Toy Story Land Opening Date & Previews
We have an official opening date for Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! The grand opening will be June 30, 2018, which is later than expected. (Last updated June 8, 2018–see new section at bottom of post.)
In fact, following the progress update at last summer’s D23 Expo, I wrote: “I would not be surprised to see Toy Story Land soft open in time for Easter/Spring Break 2018. I’m not ready to make that ‘bold’ prediction just yet, but it certainly appears that construction is quite far along.”
This only seemed to be re-affirmed last September, when Slinky Dog Dash Roller Coaster began cycling, a step that usually begins a few months before a roller coaster is slated to open. Given that this is the flagship attraction of Toy Story Land, it seemed likely that Toy Story Land would have no problems making a Memorial Day 2018 official grand opening.
So, why June 30, 2018? We have no idea. The few progress photos we’ve seen of the construction site have shown slow progress since last fall, and it’s unclear whether this is by design or due to unforeseen delays. We have not heard of any rumors of delays on the project, but then again, we haven’t heard much of anything.
It’s possible this is entirely by design. At this point, we’re beating a dead horse with this, but mid-June through mid-July was one of the slowest times of the year at Walt Disney World last year (if not the slowest stretch), so this opening date might be strategic. Even the Fourth of July, which used to be incredibly busy, has been comparatively light in the last couple of years.
Get guests booking trips for opening weekend and Florida residents and those in nearby states to make the trek down to Orlando for a long weekend trip. (A long weekend trip during Peak Season in terms of ticket pricing, we might add…and also one that has lower-tier Annual Passholder blockouts, potentially pushing some fans into buying single day tickets during their blockout dates.)
That’s totally speculation on our part, but we really don’t know how else to explain the June 30, 2018 opening for Toy Story Land. Aside from Slinky Dog Dash, it’s not as if anything being done in Toy Story Land is exactly reinventing the wheel. Alien Swirling Saucers is a re-skinned clone of Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, and work has been underway to re-route the entrance for Toy Story Mania for a few weeks already.
As for the land’s overarching thematic work, it’s relatively straightforward. While this Toy Story Land will differ considerably from the existing Toy Story Lands in Hong Kong and Paris, the premise remains the same: guests shrink to the size of a toy to explore the world of Andy’s backyard with favorite Toy Story characters, including Woody and Buzz.
Toy Story Land is not some richly-themed environment like Pandora or Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge that will take years to complete. The basic work on the walkways and other outdoor areas could easily completed by April if Disney wanted to fast-track the work and get the project done by then.
It’s also possible that the ‘delay’ is by design to the extent that Disney’s resources to construct all of its simultaneous projects in Florida are spread too thin. The construction labor and subcontractor pool in Central Florida is only so deep, and if faced with that problem, Disney might have chosen to prioritize hotel construction work and consciously made the decision to let Toy Story Land slip into June.
It’s still highly likely that Toy Story Land will have soft openings or Annual Passholder previews prior to this June 30, 2018 grand opening date. What form these take is unclear, as well as when they will start occurring. We’d hazard a guess they won’t be pre-registered a la Pandora – World of Avatar, but that’s just a guess. (Part of that might be wishful thinking–we prefer the unannounced soft openings, and think they make more sense for this smaller scale land.)
If this June grand opening date is a calculated move to spike June and July crowds, it’s entirely possible that soft openings still begin by Memorial Day or early June. This would be a way for Walt Disney World to test the attractions and Cast Members to gain experience in a relatively lower crowd scenario, so that would definitely be a plus.
Unannounced soft openings by mid-June would also be great for guests, and probably the best chance at experiencing Toy Story Land between now and 2022 with low crowds. (We’re currently faced with the dilemma of whether to book a late-ish June trip before the official opening, but the chances of being burned with a lack of soft openings and having to deal with Florida’s summer humidity has us reluctant to do that.)
June 7, 2018 Update: Cast Members working at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have been notified that there will not be any sort of guest previews for Toy Story Land, and that the only attraction they will be able to preview is Slinky Dog Dash. It’s not even certain that both new attractions will be ready for media previews a couple of days before the land’s grand opening. (Disney has announced exclusive Annual Passholder “Postviews” for Toy Story Land in September, though.)
Previously, we thought Toy Story Land would be a very different scenario than Frozen Ever After, the opening of which was delayed into summer, with the attraction being worked on even after it opened. If you told us last September that Toy Story Land wouldn’t open until June 30, 2018, we would’ve laughed at you.
Now, Toy Story Land is in the same boat. The land is struggling to make its June opening date, and while we have been advised that Toy Story Land definitely will open on June 30, it’s unclear whether it’ll be totally done. The good news in this, at least, is that Slinky Dog Dash is not the problem, and it (hopefully) should not run into issues with downtime once the land debuts because it was rushed to make an opening deadline.
