Hollywood Studios: Disney World’s Best Rides & Most Frustrating Park
Two things can be true at once. Disney’s Hollywood Studios can have the most stacked ride lineup while also being the most frustrating theme park at Walt Disney World. In this post, we’ll break down what we mean by that, and offer some recommendations regarding whether you should do DHS.
It’s gotten to the point that in response to our recent Disney’s Hollywood Studios: This Isn’t Working post, 400+ readers commented. Most of them irate, and many questioning whether it was worth even bothering with DHS on their upcoming Walt Disney World vacations.
There’s one thing that we fear has gotten lost in the shuffle in our recent crowd-coverage and posts showing the chaos at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The park is slammed…for good reason. Sure, Walt Disney World could and should do more to mitigate these problems. However, there’s a sensible rationale for guests who are showing up to DHS in record numbers–it has a lot of good stuff to experience, much of which is new. Here’s why you should set aside your apprehensions and do DHS, too…
Perhaps it hasn’t been clear from our previous coverage, but we can’t in good conscience recommend avoiding Disney’s Hollywood Studios right now. The reason we’ve been covering the park so extensively is not for the sake of rubbernecking an operational train wreck, it’s so you can take a sober look at the realities of visiting, plan accordingly, and strategically visit.
In the aforementioned “This Isn’t Working” post, we already covered the bad of DHS right now. We stand by all of that (and we’ll reiterate some of it later in this post), but we think it’s worth starting with the good to underscore why you should still visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
While the park is changing weekly in terms of operations, so many ‘big picture’ things have changed at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the last couple of years that it’s easy to forget where things stood at this park just a few years ago…
When we put together our Top 10 Attractions at Walt Disney World List a few years ago, the attraction lineup was so weak that only the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror made the list. However, that was put together while Disney’s Hollywood Studios was a veritable construction zone. Before both Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened.
In looking at our more recent Top 10 Disney Attractions of the Last Decade, you’ll see that two attractions from Disney’s Hollywood Studios did make that list, including in the #1 slot. Even still, Slinky Dog Dash was a controversial snub, and this list was made before Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway opened.
The decade is very young so this is all but meaningless, but that new attraction is currently Disney’s #1 new attraction of the new decade. At least, until Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast debuts. (Speaking of which, read our Spoiler-Free Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Review for more on how that attraction rates and compares to other rides.)
If we were putting together a new ‘best of’ ride list for Walt Disney World, we’d probably put 3 attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on it. In fact, DHS would rival Magic Kingdom at the top of the list. Two of our top 3 rides at Walt Disney World are in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Someone else making that same list might include 4-5 attractions. That means Disney’s Hollywood Studios has somewhere between 33% and half of the best attractions at Walt Disney World right now.
The reality is that Disney’s Hollywood Studios has an absolutely stacked ride lineup. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance are both Walt Disney World all-time greats. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run, and Slinky Dog Dash are a trio of very good (or better) new attractions.
The ride lineup is so strong that it’s easy to forget Star Tours: the Adventures Continue, Toy Story Mania, and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. Just a few years ago, this trio was considered incredibly formidable–among the most coveted FastPasses at Walt Disney World. Remember when Walt Disney World’s most popular rope drop dash consisted of running through Pixar Place to Toy Story Mania? That was only 4 years ago! Now, Toy Story Mania is almost an afterthought.
Let all of that sink in.
There are currently 8 attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that range from very good to elite all-time greats. We can all quibble about the quality of each, but I think most people would agree that those selections are all “good or better.” That’s better than any other park at Walt Disney World, save for maybe Magic Kingdom.
The main problem with this is that the lineup at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is entirely top-heavy. Unlike Magic Kingdom (or really any other park at Walt Disney World, for that matter), DHS has absolutely no supporting line-up. Disney’s Hollywood Studios doesn’t have any rides that are “just okay” but are relatively easy to experience and a good way to round out your day in the park. It’s E-Ticket or bust. A good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless.
After you get past these 8 rides, Disney’s Hollywood Studios offers a slew of shows and meet & greets. For the most part, these are all one and done, and not offerings that appeal to repeat visitors. That might sound fine if you’re a first-timer visitor–after all, everything is new to you–but the downside is that this means frequent Walt Disney World guests disproportionately crowd the top 8 rides.
