Who Agrees that to see the best of Hollywood Studios, one day is NOT enough, since the Toy Story and Star Wars Galaxy Edge Areas have been finished?

[Lewandowski]

Hey All,
I've been to Disney World many times throughout the years, and have always been a fan and addict. In the past years I generally recommend first time visitors and visitors that do not go often to do one day at Hollywood Studios. However, I feel like since both the Toy Story and Star Wars Galaxy Edge Areas have been done, it really is NOT a one day park anymore, and you'll likely need a day and a half to really see the best that the park has to offer. And this is assuming WITH Lightning Lane Passes and Single Lightning Lanes.

The truth is that Hollywood Studios on average probably has the best rides out of every park. I'm talking if you were to rank all the rides at the 4 parks, the number of Hollywood Studios rides that would be close to the top would probably exceed the number of rides from the other 3 parks at the top for the majority of people. Maybe Magic Kingdom would be competitive if you had little kids, but if your kids are 8+ years old, I think more rides at Hollywood Studios would be higher priority.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Tower of Terror are arguably within the Top 5 rides of all of WDW. Most people will likely want to ride both of those at least twice. Then you've got Rock N Roller Coaster, which is one of the most intense rides in WDW for thrill seekers, and if you are a thrill seeker, that one is another ride you'll probably want to do twice. If you're not so much of a thrill seeker, there's Slinky Dog Dash, and if not RnR, SDD could very well be a ride twice attraction. Toy Story Mania is also an amazing ride, and while once is enough for me on that one, I know plenty of people who would like to do that twice as well. All these rides can have extremely long lines at times.

Then you've got the two other rides that usually don't have as long lines but are still not to be missed: Star Tours and Smugglers Run. Not to mention, for my family, Star Tours is another one of those ride twice rides, although the lines are generally short and that's not too hard to plan for.

And I did not even talk about the shows yet. You have Fantasmic which I am sure everyone would say is a must do. Indiana Jones, Beauty & The Beast, and Frozen Sing Along, are NOT to be missed for first time visitors. Those three are really good shows, and it is generally important to be at the theaters 30 min prior to show starting for the three. Fantasmic, I'd say a good 60 min before hand; some would even say 90 min.

And don't forget the Muppet Vision and Alien Swirling Saucers. Might be skippable for some, but NOT all. I also did not even talk about Animation Courtyard, which I personally believe is skippable for most people, but there are some interesting things there that could really appeal to some people, especially young kids.

With all this taken into consideration, I believe that trying to do all this in one day just is not feasible, even with Lightning Lane Passes. And also, there is potential for things to go wrong and cause delays like ride breakdowns, bad weather, etc.

I am curious what you all think? I cannot understand how people say that Hollywood Studios is only a one day park. Maybe it used to be, but not anymore. In fact, I highly believe that Hollywood Studios is probably the second park you need the most time in after Magic Kingdom; while Epcot in one day isn't the most ideal but very doable; considering must sees and skippable attractions in all parks.

 

[_19disnA]

I think it mostly depends on which rides/shows you want to do and how crowded the park is (i.e. how long the ride lines are). The times we have been to HS, we thought 1 day (or even part of a day) was plenty of time to do the things we wanted. At all of the Disney parks, if you have small children, many of the rides/shows will be more appealing to them compared to if you are a group of adults.

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

Honestly it depends how long they are going. If it’s a 4 day trip, I wouldn’t recommend 2 but if a full week, I usually suggest a full day + one evening if they can swing it. There is a lot there and it’s also just fun to take in Sunset/Hollywood Boulevard when you’re not rushed.

 

[tx911]

If you only ride everything once I think 1 day is doable.

Rope drop ToT and RnR.
LLMP SDD, TSMM, Start Tours, ROTR.
Pick up MMRR LL after first LL usage.
Pick up Smuggler's run LL after second LL usage.
Shows as time allows.

Once the Monsters, Inc. land opens it will be a different story.

 

[FreeTime]

I disagree. It is a 1/2 park at best for us. It is also the first park we will skip. It depends on your family make up and preferences. I find Galaxy’s Edge the most boring land of any theme park, anywhere. I also don’t encourage first timers to re-ride unless they have a 5-day ticket. Then, I advise them to pick the park they liked best. Re-riding takes too much time away from seeing other things that they have never seen before. Most of the shows are stale. They no longer have the large operation shoes like they once did (Lights, Action, MC, and VotLM, for examples). Hopefully the reopening this summer of mermaid will be fantastic.