Alien Swirling Saucers is a different story, but hopefully it will be ready to go by the end of June. To us, it seems a bit odd that there are delays with this attraction–it’s pretty “simple” by ride system standards, and this is basically just Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree with a different look.
Still, this could mean a rocky start for Toy Story Land the first couple of weeks once it does debut. It’s unknown what problems might exist, and whether Cast Members will have a sufficient training period on the attractions between the time Imagineering hands off the land to Operations, and the time the opens to the generally public. This will likely be compounded by heavy crowds eager to experience this major addition to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We’ll keep you posted on what else we hear, and whether the pace of construction picks up and if whatever problems exist are remedied prior to opening.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you excited for Toy Story Land, or is this just a light appetizer until Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019? 😉 Will you be booking a June or July 2018 Walt Disney World vacation to experience Toy Story Land at opening? Any soft opening theories of your own to add? Any questions? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!
Hi Tom,
As it turns out, the 30th is the last day of our trip. We are first timers, but I have been doing my research. I am just curious about what a soft opening might look like. Is it the kind of thing where you walk into the park and the attractions are open? Or do they somehow alert the guests that day or ahead of time? Thank you
I was also wondering the same thing. We will be there May 31 to June 7th
We just returned Sat. from WDW, so we have no plans as yet for a future trip. My husband and daughter-in-law were sick one day, so they have one day park tickets good until Jan. 14, 2019. I know tickets are nontransferable, but can you use someone’s band to get into a park? I purchased all the tickets.
When is Star Wars due to open?
When we went the second week of June 2016 we were excited for Rivers of Light and Frozen Ever After which everyone anticipated being open for Memorial Day. Neither were open for our trip and we were disappointed but it gave us something to look forward to the next trip.
EMH every morning and evening throughout July. My Boardwalk booking from 21 July is looking extra sweet.
I honestly don’t get where you, or anyone thought that Toy Story Land would be open before or near Memorial Day. Based on how people book trips Disney would have had to announce the date either at last year’s Expo or around Christmas. A year ago they were still saying “Summer 2017” for the return of Disneyland’s Fantasmic, and it didn’t open until the Expo in July. With Disney’s definition of “Summer” I was prepared the Toy Story Land might not open until August or early September. So June 30th is actually sooner than I was anticipating.
I’ve got a trip scheduled for early June….so I’m hoping for soft openings or AP Previews.
As for anyone who thinks Disney would want to or should “put a rush” on Toy Story Land obviously doesn’t know anything about Disney Construction Projects. Disney is well known for taking their time with building thing. Rush jobs are not even in they’re vocabulary anymore.
Even though several recent projects have slipped past target Memorial Day openings, that has (historically) been Disney’s target when debuting summer offerings.
Fantasmic and Frozen Ever After are two examples of recent projects getting pushed further into summer, but in both cases, those projects actually were fast-tracked just to get them finished when they were. The turnaround time was actually pretty impressive given those circumstances (dealing with the railroad re-routing and re-working an old ride system while also gutting show scenes, respectively.) Irrespective of my thoughts on their substance, I’d also say the turn-around times on Mission: Breakout and Pixar Pier are very impressive.
Each construction project has its own circumstances, and those around Toy Story Land were not such that any ‘rush’ would’ve been necessary to get it opened by Memorial Day.
I’m so disappointed, since have our trip planned for 6/3-11 and figured that the opening would be Memorial Day wknd. We missed Pandora by about 2 weeks last year, so evidently we are in a pattern!! Will have to wait it out a bit longer to book for Star Wars opening!!!
Looking forward to hearing what your plans are for June! We are APs and definitely plan on going in June but not sure yet if we will go for the opening on the 30th or if we should go a week or two before that. Email post notifications definitely turned on!!
We haven’t committed to anything yet, but will most likely book something refundable the week leading up to June 30, and wait to book airfare until the last minute, with the hopes that something leaks out about soft openings, or Disney sends out an AP invite for previews.
The idea of Florida in June is not one that appeals to us, but lower crowds plus potential soft openings of TSL definitely sweetens the deal.
I’m excited but I don’t think it would warrant a separate trip. I think I’m going to wait for Star Wars and/or the Gondolas to be complete for our next trip.
We have our vacation booked covering June 30. Do we be a part of the grand opening or stay away for that day (too crowded?) and go a few days later?
That’s a tough call, because June 30 is a Saturday increasing the likelihood it will be crowded, but other people may also be planning to avoid opening day, making the rest of the week more crowded. My recommendation (if budget allows) would be to get a park hopper ticket, try it out on the 30th using morning fastpasses for Hollywood Studios, and if it is total madness , park hop on the Friendship boat to Epcot for the rest of the day.
