My mom does intermittent fasting and my family never really eats a huge breakfast, so we usually like to eat lunch pretty early. It also allows us to avoid the huge lunch crowds.
We were out of Rise around 11:40 so we placed a mobile order at Docking Bay 7 while walking over there. It was a little confusing to find, especially with the limited signage. I really didn't research the layout of the land before visiting. We tried walking into the little marketplace area to cut through the land, but that was at capacity so we went around.
My first glimpse of the Millennium Falcon! Knowing the layout of the land now, I can see we walked too far, but I'm not really complaining. It's so huge in person!
Our food wasn't ready yet, so we walked around the land for a bit. The level of theming is sublime! We walked into a pretty cool store (don't know what it was called):
After exploring the store for just a few minutes, our food was ready so we went over to what we though was Docking Bay. It was actually Ronto Roasters, a cast member had to point us in the way of Docking Bay. The entrance to Ronto Roasters was a lot more grand than Docking Bay, so it was a little confusing!
Once inside Docking Bay, a cast member directed us to the mobile order pickup area where we got our food and drinks. We made our way to the small outdoor seating area. We ended up having to split apart a bit, my brother and dad sat at bar chairs around a tree while the rest of us sat in a small booth.
My dad and I ordered the Endorian Fried Chicken Tip Yip, my mom got the Batuuan Beef Pot Roast, my brother got the Felucian Kefta and Garden Spread, and my sister got the Roasted Endorian Chicken Salad...what a mouthful! So what I gather, Endor is famous for their chicken, beef comes from Batuu, and it's popular to be vegetarian in Flucia? Haha! We also got a few of the Batuu-bon desserts.
Fried Chicken Tip Yip:
Beef Pot Roast:
Batuu-bon:
I didn't get a photo of my brother or sister's entrees, sorry!
So for a food review: the fried chicken dish was interesting. The very rectangular shape of the chicken was unique and I was a little suspicious before I tasted it. The flavor however was great! The breading was well seasoned and the chicken wasn't too dry. The mac n' cheese was decent, but I wish I got the mashed potatoes. The broccoli was also well seasoned and not overdone.
I had a bite or two of my mom's pot roast and it was very tasty! I'm not really a mushroom person but I would order this in the future. My sister's salad was alright, but my brother's veggie meatball meal was truly delicious. Disney hummus is oddly good and I would probably order this next time I visit.
The dessert was also great! The algae looking stuff looked weird but was just green cake. It reminded me a lot of a tiramisu, and was pretty rich. I'm a big fan of these new interesting looking desserts they have here and over at Satu'li Canteen.
Overall I loved Docking Bay 7! The food was unique and high quality for Disney counter service. The price was higher than most other counter service places, but I think being able to eat "Star Wars food" makes it worth it. The other counter service dining options in Hollywood Studios are hardly remarkable, so I'd say this is probably your best option.
We decided that after lunch, my mom, sister and I would head back to Toy Story Land while my dad and brother would shop for a bit and meet us in TSL. We were thinking of riding Smuggler's Run, but the line was posted 45 minutes while Toy Story Mania was only five. First my mom went over to find a restroom, which was kind of confusing to find. Soon enough though we were walking back over to Toy Story Land!
While looking for the restroom, I spotted some Storm Troopers and Kylo Ren:
The first attraction we rode after lunch was Alien Swirling Saucers:
I kind of loved this ride. We walked on and I would never wait more than 10-20 minutes for it, but sliding around the little alien ship was so fun and adorable. I love that it was a modern version of the Whip at Hersheypark, which was one of the more interesting flat rides I've ridden. One drawback though was that for a new ride, it was oddly rough. I feel like around the turns, the vehicle would jackhammer a bit. My mom didn't enjoy that but liked the ride overall.
Our next ride was Toy Story Mania. The last time we were at Hollywood Studios in January 2014, this was THE hot ticket attraction. It was always a mad dash to get Fastpasses and the line was so long. Sadly, we missed out last time. But today, we got to ride it with a walk on wait! It was SO much fun. My mom isn't a video game person and isn't a fan of the Buzz Lightyear ride in Magic Kingdom. She initially sat in the middle because she thought she wouldn't really want to play. But after our first ride, she wanted to play for herself.
While we were walking out of the ride, I got a call from my dad and brother saying they wanted to ride it as well, so they met us outside the ride and we all rode again. Everyone really loved this ride...we are all pretty competitive. I forgot this ride had wind effects, so that was really fun! However, your masks did fog up the 3D glasses, so you had to get the positioning juuuuust right.
I won both times around...I have a feeling I could do better though!
Up next: venturing back into the "old" side of Hollywood Studios (rip Streets of America)
