Hollywood Studios Update – February 2019
We continue to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for our ongoing February 2019 Walt Disney World construction updates, which was also the primary stop for yesterday’s Skyliner Update, as that’s where the gondolas have primarily been testing. In this DHS update, we’ll cover the latest on the Bus Stop Half Marathon, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and more.
Let’s start with what’s presumably going to be an ongoing thing throughout the year, and that’s preparing Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the crowds that descend upon the park for Star Wars land. Out in California, this has actually been a multi-year project known as Project Stardust.
Of course, there are some key differences between Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and improving guest flow in corridors of a heavily-attended castle park built 60+ years ago is a much more herculean task than at the moderately-popular third gate from 1989. Disney’s Hollywood Studios will need some changes to improve traffic flow, to be sure, but nothing to the extent of Disneyland.
Nevertheless, we’re starting to see some of that happen in DHS, and we’re also starting to see the other half of Project Stardust: a heightened guest experience. At least, that’s what we assume is occurring. Menus are starting to be enhanced (and actually enhanced, not just changed), entertainment is being added, and more.
As noted, we expect a lot of changes and enhancements like these throughout the year, and it’ll be fun to see what kind of out-of-left-field announcements are made for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. For now, let’s roll with the substance of the update…
This wall is over by the Speeder Bike photo op, which has been removed.
I don’t know why the wall is up, but it’s presumably to ease congestion at this ‘intersection’ that faces the thoroughfare leading to Galaxy’s Edge.
We pretty much knew this was going to be a Disney Vacation Club sales kiosk, but now we have confirmation.
Presumably, the goal will be to catch guests on their way in to Galaxy’s Edge when they’re all hyped up…before they realize the wait times for the two attractions without FastPass+ are measured in days.
A look at Galaxy’s Edge from Slinky Dog Dash. Not much has visibly changed since the last time we posted one of these. Rest assured, work is progressing on the ground level and inside the buildings.
You probably can’t tell because the image has been resized, but it’s not totally in focus. Last time I send a Sony to do a Nikon’s job.
From Toy Story Land, we head over to the old Pixar Place area, which has been “transformed” into Municiberg.
Those are definitely air quotes around transformed. It’s basically the same, except with some new decorations and signage changes.
I don’t really know how to feel about this.
It’s absolutely nothing special, but it’s better than this area being closed.
“Better than nothing” is a really low bar.
Even though I think Walt Disney World should be doing what it can to turn every square inch of Disney’s Hollywood Studios into usable space that can soak up crowds, they have another ~6 or more months to do that, and it’d be nice to see quality efforts.
These “temporary” offerings are presumably going to be necessary for a couple of years post-Galaxy’s Edge, so it would make sense to invest some money and effort into making them feel less temporary.
The lull in crowds is now, and that’s the time to get this stuff built in a quality manner. Once Star Wars land opens, it’ll be tough to take anything in the park down for refurbishment or improvements for a while.
I know these aren’t my cup of tea to begin with, so I might seem biased against them, but I find Donald’s Dino Bash to be pretty much the gold standard of how this type of thing can be done in a Disney-caliber way.
Incredible Celebration is no Donald’s Dino Bash.
Speaking of things possibly being plussed ahead of Star Wars land, Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage is now down for refurbishment through March 9, 2019. Don’t get your hopes up about that now.
For the better part of the last decade, there have been rumors that this show was on the way out. From what I’ve heard, the show still scores very well in guest satisfaction ratings, which are the main metrics used to evaluate whether to replace entertainment.
To me, this suggests people love all things Beauty and the Beast, as this show is showing its age. I still don’t quite get why it has taken 25+ years after the film’s release for the first Beauty and the Beast ride to be built.
Remember our update a few months ago that randomly posed some very hard hitting questions about why a Planet Hollywood store still exists in Disney’s Hollywood Studios?
Well, that update was obviously read by none other than Robert Iger himself, and as a direct result that store has now closed. You’re welcome? (Just so we’re clear, this is a joke–the timing is entirely coincidental.)