If your vacation starts before then, I’d keep an eye out for soft openings before then. Otherwise, I’d wait until the following Monday or Tuesday unless experiencing it on opening day matters to you.
Hi Tom,
As it turns out, the 30th is the last day of our trip. We are first timers, but I have been doing my research. I am just curious about what a soft opening might look like. Is it the kind of thing where you walk into the park and the attractions are open? Or do they somehow alert the guests that day or ahead of time? Thank you
thanks for this analysis! I thought the date was an odd choice when they announced it. this helped to understand!
Super disappointed. We planned a Toy Story trip for our sons 3rd Birthday from June 10-June20th. I thought for sure they would have done a memorial day opening. Going to have to look at rearranging our days since there really isn’t much to do. Hoping we get lucky and are able to do a soft opening.
I’ll cross my fingers that you get the soft opening!! It almost always happens and it will be a welcome surprise!
I am a Cast Member and currently work Hollywood Studios. First thing I would
Like to mention is that attendance was not down last summer between June and July. I was working Animal kingdom last summer and we had record numbers all year due to the opening g of Pandora. Many days of which the park reached max capacity. Our sales were met daily, and even exceeded, so I promise you, there is no struggle with attendance or sales.
Several weeks ago a special ticketed event for Hollywood Studios was announced. Star Wars Galactic Nights on May 27th, Memorial Day weekend. I knew right then Toy Story Land would not be opening till late June/early July. Cast Members have not been hired, transferred or trained yet for Toy Story Land either. We have been listening closely as many would love to be a part of the opening team.
Outside construction, walkways, and foliage …. there is much to be done. Merchandise, foods, costumes, cast members, management, phone lines, WiFi, supplies. It is a massive ordeal logistically and every little detail to perfect.
As Cast Members….. we are not hearing anything either. We got the opening date along with the rest of the world this morning!
I was at Disney World over Fourth of July weekend last year. Yes, Pandora was new and was crowded (although the Flight of Passage and Navi River wait times were actually significantly lower when I was there in July than on our trip last Christmas). But EVERY other park was very quiet–we never waited more than 20 minutes for a ride (even Soarin/Star Tours/Pirates of the Caribbean/Jungle Cruise which are usually an hour plus), and we were able to book our vacation less than a week in advance with lots of hotels to choose from. I don’t think AK is representative of Disney World’s overall crowd levels last summer.
I agree with this. We were at Disney the second week of June last year. Yes, AK was crowded, but really just Pandora. We were at AK one night and walked onto Expedition Everest multiple times. Overall the parks seemed less busy than previous summers we had been there (we typically go in early June as multiple people in our family teach school).
How do you think Toy Story Mania will factor into this? I’ve heard it will be closed completely at some point to finish the rerouting, but I wouldn’t think they’d want it to be down for long, especially in June, with so few attractions in the park. Is there any sense when and how long it will be closed for?
They have stopped ALL fastpasses for TSM from beginning of April until May 7th as it will be down to one lane only during that time
Thanks for that information. Is that the only closure? I thought I heard it was going to be totally down for some period. If they’re moving the entrance to Toy Story Land, how are you going to be able to get in if the land is still under construction?
From I read on another site, they are closing 2 lanes to be able to move the entrance without totally closing it (I went digging for info as couldnt book FP last week for 7 to 21 April!)
So its just a standby line only for 5 weeks, which seems rather alot to me personally?
That does seem like a long time. You’d think they would be able to do most of the new queue work while the rest of it stays open. But it’s letting you get fast pass beyond that? We’re going in early June, so if the new land isn’t open, we’re at least hoping Mania will be open. Otherwise it’s hardly worth going at all!
You should be OK by then, we are coming from the UK so have bought ultimate tickets so it looks like we’ll just be spending a couple of hours at HWS then off to another park….
I have been wondering the exact thing. It was already announced that the FastPass+ for Toy Story Mania will be down (standby only) from April 9th-May 7th. But now that the opening of Toy Story Land isn’t until June 30th it raises a lot of questions about what is going to happen with the entrance for Toy Story Mania in this almost 2 month block following May 7th. Would they really close the ride for that long in a park that already doesn’t have many rides? Would they go back to FastPass+ for the ride after May 7th until the opening of Toy Story Land and only right before the opening close off the old entrance to the ride? My fam will be there June 10th-15th, not sure the ride will be open now.
