I almost do not even know how to start this post, I want to say – hey, just go ride this coaster now! And if you are in Hollywood Studios right now, you can go get in line, and read our entire series of blogs, and get a good start on a Tale of Two Cities while you wait. It is a very new ride, so a very long line comes with it.

We were so very excited the new Toy Story Land had opened a few weeks before we went to WDW in July with our kids. Our oldest granddaughter loves any kind of coaster (she has no fear) – and although our youngest was saying she would not be riding anything – I was hoping Slinky Dog might talk her into it. (Our first day at Magic Kingdom reconverted her a little bit on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, so when we got to Hollywood Studios on the second day she was ready to ride most anything and everything she was tall enough to get on.)

By some miracle, we were able to get Fast Passes for Slinky Dog Dash, but they were not until 9:00 pm. We knew we couldn’t wait all day, so we got up as early as we could to make it to rope drop. The news of opening day four hour wait times made us nervous enough to get there early. I am so glad we did – we were able to get to Slinky Dog quickly and began riding with very little wait. We were able to ride three times before the line grew to over two hours.

I have already talked about the Toy Story Land theming in an earlier post, so I won’t go into it here – but I will repeat that I absolutely love the atmosphere and the Slinky Dog queue fits in perfectly. The queue looks absolutely awesome. It is however, an outdoor queue, which during a very hot day offers little relief. So, make sure you have water, sunscreen, a hat, and perhaps a sled full of ice – you will need them.

There are so many details, things about the queue that are unique, because Andy built the coaster with his toys and their boxes. My favorite detail while waiting to board the coaster…check out the price tag on Rex’s box.

While we waited in the queue, we tried out the new Play Disney app. The games for Slinky Dog were fun – we were almost sad the wait was so short (almost). These were definitely the most fun games on the app that we tried during our vacation.

The coaster itself is just an absolutely amazing design. It is a family coaster, so no inversions and really no excessively high inclines. I was able to ride it several times in a row with no noticeable problem with my vertigo. (I cannot say that for the one time I rode Alien Swirling Saucers – I get a little dizzy typing the name of that attraction!)

But the thing I loved most about the ride is that it has two launches. The ride starts off quickly, and at about the halfway point it slows down, stops, and slowly moves backward for a moment. Some really fun sounds and effects happen, and you take off again. To top off a truly great ride, there is a surprise ending – as you pull into the platform to unload – that is just perfect.

Because we had late night Fast Passes, and it was such a full day, the kids decided they wanted to skip the Star Wars Fireworks. But we didn’t miss them entirely. Our fast passes coincided with the fireworks, and they were going off as we had our last ride on Slinky Dog Dash. Fireworks were going off on both sides of the track! It could not have been a better ending to our day! Our daughter said it was just about her favorite moment on the trip.

There is a part of me that wonders if I loved this coaster so much just because it is new – and will it stand the test of time? But, right now, I am truly looking forward to riding it again even more by just talking about it. Serious, if you can, just go ride it…now!