This Is the Best Time to Visit Hollywood Studios
Hi, I’m the theme park data person here at MickeyBlog.
Each week, I post the average wait times for various attractions, trying to provide you with insights about what to expect at the parks.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Today, I’m going to do something a bit different because I feel strongly that you should know this.
THIS is the best time to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios in recent memory. Please allow me to explain why.
What’s Happening in the Tourism Industry
“Look, I didn’t invent the economy.” – Mallory Archer
I’m not in the habit of quoting Archer on MickeyBlog, even though I adore the television show, because let’s be honest. It’s not family-friendly.
Still, that quip has been circling through my head a lot lately as I’ve examined all of Disney’s tourism comments.
Not that long ago, CFO Hugh Johnston appeared on CNBC and scoffed at the notion that the economy could impact Disney.
Crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Since Johnston is new on the job, I gave him a pass on this one, as it happened about four months ago.
At the time, I instantly realized he’d come to regret that comment, though.
Sure enough, while announcing the latest quarterly earnings, Johnston offered a non-apology mea culpa.
In a not-at-all-surprising twist, Disney was impacted by the economy, with park projections now suggesting flat growth over the next year.
Photo: PNG Tree
For a short while, critics assailed Disney for, well, the usual reasons that uninformed people assail Disney.
Then, everyone realized the more ominous fact that this information may portend poorly for the overall American economy.
Photo: Vecteezy
Coincidentally or not (it’s not), the Federal Reserve made a “jumbo rate cut” and promised several more rate cuts.
The country’s foremost banking authority realized that if people aren’t visiting theme parks, they need more disposable income.
And just to be clear, this isn’t just a Disney thing. If anything, your favorite Mouse is dealing with the problem the best in the industry.
Universal Orlando Resort declined nearly ten percent in attendance last year and is trending downward from that in 2024.
Six Flags
Six Flags and Cedar Fair recently merged because neither business felt it was strong enough to survive on its own.
The theme park industry overcame the existential threat of the pandemic, only to suffer due to its lingering economic impact.
What’s Happening at Disney World
Long story short, theme park attendance is universally down in North America.
Some parks are feeling it more than others, with Universal Orlando Resort bearing the brunt for some reason.
Hollywood Studios
My suspicion is that budget-conscious tourists are sitting out 2024 in anticipation of Universal Epic Universe opening next summer.
At Walt Disney World, up is down right now. Like, this is something rare in the many years I’ve been tracking wait times.
Currently, I would describe Disney’s Animal Kingdom and EPCOT as being more crowded than usual for September.
Throughout the year, I regularly refer to September as what passes for the slow season at Disney World.
Historically, it was September and January, but the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts changed that.
In combination with runDisney events and Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday, January can get somewhat crowded now.
September generally stays the same, albeit with some fluctuation for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
I’d expect Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios to remain relatively steady while guests overlook the other parks.
I can assure you that this isn’t happening right now, which isn’t totally surprising at one park.
As I’ve recently discussed, EPCOT is soaring in attendance thanks to its festival-related hot streak.
With Animal Kingdom, there’s a hidden factor here that comes into play.
Disney recently confirmed that DinoLand, USA, will soon close while Imagineers repurpose the area into the Tropical Americas.
So, there’s at least some urgency to experience Animal Kingdom in its current form before we lose DinoLand forever.
How big a loss is that? Weeeeell. It’s A loss, and we’ll leave it at that.
Still, sentimental Animal Kingdom fans have a good reason to visit right now.
How This Impacts Hollywood Studios
Sometimes, I’ll look at theme park traffic parks and think, “Yup, that makes perfect sense.”
Then, we have this September at Disney World, when I’m double- and triple-checking numbers because they seem inaccurate.
That’s happening the most at Hollywood Studios, which is suddenly in decline.
No, I don’t mean quality-wise. Imagineers breathed new life into this park over the past decades thanks to timely additions.
Toy Story Land and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway deserve quite a bit of credit, but we all know the main reason why.
Since Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened in August 2019, tourists have flocked to Hollywood Studios in record numbers.
For all the complaints that some have and (too) frequently express about Galaxy’s Edge, the overwhelming majority of guests adore it.
So, even during the pandemic, guests have kept Hollywood Studios overflowing with crowds.
(David Roark, photographer)
In fact, many longtime visitors like me have stories we can share about the crowds overwhelming us at times.
Anybody who remembers Hollywood Studios in 2017 struggles to reconcile the empty park of then with the mobbed one of the 2020s.
Photo: Disney
Lately, things have changed. After five years of Star Wars-y goodness, the park has finally slowed down.
For a time, I wondered whether I would ever say those words, but the day has finally arrived.
Disney
Thus far in September, Hollywood Studios has frequently fallen short of recent expectations for attendance and average wait times.
The math is a bit sloppy here, but the average park attraction has required a wait of about 33 minutes this September.
Hollywood Studios crowds
For 2023, the average was 43 minutes for the same general time frame.
While the comparisons aren’t quite apples to apples, that’s a ten-minute or 30 percent difference in a calendar year!
This Is the Best Time to Visit!
I try not to throw a lot of math at you when I write these columns because I know that people’s eyes tend to glaze over.
Still, you don’t need to be a Disney expert to identify the opportunity here.
With the parks this empty, you can do and see a LOT more during your visit!
I mean, in simplest terms, you should be able to accomplish 30 percent more (!) than you did at the same time in September 2023!
Photo: Disney
The thought of that should have you salivating. We’ve finally reached the moment when demand for Galaxy’s Edge has finally cooled.
Just a year ago, I was describing an average wait time of 40 minutes as phenomenal at Hollywood Studios.
Cinderella Castle
During one recent week, the average was only 33 minutes. Those are Magic Kingdom numbers!
Now, some caveats apply, and the situation could change at a moment’s notice.
Cinderella Castle
However, if you’re on the fence about taking a quick trip to Disney World, you’re unlikely to find a better time than right now!
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