Disney Marathon Weekend Trip Report: Hollywood Studios & Bib Pickup

Note: This trip report contains seven parts. The current part you are reading is in bold.

1. Mears & Arrival
2. Bib Pick-up & Hollywood Studios
3. 5K & Epcot
4. 10K & Lightning Lane Multipass
5. Half Marathon & Hollywood Studios (Again)
6. The Big Race, Animal Kingdom, & Ohana Noodles
7. Check-out & One More Day of Park Hopping

Today, January 8th, was free for me, with no race scheduled. However, I had to pick up my bib sometime during the day. I always like to arrive a day earlier than required to account for potential travel issues when the weather could delay flights.

I woke up at 5:15 a.m. to drink coffee in my room. One lesson I learned during last year's visit was that coffee is unavailable outside the rooms in the early morning. I wish resorts had a 24-hour coffee solution, but I understand how that may not work logistically. Plus, guests who need coffee from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. may be a minority.

I could use the Keurig coffee machine in the room, but using in-room coffee pots and glassware gives me the 'ick. To compensate, I brought a travel-size coffee pot and travel mug from home. Yes, I overthink this issue, but it's one of my quirks.

My goal for the early morning was to ride Slinky Dog Dash at Hollywood Studios, so I wanted to arrive at the park 45 minutes before early entry. Why am I prioritizing early entry for Slinky Dog Dash instead of picking up a lightning lane (LL) when they became available 7 days in advance? The answer is one of the negatives of the new multipass system. Even though I tried to pick up a lightning lane for Slinky Dog Dash at 7 a.m. on the first day I could (resort guests can purchase Lightning Lane Multipass 7 days before their arrival), the earliest available time was in the evening for today. The lack of early times is because guests who arrived on the days before me could book today's lightning lanes before me.

I am returning to Hollywood Studios later in the week. Slinky Dog Dash (SDD) was available early on the morning of my second visit. However, I knew my family would prefer riding Rock 'n' Roller Coaster over Slinky Dog Dash, and both are tier 1 rides. You can only book one tier 1 ride when purchasing Lightning Lane Multipass. Since I am running tomorrow, I knew I would not be at Hollywood Studios in the evening, so I decided against selecting a lightning lane for SDD and planned to ride it during early entry.

I left my hotel room around 7:30 a.m. Unfortunately, I underestimated how long it would take to walk to Hollywood Studios from my room. I thought I read it would take 15 minutes, but that may have been from a different resort, such as the Boardwalk Resort. From the Beach Club doors to the entrance gate, the walk was at least 1.25 miles. Even briskly, this is a 20 to 25-minute walk for me.

I arrived at the entrance 35 minutes before early entry, and once I was allowed in, I quickly walked to Slinky Dog Dash. Fortunately, they let guests on the ride before the 8:30 a.m. opening. I was off Slinky Dog Dash at 8:32 a.m., then proceeded to Toy Story Mania and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway. I walked off the third ride slightly after the park opened at 9 a.m. That is a successful early entry window!

I've found that early entry is the best way to maximize the number of attractions you ride in the parks on a given day. It is even more critical than lightning lanes. However, I know some people scoff at arriving so early.

"You waited 35 minutes before the park opened. How is that different than waiting 35 minutes when the park is open."

I understand that logic, but the benefit is saving time on your second, third, and fourth rides. For example, hypothetically, a person arriving at the start of early entry may wait 35 minutes for their first ride, the same time as arriving 35 minutes before early entry. But I only waited a small amount for my second and third rides. Once the park opens, wait times increase, but arriving earlier allows you to complete more rides before those wait times increase. Both Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster had 30+ minute wait times when I stepped off Runaway Railway at 9:15 a.m.

With longer waits for Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, I entered Galaxy's Edge and got breakfast at Ronto Roasters, one of my favorite quick service stops at Disney. I also tried out the single-rider line for Rise of the Resistance. In this line, you skip much of the pre-show. There is no stated wait time for single riders, as it depends on how often a single rider is needed, but people I spoke to in line said that the assumption is half the posted standby wait time. Unfortunately, I couldn't verify this because the ride broke down when I was near the front of the line. After some time, a cast member escorted all single riders out of line and outside. I guess they clear single-rider lines after a ride closure so cast members can focus on standby and lightning lane holders once the ride reopens.

After leaving Rise of the Resistance, it was time to use my first lightning lane for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. This ride was closed for refurbishment last year, so it has been over a decade since I had been on it. I forgot the rush you get from the initial launch. It is one of my favorite rides at Walt Disney World. I then rushed to the 10:45 a.m. show for Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. For a show that is 30+ years old, the crowd was still considerable.

I returned to Rise of the Resistance after the Indiana Jones show, but the single-rider line was not open. So I backtracked and watched the soon-to-be-closed Muppets attraction. It was a great show. While I understand why Disney is closing this attraction, it is something I will miss. However, I am looking forward to the new area that will replace it.

I ordered lunch from Woody's Lunch Box around noon for a 1:20 p.m. pick-up and then joined (again) the single rider line for Rise of the Resistance around 12:15 p.m. When I joined, the standby wait was 75 minutes, and it took me 30-35 minutes to ride. So, the "half the standby" rule was accurate for my one ride.

My next LL was Tower of Terror, so I trekked across the park from Galaxy's Edge for my 1 p.m. LL. I then returned to Toy Story Land for lunch and ate the plant-based "Totchos."

I highly recommend this dish. The chili was delicious and was a good complement to the tater tots. However, I could do without the corn chips. While they didn't make the dish taste terrible, I felt they were unnecessary. After lunch, it was around 2:45 p.m., so I left the park and returned to the hotel to catch the bus to the RunDisney expo. I took the bus around 4 p.m. to pick up my bib and race shirts. I also checked the merchandise but found no items I wanted to purchase.

Once I returned to the hotel, I mobile-ordered dinner from Regal Eagle Smokehouse in Epcot. I ordered the jackfruit BBQ sandwich and fries. The sandwich could have been a little warmer and the bread a little crispier, but the flavor was delicious. After dinner, I walked to the Norway pavilion and bought a chocolate Kringla for dessert. The Kringla is a plant-based sweet pretzel, and while it wasn't the best plant-based dessert I had during my visit, it was a great treat to end my day.

I was back in my room by 7:15 p.m. for the evening. Thursday is the first race, and I plan to get up around 1:30 a.m. so I can be on the bus by 3:30 a.m.

• Total Steps for the day: 28,205 (28,205 total)
• Total Miles for the day: 12.89 (12.89 total)