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy is opening later this spring, and there are cloaking devices over by Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster leading to the entrance.
Social media indicates that the FastPass+ line for RnRC was re-routed slightly, but I couldn’t tell from outside the line. I guess I’m not very observant.
These reusable bags are now available for purchase, and were originally rumored to be replacing disposable bags entirely.
Upon hearing that rumor, I expressed what (I guess?) is the controversial opinion that I hope disposable bags are eliminated. While I think Disney’s motivation here is probably the almighty dollar, if an “unintended” byproduct is less plastic being used, the result is a good one. Hope those of you vehemently opposed to that terrible idea never visit California or Europe.
Outside the park, the new bus stops continue to take shape and look like they could be finished pretty soon. A good job is being done both with these and the new tram drop-off on the other side.
The Bus Stop Half Marathon is much easier and more pleasant now that the temporary walls have come down…and with cooler weather. Hopefully this project is done before the hot summer months. (It should be.)
That covers it for this Disney’s Hollywood Studios update. However, we’re going to finish this on a bit of a different note, with some random photos presented without commentary. These updates are starting to become a bit tedious for me, so going forward I’m going to try to make them hybrid ‘park reports’ showcasing general beauty and ambiance, plus ‘progress reports’ showcasing photos of construction and that sort of thing. I always take the general photos, as that’s what interests me; I just normally don’t share them because they don’t seem germane to the update nature of these posts. Hopefully you enjoy this approach, or at least don’t mind it!
Going forward, I think I might sprinkle this type of photo amongst the construction ones, and actually add commentary. Magic Kingdom, in particular, is looking gorgeous right now, and I think showing more than just its construction walls and piles of dirt might be a good approach. If you have feedback, I’d love to hear it!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you a fan of Incredible Celebration? Think Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage will ever be replaced? Thoughts on the reusable bags? What do you think of landscape and general atmosphere photos in these construction updates? Anything else we covered in this update? 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!
Tom I think the whole idea of reusable shopping bags is silly especially if I have to pay so much for them. I don’t plan to ever buy a bag from a store just to put the stuff I bought from said store in. The whole idea sounds backwards.
People were similarly upset before California changed its laws concerning bags.
There are ways to implement this to encourage people to change their behavior while still allowing for the use of bags. It’s a pretty straightforward carrot and stick approach. Over time, most people become habituated to bringing reusable bags–or not using bags at all–when shopping, and the idea becomes far less backwards and silly.
Personally, I cringe when we’re elsewhere and see the liberal use of disposable plastic bags. That is what seems silly and backwards to me, but to each their own.
Reusable bags at a place I’m going to at most, once a year? Am I supposed to carry my own bags by plane? How is that helpful? The grocery store is one thing, but vacation? It’s nothing more than a money grab imho. I’m already spending thousands to get there and stay, the least they can do is give me a reusable bag for free. I already bring my own toilet paper because theirs is too rough. What’s next, my own towels? Just saying. “Sorry, we can’t afford that dole whip now, because that stuffed animal you wanted and the t-shirt had to go in that $10 (or whatever they’ll charge) reusable bag, that we’re going to just throw away eventually because it is probably made cheaply and not meant to be cleaned. Don’t you just love hauling filthy bags everywhere?” Btw, I clean my luggage when I get home. I clean my lesportsac and vera bradley bags. Filthy bags that people set on the floor and then on a table, disgust me. My non-launderable bags can be spot cleaned and have metal feet on the bottom so they never technically sit on dirty stuff. They are also stored with dust covers. When you have allergies, it matters!
I love the random pictures. Keep them coming!
Love the extra photos… keep them coming.
Hi Tom,
Did you happen to notice if the walkway between HS and Boardwalk is back to its original location? It was an absolute mess last summer with the “green walls” everywhere as work was being done on the gondolas.
Hi Tom
Love the random photos and your humor! Keep it coming!