Another big issue is physical space and capacity. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is by far the smallest park at Walt Disney World, and that’s even after the expansive Star Wars Land has provided guests with more area. (Some fans bemoan the “wasted space” in Galaxy’s Edge, but we think this is integral to its success and something DHS desperately needed.) Throughout the rest of the park, there’s still less area to explore.
For us, this is crucial. We are not “ride checklist” people and don’t simply view the parks as collections of attractions. While it has come a long way since its boxy soundstage days…there still are a lot of those. There are also fewer quiet corners and engrossing areas to get lost in the details. (Again, save for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which is perfect for all of that.)
When it comes to capacity, we’re not simply referring to the aggregate of the rides and shows. This also takes into account the aforementioned physical space, plus other things you might not consider like restaurants, lounges, and shops–even restrooms!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios has significantly lower capacity than the other theme parks, and even what it does have is not always efficiently utilized. Examples of this include shows performing with a surplus of empty seats, and Animation Courtyard and the Sunset Showcase areas are often uncrowded.
The good news is that there are already some signs that these issues are not nearly as pronounced when park attendance is below moderate. From Presidents’ Day until now (and likely continuing through mid-March when spring break crowds materialize), boarding passes for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance have not been gone in sixty seconds. Morning wait times have still been high, but the scene is not as overwhelming as it is on moderate or peak days.
However, there’s is no reason to believe that any of this is going to die down any time soon on normal or busy days. As we’ve noted several times, both Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Avatar – Flight of Passage are just as bonkers as they were years ago. So long as attendance is high, crowd dynamics will be an issue at DHS. In fact, if Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary brings with it an influx of visitors, this could get worse between now and 2022. Suffice to say, “waiting out the crowds” is not really a viable strategy.
As we covered in the “This Isn’t Working” post, there are things Walt Disney World could do to address or at least alleviate some of these problems. Moving Disney’s Hollywood Studio’s official opening time back to 7 am daily would be a huge one. Adding more atmospheric entertainment is another. At some point, using the FastPass+ infrastructure for advance booking of virtual queue slots and boarding passes seems likely to happen. That would also help.
To Walt Disney World’s credit, some positive moves are already being taken. The new breakfast options at both Milk Stand and ABC Commissary are steps in the right direction, as is the new Mickey Shorts Theater and photo ops. Along those lines, a scavenger hunt like the new “Finding Dory’s Friends” over at Epcot would be another relatively quick and easy addition.
Irrespective of how Disney is addressing the chaos, the fact remains that Hollywood Studios is incredibly busy right now for good reason. While we think our periodic crowd updates have been helpful in managing expectations, we also worry that they’ve been sending the wrong message. Our goal is to help you prepare–not scare you into avoiding Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Sometimes, it’s easy for us to forget that the vast majority of readers here are planning first-time visits to Walt Disney World. We may grumble at, and be annoyed by, the procedures and protocol at Disney’s Hollywood Studios right now, but the fact is that we can’t change them. The operative question is thus, “if we were visiting Walt Disney World for the first and maybe only time, would we want to do Disney’s Hollywood Studios?” The answer is an emphatic yes.
In fact, we’d contend that rather than skipping it during your next Walt Disney World vacation, you should actively prioritize visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios and doing as much as possible. It’s not a “perfect” theme park (that doesn’t exist) without any weaknesses, but what it does well it does really well. How much Disney’s Hollywood Studios have improved as a result of its dramatic transformation is staggering.
To that end, we’ve been testing some new itineraries now that Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is open. These touring plans will help you do exactly this, while minimizing your headaches and frustrations with the crowds and boarding pass system for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. We’ll begin rolling these out later this week, but if you’d like a sneak peek, check out our recent Park Hopper Strategy for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. What’s to come is the same idea as that, but eschewing the rambling and anecdotal approach, instead offering field-tested step by step plans of attack.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What is your take on the current state of Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Do you agree with us that it’s still worth visiting, even if that means jumping through some hoops and planning more strategically? Alternatively, will you ‘wait out’ the chaos and return to DHS sometime after Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary in 2021? Do you agree or disagree with our advice and commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
The biggest disappointment for me is that many additions have come at the cost of other attractions which would, now, be B-tickets.
