Is Hollywood Studios worth it?

[69RoadRunner]

We haven't been there yet, but there's no way we could miss Toy Story, anything with the Cars characters and the stunt car show.

For kids who haven't been there yet, I've been told that you should do MK at the end. If you do it first, they might be disappointed by the other parks.

 

[kpadalik]

Definitely go to DHS. If possible go when Little Mermaid isn't closed for refurb. It is a neat show and the little ones will love it. Here a tip for that show...don't sit near the front. The stage is set up high and you can't see very well if you are in the front. We always sit in the middle to back of the theatre and see just fine.

Also, you may want to take 2 days to do Epcot. It is a big park w/ lots to do and see. Have fun!

 

[mommyof2princesses]

HS wasn't my dh's favorite park until recently. We really love it. It is also generally less crowded too. We love Toy Story Mania...such a great ride. We went on it 3 times one morning. (we got lucky and after we got our fast passes, they wished us right on!) Beauty and the beast show is great, the playhouse disney show is cute, little mermaid, the muppets, the playground. The characters are great...ds loved meeting buzz and woody and the playhouse disney characters. The parade is really cool. Worth if for a day.

 

[tanyaandallie]

We are taking our 3 kids for the first time at the end of January for 7 days. Really we are in the parks for 6 days. The girls are 6 & 3 and the boy is 20 months. I had reservations at Hollywood and Vine for lunch but just canceled due to poor reviews, we booked a dinner at Boatwrights we are staying at POFQ so it's close and looks to have good reviews. Now I am wondering if we should even bother with HS these attractions are closed

* Sounds Dangerous with Drew Carey: Operates Seasonally; Temporarily Closed [January 8, 2009 to January 31, 2009]
* The American Film Institute Showcase: Closed [January 8, 2009 to January 31, 2009]
* Studio Backlot Tour: Closed for Refurbishment [January 8, 2009 to January 31, 2009]
* Voyage of The Little Mermaid: Closed for Refurbishment [January 27, 2009 to January 29, 2009]

on the days were are going. WE don't have park hopper so is it still worth it to spend a day there. So far we are going to MK 3 days, Epcot 1, AK 1 which other park would be worth spending extra time in?

Thanks so much
Sarah

You know, we have been to HS many times but we have never been to any of these attractions except Little Mermaid!! So, I wouldn't let the others being closed stop you from going. If you can rearrange so that you go when it's open, I'd do it. You could do Toy STory Mania, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast (it's still there, right?), see the HSM show, Playhouse Disney etc. All of the things at HS take a long time so just these things is enough to fill up more than a day.

I'll admit it's not my fav park but it's worth it if you have 2 young girls!

 

[susykt4]

My vote is to keep it as your final day and then see how much your kids enjoy/tolerate shows. HS is a GREAT place to see characters, but most of the attractions are long shows. My kids ages 8 and 6 HATE sitting through shows, so HS is by far our least favorite park. We'll be there at the same time and I've read the Honey, I Shrunk playground will be closed as well. Bummer. Oh, also, if your kids don't like loud noises, The Great Movie Ride scared my kids half to death when they were 5 and 3. Lots of gunshots and a REALLY loud guide. We haven't been back on that one

 

[TravelinMommy]

We are planning 1 full day at HS....and later in the week...depending of how much we like it...we may do another day there. I know my son will love the rides and the shows....so depending on how busy it is...we may spend two days there.

 

[Mcbruns]

I don't think anyone could save MK until the end of a trip -- that would be pure torture. I don't think kids will be disappointed by any park on a first trip.

 

[carj]

My kids were 7 and 4 when we went last summer. The day at HS was probably one of the most fun!
We all liked TSM, my son loved the Jedi Training Academy, my daughter loved the shows and the parade was so much fun.

A funny story, I told the kids we needed to go find a spot to see the parade.

My 7 year old asked "Do they throw candy?" I said "no." He said "Well, then I'm out!" I told him that was too bad and he would like it. He whined a bit but the CMs came out and started blowing bubbles and playing with parachutes with the kids. By the time the parade actually got to us, he was excited and we all loved the parade! It was great!
That was our second day of the trip. For the rest of the week, if he thought something sounded boring, I just reminded him about the parade and to give it a chance.

