A Whole New Post COVID World (Nov. 2021 and Dec. 2021 TRs) UPDATE 2x 3/25/2025

[disneywlf]

Lights, Camera, Action! Disney's Hollywood Studios 12/2/2021 Part 6
About two hours and fifteen minutes after I lined up for Rise of the Resistance, I knew I was nearing the preshow! We then entered the Resistance Control Center, where we were welcomed by Princess (now General) Leia as well as Rey and BB-8, as were helping to fight with The Resistance against Kylo Ren and The First Order.

-Rey:

Soon enough, I was entering a First Order Transport Vehicle!

And then I saw Mon Calamari Lieutenant Bek, who had an appearance similar to Admiral Ackbar, another character from the "Star Wars" franchise.

Then, myself and other park guests were intimidated by First Order Storm Troopers!


Finally, we were loaded onto ride vehicles by CMs who were as intimidating as the Storm Troopers, fitting with the attraction. The ride vehicles held eight guests and once we were loaded, we received instructions from Finn, another member of The Resistance. As we were transported, Mon Calamari Lieutenant Bek, who welcomed us aboard earlier, instructed our droids that we were part of a prisoner relocation program, although in reality, they were just replacing the two occupied guest transports. Once we were on our way, the ride was a lot of fun, as it was a multisensory treat! I felt this way as the ride's many movements as well as the appearances by different "Star Wars" characters immersed you in their world. If that's not enough, the ride's many movements were enhanced by trying to dodge the many Storm Troopers along the way! Once Rise of the Resistance was over, I was very happy, as although I waited a long time to ride it, I truly enjoyed this attraction and felt it was definitely one of Disney's best attractions. At this point, it was early afternoon, but I am not sure what the exact time was. Nevertheless, after all I had gotten done, I felt hungry, so a nice lunch would be in order. Based on the delicious sounding menu as well as favorable guest and critic reviews, Docking Bay 7 would be my next stop.

The menu sounded impressive, however, the Pirjanad Hot Chicken Tip Yip, which consisted of Crispy Chicken, Spicy Chipotle Glaze, White Rice, Relish of Sweet Corn, Shishito Peppers, Jicama, and Plantains, Cilantro called my name, as I found out this meal could be tailored to my allergies to eggs and all grains except for corn and rice based on reading about this restaurant. What's more? I was in the mood for a little spice with my lunch and also thought this meal sounded filling.

Once again, the theming proved to be impressive, as it truly felt like a mess hall within the Star Wars universe. Although I was hungry, I just had a grand old time taking in all of the details!



Once I was at the counter, I was assisted by CM Caracynthia, who was warm and welcoming. As I was placing my order, I mentioned how I would love the Pirjanad Hot Chicken Tip Yip, but was allergic to eggs and all grains with the exceptions of corn and rice. Caracynthia proved to be knowledgeable of the menu and my allergies as well and wasting no time, she got Chef Rafael, who was also outstanding thanks to his proactivity and kindness! He proved to be reassuring, as he said that the Pirjanad Hot Chicken Tip Yip would not really need any modification for my allergies, as the chicken was just coated with corn starch, which I am not allergic to. He did add that it would take an extra couple of minutes to prepare my food, as he wanted to prevent cross contamination of allergens. After putting in my order, he then asked me if I wanted anything to drink? I asked Chef Rafael what drink would go best with my meal and he suggested Moon Juice, thanks to its fruity flavors. Once my order was placed, I then relaxed for a little bit, continuing to take in the scenery of Docking Bay 7.



About fifteen minutes after I ordered my food, I received and was excited to tuck in! I am pleased to report that this meal was excellent, as I loved the chicken, which was juicy on the inside and on the outside, had a crunchy coating enhanced by the piquant and slightly sweet spice of the Chipotle Glaze. Additionally, the fluffy white rice was a wonderful accompaniment to absorb the extra sauce and other flavors of the dish. I also loved the Sweet Corn, which was sweet when mixed with the slightly spicy Shishito Peppers, crunchy Jicama, and sweet Plantains. Additionally, I also loved the Moon Juice, which was fruity, sweet, and refreshing!

