Disney Studios- NOT a half-day park!

[leebee]

I'm challenged by touring at DS (HS, DHS, MGM… the confusion is built-in, I think!). I always feel as if we are running around from one side of the park to the other, trying to fit in attractions and show times, never getting to do all we want, and it's been worse since FP+ started. THIS time, I decided to try one of the planners, so I used touringplans.com. I put in all the things we wanted to see and do, and picked FP+ based on their recommendations. It was a really good day! Predicted at a 7, but observed at an 8, I am surprised by all we did and how easy it was! We had no ADR to plan around as NOTHING was available. We arrived at about 9:45 and headed for RnRC, which was down, so we went to Starring Rolls for a cupcake. DD22 then rode ToT twice, using her FP+ and then mine, and we went to check RnRC. It was open with an advertised wait of 20 minutes, but it was more like 40mins. Still, she was out in time for the noon show of Beauty and the Beast. We had GREAT seats, about 8 rows from the stage on the side section, but near the center. AFter that, went to Muppets but the line was out into the courtyard so we had lunch at the Backlot Express, then saw LM (FP#2) and rode TSMM (FP#3). We then got FP#4 for GMR for 5:40pm. We checked out Muppets again and saw the show, then made an ADR at Biergarten for 7:30pm. DD rode Star Tours, we saw the 5pm show of Indiana Jones, then hustled over to GMR and used our FP+ there. We rode the boat to Epcot, had dinner and walked back to the boat just as Illuminations was starting, and rode back to DS to see the last 30 minutes or so of Osborne Lights. It was a FULL day, and we saw everything we wanted to- no interest in Jedi training, Frozen or Disney Junior, so LMA was really the only thing we'd wanted to do that didn't fit! (We decided to skip F! in favor of a sit-down meal in an air-conditioned restaurant, enjoying food and beer!) All in all, it was a great day, but there's no way it was a half-day park!

PS- Only rude CMs we encountered were at the FP+ kiosk. Two of them, and they just stood there talking to each other and looking at their phones. People were having trouble using the kiosks- apparently you have to poke them with your knuckle, not touch them with a finger, and you'd think we'd been interrupting a vital decision on World Peace when we finally asked for help. Attitude galore… but we got our FP+ and moved on.

 

[soniam]

We love Touring Plans as well and have used it for many trips. It really allows you to do everything you want and let's you figure out how long it will take to do those things. Glad you had a great time.

 

[Micca]

I think the "half-day park" remarks come from frequent visitors who skip over a number of the live performance attractions. If you really want to do everything...or most everything, it can't be done in a half day. Having said that, our group falls into the "half-day" camp, we mostly like TOT, GMR, RnRC, TSMM, and Star Tours (sometimes.)

 

[maxiesmom]

I think a lot of it depends on the time of year too, and when you arrive at the park. We arrive at rope drop, and fit in all of what you did, and still make it out by 3 or so. But there is a huge difference in touring now and touring in early October.

 

[Jennasis]

It's a half day for us as we have no interest in many of the offerings (LM, playhouse disney, anything frozen, LMA, B&tB, JTA, even Indiana Jones ).

 

[lovethattink]

DHS is the park we frequent the most! Mostly because of Star Wars and Frozen. If we didn't have AP, I'd want to spend full days there. I also love to stop and catch the streetmosphere acts.

 

[epcotty]

I think the "half-day park" remarks come from frequent visitors who skip over a number of the live performance attractions. If you really want to do everything...or most everything, it can't be done in a half day. Having said that, our group falls into the "half-day" camp, we mostly like TOT, GMR, RnRC, TSMM, and Star Tours (sometimes.)

Also probably from people who never do a number of attractions there whether or not they go often. We'll be going later in December especially since there's more stuff open then than has been more recently

 

[mshanson3121]

I agree OP. We LOVED HS, and it was a 100% full day for us, and we could have gone back for more. We went this summer with two kids ages 8 & 5. We were there at RD, and immediately went to sign up for JTA. I forget the exact order of things, but in our day, we did TSMM twice, Star Tours, JTA, built light sabers, spent probably a good 30-45 minutes at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground (they seriously loved that place), watched the Frozen parade, Indiana Jones, walked around some exploring, watched Little Mermaid, Frozen Sing a Long, danced with Mickey at the DJ dance party, and then ended our day with the Frozen fireworks and the late show of Fantasmic. We took about a 3 hours break in the afternoon, otherwise we were there from RD to close.

