Hello, lovelies! This post is ridiculously late, but I have happy news. I got my dream job! April was very busy with applications, interviews, Ramadan, etc. so I wasn’t as on top of blogging as I wanted to be, but I’m okay with that. I’m still easing back into this hobby and the best way to keep it fun is to keep it low pressure. Today, I’m recapping our last day of our Disney World Trip back in October for the 50th Anniversary. I recommend reading Day 1 and Day 2 before diving into this one, so I’ll link those below.
Previous Posts;
- Disney Trip Recap 2021 | Epcot Food & Wine Festival
- Disney Trip Recap 2021 | Magic Kingdom 50th Anniversary Celebration
Day 3 // Hollywood Studios & Animal Kingdom
Early Wake Up Call
The three of us set our alarms for 8 AM and gave ourselves 30-minutes to get ready before leaving with the others. Stellah and I were flying back to Atlanta that night, so we packed our bags and put everything in Kat’s car before meeting the others and getting on the bus to Hollywood Studios.
Tower of Terror & Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
So the day before, the three of us decided to skip Tower of Terror because Stellah didn’t want to go on it. Kat and I didn’t care, so we kept it off our itinerary. E was most excited about that ride since it’s her favorite, so Stellah said it was fine if we all headed there first. The line was pretty short because most people were rushing to Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land. The entire time on the ride, Stellah was yelling, “I hate you. I hate all my friends. You all suck.” I had never seen her react to something that way, but after the ride she said, “That wasn’t that bad.” I couldn’t stop laughing because it was a complete 180.
We got in the single-rider line for Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster after that since we weren’t pressed about being in the same cart. This ride was probably the scariest of all of them for me because it’s the only one that flips over, but it’s not that bad because the ride is in the dark, so there’s less anticipation. We all had fun talking in line, but were separated at the end since we were single-riders. After that massive adrenaline rush in the morning, we were ready for breakfast.
Breakfast
I wasn’t feeling very hungry, so instead of getting a giant Mickey Pretzel again, I bought a churro and ate that with chocolate. I also almost bought a banana, but it wasn’t worth the price to me. Stellah, A, and I sat on a bench and ate while Kat and E got Starbucks. We just enjoyed the ambiance of Hollywood Studios and the oldies music. I got super excited when they played the song from the end of Avengers: Endgame.
I decided to grab a banana from another kiosk after realizing we would probably be too busy to grab food for the next few hours and I should fill my stomach a bit. When I went to the kiosk, the man gave me the banana for free! He was so nice.
We also saw a mini-Pixar parade.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Once Kat and E were out, we headed over to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. I had never been on this ride before. The last time I was at Hollywood Studios, the Great Movie Ride was there. I’m kind of sad that they closed that ride since it was one of my favorites, but the new ride is also a lot of fun. It’s a trackless ride like Ratatoulle’s, but I feel like they were able to do more with it since there are so many different elements and settings in the Mickey cartoons. The line for this one was outside, so we were very hot, but we still enjoyed our time in that line because the five of us had clicked so well and talked the whole time. We wished that we could’ve spend more time together.
Star Wars Land
Star Wars Land was immaculately themed. I wish we could’ve spent more time there. We walked around a bit and saw some of the characters performing. We also drank “Blue Milk”, which was surprisingly tasty. The five of us got in line for Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, which is an interactive ride where we control a ship. The theming in the line was amazing! It felt like you were walking through a movie. The five of us played Disney themed heads up the whole time on our phones. It was fun.
The ride has two pilots, two gunners, and two engineers. Since there was five of us, someone from the single rider line came on the ride with us. This is a ride where we control what happens, so we could either fail or succeed at the mission. The ship moved around with the pilots’ controls and would shake every time we’d get shot. The girl from the single rider line said she had gone on it three times and we were the most fun group. We were yelling and laughing the entire time. We succeeded the mission and landed successfully.
