Hooray for Hollywood!

Sunday. May 22. Disney-MGM Studios. Gray shirts.

We slept in a little bit this morning and arrived at Disney-MGM Studios around 10:15 am. The park was a lot more crowded than the other parks had been in the previous two days. We guessed that it was due to the Star Wars weekend. When we got to the ticket turnstyles, we were surprised to see these Star Wars men (storm troopers?) walking on top of the building. We are not Star Wars fans so I have no idea who these guys were nor who most of the other characters were that we saw that day. I do know that there were a lot of people there in a frenzy to see some of these characters and get autographs from some of the Star Wars creators. We had no clue and just tried to stay away from the Star Tours side of the park. That's the Star Wars attraction and where most of the fans seem to be congregated. I did happen to find myself in the only store open to sell Star Wars memorbilia later in the day to look for t-shirts. Let's just say that I got the t-shirts but was totally overwhelmed by the amount of people squished into one small shop and the length of the line I had to wait in to purchase them. Man, these Star Wars people are serious! Talk about wanting the force to be with you. I wanted to take one of the hundred dollar light sabers from a cast member and fight my way out of the store at one point.

Back to the beginning. When we first arrived in the park, we took our normal photo on the crates near Hollywood and Vine and then went to lunch at 50's Primetime. It was our first time at this restaurant and we had a blast. It's decorated in 1950's decor with art deco, old televisions, and all the bric a brac from that era. The wait staff all looked like they worked at Al's on Happy Days. Our waitress was named Ouida and she was great. The kids had chicken strips and they got these cool drinks with glowing ice cubes which totally made their day. I had mom's meatloaf and mashed potatoes and Eddy had fried chicken. I give the food an 8 and the atmosphere a 10. The waiters really mess with you at this restaurant. I had one waitress tell me that I couldn't have dessert until I ate all my green beans. Cute. Really cute.

I think our favorite attraction was the new Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt show. It was at least 30 minutes long and was everything it promised to be -- car stunts, motorcycle stunts, stuntmen, and more. There were only three shows the day we went, so if you go to see it make sure you get a fastpass or get there early. The 5,000 seat stadium feels up fast.

Other attractions we saw were Muppetvision 3D, Backlot Tour, and The Magic of Disney Animation. We saw the Stars and Motor Cars parade but didn't get a good spot for it, though it was neat to see it from a different angle than we had seen it in times past. I took Katie to Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage! while Eddy and Jake rode the Rock 'n Roller Coaster. We ate a dinner buffet at Hollywood and Vine and then finished the night at Fantasmic! We had closer seats this time and could feel the sprays of water and also the heat from the fire. Fantasmic was fantastic as usual. Gotta love that Sorcerer Mickey! Katie met some new friends that ended up being from Birmingham. There were two cute little boys, one of whom is winning his battle with cancer. The parents gave Jake and Katie powerbands with their son's website on it: http://www.taylorwatts.org. I just can't imagine what they've gone through. Please pray for this sweet little fellow as he continues to fight this dreaded disease.

When we left Fantasmic, we took a picture of the kids sitting by the fountain where we had taken their picture back in 2003. They have changed so much in two years.

To finish off the night, we stood in the longest line of the trip.... the bus line! It took about 3 or 4 bus loads until we were able to get on a bus. I wish they had fast passes for buses!

Three days down. Two to go.