MGM Studios - Disney but a bit different! (Disney MGM Studios)

Member Name: monaebrook

Product:	Disney MGM Studios
Date:	08/09/09 (5 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Has big thrill rides and more sedate rides.

Disadvantages: Some of the queues are pretty long.

In relation to the other Disney Parks MGM Studios is a bit different. It is themed - as it sounds - around the movies.

The most imposing site in the Park is the giant Mickey Mouse's sorcerer's apprentice hat from Fantasia and it is around here that you will get to meet and greet the characters. When we were there it was mobbed but if you are prepared to wait in a line then you will get your chance to catch that special photo and autograph. We concentrated on Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck and were delighted to get both. The usual cheery Disney staff are great and will not let people queue jump or push their way in.

Also in front of the hat is where the High School Musical Parade takes place. This is a must if your children like the films. Whilst one of my daughters was slightly disappointed that it was not the real Zac Ephron singing and dancing, it in no way spoiled her overall enjoyment. The cast sing songs from the movie and their dancing is spectacular considering the heat! There is even a bit when they will select people from the audience to take part and if you are lucky enough to be chosen then you will really enjoy this!

All around this park there are characters wandering about. Not the usual ones you get in other parks, these are from movie eras gone by and they are really interactive. At one point my daughter got herself an 'agent' who says 'she's gonna be in movies'!

There are some great rides in this park if you like the thrill rides but also some which cater for the, ahem, fan of the slighlty more sedate ride shall we say? (I include myself in this bracket!)

For thrill seekers there is the Hollywood Tower of Terror. This is a huge ride which works like a broken lift - dropping you from floor 13 to the ground and then bouncing back up and repeating. Not to everyone's taste but if you are left holding the bags whilst someone in your party rides, I recommend you watch the faces of the people as they come off the ride - some of them are elated and some of them head straight for the bathroom! Also for thrill seekers is the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Out of all the rides in all the parks in Florida, this was the one that my thrill seeking husband and daughter enjoyed the most. They tried to explain to me the adrenaline rush they experienced as it shot from 0 - 60 in about 3 seconds!! Aerosmith music is piped into the ears as you ride in the stretch limo on the way to a concert and it really added to their enjoyment. We bought one of the pictures available after you exit the ride - it was not cheap - I think it was around $20, but for the expression on both of their faces it was money very well spent!

Also in this park is the excellent Star Tours ride. After some persuasion I went on this with the family and have to say that I loved it! The area for queueing has loads of Star Wars memorabilia and then when you ride the ride itself it is fantastic. You are in charge of a ship trying to rid the Universe of the Empire ship and the effects are spectacular. If you time it right and it is something your children (or you!) would enjoy there are Jedi Knight training sessions held just outside the ride.

Also in MGM is the Muppets 3D ride. This is fab!! The usual queues don't seem too bad as you enter an ante room where there are films and clips of Gonzo and Fozzy bear which will really keep you entertained as you wait the 10 mintues or so for the internal doors to open. Once you go in it is a 3D experience with all the main characters from the Muppets along with a charcter from the Mupoet Vision 3D studio. The adventures they have are simply classic!!

If you like Toy Story I would thoroughly recommend you take a ride on Toy Story Mania. It is a bit like the Buzz Lightyear Ride in Magic Kingdom in that you are shooting at things as you pass, however it is based more around the different games you would get in a fairground. Much fun was had in trying to get the top score in the family - although the chances of that being me with a competitive husband and daughters were nil!!

One of my very favourite things in the whole park was the Beauty and The Beast stage show. This is held in an outdoor theatere and is a condensed version of the film. All the main characters including Lumiere and Chip are there and it is also signed for the deaf. Sometimes I was a bit distracted watching the two people who were doing the signs as the expressions on their faces were priceless!!!

There are of course many shops in this Park, however the movie theme continued here as well. We mananged to find some things in this park that we had not seen in any of the others and it is definitely worth a wander around.

The ony thing which I found to be disappointing was the Prince Caspian Ride. (Please make sure you go and visit him before you enter the ride as he is in a seperate area where he is happy to take the time to pose for photographs and sign autographs and after you have seen him they take you to the front of the queue for the ride.) Once in the actual ride itself though, there is not much happening. You initially enter a room where they show some scenes from the movie and I was thinking - 'yeah great this is going to be fab!' - however thats pretty much it! The next part is just an exhibition of items from the movies, and whilst I would have been happy to wander around my family were not!

Food wise this park is not too bad - the usual sort of fayre. The most popular thing seemed to be the roasted tureky legs which we saw loads of people wandering around with although it looked a bit too messy to try and walk and eat!!

Overall this Park is great, it does not in my opinion beat Magic Kingdom however that is because I am a fan of the Disney Princesses!

Summary: Really fabulous park - we visited it about 3 times!!