HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS Tips
Likely the most favorite park for the older Disney and especially Star Wards fans, be prepared to wait over 2 hours for their newest ride Rise of the Resistance. For the kids, Slinky Dog Dash, a roller coaster has on average 1.5 hour wait times as well as Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. If you want to be able to maximize this day, lightning pass or use of Disney Genie is the way to go to not miss out. Not recommended to go on a Weekend. Note this park as the most waiting in line in the sun or rain so bring a few umbrellas which helps in either case.
Ride Descriptions
Rise of the Resistance
Below you will find descriptions of what we rode on our recent trip and our opinion. We didn’t ride all of the rides and you can find most descriptions (albeit short) in the Disney Parks app. They will have better descriptions of height requirements. We spent the most hours in this park but didn’t get to ride all of the rides due to the long wait times of Mickey & Minnie as well as the Star Wars rides. Slinky Dog dash was probably the next popular ride which we saw it as a roller coaster for younger kids and not worth the hour and a half wait on average for our family with older kids.
Ride Name | Description | Age & Thrill Level | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
Alien Swirling Saucers | Like Spinning tea cups but with a twist. The rotation moves you along into other circles so you don’t end up with the same group you started with. | Kiddie ride but fun for all ages who wants to have a good time. I don’t think it’s one to get you dizzy as much as others. | If less than 20 minute wait then it’s a nice in between ride because waiting over an hour back to back for rides suck |
Star Tours The Adventure | Shortest wait time of all the rides interestingly enough. Reminds me of the Back to the Future Ride at Universal Studios. | In a stationary “ship” 3D motion simulated space flight. | Go early in the day or when it’s less than 15 minutes wait. You don’t want to waste too much time here as other rides increase in time fast |
Toy Story Mania! | Similar to Buzz Lightyear in Magic Kingdom you are on a traveling cart and you’re going through an arcade game shooting targets with a pull digital slingshot | Fun for all ages that fits the height requirement. You have a score in the end to compare with other players. | We went twice the last time we came but this time it was a bit long wait, it was also pouring rain and unfortunately the line was outside. Worth 45 or less wait. |
Mickey & Minnie’s Railway | Similar to Rise of the Resistance and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Individual moving carts that move into different rooms with 4D experience and screens | Fun for all ages that fit the height requirement. Not scary and more entertaining. | Recommended for the kids if Star Wars line is too long or you couldn’t get into Remy at Epcot as it’s a similar concept ride. This wait is all in the sun. |
Rock ‘n Roller Coaster | Roller coaster with a Rock and Roll/Aerosmith theme. Nothing really memorable about it. | Scarier thrill ride, another roller coaster in the dark type of ride that goes really fast. | Probably not recommended to wait more than 45 minutes unless you really like roller coasters. Disney’s more known for themes than thrills. |
Millennium Falcon | A cross between Mission Mars (Epcot) in that you get to man the spaceship and ride in the cockpit and control it | Fun for everyone, not scary, great experience if you are a Star Wars Fan | More interactive than Star Tours, a 40 min or less wait is good |
Rise of the Resistance | You get the full Star Wars experience with this, the decor is very cool, from the waiting rooms to the Star Troopers hall. The actual ride is a combination of all the effects of a 4D, moving cart experience. | Not scary, more of an adventure type of ride. | I wouldn’t wait more than 90 minutes for this but we had to wait 2.5 hours because there was no choice. My son wasn’t going to miss this, it was a great experience but it will try your patience! |
Recommended Food
Epic Eats
Pretty good funnel cake. I left the Rise of the Resistance Queue to grab a few for the family to snack on as they wait over 2 hours. Everyone else in line was jealous and the kids were happy.
Trolley Car Cafe
Really a Starbucks with decent prices and a Disney Bakery. Everyone raved about the Carrot Cake Cookie so I had to try. It was good but it’s not really a cookie, just a carrot cake sandwich.
Entertainment
Fantasmic was our favorite night time show during our previous Disney Trips however sadly was not available this time. Even though most restrictions have been lifted it could be lack of manpower is the cause. Still we will put it on our list of recommendations so that if it is available it’s a definite do not miss!
Walt Disney Presents is an interesting museum and history of Walt Disney. While many probably didn’t go to Hollywood Studios to watch a mini documentary, it was a welcoming rest time for our party as some napped while others enjoyed taking a break of waiting in a long line in the heat.
We stopped by only because every single other ride was over an hour wait while this was 10 minutes. Can see why =) It may appeal to younger kids but I’m not sure if most younger kids know who the muppets are anymore. I can see this becoming renovated as something else in the future. We were puzzled by the long line on the outside but then found out they were in line for Rise of the Resistance and the line was THAT long.
Other Tips
Parking
Hollywood Studios parking isn’t too far from the gate, they possibly designed it better. All parks are $25 for parking and $50 for preferred. It’s good for in an out and to use other parks on the same day. However given a there’s a lot of walking and there are no trams running, it might be a good idea to find an uber/lyft service.
Winding Down Rides
The day can be exhausting for any age with the heat, walking and waiting. Find rides and shows with a short wait time at every park where you can rest your eyes and feet and not be over stimulated. At Hollywood Studios there’s: Muppets 3D (Show) & Walt Disney Presents (Show) but there aren’t any scenic slow rides like “It’s a Small World” or Pirates of the Caribbean in this park.
Wait Times
Check the wait times in the apps a day or two before each park and take mental notes for the rides you want to take. There are certain times of the day when rides aren’t as long: Early morning only the hottest rides are an hour wait, go for the classic rides they are usually less than 10 minutes. Wait times are usually longest from 10 AM to 1 PM, then they decrease as people grab lunch. Use the Genie to sign up for lightning pass, which I believe is free (it wasn’t available yet when we went but Fast Pass was free) + isn’t free. In general Hollywood Studios rides don’t change, the wait times for most of the rides are over an hour.
Souvenirs
We generally don’t buy souvenirs unless they are something unique to the park that can remind us of the trip. In this instance we tried to find the nicest clothes that say 50th Anniversary or “Walt Disney World”, but it was limited stock. Sometimes others parks would have something in stock when one doesn’t. Ask employees if you need a different size. Know that you can return items easily at other stores throughout the park so you can buy something and return elsewhere if you find something you like more.
Weather
The weather is unpredictable and usually raining at some point in Orlando. Check weather when there is the highest chance of thunderstorms to plan your rides for the day. You don’t want to be stuck waiting in the rain or in line for a long time to learn they will have to shut it down. Only Slinky Dog Dash is susceptible to that as most rides are indoors, however there’s a lot of outdoor in the sun waiting rides in pretty much all of them.
