Star Tours Ice Cream Buffet at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Science fiction, theme parks, and ice cream. How can it be a bad thing? Somehow I managed to be checking Twitter at just the right time and was able to get myself free tickets to the Star Tours 3D Meetup that happened the night before the new ride officially opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios (or MGM as everyone still calls the park).

Everyone was greeted by a whole bunch of Storm Troopers and other Stars Wars characters, but as a food blogger, I noticed the all you could eat ice cream buffet...

Vanilla or chocolate ice cream was dished out by Disney cast members...

Next, everyone brought their bowls of ice cream over to the topping bars and went crazy. It was like one of the self-serve frozen yogurt places, only nobody had to worry about paying by weight!

I ended up with an ice cream sundae topped with sprinkles, peanut butter chips, brownies, cherries, and lots of whipped cream.

Disney also had drink bars set up with coffee, tea, and fruit punch.

Of course, after eating way too much ice cream, the next logical thing to do is to go ride a simulator ride multiple times. Star Tours 3D is a very fun ride...

Hollywood Studios and the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater

Disney gives you a free ticket to one of their parks on your birthday. It was recently someone's birthday, so I went along to Hollywood Studios (or MGM as many people still call the park). Eating happened at the Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater Restaurant in the park.

I ordered the Shrimp Pasta, which consisted of bow-tie pasta, shrimp, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, Spinach, sun dried tomatoes, capers, and Feta. I liked the pasta a whole lot. Feta and olives always seem to go well in pasta. At $20, the pasta was a bit overpriced, but it's in a theme park so that's expected.


The restaurant is set up like a drive-in movie theater. There is a screen up front that shows old science fiction movie clips while everyone eats in tables shaped like cars. Our waiter kept on asking to borrow my camera, and he would then run off elsewhere in the restaurant and take these "postcard" quality pictures of the screen.




Besides from eating, we rode rides and watched shows such as the Great Movie Ride:

Star Tours:

Rock N Roller Coaster:


The new Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show:

Muppet Vision 3D:

And one of my personal favorites, Tower of Terror:


The biggest surprise of the day was the newest ride at the park, Midway Mania. I really wasn't expecting much from this ride, based on the fact that it's a dark ride that consists entirely of watching movie screens and also because Disney's other shooting dark ride isn't very good. I wasn't expecting much, but this ride was very cool. I was ready to go back on for a second ride, but the park had closed for the night.