 

[ExcitedForWDW]

Hey All,
I've been to Disney World many times throughout the years, and have always been a fan and addict. In the past years I generally recommend first time visitors and visitors that do not go often to do one day at Hollywood Studios. However, I feel like since both the Toy Story and Star Wars Galaxy Edge Areas have been done, it really is NOT a one day park anymore, and you'll likely need a day and a half to really see the best that the park has to offer. And this is assuming WITH Lightning Lane Passes and Single Lightning Lanes.

The truth is that Hollywood Studios on average probably has the best rides out of every park. I'm talking if you were to rank all the rides at the 4 parks, the number of Hollywood Studios rides that would be close to the top would probably exceed the number of rides from the other 3 parks at the top for the majority of people. Maybe Magic Kingdom would be competitive if you had little kids, but if your kids are 8+ years old, I think more rides at Hollywood Studios would be higher priority.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Tower of Terror are arguably within the Top 5 rides of all of WDW. Most people will likely want to ride both of those at least twice. Then you've got Rock N Roller Coaster, which is one of the most intense rides in WDW for thrill seekers, and if you are a thrill seeker, that one is another ride you'll probably want to do twice. If you're not so much of a thrill seeker, there's Slinky Dog Dash, and if not RnR, SDD could very well be a ride twice attraction. Toy Story Mania is also an amazing ride, and while once is enough for me on that one, I know plenty of people who would like to do that twice as well. All these rides can have extremely long lines at times.

Then you've got the two other rides that usually don't have as long lines but are still not to be missed: Star Tours and Smugglers Run. Not to mention, for my family, Star Tours is another one of those ride twice rides, although the lines are generally short and that's not too hard to plan for.

And I did not even talk about the shows yet. You have Fantasmic which I am sure everyone would say is a must do. Indiana Jones, Beauty & The Beast, and Frozen Sing Along, are NOT to be missed for first time visitors. Those three are really good shows, and it is generally important to be at the theaters 30 min prior to show starting for the three. Fantasmic, I'd say a good 60 min before hand; some would even say 90 min.

And don't forget the Muppet Vision and Alien Swirling Saucers. Might be skippable for some, but NOT all. I also did not even talk about Animation Courtyard, which I personally believe is skippable for most people, but there are some interesting things there that could really appeal to some people, especially young kids.

With all this taken into consideration, I believe that trying to do all this in one day just is not feasible, even with Lightning Lane Passes. And also, there is potential for things to go wrong and cause delays like ride breakdowns, bad weather, etc.

I am curious what you all think? I cannot understand how people say that Hollywood Studios is only a one day park. Maybe it used to be, but not anymore. In fact, I highly believe that Hollywood Studios is probably the second park you need the most time in after Magic Kingdom; while Epcot in one day isn't the most ideal but very doable; considering must sees and skippable attractions in all parks.

We did 3 out of 9 park days at hs this past month. I agree it has fantastic rides which imo outshines Epcot what with test drive down. We were also really impressed with how they decorated the park for Xmas this year. Kids are 9 & 10 and hs is just behind mk for rides, shows and atmosphere.

 

[loves to dive]

It used to be a full day park for us when it was MGM, not so much now. As others have said, I think it depends on how many days you are at WDW, what you want to ride/see and even how often you go. I go often and sometimes don't even step into Galaxy's Edge (gasp). I could skip TS Land as well (although I don't usually). If you have littles, you are probably going to do TS Land, MMRR and maybe watch a show or two. If you aren't a Star Wars fan, you could most likely skip that land. Caveat, I have always had park hoppers even when there were just two parks, so I have never spent an entire day in any one park. I did spend longer during the day at MGM then I do now at HS. I will hop into HS in the evening for a couple of hours (I love it at night) maybe ride ToT and/or SDD and/or ROTR and watch Fantasmic. I'll go another morning close to rope drop and catch a few more rides and shows and usually leave around lunch. I might hop in and out some other days just for a hour or two.

 

[scrappinginontario]

We find we can do it in one day but, we do not do characters. Guests who visit characters or need to do parent swap could use more than one day.

It’s a one (full) day park for our family.

 

[hsmamato2]

I disagree. It is a 1/2 park at best for us. It is also the first park we will skip. It depends on your family make up and preferences. I find Galaxy’s Edge the most boring land of any theme park, anywhere. I also don’t encourage first timers to re-ride unless they have a 5-day ticket. Then, I advise them to pick the park they liked best. Re-riding takes too much time away from seeing other things that they have never seen before. Most of the shows are stale. They no longer have the large operation shoes like they once did (Lights, Action, MC, and VotLM, for examples). Hopefully the reopening this summer of mermaid will be fantastic.

disagree with OP (sorry) -agree with this. It's my least favorite park,and on our last trip 1/2 day was plenty and we left. I used to love it when it had more of a cohesive old Hollywood theme. Not anymore

 

[japanese maple]

I think this park can be done in one day, but I highly suggest seeing it after dark if you can. It looks wonderful at night.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

Depends on the person I guess.