 

[kathy884]

This is our second favorite Disney park after the Magic Kingdom. I put together a touring plan for a slow time in January, and we will be there all day from rope drop to closing. On a spring break trip (crowd level 8/9) I really could have used a day and a 1/2 as we didn't get everything in.

 

[Stubbzilla]

We can spend a day there, but we plan for only a half a day and then swimming or relaxing. We don't want to cut anything out of MK, and Epcot takes a day even with stuff cut out. We also do a half day at AK by choice, even though we could spend more time there, because swimming is priority #1 for the kids.

 

[DemoBri1]

I think the "half-day park" remarks come from frequent visitors who skip over a number of the live performance attractions. If you really want to do everything...or most everything, it can't be done in a half day. Having said that, our group falls into the "half-day" camp, we mostly like TOT, GMR, RnRC, TSMM, and Star Tours (sometimes.)

This is correct. If you are going to be doing some of the live shows then DHS is not a 1/2 day park. For me and my family we only hit the main rides like ST, ToT, RnRC, and Toy Story. If we weren't doing the Osborne lights this year it probably would have turned into a 1/2 day for us, but since we were we did TGMR and a couple of other attractions as well to get us to the Osborne Lights.

 

[NewbieMouse]

This makes me feel better about wanting to spend more time in HS than people normally recommend. The last time we were at "HS" was waaaay back in 1997 when it was still MGM studios! But I really remember loving the shows then, and a lot of our favourite rides in Anaheim (ToT, TSMM) are there, as well as RNR (which we rode repeatedly in DLR Paris) - man, I really love those! And the themed dining that we are pumped about - SciFi and 50's Prime, are both in HS. So we are really looking forward to HS on this first trip to WDW in 18 years

 

[leebee]

I posted this because I've been reading more and more people saying it's only a half-day park. I was getting to that point, also, mostly because I am frustrated by trying to fit the different shows into the day. I don't want new visitors to think this park is a waste of time. ANY park is a waste of time if you only choose to do a few things, but there IS enough to do at the Studios to keep you busy all day. I was really pleased with how this day turned out!

 

[caroline1851]

It seems like a full day park to me if you want to do everything. It turned out to be a 1/2 day park for my ds13 and I in June because we only wanted to do RRC, TOT, TSMM, ST, muppets, GMR and lunch.

 

[BudgieMama]

I have to say, from the title, I totally thought this thread was about DLP and in the wrong forum!

 

[funkyspunky871]

Oh, I definitely agree. We're semi-frequent flyers and yet Hollywood Studios is still a full day park for us. We don't even go on RnRC or ToT!! HS is the park where we especially like to take it easy. We like to do the sci-fi dine-in theater and when it was there, the animation academy! Give it a couple years and I'm sure even the half-dayers will be converted. I hear they're planning all sorts of cool things for HS!

 

[Paigesmom2013]

My concern is how to plan DHS without criss-crossing? We want to see the shows because we have younger kids and it's gotta be timed just right. This visit is planned much better than our first one where we just sorta wandered around.

 

[Tomh]

I agree with others, it is a half day park if you have been a number of times and don't want / need to see everything. Beauty and the Beast, Lights Motors Action, and Indiana Jones take up a chunk of time. If you are skipping one or more of them, that makes a significant difference.

Generally we don't see Beauty and the Beast. None of us are interested in, and / or up to ToT, or Disney Junior.

Our big must do's are LMA, TsMM, Star Tours, Indiana Jones, possibly RnRC, and F! All easy to get done in half a day, BUT .. . of course, it is best to be there at rope drop so you can do TsMM twice, once standby and then with FP+, and F! is at the end of the day, so we wind up spending the full day anyway. We will generally have a table service lunch, ride the great movie ride, see Muppet Vision 3D, and spend at least some time wandering the shops.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We spent quite a bit of time there since my kids love thrill rides.

We got there one morning for RD and rode TSM once, RnRC and ToT a few times each and had breakfast at Starring Rolls before 1030 am. We left and went to Epcot for lunch and some exploring at WS. Then took a break at the resort and back to HS in the PM for our FP+ and F!. It was a PM EMH night and after F! we got to ride TSM, RnRC and we were the last ones to ride ToT that night. We were staying at the BC so not a lot of travel time.

We went back another morning with FP! and did Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen show, Star Tours and GMR. We would have been there longer had we done Indiana Jones and Lights Motor Action.

 

[tlmadden73]

It is never a half-day park for me simply because I enjoy how the park looks and feels at night with all the neon.