2016 Edition of the UG Recommends skipping DHS for Short Stays

[tlmadden73]

Just depends what you value .. and what you plan on doing.

I had a short stay two weeks ago and we made sure DHS was one of our two park days. Despite having toddlers, we found the park full of things to do and simply didn't have enough time to do it all. (mainly due to show scheduling).

I'll admit though, that without the Frozen Summer fun distractions and the upcoming construction, it feels the park will have a lot less to do over the next few years. You have to figure that some attractions will have to close during the construction (Little Mermaid, Disney Junior, One Man's Dream, Indiana Jones, Lights Motor Action, etc.) and you wonder how much there WILL be to do there then.

I doubt they would ever do it, but they should just combine DHS and Epcot (temporarily) into one ticket and give everyone a free hopper between the two. Run buses and the boat shuttle directly (not stopping at the resorts) between the two and get rid of the FP tiering.

 

[Magpie]

Our next trip is in December, so we're going to be spending a LOT of time at Hollywood Studios. Wandering around the Osborne Lights is my husband's idea of a perfect evening. We could never skip HS during the Christmas season.

Or Epcot, for that matter! But if the Osborne Lights go on hiatus during the renos, that'll be the year we have our Christmas vacation at Universal.

 

[Disney Khi]

I've skipped DHS on week-long trips and never missed it. We went last year just for the Frozen stuff and enjoyed it, but I don't need to go back for a long time. I don't know if I would want to sub in Universal instead. I like Universal, but our last few trips there have been week-long, too, so I like to keep my WDW and UOR trips separate.

 

[minnie-apple-mouse]

DHS will make up for it down the road, but for a while it will be a bit thin.

Depends what you want really.

I might recommend spending for the 3 day hopper, over 2 WDW days and one US day.

$346 vs $307 ($39 more)

Then:

MK-AM (no FP+)
DHS PM (with FP+)

AK AM (no FP+)
EPCOT PM (with FP+)

DHS AM (no FP+)
MK PM (with FP+)

That way you get all 3 night shows (including Fantasmic), and all 4 parks headliners-many with FP+.

Take ME, no car rental, no bags, stay onsite and get your resort/pool time in each afternoon.


VS what...MK...EPCOT...US.

But I'm no travel expert like they are.

 

[BarbieGal457]

Another in agreement here. If I was doing a short trip there is no way I would waste time at DHS in its current state. I love RnRC and the Little Mermaid and Beauty & the Beast shows, but that's really it at this point. It's not really worth our time right now. We went for 8 days this May-June and the only reason we did DHS at all was because I grabbed us some nice FPs for the afternoon and we had a few hours to kill between arrival and Hoop Dee Doo at 830p. It was also Star Wars Weekend and although neither of us are crazy about Star Wars (we don't dislike it either - just sort of indifferent) we thought it would be cool to experience since we never had before. We both agreed we didn't feel we needed any more time there. RnRC was down too, which was the one thing I was looking forward to there, but I understand that is completely out of anyone's control.

If we only had 3 or so days we would either repeat MK or Epcot, and if not just spend the day by the pool or maybe venture to AK. Universal doesn't appeal too much to just because most of their attractions aren't really our type. I am actually thinking of planning a short trip to Universal just to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I am sure it will be extra hard to resist popping over to Disney for the day!

 

[epcotty]

Yeah. DHS is on the "We might pop over if we're desperate for something different" part of my plans currently.

Yeah, I think we would only go now if we were desperate for something different, especially with all the closures recently. We do like Universal better currently, which wasn't the case until the past year

 

[nkereina]

We're just two adults and DHS is probably our second favorite park after Epcot. Call us crazy! We think TSMM, TOT, and RnRC are some of the best rides on property. Restaurants like 50s PT and Sci Fi are some of the most uniquely themed places on property. All that being said, I do agree that with some recent closures, it would only take a half day to accomplish and not a great use of a ticket day without park hoppers. FWIW, we have two park days in October - doing AK one morning with MNSSHP at night, and the next day we're splitting between Epcot and DHS. Can't imagine not doing all the parks, even on short stays!

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Len Testa has consistently said that he thinks DHS is not worth more than spending around $60 for admission. That would mean buying at least a 4 or 5 day ticket. I think it will be rough once they start all the construction.

 

[pclvnmcky88]

I have a very hard time justifying US instead of DHS. Honestly, we went to US and found it very lacking compared to Disney. Some people just have different interests. I do not agree with UG telling everyone to skip DHS on short trips. We just got back yesterday from a 3 night stay, 2 park days with park hopper, and spent from opening until 5pm the first day at DHS before jumping to Epcot. We easily could have stayed there all day. We don't have kids yet and it was just me and my DH. DHS has a lot to do. Honestly we didn't even know there was the animation class there until about a year ago! The backlot tour was never a must do ride and I think we rode it once in the past 5 years of going to the parks. We love DHS and couldn't go to the parks without going.

 

[d-train]

I tend to agree too. By the end of the afternoon, I was done with HS this Spring. When the new attractions are open, it will probably be a different story. For next summer, just planning a half day there. Maybe, just maybe, going back at night for Fantasmic. Didnt go this year, didn't really miss it...time for an upgrade.

 

[Choozee]

We are skipping DHS entirely this trip. We are staying 6 days. 3 MK, 1 AK and 1 EPCOT. And one mid-week do nothing day

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

My husband couldn't bear to miss DHS because TSMM and TOT are two of his favorite rides.

We also enjoy taking our daughter to the Disney Jr. stuff.

 

[Planogirl]

We skip even during longer stays. The ticket prices might not change much but our time is valuable too.

