I know, I know. Star Wars Galaxy’s edge is a total blast!  And if you haven’t had the chance to compare green vs blue milk, experience a scintillating conversation via a Chewbacca meet and greet, or take an interactive adventure on Smuggler’s Run, DO IT. This breathtaking addition to one of Disney’s most beloved parks, Hollywood Studios, sends your brain into nostalgia mode big time.  But if you are a commonly afflicted, socially anxious Disney aficionado (like yours truly) and would prefer to avoid the crowds, now is the perfect time to take advantage of the renaissance that is Hollywood Studios, sans Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge!

See you at the Theatre!

For the longest time, Hollywood Studios was the perfect park to visit on a relaxation day of your Disney vacation. Are you laughing yet with the use of ‘relaxation’ and ‘Disney vacation’ in the same sentence? With literally four rides in the entire park and shows for days (not to mention a few 25-30 min shows to fill up the majority of your park day) there wasn’t a whole heck of a lot of rushing to your next attraction; just mosey to your next fast pass and grab a mickey pretzel in between! Fast forward to 2019, and to quote the great Bob Dylan, ‘The times they are a changin…’ And boy have they! But until the crowds thin out at Galaxy’s Edge, take advantage of Frozen: the Sing-Along Musical, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (this one never gets old!)  and my personal favorite, the Beauty and the Beast show! These visually thrilling and breathtaking performances bring a whole new twist to your all time favorites. 

Slinky Dog Dash 

As someone who doesn’t love roller coasters, or tummy churning drops of any kind, there’s something about zipping around Andy’s backyard on a giant weenie dog that makes the experience not only tolerable, but a total thrill from start to finish! When Toy Story land first opened up, you were lucky to catch a wait time of 90 minutes for Slinky – and that was at the beginning of the day. Many of us, myself included, have found out the hard way- don’t wait out wait times. They typically do not decrease during the course of the day. In fact, quite the opposite. But with a current wait time with an average of about 60 mins on any given day (which we all know is more like 45 minutes in Disney time!) now is the perfect time to ride the cutest thrill ride in Andy’s backyard! The only downside? Most of the queue is outside in that ‘gorgeous’ central Florida sun… Bring those battery operated fans;)

Food!!!

‘Totchos’ at Woody’s Lunchbox in Hollywood Studios

When an attraction is brand spanking new, any and all table service, quick service and kiosks surrounding said feature are stuffed to the gills. Considering that most of the time, with new experiences come similarly themed grub, this can be disappointing to hangry guests who have been in ride queues for literally hours. So before you jump the gun on those oh so insta worthy pics from Docking Bay 7 and Oga’s Cantina, grab a big kid’s grilled cheese and totchos at Woody’s lunchbox, a slice at Pizza Rizzo, or, better yet, try the famous cobb salad at Hollywood Brown Derby- you won’t be disappointed! 

Wait outside The Great Movie Ride in the fetal position and sob incessantly

Just kidding! Sort of.. 

The new/future home of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway has become a fantastic photo opportunity both for grieving and hopeful Disney lovers alike. While you may run into a guest or two snapping a few pics in front of the beloved attraction, your only hold up will be a self formed line a couple of minutes long,  most likely consisting of pay it forward photographers. Who knows, you may even make a few Facebook, or even real life friends! Most definitely check this shiny new attraction out in the Spring of 2020, but I highly recommend seeing this landmark in limbo, if you will. It is a nice change of pace. 

As a huge OG Star Wars fan (did I do that right??) I was thrilled when Disney bought the franchise, and even more so with the continuous release of the non stop, action packed films each December for the past four years. It’s like unwrapping an early Christmas present! And while some will claim franchise fatigue, I say you can never have too much of the magic of George Lucas and Disney combined! What you can have too much of are people. More specifically, an obscene amount of die hard fanatics in one space all gravitating toward the same glowing light. When Pandora first opened, I witnessed an over zealous guest nearly knock over a wheelchair bound patron in an effort to be the ‘first’ in line for Flight of Passage (I guess it must have escaped the perpetrator that disabled guests have first priority at Disney, regardless). I am NOT about that life, and this was a turning point for me: I decided to give people time to fangirl/boy out and become the benefactor of a much more relaxed environment. 

We can get caught up in the pressure to see and do new things simply for bragging rights. Often times, as a result, we forget to actually experience said things. Nothing is worse than scrolling through  photos from a trip and wishing you could go back and really enjoy it. The magic of Disney can be overwhelming at times, and that need to experience attractions before that smug brother-in-law of yours can be…tempting (of course, that just means you may have to plan an additional trip to Disney throughout the year). When we stop worrying so much about what we’re missing that everyone else on the internet is experiencing, we can take a step back and enjoy things that have been there all along. We enjoy the Magic of Disney the way Walt intended.