Hollywood studios late arrival

czmom

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Oct 26, 2011
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We have ALWAYS been rope drop people so I knew our touring plans pretty well. This trip is just me and my college freshman daughter, so we are changing things up. DHS will be a late arrival after closing down MK with extended hours the night before. That being said, will we be able to hit all the rides arriving around 11 AM? I would love any strategies from people who do this on the norm lol. We can honestly skip shows, but we do want to stay for Fantasmic! It will be a weekday in mid-May so hopefully crowds are not too bad.
 
I'm assuming you mean without LLMPs. We personally try for the shows since there are 5 including the Mickey Vacation Fun with a perpetual short wait and excluding Indiana Jones that we never go to, so we try to fit them in to ensure getting them all once/trip. Mid May should be average ish crowds with cooler but not cold temps, Flower Garden, most cheer competitions occurring early in the year, kids could be out of school by then? We used to go during this time a lot, but I don't think we have in several years. Our last 3 trips were this past Sept., Christmas 2025, and last week. So while Sept was obviously a lull, the last 2 recent trips were very busy. We didn't buy any LLs last week, but we go so frequently, and RD that we don't like spending the money unless we have more people with us. For HS, if not rope dropping, it will be noticeably busier by 11am with only 7 attractions, less Star Tours that's always low and Aliens. With only 7 rides to spread crowds, and pretty often a breakdown between ToT, RnR, Rise, or SDD, it can be pretty busy. RnR was down during our 2 days and we never got to say "goodbye" to it last week. Rise broke down when we got to the very front of the line, and ToT had it's moments and easily reached 60+ often.

I essentially don't have a set plan of attack for later arrivals. On busier HS days or if arriving there 2nd park, I usually watch wait times and if there is something reasonable like 30-40 for something like MMRR or TSM, I do it, but otherwise fit in shows, while still watching for something low enough. But I plan to dine early for dinner, and many attractions at HS start really being lower waits in the evenings. It's more noticeable here than elsewhere that it's great to ride late at HS. Paired with SR lines at Rise, RnR, MF, it helps. We alternated Rise SR back to back in under 30 min. SDD is the one attraction that doesn't really come down even as a last ride, it's still 45-65.
 
We did Fantasmic last week, and did it on our First Sat because there were 2 shows, at 8 and 9:30. Because we have a 2 yr old, and it was 9:30 only for the rest of the week, we prioritized that Sat 8pm. In the past we arrived 90 minutes prior for stroller parking, getting our pick of end of row seats. I noticed that vs. in Sept., they allowed us to start at Pocahontas section rather than the next one over, and a lot of people arrived just before the show and found seats. The trend had been that they were pushing the non dining package folks further and further left, sort of like for Food and Wine. But I was surprised to be back at Pocahontas rather than it being roped off like in Sept. It's still left ish., but not bad viewing. Fantasmic is still a nightmare to exit, especially with a 2 yr old, so we left as soon as the final boat scene started to beat that crowd out.

We always skip the magic of animation or whatever that show in front of the Chinese theater is called.
 
Recently Quincy and Breedlove for. All ears did DHS. She had LLs , he waited in line. They just did the headliners and I think her total was around an hour wait. His was 8 hours or so. I would stack LLs. (I’ve always been successful with an extended grace period after it expires.)
 

We go around the fist week in May every year and "cool" would not describe the last couple of years. Instead, prepare for it to be quite hot. Not August-hot, but in the high 80s and low 90s.

And I agree with a PP about getting LLs and stacking them. It's not un-busy in May.
 
Several DHS attractions have multiple additional Lightning Lane release times each day. The return times are generally within 30-45 minutes of the drop time so you can get through several in an afternoon or evening

Familiarize yourself with the release schedules then be ready. The times are reliable but the passes can be gone very quickly.
 
Several DHS attractions have multiple additional Lightning Lane release times each day. The return times are generally within 30-45 minutes of the drop time so you can get through several in an afternoon or evening

Familiarize yourself with the release schedules then be ready. The times are reliable but the passes can be gone very quickly.
I'd appreciate it if you could tell me where to find the day of LLMP drops release schedules so I can be ready for our trip next month - TIA!
 
I'd appreciate it if you could tell me where to find the day of LLMP drops release schedules so I can be ready for our trip next month - TIA!
The Thrill-Data.com website has an overwhelming amount of information on this and many more topics. Find the heading labeled "WDW Lightning Lane Additional Availability" to get started.

I was skeptical when I first read about this here a few years ago, but it does work very well. There is just a lot of information to sort through.

From what I can tell, this is a way for Disney to help out their "paying customers" who purchased both Single Pass and/or Multi Pass by giving them additional day-of flexibility.
 

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