Hollywood Studios - Day 2. 09/11/2021

Started the day TOO early. Woke up at 5.30am and couldn’t back off so I’ve been on far too little sleep! Made a coffee in my room and took a lateral flow test. Got dressed - Disneybounding as Darth Vader - and made my way to the bus stop.

Just missed one, but another one right behind it at 7.25am. Nice boards everywhere with bus times

Already purchased my Genie+ last night when I got in - they’re available from midnight - so this morning I booked a Smuggler’s Run Lightning Lane - did a bit of refreshing and got one 10.55 to 11.55 which worked perfect with my Oga reservation- and also mobile ordered my breakfast from Ronto’s Roasters all while on the bus!

Got to Hollywood Studios very quickly, it’s less than 10 mins from my resort. There was barely any queue and bag check appears to have gone down to the security guards with upright scanners. MUCH better.

I walked straight through to Galaxy’s Edge to get in the rope drop Rise Queue.

The Attraction and Early Magic Hours didn’t actually open until 8.30 but we got in the queue of course. It was moving and into the inside part of the queue by 8am so I definitely knew I was going to get on the ride in plenty of time.

On and off Rise by 8.35am so jumped off and went straight on to Smuggler’s run straight after.

Quick thing about Rise - it is INCREDIBLE. It combines just about every technology you can think of. Even if you’ve watched the videos you will still be blown away by it. I cried! (I’m a Star Wars fan though lol)

Smugglers Run is a lot of fun too. I got picked to be one of the pilots and I’m not sure I did a good job lol

After Smugglers I picked up my breakfast. Ronto breakfast wrap and a big coffee. Yum! After breakfast I checked out my genie+ cancelled my Smuggler’s Run LL and got an earlier Toy Story Mania one and paid for a Runaway Railway one for as I was leaving the park to go for dinner.

Then had a look at standby times and Star Tours was short so off I went to there via a quick photo op with Kylo and some stormtroopers.

By the time I made my way (after getting turned lost twice and having some more photopass pictures taken) Star Tours now said 35 mins but I had time to kill so I got on! Also lines are very rarely as long as they say so, I went for it!

Time stated: 35 Actual time: 18 mins

Over to Oga’s. Again COULD NOT FIND IT. Give yourself time to find stuff!

Fuzzy Tauntaun all the way with - Jason was my server and lots of fun - and also a Black Spire Brew.

MORE photos including super zoom in front of Millennium Falcon. Then went to my Toy Story Mania LL . Scanned in to that then booked Frozen Singalong LL while I was still in the queue.

I went to that which was great but my battery was on 4% and then I went on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway after yet MORE photopass pics - they’re all a bit similar in HS - then I started to make my way to lunch at the Beach Club.

My battery died WELL before I got to lunch and I couldn’t charge it because I forgot to take the wire with me to the park oh and it would appear my weakness is navigation because it took me so long (and then I had to ask) to find the walking path from HS to Beach Club, and then I couldn’t find Beaches and Cream when I got there.

Anyway, so no photos from Beach Club which I’m gutted about because it is STUNNING. Also stunning are Yacht and Boardwalk all within walking distance of each other , HS and Epcot. (Also Swan & Dolphin if anyone is staying there) just gorgeous.

Had a filling, delicious and phone free lunch - which gained me a fab B&C paper menu as a souvenir because currently all the restaurants are just giving g QR codes to scan for the menus - then I got the Friendship boat back to HS and the bus back to my resort.

After an hour’s sleep and an addition of leggings and a jacket to my outfit - still in keeping with the theme I think! - I hopped back on the bus to Hollywood Studios, straight back to Galaxy’s Edge and right onto Rise of the Resistance. So cool again.

Then to Savi’s workshop which is where you build a full size working lightsaber. (This can be brought home as hand luggage, costs £175pp to build, but you can take an observer in with you for free, and takes around an hour from when you first check in.)

This was a totally emotional experience I was NOT expecting. I was caught up in it. Kembe was the man leading the experience and he was really wonderful. I pretty much sobbed the whole way through it.

You choose your lightsaber kit before you go in, and I chose the power and control kit because I felt like that was something I needed and when he came to ask what I had chosen he said sometimes we don’t choose what we are, we choose what we think we need, because that’s how the Force balances and that he sensed I had great power in me. I know it was probably part of the experience, but also it felt like he was being sincere and that made me just start to cry, then I pretty much didn’t stop.

It was stunning. When I got out, the park was pretty much empty so I went to take some piccies with my new saber and Kylo Ren’s fighter, and then this cool lady came up and said “do you want me to video you? I can make it cinematic as f**k” and proceeded to do just that!

So I have some awesome videos of me swinging my saber about and a couple of pics her partner took too.

But if you’re in a group you can do that for each other - my tip here is, if you are booking anything in that part or any part of the park, like Droid Depot or Savi’s or Oga’s, try and book so that it kicks out just as the park is about to close and you’ll be able to take lots of empty park pics!

Basically then I just came back to the resort. Straight back on the bus and I think I’ve finally cracked it getting back to my room from the bus stop! Hooray! Got my outfit ready for the morning too - Animal Kingdom day tomorrow!