Our Week In Disney World – Part IV – Hollywood, Here We Come!

We spent our first full day (Mother’s Day) at Disney World in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  We arrived before the park opened and waited for the gates to open.  Our plan was for everyone to walk through the gates, hand me their passes, and then I would run to Fast Pass the Toy Story Mania ride.  The plan didn’t work out quite that way, however.  As we walked through the gates, I collected the cards.  Meanwhile, B and B’s mother were handed flowers for Mother’s Day.  After I had all of the cards in hand, I wound my way through the crowds to the front of the pack.  Then I hit the rope.

Apparently, when they open the park, they don’t *really* open the park.  They just let people in so they can see the opening ceremony.  In it, a "casting agent" drove up with two audience members (possible honeymooners).  He introduced the "director" who drove up in another car.  The director, in turn, introduced us to his "stagehand" and told us that we were part of his latest film.  We were instructed to say our lines and then *WALK* down Sunset Blvd.  He couldn’t stress enough that we would all *WALK* down the street.  At his signal ("1… 2… 3…"), we all chanted "Light, camera, action!"  The two chosen audience members then shouted "Hollywood, here we come!"  The director, stagehand, casting agent, and two chosen audience members drove off and we were allowed to *WALK* into the park.  To make sure no running was involved, Disney employees walked in front of us with their arms outspread.

At one point, I thought I spotted a shortcut and made a break for it.  Unfortunately, I was told by a Disney employee not to go that route.  (Plus, I stepped on a woman’s sandal on the way, causing it to pop off.  I fought the crowds to retrieve it for her.)  After returning to the crowd, I made my way back towards the front.  I got to the Fast Pass and got our tickets just as B and everyone else caught up with me.

Since everyone else was Fast Passing Toy Story Mania, the actual line for it was quite small.  We decided to take advantage of this and go on the ride right then and there.  The entrance/line area was amazing.  Tons of giant toys were scattered everywhere.  Everything from Bucket Of Monkeys to Candy Land to drawings by "Andy."  At one spot was a giant talking Mr. Potato Head telling jokes.  ("I’m a potato.  I comment on things.  I guess you could call me a commentater.")

I got in a cart next to NHL and we went for a ride.  It was NHL’s first real Disney World ride and it was amazing.  You ride on a cart with a gun mounted in front of you and 3D goggles on your head.  By pulling the string in front of you, the gun "fires" off rings, balls, or pins (depending on the section of the ride).  The game is a series of carnival games.  In some, you are popping balloons.  In some, you are firing off rings to loop around the little three eyed aliens.  In some, you are tossing balls to hit targets.  In all, you are having a ton of fun as balloons and other objects fly past you (complete with little breezes of air).  Needless to say, everyone had a blast.  (I was very pleased to hear that they’re working on a version of the ride for the Nintendo Wii complete with 3D effects.)  It was a very nice introduction to the kinds of rides that we would experience on our Disney World trip.