Is Hollywood Studios now a 2 day park? + Rate my plans

[Serrina89]

Is Hollywood Studios a now a 2 day park?

My DH and I will be traveling on a 10 year anniversary trip (10 years since we went to Disney World/Universal for the first time together when we were dating) and even though we are not trying to super re-create the trip, we are trying to capture a lot of the same magic. When we went 10 years ago. HS was not a 2-day park, everything we wanted to do could be done in a day but with TS land, Star wars, and the runaway train, it seems like it would take longer. At HS, I will NOT ride TOT and most likely won't ride Aerosmith, my husband may ride it if there is a single rider line. We did not get park hoppers and have already booked and reserved the parks and hotels. If I miss Fantasmic, I would probably pay 150 for a park hopper to see it.

We will be going Aug 3-13th. (RC -stands for recreation). We now live on the west coast and usually go to Disneyland one or more times a year.

Thursday August 3rd - Travel Day (we may travel overnight to spend some time at the park after a nap) - staying at cabana bay with 4 day park hoppers (3 parks)
Friday August 4th - US/IOA
Saturday August 5th - US/IOA
Sunday August 5th - VB & redu-ing favorites.
Monday August 6th - Check out super early, Move to All Star Music (we wanted to stay at AOA like previously but it's out of budget, POP theming doesn't interest me as much)
-Eat early breakfast at Kona Cafe (RC)
-Epcot
- Dinner at San Angel Inn (RC)
Tuesday August 7th - MK
Wednesday August 8th - Ak / Potential Cirque du Soleil (RC) at night
Thursday August 9th - HS - thinking about Sci Fi Dinner but considering not doing it because of the time commitment
Friday August 10th - Water park / EPCOT - Dinner at Space 220
Sat August 12th - MK
Sun August 13 - MK (thinking about changing to HS), will leave early to catch flight back (we will try to do the latest which may be overnight)

Weird Quirks and Touring Styles: I like to stop and smell the roses and sometimes spend an hour on Main Street looking around. I usually tour clockwise. I also like to start the trip by riding the Monorail and end the trip with train ride around MK (though I will be okay if I end the day with a loop around MK) I typically like to tour MK, EPCOT, AK, HS but switched EP and MK due to wanting more time at MK.

Burning Questions besides the poll:
1) Will eating at Sci Fi Diner cost us valuable park touring time ?
2) Would you change MK on Sunday to HS?
3) Would you change anything else? Any other Red flags?
4) Fantasmic is my favorite thing about Disney. I only need to see it once but would be bummed to miss it. Does Fantasmic only run on certain days?

At HS, I will NOT ride TOT and most likely won't ride Aerosmith, my husband may ride it if there is a single rider line. We will probably not get park hoppers. If I miss Fantasmic, I would probably pay 150 for a park hopper to see it again.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Are you going this August? If so you should start asap trying for scifi if you haven’t gotten it yet. Id say the meal at scifi lasts about an hour or so, so you wouldn’t be missing too much imo. You have a lot of MK days so I personally would switch one to another HS, because imo it now is a 2 day park. If you want to see all the shows, experience SW area and ride most everything you really need 2 days.It’s actually my family’s (not mine though lol) favorite park right now. Have fun!

 

[Serrina89]

Are you going this August? If so you should start asap trying for scifi if you haven’t gotten it yet. Id say the meal at scifi lasts about an hour or so, so you wouldn’t be missing too much imo. You have a lot of MK days so I personally would switch one to another HS, because imo it now is a 2 day park. If you want to see all the shows, experience SW area and ride most everything you really need 2 days.It’s actually my family’s (not mine though lol) favorite park right now. Have fun!

Thank you! I am going in august. I switched my last MK day to HS, so we have a couple of more hours in the park. I also went ahead and got a ADR for Sci Fi!

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Is Hollywood Studios a now a 2 day park?

My DH and I will be traveling on a 10 year anniversary trip (10 years since we went to Disney World/Universal for the first time together when we were dating) and even though we are not trying to super re-create the trip, we are trying to capture a lot of the same magic. When we went 10 years ago. HS was not a 2-day park, everything we wanted to do could be done in a day but with TS land, Star wars, and the runaway train, it seems like it would take longer. At HS, I will NOT ride TOT and most likely won't ride Aerosmith, my husband may ride it if there is a single rider line. We did not get park hoppers and have already booked and reserved the parks and hotels. If I miss Fantasmic, I would probably pay 150 for a park hopper to see it.

