Bricker Family Disney World Trip Report — Pt 3
After a great second day at Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios was the next stop on our Walt Disney World vacation with my parents. I know the question on everyone’s mind right now: could DHS pull off a tremendous “upset” victory, and somehow surpass our exceptional Epcot experience???
No, of course not. Don’t be crazy. As I shared in our “That’s a Wrap!” tribute post, the Disney-MGM Studios was my parents’ favorite park when I was younger. We spent an inordinate amount of time there, even as the fledgling park was trying to find its footing.
The era of the Disney-MGM Studios ended some time ago, and if I were to name off the studios’ attractions that most stick in my memory from childhood, almost all of them now fall in the extinct category. While most Disney fans lament the loss of EPCOT Center classics, I’d say the changes at Walt Disney World’s third gate have more profoundly changed it…
While the entrance is the same, this is not the same park that opened in 1989.
The key difference between it and EPCOT Center of yesteryear is probably that nothing that’s truly a classic has disappeared at the Studios. Sure, the loss of the Backlot Tour is significant, but the way it was slowly neutered over time made that less impactful than if it were to suddenly close overnight.
Other favorites of ours, like SuperStar Television, fizzled out over time as they were not refreshed with new source material.
While I look back at these two attractions fondly (and even weird stuff, like shows featuring Dick Tracey, Goosebumps, and the Rocketeer–note that these were all separate shows…although it would’ve been pretty cool if they were somehow integrated into one), I don’t feel the same sense of loss for them as I do the original Journey into Imagination at EPCOT Center.
Moreover, for many longtime fans, I think there’s a sense of optimism with Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Investments in the park are long overdue, but they’re finally happening–and on a large scale.
Aside from the hardcore folks who feel Star Wars has no place in Disney parks (nevermind the fact that ship sailed with the 1987 opening of Star Tours at Disneyland), most people are optimistic about the direction Disney’s Hollywood Studios is going.
Suffice to say, even though Disney’s Hollywood Studios is in that awkward teenage phase (nevermind that it’s older than a teenager…I guess you could say it was a ‘late bloomer’ 😉 ), I’m still pretty enthusiastic about its future.
That contrasts with Epcot, where I think most fans (myself included) are desperately clinging to the past, knowing there is no brighter future. (At least as far as our interests are concerned.)
Okay, so that’s a pretty heavy introduction. How about a bit of levity with the above photo?
I had run off from everyone else. My parents were shopping and I think Sarah was getting coffee. I saw an opportunity to photograph a beautiful sky with low crowds.
So, I set my camera on the ground, angled up with the fisheye lens attached. There was only one problem, which I’ll let you discover for yourself… (Actually, the photo wouldn’t have been any good regardless, so I guess there were multiple problems.)
Having no success with that photo, I headed off to the side for a unique side view of Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
This was probably the first time in 3-4 years that we’ve gotten the Cowboy scene on Great Movie Ride. With rumors of the Great Mickey Ride replacing Great Movie Ride, I can’t help but wonder whether this is the last time we’ll ever see this scene.
The Aliens scene used to terrify me as a kid. Now, I chuckle as it startles first-timers. This might seem mean, but I’m sure this made me cry at some point, so consider it “empathy laughter.” 😉
Great Movie Ride is still a must-do for us, but my position on it has softened over the years. If you go through our back-catalog of trip reports, you’ll likely find some ardent defenses of the attraction.
Even in the last 10 years, I don’t think Great Movie Ride has aged well. The TCM deal gave it a temporary shot in the arm, but if the attraction is going to last another decade, it needs a rethinking.
I don’t think it’ll receive that–I think the Great Mickey Ride will come to fruition. While that will be another ‘end of an era’ for the park, it’s probably the right direction, particularly if the replacement does feature Mickey Mouse.
For lunch, we had made a surprise ADR for my parents at 50’s Prime Time Cafe.
This was another mainstay of our family visits as a kid. I don’t recall whether we ate here every trip or if the premise of the restaurant just made it stick out in my head, but it’s one of the more memorable experiences we had on family vacations.
Despite our ADR, we waited forever to be seated at 50’s Prime Time Cafe. This is one of the things I really dislike about this restaurant–long waits seem to be a regular thing.
Some of you asked in the previous installment of the trip report where my dad’s dog goes when we do attractions or eat. The answer is with him.
There are some attractions that either cannot accommodate this, or on which it’d be unpleasant for the dog, but almost all of those would also be unpleasant for him, too, so this tends not to be an issue.
In restaurants, we let them know in advance that we would have a service dog, so they could plan accordingly. Usually, this meant being seated in a corner or away from crowds, which is a win for all parties involved.
On a semi-related note, the previous day at Via Napoli, I had let them know about the service dog at the podium, and they initially tried seating us right by the entrance in a heavy traffic spot. I reminded the host we had a service dog (which was plainly obvious, I was just trying to be polite), who then seated us in a less in-the-way spot, but still in a crowded location, which was particularly odd since half the restaurant was empty and there were plenty of far more out-of-the-way tables.
On another semi-related note, I’ll echo the remarks other commenters made about Via Napoli: our experience with service there has been poor most of the time. I rarely make a note of service in Walt Disney World restaurant reviews since it’s so inconsistent, but Via Napoli is a consistent offender.
