Is anyone else disgusted about the state of Hollywood Studios?

[Huggups]

I just want to say upfront that Hollywood Studios has become a disgrace! It's really sad because I used to love that park and it used to be my second favorite and it has become my least. It seems Star Wars Land is in the future plans for the park but then I hear opening dates and I absolutely cringe. The first Stars Wars movie is scheduled for later this year and this proposed Star Wars Land it is not expected to open until at least 2018. Really? Disney always drags their heels when it comes to construction. DHS is dying a slow painful death and does Disney expect that to go on for the next 3 years? I've had people ask me if I thought it was worth it to go to DHS on their next WDW trip? I'm sorry but considering WDW ticket prices, that shouldn't even be the case.

Does anyone know if Disney has any plans to add anything to draw people until Star Wars Land is completed? Maybe I'm missing something here. The problem is that MK has become really crowded even at the slowest times of the year and I've been thinking Disney has need of a fifth gate. Well, since their third gate has become old and disjointed, there really is no point of an additional WDW theme park. I scratch my head, I really do, at the fact that WDW is attendance is up and so are their ticket prices. There must be something that Disney could do at DHS, at least on a temporary basis to breath some life into that park. One of the options I think would be ideal for that park would be the addition of a Villain event year round and not just for Halloween. I don't understand why Disney doesn't take advantage of the popularity of their Villains? IMO, It would be the perfect time to do this at DHS.

 

[mom2rtk]

Does anyone know if Disney has any plans to add anything to draw people until Star Wars Land is completed?

Frozen Summer Fun?

Frozen Fall Fun?

Frozen Winter Fun?

Frozen Spring Fun?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I am saddened by its state.
I would not pay a single day ticket price for it.

However, there are things I still enjoy that make visiting with a park hopper or AP perfectly fine. I can't see telling someone to not visit at all if either of those are options for them. Even without a park hopper, I could see spending a partial day there at least on a multi day ticket as there is still plenty to do and see.

 

[Huggups]

Frozen Summer Fun?

Frozen Fall Fun?

Frozen Winter Fun?

Frozen Spring Fun?

Ok, maybe I should reword it as anything but "Frozen" related? But since it's being added everywhere else, I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[Nhebron]

We have only visited Hollywood Studios as a part of a larger trip and I do think it has some really great attractions.

I love TOT and RNRC. My son loves the Disney Jr characters and show. Although, he will likely age out of that soon. My husband loves the drawing class. I definitely think the park has some good attractions to work with....just needs to be revamped a bit.

 

[prudence64]

I can't say disqusted since there are big plans for it ahead.

 

[Huggups]

I am saddened by its state.
I would not pay a single day ticket price for it.

However, there are things I still enjoy that make visiting with a park hopper or AP perfectly fine. I can't see telling someone to not visit at all if either of those are options for them. Even without a park hopper, I could see spending a partial day there at least on a multi day ticket as there is still plenty to do and see.

I still plan to visit the park myself but a whole day isn't necessary. Some say AK is a half day park but I can honestly spend more time at AK doing something fun and enjoyable than I can at DHS these days. I'm actually planning a scavenger hunt at DHS the day we visit for lack of much else that interests me.

 

[Huggups]

I can't say disqusted since there are big plans for it ahead.

I'm not disgusted at the so-called big plans. I'm disgusted that it's gotten to this point and will probably remain so for at least the next 3 years.

 

[thefriendlyfloridian]

I like the idea of Hollywood Studios just not the execution. The Hollywood that never was and always will be theming is great. However, it needs a lot of help and the closer it can get to DCA the better. I have very very high hopes for its future. The hat coming down is a step in the right direction.

 

[thefriendlyfloridian]

I can't say disqusted since there are big plans for it ahead.

Big plans, or big rumors?

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Honestly, I think AK is more of a right now than disgrace than DHS. We felt like rats in a maze when we were there in December. I think it's great that they're doing so much to the park, but to let guests into it while so much construction is going on all over the place while charging them nearly $100/day for the pleasure is disgraceful. I think that at the very least they should have been allowing free park hopping to/from AK while all this construction was going on.

 

[LilyWDW]

Big plans, or big rumors?

I am positive there are plans in the works for DHS that will be announced some time soon. What they are, who really knows. But Disney is working on something.

DHS was build fast in order to compete and open before Universal. I do think that it as since suffered due to that.

 

[NavyDad]

As our kids have gotten older we have actually enjoyed DHS more and more each trip. Some of our favorite rides and attractions are at DHS.

This year for Fathers Day I had the choice between MK and HS and I am excited to say I will be spending the day with the family at HS and we are eating at Sci-Fi.

