Looking to catch up on our previous days? Check out PART 1 and PART 2. Good to go? Lets get to it!
We split our third day (Monday, April 18th) into two parks; the first half of the day was spent at the marvelous Hollywood Studios and the second half at beautiful Epcot! Once again, things couldn't have gone much better. The weather was warm and sunny and the crowds were relatively minimal!
Right off the bat, I hit up some of the main gift shops. Below are a few more Pixar items I saw that may interest you (if you're heading down there soon).
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| Finding Nemo & Monsters University Pins (Blind Boxes) |
Star Wars: Everything for the Film Fan, is a new gift shop there near the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard. It had a cool retro Hollywood vibe to it. Definitely check it out if you're a fan like I am.
Overall, I was super impressed with how many new Star Wars shops, attractions, shows, etc. have been added since we were there in 2014! Star Wars was just about everywhere; just scroll through this post and you'll see what I mean.
Popped into Starring Rolls Cafe and spotted these Darth Vader and BB-8 cupcakes. Props to Brita for this discovery.
This is a set up for a new Star Wars show that takes place periodically throughout the day. More on that below.
Star Tours time! This was our first time riding it with the new The Force Awakens Jakku experience that they added back in December. I loved it! It might be my favorite of the different planets. It was super cool to see Finn and BB-8 now a part of the ride as well.
(note- we got Jakku every time we road it, so they must have it set up like that currently so everyone can experience it).
The Jedi Training show (now with the subtitle Trials of the Temple) has also been updated since the last time we were there. They revamped the whole look of the outside and added a few more characters to the mix (including Kylo Ren from The Force Awakens and the Seventh Sister from Rebels). Awesome stuff!
The new Star Wars Galaxy, Far, Far Away show is really simple, but I had a blast with it. With character appearances, great photo ops, film quotes/clips, iconic music, pyrotechnics and more, this one is a must see for any Star Wars fan. It runs about eight minutes long and happens several times through each day (watch it HERE).
The Star Wars Launch Bay was one of my favorite new attractions. Inside you'll find character encounters (Chewbacca and Kylo Ren), tons of movie props, behind the scenes info, playable video games, a cantina style area for photo ops (with appearances by hilarious Jawas at random times during the day) and a giant new gift shop called Launch Bay Cargo (with tons of merch and art pieces). I spent a lot of time there and have SO many pictures- I wish I could post them all!
Wait times for Chewbacca and Kylo were pretty reasonable at only about 20 minutes. I also loved how Stormtroopers are often seen patrolling outside in the Animation Courtyard as well.
I may have told Kylo Ren that I would join him. He responded with "excellent." ;)
This food stand (right outside the Animation Courtyard) had some awesome Star Wars souvenirs! Here you can find a BB-8 beverage stein and a Tie Fighter popcorn bucket.
Next up, lunch time at the classic 50's Prime Time Cafe. I grew up eating here when we visited Hollywood Studios, so this place is really nostalgic for me.
Brita got Grandpa's Crab Cake (Lump Crab Cake served on Succotash Salad with Bacon and Chili Sauce - $12) and I got the ever so tasty Dad's Stuffed Pork Chop (Stuffed with Gouda Cheese, Apples, and Herbs served with Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, and Demi-glace Drizzle - $25). YUM! For dessert we got a delectable Pineapple Upside Down Cake ($6).
First Order Stormtroopers and Captain Phasma on patrol! They rule Hollywood Studios with an iron fist and keep all the park guests in line.
Next up some of our all time favorites- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Terror of Terror. Timeless thrills.
A peak at the future Star Wars Land which will be under construction soon! It's in the area where the old New York Street was.
Muppet Vision 3D; a Classic. I hope they're not getting rid of this anytime soon (though I fear its days are numbered).
The Stage 1 Company Store had lots of cool Pixar pencil sketch art pieces and some Toy Story / Cars Ink & Paint Cell prints!
Pixar Christmas ornaments in "It's a Wonderful Shop."
The traditional/obligatory Star Wars speeder bike pic! I've been taking pics on this ever since I was a youngling. :)
Star Wars: Path of the Jedi is a brand new film montage experience featuring footage from all seven Star Wars films (runs about 10 minutes). It's a very simple tribute, but worth checking out.
A quick visit to Pixar Place. Don't worry- we'll be back for much more. And by the way, how have I never noticed (or perhaps just never paid mind to) this cool looking Woody's Roundup area!?
For the remainder of the evening, we decided to take a nice boat ride over to Epcot to spend time at World Showcase. We explored just about every country and every store in detail! It was incredibly fun (we're big fans of Epcot).
Note- this day I was wearing my Monster's Inc. MagicBandits. Check out my full post on those HERE.
We especially enjoyed Japan this time around. Honestly, we've never spent much time there in that country, but we've been missing out. It's really pretty and the giant main store there was intriguing for sure!
Making our way around "the world" and checking out all the amazing Disney character topiary shrubs! Those are always fun to see (Elsa and Anna were added since our last visit).
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| Inside the Mexico Pavilion |
OK, this is called "School Bread" and it's only found in the Norway pavilion at the Kringla Bakeri og Cafe. Brita had heard of this sweat treat being a lesser known cult favorite and she was set on trying it.
It was deliciousness. It's basically just a sweet bread roll injected with vanilla custard, then covered with sweet icing and toasted coconut- but boy is it good. If you can make it there, go ahead and give this a try! Have you had it before? What do you think?
We finished our night riding Test Track with virtually no wait. That was fantastic! Oh and and here's the sick car design we came up with. We totally nailed 2nd place during our ride ;)
Goodnight Epcot! Until next time...
Phew! What a day. Are you still with me? Are you actually keeping on top of our times each day? Well then, look for Part 4 right here tomorrow. Many more times ahead!
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