Studio Park....

[thepreciouspea]

Is 4 hours enough to see most of it? Since we are going with a 1 and 4 year old I'm thinking there isn't a ton of stuff for them. Probably going to do Stitch live, Animagique, Cinemagique, Tram Tour and a few rides. Thinking 10-2 or so then head to Walt's maybe for a late lunch?

 

[A Small World]

It depends on the timings of the shows - it may take longer than 4 hours if you have to wait/they overlap etc.
Cinemagique is really good but your children may not appreciate it as much. They should really enjoy animagique though.
Theres also a Playhouse Disney show which they may enjoy

 

[Happy Tappy]

It depends how busy it is.

There's quite a lot to do there, even with a 1 year old:

Stunt Show,
Playhouse Disney Live (my 1 year old loved this!),
Animagique (ditto!),
Stitch talk,
Magic Carpets,
Zig Zag Spin,
Tram Tour,
Cars Rally,
Cinemagique,
Art of Animation,
Stars & Cars parade.

Unless it's very quiet, you'd struggle to do it all in 4hrs.

 

[DLPdaft]

there are also queued meet n greets at the Studios for Mickey, Minnie and others which are usually much quieter than the meet n greets in the main park, so might be an idea to schedule in those too at the Studios.

We love the Studios, we tend to hop back and forth between the 2 parks most days.

 

[thepreciouspea]

Thanks for the replies!

Great tip on the meet-n-greets.

I guess we will spend 1/2 day there then we can go back if we feel the need. I wouldn't mind spending a whole day there, but I think my daughter will be more into the rides than the shows and there just aren't a lot of rides for her there. Also there is no where that I want to eat in that whole park. I don't want to leave for lunch and then go back.

 

[DLPdaft]

we either eat at Restaurant des Stars if we want a good lunch, Blockbuster Cafe if we want a lighter version, or leave and go to the Village for lunch (its only 5 minutes walk from the gates of the Studios to the entrance to Annettes, for example).

 

[MaleDisneyBeliever]

I think 4 hours just wouldnt be enough time. The Studios is much better than it used to be, with a lot more going on. Im planning for a day and a half this time round (it's only been 1 day in the past).

 

[IsobelJackmummy]

I agree that four hours doesn't seem long enough. Our children were similair ages on our first visit, and we filled pretty much a day in the studios, we just left in time for OUAD parade in the main park (which was at 5pm). I woudl say that your children may not like/sit through cinemagique, we haven't taken DS (3) in to that, but our daughter saw it last time (who was 5 at the time), and she was a bit fidgety towards the end

We found blockbuster Cafe a great place to eat, and not too expensive, or like Elaine says the village is just outside the entrance.

The 2 parks are so close to each other, it really is quick and easy to 'hop' between the 2!

 

[wmoon]

My DS loves the studios, he was 4 in august.

Things he loves - rides

Cars
Slinky dog
Flying carpets,
Tram tour
Parachutes

Shows

Car stunt show
Stitch
Playhouse Disney
Animagique
Cinemagique

Think there will certainly be lots your older dd will enjoy

 

[mum2threemonsters]

I agree with other posters... In a way there seemed like a lot more cramped into a small space for the kids. Ours were 7& 5 and we spent almost 2 full days out of 5 in the studios.

Have a great time.

 

[staceylc]

When we were there last year my daughter was 22 months old & we spent 1 1/2 days just doing the studios. We did have 5 whole days though so strolled quite a bit & had lots of coffee breaks.

My husband preferred the studio park to Disneyland Park.

 

[thepreciouspea]

Thanks again for the advice. I guess we will go in the morning and if we feel like we need more time then we can stay. Good to know that the Village isn't too far away for lunch. What about going to eat lunch in DLP and then going back....thinking Walts or The Silver Spur. IE how long would it take to get to either of those from the Studios park?

 

[DLPdaft]

Walts is probably about 10 minutes stroll from the Studios gates, Silver Spur about 15 (as its further into the main park than Walts).

 

[Happy Tappy]

Cafe des Cascadeurs is a great place to eat in the studios park. The menu is very limited (burgers & hot dogs) but they taste great.

It's an genuine American diner that they had shipped over and rebuilt. As such, it's officially the oldest restaurant in any Disney park!

Menu: http://www.dlrpmagic.com/planning/dining/restaurant-menus/cafe-des-cascadeurs/

 

[Woolly]

A week before you go download the park brochure from the DLP website so you know what all the times are and then plan that 4 hours very carefully, bearing in mind queuing and waiting times, toilet and food stops. Think of it as a military operation.

I would see as much as you can where queuing is not necessary (i.e. the shows and parades). You may get time to do a couple of rides in this time. Sometimes it is better to just walk around and absorb the atmosphere rather than rushing from one thing to another. A lot of people miss that and it is a very important part of the experience for me.

As you can see from my profile I don't go to DLP every year but when I do go I always stay for 4-6 nights. This gives me and my family plenty of time to see and do everything once (or more) and more importantly to pace ourselves. If there is one thing I can't stand it is rushing around and waiting. It is supposed to be a holiday and I would'nt enjoy it so much.

I like time to relax while I'm there as well (strange as it sounds).

We could probably go every year and stay for a couple of nights but I don't think we would enjoy it so much due to the pressure of trying to squeeze everything in. I would rather save up over a couple of years and have a week there.

Good luck with your trip and hope you do get in as much as you can in the 4 hours. If you come out and you are still smiling then it's job done.