Mickey Mobs, Madness and Mayhem

Since we were taking a “personal family business” day, we were in no real rush to reach the gates of Hollywood Studios. This time of year tends to rear decent crowds, none like what you can experience from spring to summer. Yet we were shocked and surprised to witness those kinds of crowds today. There were only two simulators Mason had requested to ride: the new Toy Story one and Star Tours. So as we approached the entrance we felt pretty sure the birthday boy’s wishes would come true. Our first stop: fast passes for the new Toy Story ride. Our first disappointment: all the fast passes were already gone. It was only 10:45 AM. The park stays open till 7:00 PM. We have never experienced passes disappearing within two hours of the park being open, and we have been pass holders for quite some time. Mason was disappointed.

We were able to distract our son with watching the Jedi Training experience. We had hoped he would be interested in participating. They only select a handful of children from the audience, and with Mason wearing his special “Birthday Jedi” button and Star Wars legos t-shirt, we knew this was our only hope to secure a spot. I’m not sure what developmental stages Mason will experience at age 7, but I do know now that one of them must be “fear”. He has NEVER been afraid of anything from Star Wars, but now – Darth Vader makes him tremble. He promised us next year he would fight the Dark Side.

We had lunch reservations for the Sci-Fi Dinner Theater at 12:45. With only 30 minutes before our scheduled seating and an HOUR’S wait time for Star Tours (Another disappointment – we are used to walking right up to ride), we got fast passes to use after our meal. Even though we checked in 30 minutes ahead of our seating, it took almost 45 minutes before they could put us inside. As we waited, the stress and anxiety of not knowing what movie clips they were showing literally scared the birthday boy into tears. I felt so bad for him. This was what he wanted to do, but the billboard sign outside of the restaurant picturing a giant octopus crushing a car was enough to send Mason over the edge. Since we were starving, I knew I had to do something fast. I asked one of the hostesses if she could take him inside to check it out. She quickly took care of him and within about five minutes, he had calmed down. Once we were seated, the kids could not take their eyes off the big screen – even for ice cream! I highly recommend making reservations to eat here. Not only is the ambience a blast from the past, but the food is incredible! Mason also got a birthday card from the staff, a glow –in-the- dark mug, and his own sundae with candle on top! (Below: Video of inside the Sci-Fi Drive-In Theater)

Don’t be in a hurry when you’re eating at the Dine-In Theater. It took over an hour for the dining experience. Our fast passes were now past due, but we thought we would still try. Thank goodness we did because they were still active. After surviving our flight with a robot’s first time flying in space (I laugh at this – this ride has been at Disney for almost twenty years.), Mason was ready to use his birthday fun card. Whoever came up with the idea of granting free admission on your birthday for Disney World ( or Land) was a genius. That’s a huge reason why the parks are full. Since we are pass holders, we had our choice of a fun card in the amount of a day’s park admission ticket or fast passes to four rides. Duh! Mason had $63 to spend, and that he did very quickly… on a special item he has dreamed of for a long time. More of that in the next blog. We left the park around 3:30. Can you believe that? One show, one meal, and one ride – almost took six hours. Hopefully our next birthday celebration won’t be so packed. Next celebration date: less than two weeks! Overall, despite the crazy crowds, he says it was a great birthday! Happy 7th, Mason! We love you!