Spotlight: Orlando - Disney's Hollywood Studios

Spotlight: Disney's Hollywood Studios (previously known as Disney-MGM Studios) is part of Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The park opened in 1989 with only two attractions - The Great Movie Ride and the Studio Backlot Tour. Since then it has expanded to include many other attractions. Since Disney bought the rights to the Star Wars franchise, the park has definitely taken on the flavor of a galaxy far, far away. In 2014, the park attracted 10.3 million visitors, making it the 8th most visited park in the world that year.

The Great Movie Ride

The Replica Mann Theatre also has Star footprints (especially Disney)

Location: Disney's Hollywood Studios is part of the Disney World complex outside of Orlando, FL

Cost: Single day passes are $97/person. Multi-day passes can be purchased at a discount allowing you to visit different parks on different days.

Time: The park is open daily from 9:00 am - 10:00 pm. If it isn't super crowded, and you use fast passes, you can realistically visit all the attractions in one day.

Description: Disney's Hollywood Studios has several attractions in common with California Adventure and Disneyland in Anaheim. For example, some attractions that are almost identical include: Toy Story Mania, The Tower of Terror, Muppet Vision 3D, Star Tours, and Fantasmic!

Toy Story Mania

     In addition to Star Tours, this park has several other Star Wars themed attractions: the Path of the Jedi film, A Galaxy Far, Far Away Stage Show, Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple, Tatooine Traders gift shop, and Star Wars Launch Bay. At Launch Bay, fans can meet Kylo Ren and Chewbacca as well as see various other characters (stormtroopers and jawas) throughout the day. They can also see models of different lightsabers and helmets, full-scale models of various ships, as well as some of the actual ships used in the filming (Anakin's pod racer, a speeder bike, etc.), as well as play various Star Wars video games.

A Galaxy Far, Far Away Stage Show

Replica Han Solo outfit on display (for sale)

     Other popular movies have inspired several other attractions: For the First Time in Forever: a "Frozen" Sing-Along Celebration, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage. Finally, my two of my favorite attractions at the park were the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! and the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.

Beauty and the Beast show

Indiana Jones stunt show

Rating: 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: There are 19 different eateries around the park, with different price ranges (expensive, very expensive, and super expensive), so there is always food nearby.
- If you want to see Fantasmic!, you better get there early because once the seating fills up, no one else can get in.
- Fast Passes are available for most rides, and you can reserve three per visitor up to 30 days ahead of time once you purchase your tickets.
- Stormtroopers patrol Launch Bay and randomly stop people asking to see their ID, or other fun exchanges.

- Parking is $20, so if your hotel offers a shuttle service, it might be worth looking into.

Nearby: Disney's Magical Kingdom, Epcot Center, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, and Downtown Disney