Imagine if, somehow, the expansion had happened but GMR, the Backlot Tour and Streets of America had been preserved. That was never an option (can’t create space out of nowhere), but if by some miracle it had happened, we’d have a top-tier park with plenty of balance.
As it happens, I think some of these expansions should have happened in other parks with more spare capacity. Building SW:GE in Animal Kingdom would have been a godsend operationally, even if a disaster for theme 😉
We just returned from a week at WDW. First a big thanks to Tom and his strategies! This post is no exception.
We scored boarding groups 31 on Mon and 58 on Thur RotR had good days – getting far past the guaranteed Boarding Groups. Fingers crossed for your visits.
We tried splitting our chances with one of us on Disney Wi-Fi and the other on AT&T cell. The moment is opening out cell signal dropped from 5 bars to 1 bar!! It was the Wi-Fi where we succeeded succeeded.
Be forewarned DHS is going to be crowded, and many of the guests are going to be lacking common courtesy – especially if you are in an ECV. IMHO, most of the shops in Galaxy’s Edge are NOT ECV friendly.
Bottom line: follow the strategies, park hop wisely, get your fast passes ahead of your visit if you can.
I must admit that I miss the wait times in Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios before galaxies edge and Pandora were built. My wife and I would go to AK and DHS in the mornings because wait times were so low. Then we would catch Magic Kingdom in the evening because parents were putting their kids to bed around that time so the lines had diminished.
I’m sure the new rides are absolutely fantastic (hence the long lines) but sometimes I wish they weren’t there because I miss the low wait times. I’m sure many would disagree with me on this but it’s how I feel.
We just returned from Disney and spent 1 day at MK (Thurs 3/4)and 1 day at HS (Friday). We went in with a plan and executed it. We were in the parks 30 mins before rope drop- headed straight to the rides we couldn’t get FPs for (Mine train & slinky dog). Got group 15 on the Rise of the Resistance (I’m not a huge Star Wars fan but Galaxys Edge is INCREDIBLE!)- just disappointed we couldn’t do it again. We did stay until closing at both parks and we moved ALL day long but we got to ride everything on our list at least once (except Haunted Mansion which was closed). If you go without a plan you will be disappointed. We had a fantastic time!
I absolutely LOVE Disney World, but haven’t been since DHS was a construction zone. I need more articles like this in my life as I prepare for a trip (hopefully next summer). I can’t wait! This article was so informative and unbiased. I’m so glad I found this site. I hope to pick up some more tips as my time to head to Disney gets closer. Thanks!
We went in mid January and yes, it was a VERY early morning with lots of stress and adrenaline. Waits were pretty much an hour at almost everything across the board from 7am on. BUT we had a great time and felt that next trip we’d want park hoppers and lots more time in DHS. For years now this park had become a half day experience. Now we think it needs at least 1.5 days.
During our last WDW trip that ended last week we found all if the parks to be crowded and attractions really busy. Fast passes for the better rides were generally gone by 9AM. For example, the Safari ride in Animal Kingdom was done for the day with fast passes by 0930. The waiting line for Avatar was 150 minutes. Forget Rise of the Resistance unless you are in the park at que opening. They had the “No More Room For Today” sandwich boards out every day within minutes. Slinky Dog was also over an hour on standby. Heck, there was well over an hour wait to pay to build a Star Wars toy or a light saber. We missed the Runaway Railroad opening by a day but it will be there next time. Magic Kingdom rides like Pirates and Jungle Cruise were similar. As we were just there as an older couple mainly doing the table service restaurant rounds and some of our older favorites, this wasn’t a big deal for us. We’re going back in October for food and wine with the usual mob of children and grandchildren and they will be our motivation to que up do the newer,”popular” rides. As Tom suggested, if the crowds we encountered are any indication of what you’ll face if you are going to WDW soon, have a plan to maximize your chances of doing all you want to do and execute it as early as possible in the day. We saw no apparent lessening of park population due to the virus scare and my trusty DVC occupation app shows future bookings to be strong, at least at this time.
Thank you for posting this! I was at Disney in early February (during the height of the morning craziness) and I *adored* my time at Hollywood Studios. I hadn’t been since before Toy Story Land opened so between that and Galaxy’s Edge it was like half the park was new and awesome. I almost cried Rise of the Resistance is so good (that is not hyperbole but at true statement from a lifelong Star Wars fan)! Like you said, there are sections of the park that don’t have the best atmosphere but Galaxy’s Edge has that in spades, and the rides are fantastic.