Like for example I never realized Prime Time cafe actually looks like a house on the outside too. (I never looked at it from the correct angle I guess!) So thanks for focusing my attention on the fabulous details that add so much to my future trips.
I read the “You’re Welcome” in the voice of Jimmy Fallon’s, Nick Burns – Your Company’s Computer Guy. 😉
“Send a Sony to do a Nikon’s job.” Dare you to go with manual focus on either. I would love to see someone trying manual focus while riding Slinky Dog Dash. I can just see a person turned sideways with both hands on the camera not paying one bit of attention to the roller coaster.
Love the bonus pictures and even better if you sprinkle them in with a bit of “trip report” commentary.
Nothing beats that lime float….especially if you want a mixer for your “waterbottle”.
I dont like any of these dance parties because of the loud pop music. It wouldnt be so bad if they use upbeat/uptempo versions of Disney music instead.
I wish they would replace Beauty and Beast show with an original show similar to the shows at Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea such as One Mans Dream, Party Gras or Big Band Beat. I like Beauty and the Beast 1991 movie or the musical at my local theatre but I dont need to be retold in the parks.
I much prefer you sprinkling in ambience photos of the parks into these posts. While the information was useful, I was finding the construction images rather repetitive. Those shots at the end were incredible. Thank you!
Any guesses as to when Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway will open? Other than just “Fall 2019,” I mean. We’ll be there mid-August with my Mickey and Minnie obsessed toddler, but I’m assuming the ride being open is a long shot.
we’re going in september, and we’re hoping for those elusive unannounced “soft openings” they will do when things are almost ready. we got lucky with new fantasyland in 2012. (great name, btw)
Thank you Tom for all your guides and posts. I have really enjoyed them all. I have a trip planned for September. Even though I started my love affair with Disney long long ago on a ….no no no!
I started at Disneyland very young and moved back east and have gone to Disneyworld twice a year almost every year. I think living there would be awesome. I am going solo for X’s 2.
Love the photos and updates. Only 10 weeks now. Staying at CBR our absolute favourite
So, keep the updates coming please. Thankd
I always enjoy your commentary.
I’ve leveraged your take on the Florida parks for two “once in a lifetime trips” and plan on leveraging it again next year (we keep going back because our kids love it so much).
Haven’t led us astray yet…thank you!
I really enjoyed the ambiance photos at the end, Tom. Thank you very much for sharing them. I think my favorites were the dancing brooms pouring the flowers into the design and the Mickey lightening rod. I used a photo of the lightening rod for my destination DHS family planning group as it is just so symbolic of the park. Nostalgia is such a lovely thing.
The RNRC FP+ line change is that it has been switched with the SR line up to the entrance lobby. Not clear to what benefit!
On a semi-related note, I’ve noticed increasing levels of abuse since Disney began eliminating the secondary touch points a few years ago. Guests cutting across from the Stand By or SR lines to FP+ after the first touch point, noticed multiple times at RNRC, POTC, TT, Soarin… I’m not sure how Disney intended to measure the success of this decision but it definitely worsens the guest experience (as much as I try not to let it bother me!)
Definitely add more ambiance photos (with some commentary, too) to these reports. I absolutely love seeing the beauty/details/theming of the parks and hearing your thoughts on such things.
Thank you as always for your updates. I do have a question Tom….on another forum I heard folks saying they think there may not be an announcement for opening date of SWGE and that one day it will just open. What do you think about that?
On the last quarterly earnings call, Bob Iger joked that he wouldn’t announce the date and would instead just Tweet, “it’s open.”
That was very much a joke–there are teams actively working on the marketing and PR side of Galaxy’s Edge right now. Unfortunately, Disney won’t/can’t release specific dates until there’s certainty that construction, testing/adjusting, and training will all be completed by said date. For a project of this scale, it would be catastrophic for Disney to announce an official date and then have to move it.
Yes, much like when Disney opened MGM Studios to compete with Universal. Nothing worked at either park for a loooooooooooong time. lol
Always enjoy your updates Tom! Every new picture you post make a girl wish she was “home”… 🙂