Jedi Training Academy Day
Believe it or not, my princess loving pixies also love Star Wars. Whowouldathunkit?
So, the first mission of the day was to high-tail it to Hollywood Studios before rope drop in order to high tail it to the Jedi Training Academy sign-ups. We got in line to enter well before rope drop, but Jedi training is very popular, naturally. Fortunately, we were able to get a morning time that fit around our other fast passes. Cora was pumped! She could barely contain herself as we waited for her turn.
So, under the watchful eye of a Jedi Master, Cora suited up and learned skills necessary to take on Darth Vader himself. Let me tell you, it's all fun and games until a life-size, menacing Darth Vader who speaks and sounds just like the actual villain comes out from behind a cloud of smoke.
Despite her focus and preparation, Cora politely declined sparring with the big, scary guy. Not that I blame her one bit! I was terrified of that guy as a kid!
Sissy declined to participate in the training academy, but did get in on some speeder bike action.
After that, it was pretty clear that Jackson was once again finished with theme parks. John took him back to the hotel while the girls and I went to our first fast pass of the day, The Little Mermaid. This was also a live show that combined actors and puppetry. It was fine, but in my humble (yet accurate) opinion, the actress who played Ariel took a few too many liberties with the melodies. I mean, nobody can do it better than Jodi Benson, so why try? Amiright?
As we wandered around, we happened upon Daisy. Fabulous - especially since she was not with Donald at Chef Mickey yesterday.
We still had a bit of time before our next fast pass, so we decided to check out the Frozen fun area. The description promised tons of winter fun with real snow. It probably should have promised tons of winter fun with snow cone because that's the consistency of what we were playing in. But, thankfully, my Southern girls have little to compare this snow to. It was a hit with them. Plus, the cast members talked just like Oaken.
We also ran into a few other people you might recognize.
Next up, Toy Story Midway Mania. Super fun! Definitely get a fastpass if you can.
We ran into this guy nearby.
For lunch, awesome Amy got us reservations at Hollywood & Vine. This is where you can dine with the characters from Disney, Jr. The food was pretty good. There was a braised beef dish that was delicious. I'm told the lobster mac n cheese was tasty, too. Just like Chef Mickey, though, the draw is the characters. Presenting:
Jake
Plus, periodically throughout the experience, the characters would 'sing' and dance and start a conga line for the kids to join in. (Because what parent doesn't want their kids running off to join a random conga line in the middle of a crowded and large restaurant.)
On our way out of the park that afternoon, I forced the girls to take yet another photo.
Priceless!
But, I was determined to get our money's worth out of memory maker! Plus, the sorcerer's hat is no longer at Hollywood Studios, so one day they'll thank me for this. Or not. Whatever.
That night, we had big plans. Yiayia and Dado had volunteered to keep all the kids so Josh, Amy, John and I could have a date night.
Y'ALL! Definitely eat at the California Grill at night! It is at the top of the Contemporary Hotel and is considered a signature restaurant. We had the most awesome view of the castle all lit up. Plus, the food was amazing, and the service was stellar. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and attentive. John and I both had the bison tenderloin. In a word, delectable! I very highly recommend the entire dining experience.
After dinner, we hopped on over to the Magic Kingdom for extra magic hours. So.much.fun! I don't know if it was the fact that we were kidless for the evening, but that was definitely one of my favorite times of our trip. The added bonus was that we had been told that John's favorite ride, Haunted Mansion, would be closed for refurbishments while we were there. But, to John's supreme delight, the ride was open. That was our first stop of the night. We also hit up Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Space Mountain before closing down the Astro Orbiter. As we were getting ready to leave we hit up as many photopass photographers as possible before finally hearing The Kiss Goodnight (Disney's version of "Don't let the screen door hit ya...").
Overall, a fabulous day!
1 comment:
I agree. Your description makes it sound like a super-fabulous day. So glad you had such a great time.
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