All in all, Docking Bay 7 was a wonderful lunch and whenever I am in DHS, it is definitely a top place for a Quick Service Meal in my book! After lunch, I continued to take in a little more of Galaxy's Edge, having the pleasure of watching a distanced Meet & Greet with Rey and Chewbacca!

Although I was loving Galaxy's Edge and would have explored more if I were able to, the day was still young and there was still more to see, so I decided to leave Galaxy's Edge for the time being. Where would I go next? Find out soon!

 

[disneywlf]

Lights, Camera, Action! Disney's Hollywood Studios 12/2/2021 Part 7
After being amazed by Galaxy's Edge, time had run away with me and by the time I had finished checking it out, it was about 3:00PM. My next step was to check out Toy Story Land, which I was excited for, as I love the "Toy Story"franchise and was excited to see it be translated into a theme park. Once I left Galaxy's Edge, I was transformed into the size of a toy haha. This was especially evident by the theming, which used bright colors and scaled toys like blocks and yo-yos into a larger than life scale, making park-goers feel as if they were truly made into the size of a toy.

The theming of Toy Story Land did not stop at the restrooms, which were also built from toys that Andy had. To the left of the photo, I could see the building that housed the restrooms comprised of a Tinkertoy barrel and towards the center and right of the photo, building blocks and Scrabble tiles were built to comprise the building that housed the restrooms.

Since I needed to use the restrooms, I had the pleasure of checking them out and although they were crowded, they were very well kept and very well themed, thanks to red and black checkered floors and crayon tiles on the walls, making for some of the best themed restrooms at WDW! Once I used the restrooms, I continued to explore Toy Story Land and in the distance, I could see one of the tracks of Slinky Dog Dash.

Again, the use of scale as well as the bright colors definitely did this land justice! Looking in the opposite direction, I then saw what appeared to be a discarded box, featuring Mr. Potato Head on the left, a cardboard cutout of The Prospector, Hamm, and Wheezy in a Toy Story Mania ride vehicle in the middle, and Woody on the right making up a portion of the outside of Toy Story Mania.

Looking back towards one of the tracks of Slinky Dog Dash, I saw Jessie and Rex holding a string of Christmas lights as to connect them to multicolored building blocks. This was likely one of Andy's creations and definitely made you feel as if you were in Andy's backyard in the "Toy Story" universe!

Continuing to check out Toy Story Land, I then saw Alien Swirling Saucers, a spinning ride as well as a larger than life statue of the lovable Space Ranger himself, Buzz Lightyear! I contemplated riding Alien Swirling Saucers at this time, but thanks to longer than average standby waits, I decided to put off until close to my return time to ride Slinky Dog Dash.

Since wait times were still high for many attractions, I decided to check out the rest of DHS. As I headed back towards the center of the park, an ad promoting "Cruella," which had come out on Disney+ recently, caught my eye as I thoroughly enjoyed that film thanks to its compelling story exploring the origin of one of Disney's most famous baddies, Cruella de Vil. If that's enough, it had terrific visuals and a rocking soundtrack to boot!

I then saw a building themed to "The Incredibles," which I believed would house a meet and greet?

Back at the center of the park, I then had a grand old time checking out the 50th Anniversary busts, including BB-8 and R2-D2.

Frozone from "The Incredibles"

And Edna Mode, also from "The Incredibles" dahling

After checking out some of the 50th Anniversary busts, I decided to head back to Hollywood Boulevard, as I wanted to check out the parade, which was themed to Pixar, fitting with the fact that there are many Disney-Pixar IPs taking over DHS. Needless to say, I am not sure if any DISers remember it from the 2000s, but the walk-around characters as well as the use of themed automobiles, here in the form of Chevrolet Camaros customized in patterns with their respective Disney-Pixar films brought back fond memories of the Disney Stars and Motorcars Parade, which had walk-around characters and classic cars themed to all different Disney IPs .
Needless to say, I was excited to have memories brought back and in the distance, I could see Mr. Incredible leading the parade, followed by Edna Mode, Sulley from "Monsters Inc.," and the Green Army Men from "Toy Story."