Personally 1 day (usually 2 half days) is enough for me and that's doing my favorites more t han once.

I don't spend much time in TSL nor do I spend much time in SWGE.
I ride TSM and rarely SDD.
And I ride RotR and rarely SR.

 

[Lewandowski]

Honestly it depends how long they are going. If it’s a 4 day trip, I wouldn’t recommend 2 but if a full week, I usually suggest a full day + one evening if they can swing it. There is a lot there and it’s also just fun to take in Sunset/Hollywood Boulevard when you’re not rushed.

Oh yes fair enough! I was assuming people going for a week (6-7 full days). Yes if you have 4 days, one day at each park. 5 days, extra day at Magic Kingdom. 6 days, I say extra day at Magic Kingdom and maybe the other extra day to split between Hollywood Studios and Epcot.

 

[Lewandowski]

If you only ride everything once I think 1 day is doable.

Rope drop ToT and RnR.
LLMP SDD, TSMM, Start Tours, ROTR.
Pick up MMRR LL after first LL usage.
Pick up Smuggler's run LL after second LL usage.
Shows as time allows.

Once the Monsters, Inc. land opens it will be a different story.

What do you make of the chances with MMRR and Smuggler’s Run being available? Smuggler’s Run likely will, but not so sure about MMRR. I generally don’t like to rely on additional lightning lanes being available.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

It’s my least favorite park and if it were up to me we’d do a half day there but my older kids/teens love this park, it’s their favorite because of the more exciting rides I guess, so we spend 2 and a 1/2 days there over our 2 weeks and the kids still wish it was more. But if you’re a huge SW fan I can see wanting to spend more than one day there. It’s a cool park, I just like the other 3 better.

 

[tx911]

What do you make of the chances with MMRR and Smuggler’s Run being available? Smuggler’s Run likely will, but not so sure about MMRR. I generally don’t like to rely on additional lightning lanes being available.

I think MMRR would be fine provided your first LL is in the morning.

Also those who prioritize MMRR might care less about RnR and ToT, so you could modify as needed.

 

[Lewandowski]

It’s my least favorite park and if it were up to me we’d do a half day there but my older kids/teens love this park, it’s their favorite because of the more exciting rides I guess, so we spend 2 and a 1/2 days there over our 2 weeks and the kids still wish it was more. But if you’re a huge SW fan I can see wanting to spend more than one day there. It’s a cool park, I just like the other 3 better.

I personally wouldn’t call myself a huge Star Wars fan, but it’s interesting. I more so just love really good rides and good shows, and the Hollywood Studios has all of that!

 

[scrappinginontario]

I think the time needed in each is too personal to generalize (possibly the one exception is MK which is a 2 day park for most guests.)

Each person enjoys different things so I stay away from x park is a x time park statements. Well, except for the MK exception above!

 

[redrosesix]

disagree with OP (sorry) -agree with this. It's my least favorite park,and on our last trip 1/2 day was plenty and we left. I used to love it when it had more of a cohesive old Hollywood theme. Not anymore

I agree with this. we much preferred it when it was MGM. it had a completely different vibe and many more layers of entertainment making it feel like more than just a theme park. after the changes to IP only it was a half day park at most. we might go back for a second half day on our next trip for F! but I could easily skip it because universal is beating them on this one.

I guess it depends how long you're going for. 4 or less days no way I would skip another park for DHS now.

 

[NickC]

I could absolutely do 2 full days at HS. But, for us, we usually do 2 half days. We will often skip SDD and RotR. They are great rides, as far as rides go, but they just don't have to "feel" of some of our favorites that make us want to come back. But, everyone is different, so I wouldn't say that everyone should skip them. I agree with previous posters who say that it depends on how many days the vacation is. If there is only one extra day, I would say MK. If two, then HS/Epcot split.

 

[WWWD10]

If you only ride everything once I think 1 day is doable.

Rope drop ToT and RnR.
LLMP SDD, TSMM, Start Tours, ROTR.
Pick up MMRR LL after first LL usage.
Pick up Smuggler's run LL after second LL usage.
Shows as time allows.

Once the Monsters, Inc. land opens it will be a different story.

Oh man, I cannot wait for Monster's Inc! Agreed, for now one day is more than enough to see the whole park. However if you are one of those people that enjoys sitting next to Walt to take it all in then one day might be feel very rushed.