Anyone visiting Disney World should absolutely be prioritizing Hollywood Studios right now; if you’ve never been or don’t go often it will absolutely blow you away. And if you’re an annual visitor, like Tom points out things are unlikely to die down any time soon. During the same trip on our Animal Kingdom day Flight of Passage was immediately a 3 hour wait and never dropped below that and no one is grumbling about that; they just accept it and plan accordingly.
Love this post! I am doing exactly as you described for my family of 11 that is going at the end of May. We will have three 5 year old boys with us and Toy story and Star Wars are going to be top priority. I am already planning for at least one full day and a second partial day (with hopping to epcot in the morning to avoid crowds) hoping to secure boarding groups for ROTR. I never thought I would plan a Disney trip focusing on Hollywood Studios, but here I am. 🙂
Can somebody run down the process about getting a boarding pass for ROTR when connecting with the app using cell signal, not park wifi? With cell being independent of park location even if inside it, why do you need to be in the park to score a pass? Does the app cross reference whether you and your party have been scanned through the entry point of the park?
Yes, the app checks to see if you have scanned into the park, not your current physical location. I think others have said they were able to scan in, leave, and grab a boarding pass at 8 am from outside Hollywood Studios, but honestly I don’t think that’s necessary. I was there in early February (during the crowds that prompted Tom’s “This Isn’t Working” post) and there were still areas in the park that didn’t feel oppressive like some of the crowds shown. If you go back to the Chinese Theatre and turn left or right there’s room to spread out, or if you head down Hollywood Boulevard towards Tower of Terror you can find space with elbow room.
“Does the app cross reference whether you and your party have been scanned through the entry point of the park?”
Yes. If you haven’t physically entered the park by scanning your magic band/ticket, the app knows it and you won’t even have access to join a boarding group. This post has all the info you need:
https://www.disneytouristblog.com/star-wars-rise-resistance-faq-ride-guide/
Reminded me of Yogi Berra’s quote: “nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded”.
Slinky Dog was definitely popular, we decided not to wait in line. (First week in Dec 2019).
not so long ago at all, I kept hearing people’s advice to skip this park because it had so little to offer…..my oh my how times have changed. (it has ALWAYS been one of our favorites. But then again, they’re all one of our favorites).
We were among those people after Backlot Tour, Great Movie Ride, and Animation Building closed, plus Osborne Lights ended–and before everything new had opened. Our recommendation at the time was to consider doing only a half-day at DHS or doing Universal Orlando instead.
Walt Disney World has addressed most complaints about the park, and guests are showing up in huge numbers–it should be no surprise to fans that this was going to happen, and we shouldn’t expect it to subside any time soon.
Luckily, we have been able to visit Disney several times over the past year due to our decision to become annual pass holders. So we have been able to experience all of Hollywood Studios during that time. It started with the Toy Story attractions. We were able to experience all of star wars land during the Passholder preview of Galaxy’s edge and opening day of Galaxy’s Edge. So when we went last week the priorities were Rise of the Resistance and Mickeys Railway. We accomplished both by scoring boarding passes on two days plus a fast pass for Mickeys Railway. Secondary for us was Rock n Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror which are actually much easier to do through fast passes and rope dropping. I think it would be difficult now to try to do all of it on one day.
Splitting Hollywood over two days is a good strategy as you the have two chances at Rise of the Resistance and chance to rope drop different things each day and use of fast passes for everything else. Then go somewhere else for the afternoons, getting fast pass on the bus/skyliner.
I agree that Tower of Terror/Rock n Rollercoaster are the place to go to rope drop. The day we went Rock n Rollercoaster didn’t open with the rest of the park due to technical difficulties, so everyone went over to Tower of Terror and we still got on in about 10 minutes despite being behind everyone who went to Tower first. The *vast* majority of people are rope dropping Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge.
I love Hollywood Studios! I loved it when everything was closed and under construction (heck ya low crowds!) and I love it even more now that Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge are open. I visited February 26th (the day of the infamous boarding pass glitch) and had an absolutely amazing day. Wait times were much longer than I was anticipating all day, but I was able to ride every single ride and and watch every single stage show thanks to some advance planning and strategic use of Fast Passes. This isn’t a brag, just an attempt to offer a positive perspective. After talking to some folks here and there, I know not everyone had the luck I did with boarding passes. Pair that with ROTR being down for a portion of the day and I can see how some visitors would have a very different outlook on the park.
