Disney World: Hollywood Studios

After all of David's hard work studying for the SC bar this year, we decided that our family needed an extra fun and extra special vacation. I convinced David that now was the perfect time to take our first trip to Disney World! 

My friend is a Disney travel agent (let me know if you want her info for booking) and she was able to book us at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort with free dining! The resort was great. It had some really cool beach areas where we could play in the sand near our room. 

It also had an awesome pool with pirate themed slides, cannons, and more. And of course some on site shopping and restaurants. We didn't use the pool while we were there because we ended up being so busy in the parks each day. Oh well! Next time. 

Our first day in the parks was spent at Disney's Hollywood Studios. 

We got there before the parks opened so we could be sure to sign Finley up for Jedi Training. Jedi training is free, but limited in space so we needed to go there and sign up before we did any rides. 

Luckily we were going on one of the lowest level crowd days! After signing Finley up for Jedi training we headed over for our first ride, "The Great Movie Ride".

Finley enjoyed seeing scenes from some of the classic movies. 

Mary Poppins and the Wizard of Oz were two he recognized. 

And of course we were excited when the witch was scared away!

Ding dong the witch is dead! We were hoping to do the Studio Back Lot tour next, but apparently that ride is closed for good!

Our next stop was heading over to our first fast pass of the day, Toy Story Mania. On our way there we ran into some green army men from Toy Story! How perfect! 

Thanks to expert advice from our travel agent and a good friend who researches for a whole year in preparation for their own family's Disney trip, we were able to skip the long lines and walk right onto the ride. 

Finley really enjoyed shooting at targets in this fun interactive ride. 

Next we decided to see a short show about the Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow. 

It was a little short, but still a swashbuckling good time! By the end of the show, we were all deemed part of the crew after taking the pirates oath! 

On our way over to our next fast pass, we encountered a Frozen parade featuring Kristoff, Anna, Elsa, and Olaf! How fun! 

Our second fast pass was used on Star Tours! 

Finley was very excited to help C-3PO and R2-D2 out on their mission. 

After the very intense ride we were able to squeeze in something more mellow, the Muppet's 3D movie. Then it was time for lunch over at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. We stuffed ourselves silly and each enjoyed a yummy PB & J and red velvet milkshakes for dessert. Having the dining plan was so great because we didn't have to think about how much things would cost!

After lunch we killed a little time over at the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" playground. 

It was getting hot out there, but luckily the tall "grass" helped keep us cool under in the shade. 

After getting some energy out it was time for Jedi Training! 

We were all very excited, but I could also tell that Finley was a little bit nervous.

He was definitely one of the smaller and younger ones to participate!

After a few words of instruction it was time for the show! 

Because Finley is so little, he got to be front and center on stage. Perfect for taking pictures. 

The Jedi Master trained them in the ways of the Jedi. 

Showed them how to use their new light sabers. 

And prepared them to use the Force!

Once the Jedi Master thought they were ready it was time to put their new skills to the test. 

Uh, oh! Here comes Darth Vader!!!!

Dun dun da dun, dun da dun, dun da dun!

Each young Padawan was able to individually fight Vader and put their skills to the test! 

Finley did not back down! 

Take that Vader!

And that! 

And this! 

Victory! 

Then all the Padawans combined their strength to send Darth Vader packing by using the Force. 

Congratulations! 

Each young Padawan was awarded a Jedi Certificate for completing their Jedi training. This was clearly my favorite part of our day! What a fun experience! 

The afternoon we spent indoors out of the heat seeing some shows. We went to see Disney Junior Live on stage. And I guess by live they mean puppets controlled by live people below the stage. 

Yo Ho Mateys Away!

Our next show was our final fast pass of the day. The Indian Jones Stunt Spectacular show! 

Finley hasn't seen the Indy movies yet, but he still really enjoyed all the fighting and explosions.

I was super impressed with how many stunts were performed. 

And that they do this several times a day! 

\

It was quite the production. 

After we got out of the Indiana Jones show, Finley was pretty beat so we decided to head back to the hotel. We had a quick service meal at the resort and rested up for the next day. Our first day at Disney was a huge success! No rain, no lines to wait in (we literally walked onto every ride, even our non fast passes), great food, and we did everything we had planned on doing in that park! Even though there were fireworks each night, I knew we would never last that long! Luckily we could see some from our hotel window.  Finley says his favorite part of the day was the Indian Jones show. Mine was seeing Finley battle Darth Vader and David's favorite part was the Toy Story Mania ride.