Mr. Incredible!

And Edna Mode dahlings. Talk about making an entrance!

Sulley from "Monsters Inc."

The Green Army Men

Woody and Jessie

And of course, this Pixar themed parade would need be complete without Buzz Lightyear, who had a Camaro themed in a matching pattern to his likeness!

All in all, this parade was a wonderful celebration of Disney-Pixar and although on a smaller scale, it even brought back fond memories of the Stars and Motorcars Parade from the 2000s. The day was flying by, as the time was now getting close to 4:30PM, which would mean that I would have a little less than hour until the beginning of my Individual Lightning Lane return time at Slinky Dog Dash. How would I spend the remainder of my time? Find out soon!

 

[disneywlf]

Lights, Camera, Action! Disney's Hollywood Studios 12/2/2021 Part 8
After having a wonderful afternoon checking out Galaxy's Edge, Toy Story Land, and the Pixar parade, the day had flown by, as the time was now twenty past four. The only other main plans I had for the day were an Individual Lightning Lane for Slinky Dog Dash at about 5:10PM and a Lightning Lane for Mickey&Minnie's Runaway Railway about an hour later. In addition, I would get a couple of other attractions in like Star Tours and Toy Story Mania! before I would end my day. Before I headed toward the aforementioned attractions, I got a photo in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theater .

Thanks to a low standby wait at Star Tours, I decided to make that my next attraction.

I was able to walk on to the attraction in no time!

Although I am not a huge follower of Star Wars as I had mentioned earlier in this TR, this is still a fun attraction all the same! I loved the motion of the simulator, riding with classic Star Wars characters, and fighting off villains like Darth Vader. By the time I had finished riding Star Tours, I made my way back towards Toy Story Land since the return time for my ILL at Slinky Dog Dash was nearing. I passed through the back of DHS, right by ABC Commissary.

By the time I got back to Toy Story Land, the time was nearly 5:00PM and the sun was beginning to set.

Thanks to the fact that the sun was beginning to set, I could see the Christmas lights that Jessie and Rex were holding come to life, adding to Toy Story Land's theming.

Of course, I had to get a picture at the front of Toy Story Land alongside Sheriff Woody

Since my return for Slinky Dog Dash would be good from 5:10PM-6:10PM, I decided to get a ride at Alien Swirling Saucers in. It had a 30-minute standby wait and I was enticed by the theming outside the attraction, thanks to it reminding me of Pizza Planet from the "Toy Story" films.

There was also a lot of theming to the lovable Green Men as well as Buzz Lightyear himself!

In addition to the larger than life Buzz Lightyear outside of Alien Swirling Saucers, the larger than life theming continued with the addition of this toy alien gun in the queue.

The theming of the queue continued to impress!

Although the theming was impeccable, I did notice wear and tear in spots, like along the wall with the mural of this attraction. Namely, the wear and tear was in the form of peeling paint in spots, which was definitely a shame as it is not like at the time of my visit, Toy Story Land was that old, since it was just over three years old after opening in June 2018. Again, this was likely due to staffing cuts and COVID-19, which is a shame as DHS otherwise looked good besides this oversight. Also, this was in no way the fault of the Custodial and Maintenance CMs, as I know they were absolutely doing the best with the circumstances. Anyway, I digress. About fifteen minutes after I lined up for Alien Swirling Saucers, it was just about time to ride!

All in all, while the theming of this ride was elaborate, the ride was more simple in nature. In essence, the ride was a spinning ride, although it moved in a whiplike motion at points. Despite the simplistic design of the ride, it was fun and I would ride it again, but not without checking out the headlining attractions first, like Slinky Dog and Toy Story Mania. After riding Alien Swirling Saucers, it was now time to ride Slinky Dog Dash, which I was excited for as it would be my first time riding it. On my way there, I took in more of Toy Story Land's incredible theming, including structures composed of Tinker-Toys, alphabet blocks, and more!