We will be going Aug 3-13th. (RC -stands for recreation). We now live on the west coast and usually go to Disneyland one or more times a year.

Thursday August 3rd - Travel Day (we may travel overnight to spend some time at the park after a nap) - staying at cabana bay with 4 day park hoppers (3 parks)
Friday August 4th - US/IOA
Saturday August 5th - US/IOA
Sunday August 5th - VB & redu-ing favorites.
Monday August 6th - Check out super early, Move to All Star Music (we wanted to stay at AOA like previously but it's out of budget, POP theming doesn't interest me as much)
-Eat early breakfast at Kona Cafe (RC)
-Epcot
- Dinner at San Angel Inn (RC)
Tuesday August 7th - MK
Wednesday August 8th - Ak / Potential Cirque du Soleil (RC) at night
Thursday August 9th - HS - thinking about Sci Fi Dinner but considering not doing it because of the time commitment
Friday August 10th - Water park / EPCOT - Dinner at Space 220
Sat August 12th - MK
Sun August 13 - MK (thinking about changing to HS), will leave early to catch flight back (we will try to do the latest which may be overnight)

Weird Quirks and Touring Styles: I like to stop and smell the roses and sometimes spend an hour on Main Street looking around. I usually tour clockwise. I also like to start the trip by riding the Monorail and end the trip with train ride around MK (though I will be okay if I end the day with a loop around MK) I typically like to tour MK, EPCOT, AK, HS but switched EP and MK due to wanting more time at MK.

Burning Questions besides the poll:
1) Will eating at Sci Fi Diner cost us valuable park touring time ?
2) Would you change MK on Sunday to HS?
3) Would you change anything else? Any other Red flags?
4) Fantasmic is my favorite thing about Disney. I only need to see it once but would be bummed to miss it. Does Fantasmic only run on certain days?

At HS, I will NOT ride TOT and most likely won't ride Aerosmith, my husband may ride it if there is a single rider line. We will probably not get park hoppers. If I miss Fantasmic, I would probably pay 150 for a park hopper to see it again.

It's all about what you really want to accomplish at DHS and what you don't care to see and how much down time you want. Our normal DHS day will be arrive mid/late AM, eat, do rides, some times take another resort break if we stay at skyliner/boat/walkable resort. It really just depends. Would I break up DHS into 2 days for us, no but it might work better for you since it's been quite a while since you last visisted.

We don't usually do ADRs but we will take time out for lunch to sit down at ABC or Backlot. Just an FYI, Sci Fi will fill up. We'll be there in early Aug and there aren't many ADRs left. Sci Fi can take a bit to be seated but once seated, most times, they usually go pretty fast and really shouldn't be a time sucker, but like with any ADR, it can be if it's an off day.

 

[Carolynleanne]

It's a one day park for us. Not even. That being said, we could spend three days at EPCOT, so it totally depends on what you're into. We basically hit up Galaxy's Edge, Toy Story Land, see Indie, have lunch at 50's, take an afternoon pool break, then come back for Fantasmic! We don't do Beauty & the Beast or Frozen Live. The only rides we aim for are Rise of the Resistance, Mickey and Minnies, and the ones in Toy Story Land. That's it.

 

[Timandalicia]

Is Hollywood Studios a now a 2 day park?

My DH and I will be traveling on a 10 year anniversary trip (10 years since we went to Disney World/Universal for the first time together when we were dating) and even though we are not trying to super re-create the trip, we are trying to capture a lot of the same magic. When we went 10 years ago. HS was not a 2-day park, everything we wanted to do could be done in a day but with TS land, Star wars, and the runaway train, it seems like it would take longer. At HS, I will NOT ride TOT and most likely won't ride Aerosmith, my husband may ride it if there is a single rider line. We did not get park hoppers and have already booked and reserved the parks and hotels. If I miss Fantasmic, I would probably pay 150 for a park hopper to see it.

We will be going Aug 3-13th. (RC -stands for recreation). We now live on the west coast and usually go to Disneyland one or more times a year.

