmic"!
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