When I say, “I’m going to the happiest place on earth,” you immediately know what I’m referring to: Disney World! Whether that be Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot or Animal Kingdom, they each have that element of magic you can’t find anywhere else.
I frequent each of the Disney Parks. One of my favorite trips to take with my friends is to Orlando, where we spend the entire day at the park. Just last week, my best friend and I visited Hollywood Studios. After a few visits there, I’ve learned some of the best places for food, drinks and photo ops, as well as the best rides and their average wait times. In the following guide, I’ll walk through each of these and share my best advice.
One of the most important parts of a trip to the parks is the food. Luckily, Disney World has this covered. There are themed concession stands on every corner — not to mention the restaurants and fast-food chains. In Hollywood Studios, most of the stands serve popcorn, Mickey pretzels, Mickey ice-cream pops and other similar theme park snacks (with a Disney twist, of course).
Disney is also currently celebrating their 50th anniversary with different themed treats. During my last visit, I tried the 50th Anniversary Glimmer and Shimmer Blondie, a toffee and toasted coconut blondie brownie with salted caramel buttercream on top. The dessert is decorated with a gold-dusted chocolate “50,” making it not only delicious but also picture-perfect!
For a quick and easy meal, I like to go to the Backlot Express Restaurant, located just behind the Indiana Jones show. Here, I got the chicken tenders and fries — a universal favorite. I did a mobile order, which took only five minutes to be ready. We then sat at one of the many available tables and enjoyed it. This is such a convenient option, though the food is genuinely good. Personally, I always crave American-type food when I’m at the parks (chicken, fries, hamburgers, etc.), and the Backlot Express is perfect for just that.
One of my favorite parts of the park is the Star Wars themed land, Galaxy’s Edge. There are some really cool food and drink options here, including Blue Milk. On my last two trips, I purchased a soda from one of the many stands featuring a rustic-red robot. These sodas — though your common brands like Sprite and Coca-Cola — are in specialty bottles shaped like BB8, the small robot from the more recent Star Wars movies. They are so adorable and perfectly Star Wars! I can’t imagine anything more suited for a fan of the franchise. This is another item great for photos, as it is unique to only Disney.
Disney is not only a great place for food, but for photos. There are numerous photo ops all throughout the parks, including the picturesque signs in front of the attractions. One of my favorite spots is Toy Story Land. It’s bright and colorful and playful. Toy Story Land has life-sized toys to make you feel as if you’re a toy, too!
Another popular attraction-based photo op is in front of the Hollywood Tower of Terror. This staple ride is the face of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Posing for a picture in front of this ride will tell your followers exactly where you are!
My last suggestion is to take photos with the artsy food I mentioned earlier. Food pictures are the trend right now, and what cuter food photo than with a Mickey pretzel or a 50th anniversary blondie?
Last, but certainly not least, my favorite part of the parks is the rides. Here, I’ll highlight a few of my favorites: Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the Aerosmith Rock n’ Roller Coaster and the Star Wars trilogy of rides (Rise of the Resistance, Smuggler’s Run and Star Tours).
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a simulation ride in which vintage cartoon versions of Mickey, Minnie and others venture out on a picnic. This picnic is derailed when Goofy causes an accident. The rest of the ride is a series of jolting scenes in which Mickey and the others try to get the train back on the tracks. This ride is one of my favorites! The ride itself is high-tech and very impressive, and the storyline is adorable. Because this ride is newer, the wait time is typically a bit longer than the average. However, it’s more than worth it!
My favorite ride of all is Aerosmith’s Rock n’ Roller Coaster. I’m a big fan of classic rock as well as high-speed roller coasters! This indoor coaster takes you on a journey in the dark as the band’s most popular songs blare through the speakers positioned next to your head. There are loops and drops and everything in between. This is another popular ride, though much older than Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The line is often intimidating-looking but moves quicker than you’d expect. I always ride this one more than once when I visit.
The Star Wars part of the park, Galaxy’s Edge, features three thrilling rides and a landscape of themed decor from the movies. The newest ride of the three is Rise of the Resistance. This ride has an extremely long line and is often pegged as virtual-cue only. However, this lengthy ride is more about the experience: not only will you find yourself on a quick-paced simulation, but you will go through several rooms uncanny to that of the Star Wars movies. This ride will make you feel as if you are in the story. No matter the wait time, this is a must-ride!
The other two rides in Galaxy’s Edge are Star Tours and Smuggler’s Run. Star Tours is a simulation in which you sit inside a spaceship and feel as if you are racing through space. Smuggler’s Run has six people to a replica of the Millennium Falcon (Han Solo’s ship), in which two people are pilots, two are gunners and two are engineers. This is an interactive ride: You actually have to fulfill your role as you’re sent on a mission. It’s extremely fun and sort of hilarious, especially when the pilots don’t do so well. Each of these rides have medium wait times, but I feel they’re both very much worth going on while you’re there, especially for Star Wars fans!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is my favorite park of the four, though each one holds a special place in my heart. I’m a big ride person, and so I always enjoy myself the most in Hollywood Studios.
I hope this short but informational guide helps you on your next trip — or even motivates you to book one! The experience of a Disney park is unlike any other, and Hollywood Studios is no exception.