My excitement grew as I got closer to Slinky Dog Dash!

By 5:32PM, I had arrived at Slinky Dog Dash. Even just looking at the entrance to the queue, my excitement grew thanks to the elaborate theming, which had a queue built from more Tinker-Toys as well as what appeared to be a drawing of Slinky Dog, lending to the impression that you were riding an attraction that Andy had built.

My anticipation only grew higher after seeing Slinky Dog climb up the first portion of the track.

In addition, the elaborate theming continued with boxes from opened toys making up the walls of the attraction.

As I breezed through the Lightning Lane for Slinky Dog, my excitement continued to grow!

 

[disneywlf]

Lights, Camera, Action! Disney's Hollywood Studios 12/2/2021 Part 9
As my exciting day at DHS continued, I was in the Lightning Lane of Slinky Dog Dash, exciting to be riding this attraction for the very first time! As I continued through the queue, my senses were delighted, particularly by all of the buildings being made from what appeared to be open boxes of various toys. I knew I would be onboard shortly, as I was able to see Slinky Dog careening down the track once again.

More elaborate theming from Slinky Dog's queue.

Of course, this ride wouldn't be complete without an artist rendering by Andy himself!

Less than fifteen minutes after I lined up to ride Slinky Dog Dash, it was nearly time for me to ride!

I then had the pleasure of riding Slinky Dog Dash and boy, I had a blast! While it is not the most intense coaster out there, as I would say it is on the level of 7DMT in intensity and just below Big Thunder Mountain, the many turns, dips, and hills along the track as well as the breezy pace made for a fun ride! What's more? There was plenty of eye candy to take in as well, such as towers of Jenga blocks and different Toy Story characters. All in all, I loved Slinky Dog Dash and would be glad to ride it again! However, since I had a little bit of time before my LL at Mickey&Minnie's Runaway Railway, I took advantage and decided to ride Toy Story Mania!, an old favorite! On my way there, the Christmas lights draped across Toy Story Land grew brighter since the sun was almost done setting.

A few minutes after disembarking Slinky Dog, I was about to line up for Toy Story Mania. Since I had last visited Toy Story Mania just under eight years prior to this trip in January 2014, the entrance of this attraction was moved from its former home of Pixar Place and once Toy Story Land reopened, was moved and as a result, got an even more elaborate entrance that looked like the front of a midway.

Although the Stand-by entrance was a 50-minute wait, I did not mind, as I figured the line would move a little bit quicker and I knew the attraction would be worth the wait! While I was waiting, I decided to check for ADRs of restaurants near DHS and when Cape May Cafe popped up, I decided to book an ADR there for 7:55PM, even though the format there changed from buffet to family-style, like Chef Mickey's, as I very much enjoyed eating there on my visits to WDW in January 2014 and January 2016.

The wait went by quickly, as I had a grand time checking out all of the illustrations throughout the queue, including this sketch of Buzz Lightyear.

And looking out towards Toy Story Land. The theming was just as beautiful at night even though it was also incredible in the day.

The vibrant illustrations, the etch-a-sketch that gave tips on how to do well at Toy Story Mania! and drew games, and of course, the animatronics like a wisecracking Mr. Potato Head only whet my appetite for what was to come!

About thirty-five minutes after I had lined up to ride Toy Story Mania, I was finally onboard my ride vehicle and in addition, was donning a pair of 3-D glasses. I loved this ride as much as I had remembered, as I enjoyed how the ride is combined with the special effects that allow you to play carnival games in CGI with your Toy Story pals! I ended up scoring about 70,000 points, which tied with my best score from January 2014. All in all, I was having a delightful start to my evening, but since I was starting to feel a bit tired, I decided to make my way towards Mickey&Minnie's Runaway Railway, which would be my final attraction for the end of this wonderful day!