Thursday August 3rd - Travel Day (we may travel overnight to spend some time at the park after a nap) - staying at cabana bay with 4 day park hoppers (3 parks)
Friday August 4th - US/IOA
Saturday August 5th - US/IOA
Sunday August 5th - VB & redu-ing favorites.
Monday August 6th - Check out super early, Move to All Star Music (we wanted to stay at AOA like previously but it's out of budget, POP theming doesn't interest me as much)
-Eat early breakfast at Kona Cafe (RC)
-Epcot
- Dinner at San Angel Inn (RC)
Tuesday August 7th - MK
Wednesday August 8th - Ak / Potential Cirque du Soleil (RC) at night
Thursday August 9th - HS - thinking about Sci Fi Dinner but considering not doing it because of the time commitment
Friday August 10th - Water park / EPCOT - Dinner at Space 220
Sat August 12th - MK
Sun August 13 - MK (thinking about changing to HS), will leave early to catch flight back (we will try to do the latest which may be overnight)

Weird Quirks and Touring Styles: I like to stop and smell the roses and sometimes spend an hour on Main Street looking around. I usually tour clockwise. I also like to start the trip by riding the Monorail and end the trip with train ride around MK (though I will be okay if I end the day with a loop around MK) I typically like to tour MK, EPCOT, AK, HS but switched EP and MK due to wanting more time at MK.

Burning Questions besides the poll:
1) Will eating at Sci Fi Diner cost us valuable park touring time ?
2) Would you change MK on Sunday to HS?
3) Would you change anything else? Any other Red flags?
4) Fantasmic is my favorite thing about Disney. I only need to see it once but would be bummed to miss it. Does Fantasmic only run on certain days?

At HS, I will NOT ride TOT and most likely won't ride Aerosmith, my husband may ride it if there is a single rider line. We will probably not get park hoppers. If I miss Fantasmic, I would probably pay 150 for a park hopper to see it again.

It’s a 3 day park

 

[loves to dive]

It really depends on you and your style. You don't mention if you are getting Genie+ but I'm going to assume no. If you rope drop either SDD or Rise and don't ride ToT or RnRC, you should be able to hit it all in a day. You might want to build in some get out of the park time, it's hotter then the surface or the sun and it will rain every day in August.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Those who are voting what is exactly two days if you rope drop you can hit everything pretty easily

 

[T.G.I.Friday]

You didn’t ask about it, but Kona Cafe on Monday morning seems like it’s really out of the way and will cost too much of your limited time in Epcot. I would go there on an MK day and not add it to all of your moving around on Monday morning.

 

[woodys_girl]

If you are ride-focused and have Genie + it is definitely doable in one day or less. If you want to see all/most of the shows, meet characters, and ride all the rides, you probably won't be able to do it all, especially without G+. But I find G+ totally worth it at HS. I've always been able to get all the rides (and when hopping more).

 

[aronny]

If Fantasmic is such a high priority, one option is to do one of the Fantasmic dining packages. You’ll have a seat in a reserved area so won’t have to worry about that. You can still do Sci Fi with the package, or if you are worried about time you could try Hollywood & Vine instead. I’ve had better luck getting out of buffets quickly.

I don’t think HS is necessarily a two-day park if you have Genie+ and use it effectively, though I can see doing two days if you just like it and want to ride certain rides multiple times.

 

[Tk0021]

We rope dropped and had genie plus and we rode everything and a few things multiple times. We also did two days at the park because we really like it.

 

[ak517]

Early August might still have summer crowds (although who knows with this year!), and it will be really toasty, which could play into how much you're able to accomplish. I'm not sure if you like to meet characters or see shows, but those can eat up a lot of time, so I would prioritize across rides, shows, and characters (and maybe eating/snacking). Note RnRC does have a single rider line, but it can sometimes be as long a wait as the regular standby, and TOT will generally not call for single riders until just before boarding the elevator. If you're getting MB+, my preferred "stop and smell the roses" activity is bounty hunting on Batuu, and we would just waste time that way in between waiting for LL return times in GE and TSL. Personally, I always recommend use G+ in HS; it helps keep it a 1-day park. If there are two performances for Fantasmic!, I recommend sticking around for the later one because it will be way less crowded.

 

[Serrina89]

It's all about what you really want to accomplish at DHS and what you don't care to see and how much down time you want. Our normal DHS day will be arrive mid/late AM, eat, do rides, some times take another resort break if we stay at skyliner/boat/walkable resort. It really just depends. Would I break up DHS into 2 days for us, no but it might work better for you since it's been quite a while since you last visisted.

