Hollywood Studios Strategy

[andiraye]

We are going to HS on our trip to WDW at the end of the summer and I'm having trouble planning strategy. We want to do ST, JTA (my two DS'a would freak to be in the show), TSMM and Fantasmic. Because of our choices, we need to be there at RD and at close.

We are also happy to do a show or two, but I feel like there's a lot of time to fill before Fantasmic. Any suggestions? We can take a midday break and swim at the pool but our next day is a full pool day.

We are a party of 6 - DS7, DS4, two parents, two grandparents.

I'm very curious to hear your suggestions. I'd be open to leaving the park for dinner at DTD or something if you think it's a good plan, so feel free to be creative!

 

[CAS239]

Fast pass Toy Story for an hour or two after park opening. Get to the park at rope drop and head to the Jedi academy to sign up. After that you can hit Star Tours with probably no wait. So those are knocked out. You could have a fast pass set up for ToT if you guys are riding that. If you don't have any must haves for the second tier FP's you could have one for Star Tours and ride a second time. There's a bunch of different stories for it so you'll probably experience a different ride the second time.

Or if you guys are doing Rockin Rollercoaster, then head there after the Jedi sign ups. Indiana Jones and Lights Motors Actions are both really good shows. Little mermaid show too is good if you guys like Ariel.

I'd use all your fast passes then go to a kiosk and select Fantasmic as a 4th FP. Leave the park to go eat or relax at the hotel, then come back a few hours before park closing.

 

[Alesia]

Do you have park hoppers? I would head to Epcot for a while.

 

[Lucius Best]

Reserve your 3 FP+ for TSMM/ST/ToT late morning. Be at HS before park opening, HS often opens as early as 8:45am. Sign up for Jedi Academy first. Then I'd probably hustle to TSMM to ride standby, because that line gets the craziest. When we were there last month, ST line never got too bad (10-30 minutes) compared to TSMM/RnRC/ToT (all over 60 minutes). After using first 3 FP+, we were able to get multiple additional FP at kiosks for ST, but almost didn't need them.

When we were leaving HS around 1pm one day to take a break before coming back, we hit a FP kiosk and were surpsied/lucky to get a TSMM FP with return time 8pm. We found the FP kiosks near TSMM almost always empty, compared to the lines at other locations.

One option during the afternoon would be mini-golf. Fantasia Gardens is close, but we like Winter Summerland much better (at Blizzard Beach). Then if you're in that area, you could swing by Animal Kingdom Lodge to check out the animals and/or have dinner at Boma before going back to HS. Other dinner option would be to look into Fantasmic dining packages at someplace like Mama Melrose's, when we did it a few years ago, the first two sections on the right were reserved for dining package people.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We are going to HS on our trip to WDW at the end of the summer and I'm having trouble planning strategy. We want to do ST, JTA (my two DS'a would freak to be in the show), TSMM and Fantasmic. Because of our choices, we need to be there at RD and at close.

We are also happy to do a show or two, but I feel like there's a lot of time to fill before Fantasmic. Any suggestions? We can take a midday break and swim at the pool but our next day is a full pool day.

We are a party of 6 - DS7, DS4, two parents, two grandparents.

I'm very curious to hear your suggestions. I'd be open to leaving the park for dinner at DTD or something if you think it's a good plan, so feel free to be creative!

I know everyone says it is a half day park, but we have been filling our time nicely and still didn't get to everything. (most recent "full day" was 9am-5pm. We stopped at 5 only because We wanted to be home by a certain time.)

Things I don't see on your list:
TOT
RNR
GMR
LMA
Indiana Jones
Beauty and the Beast
Animation Academy
Muppets
One Man's Dream

And then if if floats your boat
Playhouse Disney show
VOTLM

Then there are meals, character meet and greets, and the streetmosphere.

If none of that works for you, then maybe park hopping to EPCOT is an option. But,
Lacking fastpasses might not make it worth it.

Though--depending on the stamina of the grandparents, rushing around EPCOT and coming back for Fantasmic might be taxing.

And keep in mind that your JTA slot is contingent on spaces being open and working around your fast passes.

We have found this park to be great for Re-rides first
Thing in the morning on headliners. So the family could ride Star Tours again with hopefully a different version the second time.

 

[lovndisney12]

We did Fantasmic dining package many years ago at Mama Melrose's and really enjoyed it. We now try to hit Mama Melrose's every trip - but take a look at the menu to see if it is a restaurant your entire group would enjoy. The package will help reduce the waiting time in line too. Beware with ST that if anyone has issues with motion sickness - this might throw off their enjoyment of the rest of the park for awhile. I think the revamp version is worse too - or I am just getting older...

 

[andiraye]

Things I don't see on your list:
TOT
RNR
.

Nobody but me is going to want to go on those two! The most likely candidate, DH, hates roller coasters! We went on TOT about 10 years ago in DL and he swore never again.

But the rest of your advice is well taken. I will see what the crew is interested in.

 

[vicb]

There are lots of good character meet and greets at the studios and they take up time. Also at their age your kids might enjoy the Honey I Shrunk playground. Maybe add in a fun lunch at Sci-Fi. I think they might enjoy the Lights Motors show and the Indy show. Check with Steve Soares site to get all the times and see what other entertainment might interest your group. Muppets movie is fun too.

 

[tink9702]

I'd be very surprised if your boys didn't like the Lights Motor Action show. I'd also try to ride Star Tours multiple times. Consider the Animation Academy drawing class as well. Indiana Jones is also a good show for boys.

