Disney Hollywood Studios: Two day touring plan
While it is possible to experience the highlights of Disney Hollywood Studios in a single day, let’s face it – two days is better!
With two days at your disposal, there is no need to rush everywhere, and worry that you’ll miss the park’s signature evening show.
And let’s face it, there are several rides that kids – and adults – will want to take again and again, and staying at Disney Hollywood Studios for two days will allow you to relax and enjoy your time there all the more.
Before You Go
If you want to see the Fantasmic! show which is held on selected evenings at 7 pm, it’s essential that you plan ahead with your dinner reservations. Give yourself at least two hours to start dinner to make sure you’re done in time to attend these shows.
Also if you want to get any Lighting Lanes, be ready to schedule them at 7am on your park day.
Day One
Be Prepared
Orlando typically has lovely warm weather year-round, but it does rain practically every evening for a few minutes at least, so bring a rain poncho to be ready for any sudden downpours.
Download the My Disney experience App for times, maps, mobile ordering, and Genie+. Make a plan of which ones you absolutely want to see on Day One, so that you can see the rest of them on Day Two.
Attractions & Rides
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- Alien Swirling Saucer
- Toy Story Mania!
- Slinky Dog Dash
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
- Rise of the Resistance
- Smugglers Run
Shows
- Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
- Disney Junior – Live on Stage
- Fantasmic
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indian Jones™ Epic Stunt Spectacular
Most of the stage shows have multiple performances so it’ll be easy to see favorites on Day One and have new experiences on Day Two – unless your kids prefer to see the same shows again and again.
Select a Rendezvous Point and Time if Necessary
If you and your party plan to split up and meet later, make sure you arrange a rendezvous time and location. Cell phones do get lost, or batteries might go dead at an inconvenient time, so it’s best to just set up a rendezvous time in advance.
Familiarize Yourself with the Park
As you enter Disney Hollywood Studios, you’ll be able to pick up a park map as well as that essential Times Guide. Use a bright yellow marker to mark each show you want to see, and each ride you want to take and plan a route through them all which takes into account show times and distance from any restaurants or Quick Service eateries.
Start the route first thing on your first day in the park, save shopping for the last thing before you return to your resort, and pick up the route where you left off the next morning.
By the way, you can also download a My Disney Experience app free from the App Store or Google Play, depending on your phone’s operating system. It includes an interactive GPS-enabled map and wait times for attractions.
Proceed to Have Fun!
Wait times for each ride are posted outside the entrance to each ride and in the app. Concentrate on the rest of the park and leave Star Wars for day two.
Slinky Dog Dash, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster are the most popular rides in Hollywood Studios. Their waits can be very long. Getting a Lightning Lane for these can help shorten the wait.
Ride Tips!
- Choose this first day to skip Fantasmic!, and choose that time to get in line for the most popular rides. Most people will be at Fantasmic! or will have gone home for the night, so wait times can be significantly less than during peak times.
- Audiences for shows typically number over a thousand, while an adjacent ride can handle only 800 people an hour. Once a show is over, many people head straight for the rides – which inflates the wait time. Instead of getting in line for a ride right after a show ends, find a ride that you want to take, and get in line at the same time that an adjacent show is about to start. This will lessen wait times.
Day Two
If you missed anything on your Day One list, today is the day to visit those attractions or see those shows first.
Perhaps you saved all your Galaxy Edge experiences for this day. You can spend hours exploring Batuu.
Rope Drop Rise and use single rider for Smuggler’s Run. Grab a Ronto Wrap for lunch. Try Blue Milk and grab a drink at Oga’s Cantina. make sure you have a reservation beforehand. make a droid and create your own lightsaber. They do have separate fees for these experiences.
Walk through the stores and interact with the walk-around characters. Have dinner at Dock Bay 7 and finish your night with Star Tours and Fantasmic!
*Note
The information in this guide is current as of January, 2017. It will be updated periodically.