Day 4: Hollywood Studios

Lots happening today!  We move from Coronado Springs Resort to Yacht Club Resort!  Colin wasn't so thrilled with the idea of changing hotels mid trip, but when we stepped out of the taxi and were greeted by the bellhop, he told Colin we have the best pool of all the Disney Resorts . . . he was sold!  We also gain the Disney Dining Plan for the rest of our stay . . . not for free though.  I am excited to do a cost analysis of meal plan versus no plan at the end of the trip!  It seems to always be a question when people discuss Disney World; is the meal plan really worth it?  We checked in at 9:15am at Yacht Club and our room was ready so we went to check it out and drop our bags . . .

 . . . we thought it funny both hotel rooms at different resorts have ended in 72 . . . trust me I still had to ask Colin our room number . . .

I did not dare let Colin see the pool or we would never get to Hollywood Studios.  Our first FP+ has a window for 1000am-1100am and we can not miss it because it is another one of my favorite rides, Toy Story Midway Mania!

 

. . . and I gave it a good effort but lost yet again!

I was determined but came up a little short.  Oh and my shoulder was killing me at the end of the game!  When we walked outside I finally found a character Colin would let me take his photo with . . .

Most of the park wasn't open yet so we headed to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set to explore and play.  We were both hungry and the kiddo requested the 'breakfast of champions' again.  Since I aim to please off on a search for a churro and pretzel.  We found them next to The Great Movie Ride so ate while we waited in the line.  There really aren't that many rides so the lines seem long, but we wait.  I think Hollywood Studios is a good park to visit for half the day so before we have lunch we see Muppet Vision 3D Movie, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular Show, and the last ride is Star Tours.  Our lunch reservation is at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant which neither of us has ever eaten; I am rather excited about the food and atmosphere.

    . . . it is so dark and difficult to take photos but here is one from the Disney website . . .

I had a really good burger while Colin had a steak and since we are on the dining plan we topped it off with a sweet treat!

 

Now let me say this . . . I love fresh brewed iced tea . . . it is like my coffee and drink it every morning when I wake up.  I have not had real brewed iced tea since Friday . . . it is Wednesday.  So when the server confirmed it was real brewed tea, I was in heaven . . .

She even made a comment about how much tea I had during my meal so of course I drank way more than I should have but it was so good and she even brought me a large to go cup too!  If you are wondering, the price of our lunch table service meal was $75.02 . . . of course we paid $0 but there is no way I would have let Colin order the $31.99 steak if we were paying out of pocket!  And for the record brewed iced tea is not the same as that tea that you get from the machine or even the powdered instant mix . . . NO WAY!  We are both beyond full so exit the park and catch the shuttle boat back to the hotel . . . time to check out the pool we keep hearing people talk about, Stormalong Bay . . .

The pool was awesome!  Colin was loving all the kids and games.  I even got in the pool to cool off.  After too much sun, it was time to eat again.  Since we have park hopper tickets we make the quick 10 minute walk to Epcot . .  .another one of the Flower and Garden displays . . .

Our main reason for going to Epcot is to have dinner in Germany.  We grab a quick counter meal at Sommerfest . . . I am still stuffed so we split a meal . . .

Colin eats the frankfurter, I eat his sauerkraut and apfelstrudel, and the ducks get the brotchen . . . he was so excited to feed the ducks even if the signs said not to . . .

We head back to the hotel since it sure was hot and humid outside.  I could not wait for a nice cold shower and warm bed. Colin said his feet sure were tired and so were mine!

Today starts the dining plan.  The first half of the trip we just paid as we ate and now it is pre-paid.  I have kept every receipt so at the end will see if the dining plan is worth it or not.  With our standard dining plan, we each get one counter service meal (think walk up and order/food court/fast food), one table service meal (made reservations in advance called ADR;  can do this 180 days in advance; sit down and have server), and one snack per day (usually less than $5) . . . the cost of this plan is $60.64 per person per day.  So we paid $121.28 to eat each day, gasp . . .

Day 1:  Dining Plan Summary
1 Counter Service:  $14.75
2 Table Service:  $75.02
2 Snacks:  $9.04
TOTAL $98.81