I would be very excited to see them do an expansion to include Star Wars and/or Pixar at some point down the road. I was glad to see the Backlot Tour go as I thought it was the biggest waste of space but I was never able to visit when there was a working studio....

 

[NavyDad]

Honestly, I think AK is more of a right now than disgrace than DHS. We felt like rats in a maze when we were there in December. I think it's great that they're doing so much to the park, but to let guests into it while so much construction is going on all over the place while charging them nearly $100/day for the pleasure is disgraceful. I think that at the very least they should have been allowing free park hopping to/from AK while all this construction was going on.

This is the one I am worried about for our June trip .....

We have decided to add Planet Watch and Birds of Wonder to our schedule this year to try and stay away from the cattle shoots. We'll see....

I can't wait until Avatar is complete...

 

[mimi'sgirl]

yes..we are skipping it this year and only going to MK and Epcot!

 

[thefriendlyfloridian]

I hope the

I am positive there are plans in the works for DHS that will be announced some time soon. What they are, who really knows. But Disney is working on something.

DHS was build fast in order to compete and open before Universal. I do think that it as since suffered due to that.

I agree with you completely, I was just joking because the Disney community has already regarded the expansions as fact that they have to come now! I have my fingers crossed for Cars Land to be coming our way.

I remember visiting DHS back when it was MGM and my grandma would talk about how "maybe she will get discovered" while we were there. I never quite new what that meant and now I realize she was hoping to make it on TV during our visit lol!

 

[bluezy]

Honestly, I think AK is more of a right now than disgrace than DHS. We felt like rats in a maze when we were there in December. I think it's great that they're doing so much to the park, but to let guests into it while so much construction is going on all over the place while charging them nearly $100/day for the pleasure is disgraceful. I think that at the very least they should have been allowing free park hopping to/from AK while all this construction was going on.

My son and daughter were just at Disney World last weekend on a school music department trip. The first thing my son said when he got home was, "What's with all of the construction walls at Animal Kingdom???? It felt so crowded because everyone has to squish together between all of the walls."

 

[JimmyV]

It's a Catch-22. If DHS is to be converted into a super cool Star Wars/Pixar park (while continuing to carry through its "Golden Age of Hollywood" theme), it has to get worse before it gets better. There is no way to convert the park without letting things sit idle. Over at California Adventure, they built Cars Land through expansion (I think). So everything was still up and running while they built the new land. And at AK, they took over the Lion King Theater and Camp Mickey Minnie to build Avatar, but they moved Lion King fairly quickly. But if DHS is going to reclaim the spaces occupied by Sounds Dangerous and American Idol and the Backlot Tour and the Narnia/Jack Sparrow buildings, then they have no choice but to let them sit empty until the massive project is completed. Very much like an old strip mall that is scheduled for a complete overhaul. The renovation cannot begin until the last tenant's lease expires. In a perfect world, Disney would shut the park down and run with 3 open parks while they completely repurpose it. But I don't see that happening. So instead, the park will be an eyesore and a construction zone from now until 2021. (The idea that anything major will open by 2018 seems very optimistic to me.)

 

[daisyx3]

We really like DHS. My husband will miss the backlot tour though. We really enjoy rides so ToT and RnR are highlights. TSMM is OK but I just changed our TSMM fastpass next week to RnR. The Art of Animation is something we really like to do as well. And I love the atmosphere--I have background loops from Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard music on my Ipod.
In fact, it is just DH and I this time and we are skipping AK completely. Our only must dos there are Everest and Festival of the Lion King--we just did the safari in June and it was the best we've seen so no need to repeat. We 51 and needed one day to sleep in a little and veg at the resort so I cut AK out of the rotation. But not DHS. We are staying at BWV and have APs so we will probably spend part of a couple of days there.
Daisyx3

 

[loveshak22]

Last time my DH and I went to WDW I decided to experiment and not get the park hopper and spend one full day at each park. Let's just say that the experiment did not work. We both basically agreed that MK and Epcot could be full days but AK and HS are easy 1/2 days - for us. We don't have kids and we don't do most of the shows or parades so that would probably lengthen time at those parks for families.

I did miss the park hopper because when we were done at AK and HS we couldn't jump over to another park.

And, not counting shows, what are there - only 5 rides now? TOT, TS, RNRC, and the movie ride, and Star Wars?

I hated the Jack Sparrow show that was there - ugh! I was so mad that I waited 30 minutes for that!

I'm excited for the new Star Wars area but agree that with all the money at Disney's disposal it seems things could be sped up?

As for AK, I'm also excited for Avatar land but didn't realize the construction was so obtrusive...good to know. But, like HS, I feel like it also just has a lot of wasted (boring) space.