We don't usually do ADRs but we will take time out for lunch to sit down at ABC or Backlot. Just an FYI, Sci Fi will fill up. We'll be there in early Aug and there aren't many ADRs left. Sci Fi can take a bit to be seated but once seated, most times, they usually go pretty fast and really shouldn't be a time sucker, but like with any ADR, it can be if it's an off day.

I don't foresee us going back to Disney World (but definitely Disneyland) in the next 2-3 years, so we are trying to do as much as we can. We don't plan to take midday breaks...however.....we're not in our 20s anymore and the GO GO GO lifestyle may catch up with us. I ended up switching the last MK day to a half HS day. Hopefully, if we accomplish everything we want, perhaps we can switch to a park that we may have missed something.


Thank you about the reservations! I went ahead and booked Sci Fi. I'm excited. I really wanted the experience of the 50s Prime Time Cafe instead but my husband like the Sci FI dinner better. I figured you never have to convince me to go to Disney, so I'd prefer to have more things that interest him + I saw the Dis did a recent review, so I took it as a sign.

 

[Serrina89]

It really depends on you and your style. You don't mention if you are getting Genie+ but I'm going to assume no. If you rope drop either SDD or Rise and don't ride ToT or RnRC, you should be able to hit it all in a day. You might want to build in some get out of the park time, it's hotter then the surface or the sun and it will rain every day in August.

I think we will probably do Genie Plus. Depending on how expensive it is that day.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

Our trip almost falls exactly on your dates. We arrive 08/03 and leave on 08/12. We are only planning on DHS for one day so our boys can experience Galaxy's Edge and build droids to take home. We will plan to visit Toy Story Land and we have a ADR for lunch at Sci-Fi. Our oldest son is eligible for DAS, so we will not need Genie+. But with our boys ages, we are more inclined to visit MK multiple times, go slow, and take plenty of breaks from the parks to swim.

 

[Serrina89]

You didn’t ask about it, but Kona Cafe on Monday morning seems like it’s really out of the way and will cost too much of your limited time in Epcot. I would go there on an MK day and not add it to all of your moving around on Monday morning.

I thought about that too! I felt like I was more willing to risk an EPCOT morning off than a MK morning. I also couldn't find a later reservation in the day but suppose I could keep checking. I know it's a lot with it being the moving day. But we've started a tradition of KONA + Monorail being the first things we do before going into a park. It reminds me of when I was a kid and the anticipation to enter the our first park through the monorail since we stayed off property with no access to the busses that drop directly at MK.

 

[Serrina89]

If you are ride-focused and have Genie + it is definitely doable in one day or less. If you want to see all/most of the shows, meet characters, and ride all the rides, you probably won't be able to do it all, especially without G+. But I find G+ totally worth it at HS. I've always been able to get all the rides (and when hopping more).

Does Genie Plus require you to book morning of or can you book it before hand?

 

[Serrina89]

If Fantasmic is such a high priority, one option is to do one of the Fantasmic dining packages. You’ll have a seat in a reserved area so won’t have to worry about that. You can still do Sci Fi with the package, or if you are worried about time you could try Hollywood & Vine instead. I’ve had better luck getting out of buffets quickly.

I don’t think HS is necessarily a two-day park if you have Genie+ and use it effectively, though I can see doing two days if you just like it and want to ride certain rides multiple times.

I'm starting to wonder more about HS, I think i realized that mostly everything there is at Disneyland aside from the things I'm too chicken to ride. I didn't think about the Fanstasmic Dining Package, but I think it might be too expensive to justify.

 

[Serrina89]

Early August might still have summer crowds (although who knows with this year!), and it will be really toasty, which could play into how much you're able to accomplish. I'm not sure if you like to meet characters or see shows, but those can eat up a lot of time, so I would prioritize across rides, shows, and characters (and maybe eating/snacking). Note RnRC does have a single rider line, but it can sometimes be as long a wait as the regular standby, and TOT will generally not call for single riders until just before boarding the elevator. If you're getting MB+, my preferred "stop and smell the roses" activity is bounty hunting on Batuu, and we would just waste time that way in between waiting for LL return times in GE and TSL. Personally, I always recommend use G+ in HS; it helps keep it a 1-day park. If there are two performances for Fantasmic!, I recommend sticking around for the later one because it will be way less crowded.

Thanks for the advice. I'll ask my husband about if he be interested in Bounty hunting. I think we will be ordering magic bands. We will definitely go to the later one if we can. Although, I wonder would it better to go to the early on and then hop on rides during the later one. I wonder would the lines be shorter.