I chalk this up to service being fairly poor in Europe, generally. It’s something we’re willing to tolerate because the pizza is delicious. Look at it this way: you’re getting an authentic European experience–poor service makes it just like being there. (Seriously, at a good 75% of table service meals we’ve had in Europe, the server acts like our very presence is a burden.)
As compared to that Via Napoli meal, this food at 50’s Prime Time Cafe was somewhat of a disappointment.
We love the whole experience of 50’s Prime Time Cafe (and would still recommend it), but the food was mostly just okay, and the final bill was over double what our Via Napoli meal cost.
Not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison since we got milkshakes and an appetizer at 50’s Prime Time Cafe, though.
Mom’s Old-fashioned Pot Roast was the highlight of the meal. Perfectly tender, slightly fatty, and great flavor. I’d get this again, for sure.
The chicken was, of course, delicious as always.
We’ll have to update our 50’s Prime Time Cafe Review soon based on this experience…
The meal was ultimately worth the cost, if only to watch my dad interact with our server. As she put on her performance, he ‘matched wits’ with her perfectly.
I told my dad after the meal that through his sterling combination of natural orneriness and penchant for corny dad jokes, he would be perfect for working at 50’s Prime Time Cafe…and he wouldn’t even need to act. (If you want to blame anyone for this blog’s corny comedic stylings, he’s probably the main culprit.)
After lunch, we stopped at a nearby shopping stand, where I snapped this little gem.
DAD, THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR POSTING MY BABY PHOTOS ON FACEBOOK AND TAGGING ME IN THEM FOR ALL MY FRIENDS TO SEE. 😉 On Page 2, we’ll continue with the rest of the afternoon at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and evening at Epcot.
The beginning of this post when you were talking about Hollywood Studios and Epcot not being as good as they used to makes it sound like you really don’t like Disney World anymore. I know that isn’t true, but reading all that negativity really bummed me out.
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Sunshine Seasons is stil one of our favorites, we love the vegetable pita and if we don’t eat it, we miss it. I always pack a lot of stuff for us, but after we ride living with the land we have to eat some veggies!
1. I was wondering if they even still used live actors in the cowboy scene.
2. What you call a problem with that fisheye shot is one of the most awesome things about an already-awesome photo . . . a subtle “signature.”
3. What you politely referred to in Day 2 as “synergy” is what I call Disney’s shameless (but effective) “cross-promotion.” They are the masters of it!
4. ‘Love that photo of your parents by the pickup.
5. I would honest and truly buy a coffee table book of your WDW photos.
Thanks for the kind words! Maybe someday on that Walt Disney World coffee table book. I hope my best days are still ahead of me photography-wise, so look for something around 2071. 😉
I know it’s been gone a long time, but I wish I could share the long backlot tour with my kids because I loved it. Learning about all the behind the scenes stuff fascinated me. I remember the sound studio part with the 3D sound booths was SO cool to me, not to mention the animation tour, etc., and I was 21 at the time.
I remember the diving ladies part of TGMR working and shouting to Chewbacca as he came out of a building to get a photo and he mauled me (affectionately, but not in a weird way).
Our most recent experience at 50s PTC was ok. There were 7 of us, so we sat at the back table, which isn’t fully themed. We could see the others that were, but add a waitress that English was not her first language – her service was fine, but the “act” was 1/8th hearted at best. Nothing against the woman herself, we just were expecting the act to be there. I think a waitress more in tune with the place would have fussed at us about why we had to sit at the kids’ table and maybe next time we’d be at the grown-up table or something, you know?
But at least my son and I could share pulling the rope at Indiana Jones and hearing, “Oy! Stop mucking around with my dig!” (Or something close to that).
Lastly, I encourage anyone going there soon to look at all the little details before they are gone. Look at the back of buildings where you can, look at the names of the businesses and residents, they’re not all tributes.
I miss or will miss things, but think that the future is bright and can’t wait to see the new stuff because imagineering has been hitting so many home runs lately. It will be great even if the focus is a bit different than it was originally.
You do a WONDERFUL job with your writing to bring out the nostalgic feelings. There is something extra magical to being able to enjoy Disney with parents. The love you have for your Dad is really heart warming. I can sit in my living room in California and be filled with emotions from just your words and pictures. Have you ever thought about making documentaries? Your attention to detail and planning accompanied with your storytelling would make for a great fit. And not to make your head TOO big but out of all of the Disney sites when I go to research something I usually Google but then after trying to find what I need on another site I end up coming to your site for the REAL reviews and thoughts. I get the feeling sometimes your truths are not always the most popular but in the end the truth always wins out over rose colored glasses and half truths.
Thanks for the kind words. Personally, I don’t think I’d be good at making documentaries, so I’ll leave that to others. 🙂
I realize that some of my opinions are unpopular, and are not well received as a result, but I think/hope regular readers understand that I’m sharing my honest opinion on whatever topic I cover (and the bases for said opinion). That way, even when there’s disagreement, people get why. It doesn’t always work out that way, and my style might be a turn-off for some readers, but it’s impossible to please everyone.