 

[homerjay316]

Don't forget Lights, Motors, Action! The children might only be luke warm towards it, but its a must see for the adults in your party.

You can't see everything at every park in any reasonable time frame. To maximize what you do see though I suggest doing each park at least once. You'll see the landmarks, take some pictures, and the kids can say, "I was there."

With young kids a MK heavy vacation schedule is probably best, but the other parks still have a lot to offer.

 

[micheleq]

We did the H&V charachter breakfast and it was great! Food was fine, replentished often and a good variety, and the character interaction was awesome! Maybe schedule a late breakfast (we did 10:10, but I think you could book breakfast up to 11am) in lieu of lunch?

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

Also we find it is easier to find character greets in this park.

We were able to get Helen and Bob (Mr. and Mrs. Incredible), Mike and Sully (Monster's Inc), Mater and Lightning McQueen (CARS) and Sorceror Mickey at HS..all without a major wait. And this was in the middle of the summer peak season.

 

[Tabatha]

I absolutely adore Fantasmic! It is my favorite nighttime show of all the parks. I don't think that it is any scarier than loud fireworks at Epcot or MK. Its a complete production - pyro, water screens, water pageantry, music, storyline.. its something for everyone!

Just walking around the park and taking pictures in the different backgrounds is fun. Lots of neat photo ops and character meets you find in other parks.

I would say definitely spend at least 1 day at HS.

 

[tam626]

If I were you I would go to HS the day I was going to go to Epcot. My 3 year old loved HS. Playhouse Disney was a must see for us.

 

[disneycruiser2007]

Yes, I think it would be worth it if you knew that Little Mermaid would be open. Especially if the children like Ariel, my 5 year old (just turned 5 when we went) has loved Ariel since she was 2 (she really likes the fin - also LM toys including sea creatures and dolphins make good bath toys).

At HS my 5 year old daughter could not go on Star Tours (min. height reqt=40 inches) but my 8 year old daughter could and LOVED it. While my 8 year old went, my 5 year old watched the Jedi Academy Show and loved that. The ride is not a scary or wild ride. To prepare, we let both watch the Star Wars movies and the animated cartoons that were part of the trilogy continuity series as preparation and got them Star Wars miniature toys. Even our pre-schooler was primed for the ride/attraction (and all the boy pre-schoolers love Star Wars which made her cool cause she knew the names of the characters). So, maybe your older child could go on it with a parent, and then take turns with the other parent who could then ride it (so daughter could go twice). It's a FASTPASS ride, you'd need 4 fastpasses then. The other parent could wait with the younger ones and watch the Jedi Training Academy. Our 5 year old girl LOVED watching the academy. They pick maybe 6-8 old kids (she's too shy) to train and then 'fight' Darth Maul and Darth Vader. The make-up and costumes are awesome - the genuine movie thing. Even though our pre-schooler hid behind us as parents every time they came by, she peeped her head back out as soon as they walked away from her (she watched it 3-4 times and would have watched it "again") if we hadn't pulled her away.

While Dad ran around like crazy getting FASTPASSes, we watched the music entertainment that was available in the park (don't know maybe it was high school musical but really wasn't sure) and bought ice cream bars for him and the kids or got photo ops with characters. I think it works well if all the adults bring cell phones with them, especially if the park gets busy.

 

[pooh4evr]

We really like studios- it feels more relaxed in some way than Mk for sure - it usually isn't quite as crowded. you can meet lost of characters and the shows are well worth it too- we did the lunch at hollwood and vine last yr- won't go back there

 

[sarahbug79]

Some of the days I can't or don't want to move because we are meeting friends or family those days such as EP, AK, MK those are firm days we have plans the other days we are on our own. Well actually the first day we are doing MK because my dad is coming to Florida for his own vacation and wants to go to MK on the first day. The other advantage to moving the HS to MK for day 2 is it's EMH morning at MK and also the night parade.

Sarah