I think if visitors go into the day with managed expectations regarding boarding passes for ROTR, then the possibility of having a disappointing day at Hollywood Studios is very low. It’s a beautiful park with a lot of really fun things to experience!
I will NEVER visit Disney at peak, ever ever ever again (or in the summer).
I would rather pull my kids from school in the middle of October or early November for a week than waste thousands of dollars waiting in lines with giant crowds. If you do early October then you can experience Halloween, if you wait until after you can get an early Christmas (right before Thanksgiving).
Agree with this. We used to do WDW at kids April vacation but now try for lower crowd times. Also want to add that HWS needs more younger kids rides. Even slinky which is awesome is a little too much for little ones. Even a cool playground would be a welcome addition. Maybe right off of sunset blvd so while big kids do TOt and rockin the smaller ones have something to do there.
Not sure how it will be during spring break, but at this moment , if possible try to visit on a weekday.
Certainly less crowded. We got Boarding group 36 last Thursday , did Star Tours right away without a wait, walked through Galaxy’s Edge , entered Smugglers Run between 10:30 and 11 ( there is a dip to 60 minutes in the waiting time around that time, it worked again on Sunday, but the period of the dip is smaller) and could board the Rise of the Resistance immediately after. We went back on Sunday, but crowds were heavier and boarding Rise of the Resistance progressed less. We did not get one that day , because we forgot about day light saving time, but we certainly recommend to visit the park and use a park hopper
Gotten to the park no more then 45 minutes before opening and always gotten on ROTR. 2 times a week before Christmas and 2 times just last week, including opening day for MMRR. Even had time to help the guy next to me score a boarding pass. Granted this was all within a minute, but if you restart the app a minute before park opens and get on cell signal instead of wifi, odds are good. I prefer it to fastpass as a passholder. At least I have a chance of riding it then. We only ride headliners if we rope drop or the queues drop near 60….with the exception of MMRR….which we love.
But HS is a weird park. We have a young teen boy, so most of the other entertainment is boring/not applicable, or we’ve seen it a million times. Not to mention Disney’s queuing ideas of wait in line, cram into tiny space, then get back into line as rude people try to shove past to get ahead a few spaces. So magical.
We just returned home from visiting WDW for 10 nights. We dedicated 2 park days out of 9 to Hollywood Studios because we felt that during our annual trip, 1 day at HS wasn’t enough time to experience everything we wanted to. Our family really enjoyed both days at HS. We were able to ride everything (Except Rise of the Resistance because that wasn’t a priority for us), and saw every show in the studios. Additionally, Runaway Railway is amazing, we were thrilled to experience that new ride opening week! Our 3 little kids had a great time in the shows, and their absolute favorite part of WDW is Toy Story Land. Hollywood Studios is so much better than just a few years ago.
Excellent analysis.
For our next trip I’ve been kicking around the idea of breaking DHS into a couple/several visits vs. trying to experience it all in a day.
Granted this only works if you are on a longer trip and splurge for a Park Hopper (which we have never done). Staying at CBR w/ Skyliner access should make it even easier.
I *think* that will make it more enjoyable.
you hit it right on the head. all the rides are extreme ones , there really is nothing for kids there besides toy story land and that isnt even all for smaller children. that rise of the resistance is ridiculous to even try to get on . at least the other rides you have a chance with fast passes or just waiting invline for a few hrs. but to have to be at the park wayyyyyy before opening to depend on an app to get you a place in line that you may not even get on is absurd. i doubt if we will ever get on that ride because we dont do early mornings if we are out late .
Technically, you don’t have to be in the park way before opening to get a boarding pass, you just have to be in the gates right before the park opens. That means you won’t be in a good spot in line to rope drop a headliner attraction, but again, that’s about that attraction and not Rise of the Resistance.
At some point RotR will be more stable and they’ll have better capacity throughout the day where they can use standby and fastpasses, but with both of those not working out right now, the boarding pass is the best bet. As long as you know what you’re doing, it’s only 3 clicks, plus adding friends/family, and you’ve got your boarding group.