Hollywood Studios

I took the plunge and decided to attend Hollywood Studios’ Extra, Extra Magic Hours from 6 am to 9 am. Like a zombie, I rolled myself out of bed at 4:15 in the morning. My ass doesn’t even get up that early for work in the morning, but for Disney I’ll do anything. We got ready by 5 am and somberly walked over to the bus stop half awake. The bus arrived shortly after 5:30, and it was actually pretty packed. Once we got to Hollywood Studios, the check-in process was fast and easy. We were in the park before 6am even rolled around. If you wanted to go to Galaxy’s Edge first, you would stand on the left side of Hollywood Boulevard. We decided to go to Toy Story land first, and so we were on the right side of Hollywood Boulevard. Imperial Star Wars music plays at the beginning of EEMH, and Stormtroopers actually escort you over to Batuu. Miguel assured the cast members escorting us over to Toy Story land that they were cooler than the Stormtroopers. lmao. 

Unfortunately, Slinky Dog Dash was not operating at this time, and so our plans of riding the coaster first were aborted. We went over to Toy Story Mania followed by Alien Swirling Saucers. Since Slinky Dog was still down, we decided to walk over to Galaxy’s Edge. We explored Batuu in the twilight, and watched the sunrise over the Millennium Falcon. It’s magical how during EEMH you can watch Batuu go from twilight to sunlight in a matter of 20 minutes.

I couldn’t get a reservation at Oga’s Cantina, so it was nice to see that it was open during EEMH. We decided to have breakfast there, and try some of the speciality drinks.We got placed at right at the bar, which was cool. I ordered the Rising Moons Overnight Oats and Miguel ordered the Mustafarian Lava Roll. The breakfast was okay, but overpriced like everything else in Disney lol. For drinks, we ordered Hyperdrive and the Blue Bantha. Both are non-alcoholic drinks as Oga’s Cantina has an array of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic concoctions. Hyperdrive consisted of Mountain Berry Blast Powerade, white cranberry juice, black cherry purée and Sprite poured over a cup of crushed ice. I choose this drink primarily because I thought it was a safe option that both Miguel and I would like. It’s sugary, but tasty at the same time. The crushed ice made it like an icee, but not quite, which I loved. The Blue Bantha was our chance to try the infamous Blue Milk as it was Blue Milk served chilled with a Bantha- inspired vanilla butter sugar cookie. I believe Blue Milk served outside of the Cantina is more of a frozen consistency though. I actually like the Blue Milk, however I have no idea how to describe it. It reminds, in a sense, of Butterbeer. It’s a taste you have to get acquainted with first before you can appreciate it. Although, Blue Milk is nowhere near as sugary as Butterbeer lol. Miguel wasn’t feeling it and stuck with Hyperdrive, so it was up to me to finish the Blue Milk. The cookie was delicious and reminded me of my favorite Girl Scout cookies, Samoas. I love how Disney was able to capture the atmosphere of the Cantina. Hearing DJ Rex spin the classic Cantina tune you hear in Star Wars made me both happy and nostalgic.

After the Cantina, we made our way back over to Toy Story land. On our way out, I did manage to see Chewie again. We made our way to Slinky Dog again, which was finally operating. The wait was 50 minutes, and we decided to take advantage since the line didn’t extend outside the entrance to the coaster like it did on our last trip. The line, to my surprise, actually moved pretty fast. In reality, we waited only 20 minutes. I was grateful because we were nearing 9 am, and the harsh sun rays from the hell that they call Florida were threatening to sizzle my skin off again. I finally got the opportunity to ride Slinky Dog during the daytime, and so it was nice to view the coaster in a different perspective. After we exited Slinky Dog, the park was more crowded and hotter than when we entered it in the wee hours of the morning. I was ready to go back to Art of Animation, and take a nap. 

When we returned to Hollywood Studios midday, I literally felt like I was dying. I don’t think I can visit Disney in September again. I hate fighting off sunburn and sweating through my clothes. The humidity was so bad that you were still sweating at 10pm at night! Wtf. You can only imagine what it feels like during the peak hours of the day. This was the first time I wanted to jump into the pools at AoA. Anyway, I made a mad dash to Droid Depot because I was late for my 12:30pm reservation. I decided to dress myself as a droid while making a droid because I’m a nerd. My R2-D2 outfit got a lot of complaints and stares. I didn’t really see anyone dressed as adventurous as me, which made me sad. Once I made it to Droid Depot, I knew off the bat that I wanted to make a BB-series droid. Once I got checked in and informed a cast member of which droid I wanted to make, I was escorted over to a conveyor belt of droid parts with a basket that instructed you on which parts you would need to build your custom droid. I eventually decided to go with an all red BB-8. Once I was done choosing the parts to my future droid, I moved over to a station where a cast member helped me assemble and activate my creation. He’s pretty easy to assemble and de-assemble if needed. If you wish, you can add personality chips for a price tag of $13. After listening to all the personality chips, I decided on the red First Order chip ironically. It was fitting since my build already looked like a Sith droid lol. I absolutely love my new adopted child. He’s adorable. I don’t really have a name for him yet, but for now, Red Five will do. Miguel keeps calling him R2, even though he’s a BB series... smh.

We had time to kill before Savi’s Workshop, so we grabbed a snack at Ronto Roasters. We tried spicy Nuna Turkey Jerky, and discovered that even the Dasani water bottles have a special design for Batuu. I liked the turkey jerky, but damn $7.50. Once we checked in at Savi’s Workshop, Miguel choose his themed lightsaber hilt, Protection and Defense. Once you pick your hilt, you receive a pin to represent your theme. Miguel wouldn’t shut up about his pin the rest of the trip. What a nerd. Once we were inside, a Gatherer detailed the history of the lightsaber and the infamous Jedis who have wielded them. Then, we got to the exciting part of selecting your Kyber Crystal, and beginning your custom build. They offer blue, green, purple and red Kyber Crystals. If you want the rare yellow and white crystals, you will have to purchase them separately at a shop in Batuu for $13. Rumor has it that in every 100 or so red Kyber Crystal containers, there is an ultra rare black crystal. However, the black crystal will not turn your lightsaber black. Of course, Miguel choose the green crystal despite my attempts to turn him to the Dark side. Once everybody completed their builds, it was time to activate the Kyber Crystals. As a Star Wars nerd, there was something enchanting about the activation process that gave me goosebumps. Everyone’s lightsaber was raised in a circle with various Kyber Crystals activated in unison. That moment was the end of our Star Wars filled vacation at both Hollywood Studios and Disneyland. Miguel made it a point to purchase both the Coke and Sprite grenade soda bottles before we were off to dinner and Epcot later that night. Witnessing one of the last productions of IllumiNations was both bittersweet and perfect. I am as curious as ever to see what Epcot Forever will have in store for me the next I am there. 

Although it’s rough waking up that early for EEMH, it is completely worth it to experience a cooler and less crowded park. With the exception of Smugglers Run, you can probably get every ride done within an hour. Even then, riding Smugglers Run before the general public starts to stroll in is still the better option. Like I said before, you also get to experience the park in both twilight and early morning hours with very little crowds, which means more space for IG photos lol. Along with Oga’s Cantina, every shop and dining option in Batuu is open during EEMH including Droid Depot and Savi’s Workshop. If you’d ask me if I’d do it all over again - yes, in a heartbeat.