Hollywood Studios

One of the benefits of completing the marathon was that you received free admission to a Disney park of your choice the following day, one stipulation was you had to wear your medal. We chose Hollywood Studios mainly because it was the only day with a chance of rain and there were only a few rides and shows that we wanted to see.

My friend Stephanie had loaned us the Unofficial Guide to Disney, which was full of pointers on how to make the most of your trip. The book had made a very strong suggestion that if you wanted to ride the Buzz Lightyear ride that you needed to arrive prior to the park opening

and after admitted, make a bee line to the ride. Joe and I kind of rolled our eyes and both agreed that we would follow the advice but with it being off season for Disney, this seemed a little extreme. Upon the opening of the park, we noticed that we were not the only people to of read this valuable book; there was a mass herd of people all headed to the Buzz Lightyear ride. Even though Joe and I knew nothing about this ride and my legs felt like they had been run over by a bus, we too found ourselves rushing and herding to the ride. We were able to ride in about 10 minutes, I think mainly because most people saw the mass of people and stopped at the Fast Pass line to ride later in the day.

We then headed to the Little Mermaid show and while waiting both boys discovered that Hollywood Studios in fact had a "time out" spot.

Mickey Mouse Playhouse was next on our list. The show encourages to let the kids dance and sing. Charlie was happy to participate, however Jackson was completely mesmerized by the show and sat quietly staring.

Hollywood and Vine was our dining reservation for the day, which included the characters Leo and June from Little Einsteins, Oso and Handy Manny.

Jackson at first was not so sure about the characters and was really upset when Leo stole his autograph book and hid it in his pocket,

he got a little more into it when the others came to the table. Charlie enjoyed seeing all the characters but his favorite part was the dancing. About every 20 minutes the staff and characters would dance to the shows' songs. Charlie was a dancing machine!!!! I think that the staff really got a kick out of him. Jackson would not go to dance unless I accompanied him, maybe he thought that my complete lack of ability made his moves look good.

We then headed to the 3D Muppet Show which I think that Joe enjoyed the most; at times he was the only person laughing.

We stopped by the Star Wars show which

was closed, but the boys were able to tour the Star Wars shop. They were super excited

to make their own lightsaber and to choose the color and whether it was dual sided or single. Charlie chose the purple lightsaber, under strict guidance by Jackson, to be like Mace Windu, and Jackson chose the dual

sided red lightsaber to be like Darth Maul.

Due to rain, we then headed back to the hotel for a little rest and then to check out what the hotel had to offer. The hotel advertised that it had three heated pools and the boys were determined to try them out. We found the largest pool and with bathing suits on, we decided to brave the pool in January. Although the outside temperature was in the mid seventies the pools were neither warm nor inviting. I opted out immediately, however Joe, being the good sport, agreed to join the boys in the frigid water. A

couple of trips down the water slide and a little shivering in the water later, the boys decided that they were ready to move on. Jackson claimed that the water was really warm although his little lips were purple.

We then headed back to the room for a little football viewing.......