How long at Hollywood Studios with 5 & 3 yr old

[RainK]

I plan on going to Hollywood Studios on our next trip to Disney in October, but am not sure how to plan the day.

My kids are 5 and 3 so we won't be able to do the thrill rides or rides that require certain height restrictions. And I worried they may get restless with the shows.

I know we will want to do - Beauty & Beast, Playhouse Disney, and maybe High School Musical. We want to definately see the parade and go to the Lights Motors Action. Possibly go to Toy Barn - but that will be decided when we get there.

In addition, I want to do a character dining for lunch @ Hollywood N Vine.

So, my question is: how long do you think we will spend there?

If I get there for 10am..... do you think I will be done by 5pm?

I am trying to get my ADR for dinner and want to make sure I plan accordingly withoug cutting us too short or too long for that matter.

What time does Fatasmic show at night? Is it worth staying for?

Any previous experiences with small kids is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[cinjam]

Hello. We were just at WDW 2/12-2/19. We did two days at Hollywood Studios (my kids are 4 & 7).

The hard thing is that Lights, Motors, Action, Beauty & the Beast and HSM have specific show times. It's not like Playhouse which runs every 30 minutes or so (we did not do Playhouse this year, but have in previous years; so someone please correct me if I am wrong).

Trying to plan the day is hard unless you know what the show times are going to be for that specific day. During our stay Lights, Motors, Action only had two shows a day (if I remember correctly one at around 11am and the other around 4pm).

I think you can easily spend the whole day there.

Can you make your ADR at Hollywood Studios? Parade, for us, was at 3:00pm. So you can watch the parade, then squeeze in something, dinner, and then stay for Fantasmic.

The Sci-Fi restaurant was a hit for us in the past (I did not think the movie clips they showed were scary for the kids). This year we did 50s Prime Time and it was just ok (with regards to surroundings intriguing the kids)

To answer the Fantasmic question: yes, I think it was worth it! My children enjoyed it very, very much. On the day we went we had a 7:00pm show, which was perfect. On the advice of friend, we arrive 45 minutes to 1 hour before the show started to get decent seats.

We've gone every year since my first born was 1. I've always had good luck with my children & shows.
*They enjoy Indian Jones (they did not get restless - LOTS of action). This show was 30 minutes
*The Little Mermaid is always a hit.
*Character greetings are always a hit (current favorites were Sully & Mike, Mater & McQueen, and the Power Rangers).
*They very much liked the Star Wars ride! (there is a 40" height requirement)
*Muppets 3-D show is a hit too!!
*Studio Backlot Tour is great!!! Slightly boring on some part of the tram ride for little ones, but the Catastrophe Canyon part got their attention! This takes a good 30 minutes too.
*They like the Great American Movie ride (although this year we couldn't fit it in!), but there is a scary part when you get to the "Alien" movie section.

We did the character breakfast at Hollywood & Vine (kids loved it)

Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[katie111]

Also, the Honey I Shrunk the Audience playground is great. Last year my kids (3 & 4) spent at least an hour and a half there and would have spent longer if we let them. I think on paper it doesn't look like the Studios will take much time, but the previous poster is right, when you factor in the show times, seeing the characters, etc it can easily take a full day. We didn't stay for Fantasmic as my kids saw it on the Disney planning DVD & wanted no part of it. Definitely include Muppet 3D and Little Mermaid (although my DS3 did get a little scared in that show). Also, you can do a baby swap if you & your DD want to ride ToT and the Rock'n rollercoaster.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Depending on how tall your 3 year old is...you can also get on Star Tours. I would second that the issue with DHS is that the shows are only at certain times of the day. So you kinda have to plan your day there once you are there and check the board for show times. We always do Little Mermaid, Muppets, Star Tours, Movie Ride, Backlot Tour, character meet and greets (there are a LOT at DHS). We saw Beauty and the Beast this year (DD was chosen as the Princess of the Day to get the rose from the Beast...highlight of the trip for her). We still have yet to see the stunt show or Playhouse Disney because the times just haven't worked out. DD also loves to eat and play a few games at Pizza Planet...food is okay...nothing great but the kids love the theming.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Also, the Honey I Shrunk the Audience playground is great. Last year my kids (3 & 4) spent at least an hour and a half there and would have spent longer if we let them....

We actually did not like this playground. - It's very hard to see where your kids are, and DH really thought DS got lost for a bit.

But if you decide to stay for 2 meals, I definitely second the good review of Sci-fi. We loved the atmosphere!

And I also agree with the poster who said how long you are there really depends on showtimes. If you're not seeing many, and not waiting in lines for the big thrill rides, you can definitely "do" the park between 10:00 and 5:00. (But I haven't been there for Fantasmic yet, so I can't answer about staying for that.)

Good luck!

 

[TheDizMom]

I have to say I disagree here. I don't really find that there is much for little kids once you get past the obvious shows like B&B, PHD, Little Mermaid and if your kids have gotten into it at this age HSM. We have been twice and my kids haven't gotten into it much either time, although my DS liked it better the second time as he was older so some of the shows became more interesting to him. I wouldn't spend an entire day there myself.