How I Spend the Day at Hollywood Studios
All Disney fans have a favorite theme park and one where they don’t have quite as much luck.
For my family, Disney’s Hollywood Studios slots into both categories at times.
When everything is going great, it’s the absolute best. If the crowds are too large, well, it can be a challenge.
Here’s how I spend the day at Hollywood Studios.
Joy in the Morning
I don’t start my Hollywood Studios visit the way that most do.
Two primary strategies have evolved over the years, with many folks rushing straight to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.


Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Others walk down Sunset Boulevard to Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (RnR).
I take a different approach, as I’m fanatical about Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
My preference these days is to Rope Drop the park and take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry.
Then, I walk straight down the spine of the park to the Chinese Theatre. My destination is Runaway Railway.


Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
When things break right, the parks will have opened for about 10-15 minutes as we exit the ride.
So, we’re basically gaining the benefits of Rope Drop despite having ridden an E-ticket attraction already.
At that point, we head to Twilight Zone Terror of Terror. By this point, its listed wait time may be fairly large.
In my experience, it’s typically still just a 30-minute wait, though.
After that, our traveling party usually splits up for a bit, with some riding Tower of Terror a second time.
The rest ride RNR for the first time. For me, it’s a mood thing, but I lean toward the roller coaster.
I regret it when I don’t ride RNR during a visit, but there’s a secondary regret that’s possible as well.
As I’ve gotten older, hopping on two thrill rides early in the morning can sometimes get to me.
If so, we grab a snack or some Smart Water, sit down on the many chairs in this area, and take a break.
Once our party reunites, it’s typically around 10:30-11 a.m., and we’re ready to head west. We’re going to Toy Story Land!
Lunch at Toy Story Land


Image Credit: Disney
Once we shrink down to toy size, we generally bite the bullet and wait on Slinky Dog Dash.
How long we wait depends on whether we reserved a Lightning Land via Disney Genie+.


Photo: TheCoasterKings.com
Hollywood Studios is the only park where I’m 100 percent to buy Disney Genie+ during every visit. I view it as a necessity.
The difference between a Lightning Lane versus standing in the long line for this roller coaster can be as much as 75 minutes.


Photo: Disney
Thankfully, when you’re booking Disney Genie+ first thing in the morning, Slinky Dog Dash is an attainable reservation.
Either way, once we get done at Slinky Dog Dash – or while we’re standing in line – we’ll use Mobile Ordering for Woody’s Lunch Box.


Photo Credit: Steven Diaz, photographer
This place offers some of the best cheap eats at Walt Disney World and somewhere I’m confident I can get a good meal.
During my lunch, I’ll try to book a Lightning Lane for Toy Story Mania!, presuming I haven’t already done so.
Then, as soon as my lunch ends, my family knows where it’s going! No, not there.
We are Alien Swirling Saucers people, and it’s a terrific post-lunch ride. Immediately afterward, we check Toy Story Mania! off the list.
Then, we usually watch a show and meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight.
Our first choice of shows, at least until The Little Mermaid returns, is For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration.
Catching that show sets the table for Star Tours – The Adventures Continue!.
Depending on the afternoon crowds, we’ll possibly catch some of Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! as well.


Photo: DIsney
I haven’t watched the show from start to finish in ages, but I’ve seen ten-minute bursts of it more times than I can count.
Star Wars Later in the Day
Once I’ve checked Star Tours off the list, I sometimes go ahead and ride it a second time.
I’m a big fan of this ride’s humor, while everyone else in my group is a big Star Wars fan.


Millennium Falcon
Once my party has finished with Star Tours, we grit our teeth and head to the most crowded place in the park.
Yes, I mean Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which I’ve found is at least somewhat less crowded in the afternoon.
Of course, that’s not like talking about a smaller crowd at a Taylor Swift concert.
Since I don’t spend much time at Animation Courtyard these days – sorry, Disney! – I generally save Star Wars for last if I can.


Rise of the Resistance
There’s some variance here, depending on what time my Lightning Lane is for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
I stubbornly refuse to stand in line for 80 minutes for this one AND Slinky Dog Dash. So, we always buy the Lightning Lane.
If Disney calls our Boarding Group earlier in the day, all plans coalesce around the time slot of the Lightning Lane.
That’s a giant chaos grenade in the middle of our plans, but Rise of the Resistance is totally worth it.
In fact, on slower days, I will stand in line later in the day to ride it again.
While we’re there, my ‘ohana will want to do all the Star Wars stuff.


The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Once they’ve tired themselves out, we head to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
Once we’ve finished wrecking the starship – my squad is BAD at this – we are ready for dinner.
Dinner and Some Shows


Photo: Disney
I’ve made no secret of the fact that when I’m at Hollywood Studios, I’m eating at Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater Restaurant.
This is my happy place, and I’ve spent more time here than you probably have at Pizza Hut.


Photo: Disney
During our meal, we don’t think about Disney much, as we’re a group of film lovers who embrace the restaurant’s ambiance.
Once we’ve finished the meal, we’ll take stock of wait times and decide from there.


Photo: Disney
While I haven’t mentioned it yet, we usually make time for Muppet*Vision 3D during our park visit.
Similarly, we’ll work in Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy and Red Carpet Dreams if we can as well.
The other shows like Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage depend on how we’re feeling.
Generally, we target attractions with shorter times, though.
For instance, we can ride Toy Story Mania! over and over again until Disney powers down the building.
Conversely, I used to spend a lot more time at Animation Courtyard than I do today.
This area is just not the same for us since some of the changes, but that’s a marginal quibble overall.
Hollywood Studios has fully reinvigorated itself and become a full-day park that delights us from start to finish. I love it here.
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