How we tackled Disney Hollywood Studios in a day plus a little more
When we visited Disney this time, we decided we would be visiting all the parks. Hollywood Studios is a smaller park than the other ones, but it is packed with adventure.
The following is how our day (and evening) went in the park. At the bottom, I have addressed some FAQs people generally have about Hollywood Studios. For reference, our kids were 5 and 9 at the time of the visit but we had a stroller.
Hollywood Studios in the evening
Before we left, we purchased multi day passes and made our schedule. On our “rest day” we decided to go to Hollywood Studios in the evening. My husband really wanted to ride Rise of the Resistance and we had heard it could shut down pretty easily so we decided we would spend an extra evening making sure we got to ride.
When we first arrived, we went back to the Backlot Express to grab a couple Wookiee Cookies to eat while we waited in line for RoR. I recommend this treat to anyone and it was perfect theming for the ride. Also, we easily shared two between the four of us.
When we made it to the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge portion of the park, we saw a wait time of 90 minutes for RoR. What we didn’t realize is that Disney pads that wait time by a lot. We ended up only waiting about 45 minutes in line before all the pre-show of the ride. Happily, we were able to ride the ride and had more time to spare.
The lines in the evening weren’t very bad and we ended up riding Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway Ride and Slinky Dog Dash before the park closed that night. I recommend doing these two in the evening as both of the queues are mostly outside.
This was a perfect night to take the kids because we waited in less lines and just had a taste of the park.
Full Day at Hollywood Studios
We returned a few days later to DHS to get in a full day and take in all the fun it has to offer. Also, it was decided that Rise of the Resistance was the “best ride ever” and we wanted to do it again.
Hollywood Studios Sunset Boulevard
First, we started with some face paint near the Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster and went back to Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy. There was no wait and this is a great attraction for younger kids, plus it has air conditioning.
Hollywood Boulevard
Next, we moved on to the front of the park and hung out with Chip and Dale for a bit, saw the Pixar Character Cavalcade (which ran a lot throughout the day) and got a couple of snacks. I noticed that throughout the trip we had several popcorn and Mickey Pretzels. These were great to share and portable snacks.
Side note: Because Disney allows outside food in the parks we packed many of our own.
Animation Courtyard
As we checked out the Disney Presents attraction (in the air conditioning) we noticed our oldest was reading all the information and really seemed to enjoy herself. We ended up coming back here later to finish seeing the entire attraction.
Echo Lake
Next, we headed over to the Frozen Sing a long. I highly recommend this because you are sitting in a theater with air conditioning and you get to sing to Frozen music with some characters. It was a hot day so we enjoyed this break from the heat.
Grand Avenue
Before our dining reservation, we headed over to Grand Avenue to catch Muppet Vision 3-D. This was a favorite of mine as a kid and it was close to our dining reservation. It is a bit dated now since technology has improved significantly, but it still has those cheesy laugh moments the Muppets are known for! The kids seemed to enjoy it and kept talking about it after we left.
Lunch: Sci Fi Dine in Theater
Next was a much needed break for us in the middle of the day. This lunch ended up taking around 2 hours, but we were inside a mock Drive in Movie Theater. We were seated the whole time, with air conditioning and had the best waitress I’ve ever had.
The menu is mainly burgers and fries, but they really make them Disney special. My burger had a shrimp and crab cake on top and was massive. We ended up with a special dessert that looked like it was from a sci fi movie itself.
If you are traveling with kids, I would recommend getting at least one dining reservation to take a break from the heat and allow the kids to have a nice long break. This helps with morale with the whole group.
Indiana Jones: Still in Echo Lake
After lunch, we made sure to find time to go to the Indiana Jones show. Make sure to look at the schedule because it only runs a few times a day and not too late in the day.
Toy Story Land
Next, we headed back to Toy Story Land to hit up the Toy Story Mania ride. It was listed as 60 minutes, but it was a walk on! This was a favorite of the whole family, but it also hurt our arms with the launching mechanism being manual. We ended up riding twice since we all enjoyed it.
Back to Galaxy’s Edge
Lastly, we decided to finish our day in Galaxy’s Edge to do Rise of the Resistance one more time. Our kids decided to make light sabers, but we did the cheaper option. DIY light sabers were at the exit of Star Tours. Once the kids made these, we raced back and walked on the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run.
Once we left the ride, the park was closed, but we took our time leaving. We all appreciated the theming of Galaxy’s Edge and the amount of people walking around with light sabers made us feel like we were in the movies. The cast members won’t make you leave, but you will not be able to go to the back parts of the park if you walk towards the front of the park.
Hollywood Studios FAQs
How much is Hollywood Studios Parking?
General parking is $25 but preferred is up to $50 on peak days.
What Restaurants are at Hollywood Studios?
Restaurant list:
Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge
Echo Lake
Backlot Express (get that Wookiee Cookie!!!)
Dinosaur Gertie’s Ice Cream of Extinction
Commissary Lane
Grand Avenune
Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Toy Story Land
Animation Courtyard
Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Company
Sunset Boulevard
Anaheim Produce
Rosie’s All American Cafe
Catalina Eddie’s
Fairfax Faire
Hollywood Scoops
Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Company
What are the Hollywood Studios Rides?
Surprisingly, there are not as many rides here as there are at Magic Kingdom (9 rides total). For example, there are only three rides in Toy Story Land. Hollywood Studios is more of an experience park but the highlights are Rise of Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Also, don’t forget Tower of Terror!
What are the Sections of Hollywood Studios?
Lastly, Hollywood Studios is broken up into eight sections: Hollywood Boulevard, Echo Lake, Commissary Lane, Grand Avenue, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, Animation Courtyard, and Sunset Boulevard. Toy Story Land and Star Wars are the newest sections but should not be missed.
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