Sure... we could have had hot dogs at Disney Studios (Herbie's Drive-In has them) but Pop Century provided a quieter and more comfortable place for lunch. And, lucky for us, the meal we were served today at Pop was awesome. The fries had just come out of the fryer so they were HOT, fresh and plentiful and our server was generous with the chili and cheese. In fact, it think there was more on our dog than we recently had on our chili cheese fries at Disney's Caribbean Beach.
After lunch on this fine Disney vacation day, we hopped on bus to Disney Studios. A Dance Party was winding down the streets just as we arrived. It is always so much fun to arrive at a park during a parade with all the singing, clapping and music. It just immediately puts you into the theme park mood.
Disney Studios was super busy today. The wait time for Toy Story Mania was 120 minutes long! See my tips for visiting Toy Story Mania without much wait time. We skipped it today...
Our favorite event of the day was the American Idol Experience.
If I could actually sing, was younger and wanted to be a contestant on American Idol, I would definitely audition for a chance to sing on stage at Disney Studios. Throughout the day, contestants compete for audience votes. The winners from each round then compete in the final competition of the day where the big winner receives an American Idol golden ticket. This ticket grants the winner front-of-the-line privileges at any audition location for the next season of American Idol. Talk about a time saver.
My husband and I really enjoyed today's American Idol Experience at Disney. The audience warm-up guy was full of energy and really got the crowd excited. The "Ryan Seacrest" host plays the part well (with look-a-like hair and suits). Now that Simon has left the on-air show, I wasn't sure what the Studios judges panel would look like (in the past, there was a Simon-like character). Today, the panel of judges did not include a Simon, but all 3 on the panel were very kind at at times silly (calling one young contestant a chicken nugget).
Best of all, we had practically no wait to get in. We arrived close to door opening time and still had plenty of time to grab a good seat. If you're hot and want to sit down for a while in air-conditioned comfort, try out the American Idol Experience. It's a good time.