As far as leaving HS, mini-golf, pool or maybe horseback riding at wilderness lodge??? Or a really relaxed early dinner? You could combine dinner with some afternoon time at DTD too. We much prefer to be at DTD during the day with our kids than at night when it gets busier. The boys would like T-Rex.

 

[tlmadden73]

I wouldn't take a mid-day break. There are a lot of shows at Hollywood studios that take time (simply due to the limited showtimes). Indiana Jones, Lights, Motors Action.

Star Tours is a different ride every time you ride it .. so re-rides of that are cool too.

I'd stay for dinner at Hollywood Studios. It has some of the coolest family restaurants (the theming) in all the parks in my opinion.

 

[vicb]

Also you are only a boat ride away from the Epcot area resorts if you wanted to leave the park to eat at ESPN or Beaches and Cream (many restaurants to choose from) or just some quiet air conditioned time in one of the lobbies with a cold drink. But I would probably just stay in the park, you can get good relaxing/sitting down time in the shows. I have always enjoyed the shopping at HS too, there are some neat shops there for the grandparents to stroll through and I'll bet they would enjoy some of the street entertainers. Going in the summer you will definitely want to make a reservation for atleast one sit down meal that day to get in the air conditioning.

 

[tabistar]

It's been a struggle for us to spend the whole day there, too. We learned to save the shows (Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Disney Jr, etc) for the afternoon to fill in the time. It's nice to sit and relax without having to leave the park. This year though, we might go back to the resort pool for a bit since our Fantasmic dinner package is actually a lunch ADR; we'll have plenty of time to fill.

 

[Baptist]

Since you have a 7 and 4 year olds with grandparents, I would not suggest park hopping or going back to your hotel (especially since your next day is a scheduled pool day unless your 4 year old requires a nap). You will need to get there at rope drop to sign up for the Jedi training. Be sure to get a FP for TSMM and Star Tours (not that your really need it for ST, but you will want to ride it twice). Be sure to check out the shows. I think everyone would enjoy Indiana Jones, LMA, and Beauty and the Beast. Those alone will complete your day. How about Oaken's Trading Post (play in the snow) or the Animation Academy? Then, head straight to bed after Fantasmic.

 

[andiraye]

Thank you for all these suggestions. VERY helpful. Just what I was hoping for! We were at DHS last summer and my DS4 LOVED Star Tours. We are definitely riding that twice and I'm going to try for a FP to TSMM. I've seen Indiana Jones a bunch of times and think I can skip it. Oakens is a good idea. We are generally Frozened out, so I was planning on skipping the whole parade/sing along thing, but I probably dismissed Oakens too quickly.

Good suggestion about scheduling shows for the afternoon. A great way to "rest" in the park. And if the kids (or the grandparents) are getting antsy or worn out we can head to DTD or the Epcot hotels and return for Fantasmic.

One last (I hope) question. What do you suggest between Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid? My boys have a higher tolerance for princesses than many boys, but neither movie really held their attention like Star Wars! They will enjoy one princess show but not two.

 

[Princess Jes]

Is it an option to do fantasmic on the following night after relaxing by the pool all day?
Then you can do DHS as long as you have stuff to do and go play mini golf or DTD without the rush and stress of rushing back for fantasmic?

 

[csmith041177]

I also would not be shy about taking a hotel / pool break, even if you have a full pool day the next day. A quick pick-me-up is almost always on our agenda, just so everyone can enjoy the afternoon. Especially with Fantasmic, you don't want the whole crew to be exhausted and miserable to the point where they cannot enjoy the show (which as in fact happened to us in the past).

 

[twodogs]

We liked beauty and the beast MUCH better as it is live people dancing and singing in great costumes, whereas Ariel is just a few people. We jut did this last week, had the lunch Mama Melrose fantasmic package so didn't have to use FP for that. We went back to AKL for break at 5, ate dinner in our villa, and back for Fantasmic at around 820 for 9pm show. Didn't have time to swim but just rested in hotel. We had me, DH, two kids ages 7&9 and grandparents. All were ready for a break. Transportation times to AKL were a bit painful so consider that when deciding on a hotel break versus DTD etc.

 

[soniam]

If your kids like Baymax & Hiro, they might still be meeting then. There's also a lot of fun artsy stuff to do in that building, even if you don't do any meet and greets or the animation academy. Your kids might like to build a droid or a lightsaber in Tataouine Traders. That can kill a decent amount of time.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Thank you for all these suggestions. VERY helpful. Just what I was hoping for! We were at DHS last summer and my DS4 LOVED Star Tours. We are definitely riding that twice and I'm going to try for a FP to TSMM. I've seen Indiana Jones a bunch of times and think I can skip it. Oakens is a good idea. We are generally Frozened out, so I was planning on skipping the whole parade/sing along thing, but I probably dismissed Oakens too quickly.

Good suggestion about scheduling shows for the afternoon. A great way to "rest" in the park. And if the kids (or the grandparents) are getting antsy or worn out we can head to DTD or the Epcot hotels and return for Fantasmic.

One last (I hope) question. What do you suggest between Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid? My boys have a higher tolerance for princesses than many boys, but neither movie really held their attention like Star Wars! They will enjoy one princess show but not two.

I would go for Beauty and the Beast. My 8yo saw it 2 weeks ago and enjoyed it. Once was enough. (He didn't want to do it again this past weekend.) but he did enjoy it.

 

[tink9702]

the Little Mermaid show is not that good IMHO. Definitely do Beauty & the Beast instead of LM.