Frozen Sing-A -Long
Hollywood Studios has a lot of live shows, but most of them were closed due to Covid to prevent too many people congregating in the audience. They were slowly phasing them back in at the time and Frozen was one of the few that were still open. We checked the schedule and saw we had 15 minutes before the show started, so we headed over to that side of the park. We walked through Toy Story Land, which is also remarkably themed. I wish we could’ve spent the whole day at Hollywood Studios to explore more, but definitely next time.
We starting running near the end because we didn’t want to get there after the doors closed and managed to get in. The show is still very funny and they added a few quarantine jokes. The show was indoors, so everyone wore a mask, but we could still hear each other sing.
Lunch
We headed our separate ways after that. We all hugged and got each other’s contact information hoping to meet up again someday. They headed to Epcot while we found a place to sit and eat lunch. The three of us ate and talked for an hour, enjoying the air conditioning and each other’s company. We weren’t in any rush because there was only one thing we wanted to do at Animal Kingdom and Disney transportation was going to take us to the airport.
Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom was when our feet started hurting. I’m surprised it took this long for it to hit us. I think it’s because I was comparing it to my trip to D.C. a couple of months before, and my feet were in PAIN then. We took the bus to Animal Kingdom and headed straight for Flight of Passage, which is an Avatar ride. It had just opened the last time I visited and had a four hour line, so I skipped it that trip. Everyone says it’s the greatest ride at Disney, and it did not disappoint. The line was under 90-minutes, which was what we expected. The ride is basically Soarin’ on steroids. I can’t really describe it to you. In the movie, there are these flying creatures that the main character rides. We are essentially riding the same thing. We sat in a motorcycle contraption and held on to the handles and we flew through the movie. The ride is five minutes long and well-worth the wait. They put thought into every detail. You feel the wind and water on your face and the motorcycle “breathing” between your calves because it’s simulating riding the animal. It was amazing and lived up to the hype. It was the best ride of the trip hands down.
Magical Express
We headed back to the hotel to grab our bags and get on the bus. I don’t think I’ll take the Magical Express next time because it takes you to the airport super early. I would’ve rather spent more time at the parks then Uber to the airport, but now we know for next time. Also, the bus transport to the airport is currently free. The new CEO is making it that it’s not included with the hotel after this year now that their ten year contract is up, so it probably won’t be an option now. Stellah and I repacked our bags because we came with only our backpacks, so we had to reorganize to put our park bags inside. We hugged Kat goodbye then headed to the airport.
//Thoughts on Covid-19 Protocols (At The Time) & Park Changes
Covid protocols have changed since October, but at the time, I felt fairly safe. We almost didn’t go because cases were rising at the time, but I’m glad we went when we did. Disney was VERY strict about their indoor mask mandate and reminded everyone frequently to follow it. We also had to register which park we were going to each day on the app to make sure the park didn’t reach capacity. I don’t know if they’ve gotten rid of that yet.
I did miss the live shows and parades that are slowly being phased back in. That being said, considering the rides were the main form of entertainment, the lines weren’t bad. The lines were significantly shorter this time around. There were only one or two long lines each day and those were still significantly shorter than before. I’m excited for when all the live shows come back since they’re nice breaks during the day.
I don’t think I’m going to go back again this year now that they’ve lifted the mask mandate. I’ve also heard that it’s super crowded because everyone who postponed their 2020 and 2021 trips are going now. I had assumed that it’d be more packed in October since that was the actual 50th anniversary of Disney World, but the celebration officially ends beginning of 2023 since it’s 18-months long.
Overall, I felt safe. At that point, I had gotten over most of the anxiety I had about going outside after quarantining for almost a year. The strictness of their guidelines helped a lot.
Well, that’s it for now. This trip was insanely fun. We went all out on this trip, staying in a Disney resort, doing the dessert party, the Food and Wine Festival, etc. I always forget how much I love Disney World until I go again. I feel so re-energized after a trip there. I rode on so many rides I hadn’t ridden before and enjoyed all the 50th Anniversary decorations. It was overall just an amazing trip and lived up to our high school expectations.
Until next time! <3
Posts From My Last Trip In 2017