 

[mousefan73]

I would never pay 100 OOP for DHS.. though part of a week trip and multiple day tix, I would still do it and it's worth it.. the only thing that sucks is the wait times.... DHS would be awesome to do a lot of the rides multiple times.. Almost impossible over the whole day.. Heck I could ride Stars over and over as each is a new experience.
We do HS a half day and plan in Fantastmic and Mama Melrose.

There is still a lot to do there. It's not like an empty parking lot.

 

[mousefan73]

and and the comment that EP lacks, I find untrue... we can spend over an hour with just the Nemo ride and then if you utilize the entire aquarium area, you need at least 45 minute... and BTW we loved Captain EO.. finally for the first time!! was like a corny Star Wars movie.. my DD8 laughed and giggled at his dance moves and wanted to see it again!.. was cute in an old school 80s way

 

[karly05]

"If you've got just two or three days to visit Disney World, skip the Studios. It's hard for us to recommend spending $80-$100 on a park that has so little to offer."--The UG Team.

They recommend going to US instead.

Thoughts?

I haven't read all the replies, just giving my reaction to the original post.

First off, if I'm at WDW and have only 2-3 days on my trip, I am not going to Universal. (Now, if I'm in Orlando for a longer stay and had planned only 2-3 days of that at WDW, I would think Uni is already in my plans.)

Anyway:

Scenario 1: If I'm an adult with kids and I'm only at WDW because of the kids and I don't have a park-hopper - I can see skipping DHS. I would spend 2 days at MK and the 3rd as a less-hectic day at whichever other park I thought we'd like best. 2 Days - I'd just stick to MK. Hopefully, if it's a first-and-only (as far as I the parent am concerned) trip, the kids won't know what they're missing.

Scenario 2: If I'm part of a family that loves WDW and will be back, and I don't have hoppers, I'd pick whichever parks we like best (or think we'd like best), and unless there was something at DHS that I simply couldn't live without, I'd skip it. IF we had hoppers/APs and I really wanted to hit something there (ToT, Fant! whatever), I'd try to work it in, but not the end of the world if we couldn't.

Scenario 3: If it's ME, I will have a park hopper no matter how extravagant/impractical, and I'm not going all the way to WDW without hitting a couple of favorite things at DHS, I'd map out my 2 or 3 days to get in all my favorites. Probably try to split it 2 parks a day if only 2 days; could spread it out more with 3. When the day comes that they close Star Tours for construction and give Phineas & Ferb the boot but the new lands aren't open yet, then I would skip DHS.

 

[leebee]

Attractions: Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster, Toy Story Mania, Great Movie Ride, Star Tours.
Shows: Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Disney Junior, Indiana Jones, Muppets, Lights, Motors, Action, Fantasmic.

This isn't even everything. How can you not stay busy at DHS? It's not my favorite park, but there's plenty to do- if you CHOOSE to. Sometimes I think we get a little jaded because we've all been to Disney a lot. If you are a first or second time visitor, there is still PLENTY to do in all the parks.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

There is no chance my son would ever let us skip DHS. But I agree with the guide, for the money it is not a wise choice to go. Another day at MK is what I would choose to do.

 

[cakebaker]

"If you've got just two or three days to visit Disney World, skip the Studios. It's hard for us to recommend spending $80-$100 on a park that has so little to offer."--The UG Team.

They recommend going to US instead.

Thoughts?

First, I can't imagine trying to fit Universal into a 2-3 day vacation that includes WDW. Seems like a huge waste of money all the way around.

Secondly, I don't see how they make blanket statements like that- if you have a little one, there's not much to do at Universal- certainly not as much as HS has right now. For those looking for the best bang for their buck with thrill rides, the advice is more reasonable. For others, not so much. And the price on one day tickets is insane at either park.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

and and the comment that EP lacks, I find untrue... we can spend over an hour with just the Nemo ride and then if you utilize the entire aquarium area, you need at least 45 minute... and BTW we loved Captain EO.. finally for the first time!! was like a corny Star Wars movie.. my DD8 laughed and giggled at his dance moves and wanted to see it again!.. was cute in an old school 80s way

We love Epcot and both of my kids rank it as their favorite park. We usually spend at least 2 days there and find plenty to do. That said, the empty pavilions are a little depressing. I would love to see the Imagination Pavilion restored to its former glory. And Wonders of Life and the Odyssey? They could do so much.

Attractions: Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster, Toy Story Mania, Great Movie Ride, Star Tours.
Shows: Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Disney Junior, Indiana Jones, Muppets, Lights, Motors, Action, Fantasmic.

This isn't even everything. How can you not stay busy at DHS? It's not my favorite park, but there's plenty to do- if you CHOOSE to. Sometimes I think we get a little jaded because we've all been to Disney a lot. If you are a first or second time visitor, there is still PLENTY to do in all the parks.

First, I can't imagine trying to fit Universal into a 2-3 day vacation that includes WDW. Seems like a huge waste of money all the way around.

Secondly, I don't see how they make blanket statements like that- if you have a little one, there's not much to do at Universal- certainly not as much as HS has right now. For those looking for the best bang for their buck with thrill rides, the advice is more reasonable. For others, not so much. And the price on one day tickets is insane at either park.

So there are 5 rides and 7 shows; 12 attractions if you do everything. But I think there is a pretty narrow window of overlap for those rides unless your family is splitting up. ToT, RnR, and ST all have height restrictions. By the time my kids were really interested in them, they weren't interested in Disney Jr anymore. Several of the shows involve explosions/load noises which can be a problem for some kids. And there is a limit to how many shows my kids want to see each day.

If the average visitor has 4 day tickets, they really are better off spending their time at the other 3 parks.