Wow… You’d think they’d put a rush on this, Studios has so much down right now, it’s hard to justify a visit. Lets face it, there’s basically 3 rides operational. (Tower, Rock n’ Roller, Star Tours), and a few stage shows… that’s IT… it’s barely is more than a “land” in the other parks.
I’m coming from California in early June, and well, not sure if Studios will be worth a bother, even with a Park Hopper… maybe use it as a Day to check out Universal (which I wasn’t even planning on).
If you’ve never been in Florida’s version of Tower than spending a half day at the park is worth it! Fantasmic is fun, but pales in comparison to Disneyland, CA version. It has a nice Pocahontas sequence though.
My relative works on the Tower at DW!
I would say go (at least for a half day) if you like Star Wars. We like to go for Star Tours, the Jedi Training Academy, and the Star Wars character shows that happen periodically in front of the Grauman theater, plus a meet and greet in the Launch Bay. Then evening character meal at Hollywood & Vine followed by Fantasmic. Without Star Wars, I can’t justify recommending HS in its current, attraction-less state.
If money is no object, we’d definitely recommend a day at Universal and just park hopping to DHS on another day for Tower of Terror (and whatever else appeals to you).
If they really wanted to get more people in the parks during June/July they could just simply stop blocking out the majority of their passholders during that time.
Interesting… Maybe, because the FL Resident passholders are blocked out during the month of July, AND Disney is planning to implement seasonal pricing for multi-day passes, this is a strategy on their part to limit attendance from the “regulars” while rewarding those who are willing to pay the premium price for tickets during the first month of the opening with lower crowds?
Everything is opening later. Pixat Pier opening on June 23. Toy Story Land opening June 30. Almost half the summer and half the year is already over. I suspect Star Wars Land is opening even later.
Pixar Pier is opening late because work started on it this year–that’s still a pretty good turn-around time. There’s really no good excuse for Toy Story Land, as it has been under construction for far longer (to be fair, it’s also a far bigger project).
I’d put the chances of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opening next summer in Walt Disney World at around 0. I think they’re going to struggle just to make a November/December opening. Disneyland is another story, but I think we’ll see ~2 months of paid previews before the grand opening of that Star Wars land, too.
Agreed. Disneyland knows how-to milk to rich in the LA area. I’m sure we will see 200 dollar plus event tickets, block outs for all passes on certain days in the first weeks, including premium. They said “more changes are coming”. I can’t wait to see how many people they upset. I’ll just enjoy low crowds this year, and return in 2020 after it’s not so nutty.
My kids are on year-round school and at one point we were thinking of blocking time during one of their breaks next year to do DW & Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but now we will probably wait until 2020 to be safe.
Disappointing for us. I was hoping for a Memorial Day open, which could have meant a *chance* to see it in soft opening while we’re there for our annual early May trip. Looks like Hollywood Studios will be another 3-4 hour visit, especially if Toy Story Mania is running standby line only during our week there while transitioning to its new TSL entrance. Guess we’ll spend even more time in Pandora, which we’ve yet to experience since its “soft” openings last year were not for the general public.
I just got back from WDW. We did a full day at AK with a morning fastpass to Flight of Passage. We then did a half day at Hollywood Studios and went back to AK that afternoon. We didn’t need fastpasses at the Studios so booked another one for Flight of Passage. I’m so glad we did. That attraction is phenomenal. It would have been completely worth missing anything at Hollywood Studios.
I suspect that your point about resources being spread thin is a likely reason. They may also want to do a lot of soft openings to avoid maintenance issues and breakdowns like we saw with Frozen Ever After in 2016. Disney needs those new attractions to run well given the limited ride capacity in the park. No matter how good they are in terms of quality, they’re going to have huge lines once they open officially (if not before).
While I like seeing new lands in any park, especially the Studios, I’m not that excited about the Toy Story Land. It looks better than the off-the-shelf lands in Paris and Hong Kong, but not that much better. Honestly, i keep forgetting that it’s opening so soon. I expect it to be very popular, however
Less testing of these attractions should be necessary as compared to Frozen Ever After since they aren’t retro-fitting an old ride system and trying to bump up its capacity in the process. Even though these attractions are new-to-Walt Disney World they are (as you point out) off-the-shelf attractions that are completely known quantities.
The main reason to do a soft opening (at least from a “necessity”) perspective is to get Cast Members trained on the rides and land in a true operational environment. I’m likewise not particularly excited for Toy Story Land, but expect it to be very popular with guests. Nostalgia for Toy Story is a strong thing.
If Florida was getting RC Racer (@HKDL) then I’d be super pumped!! That attraction really surprised me!! Good times!
Im also not so thrilled about toy story land but it will clear up lines at all the other rides
I would guess that they are feeling the pinch of fewer visas, just like every other labor industry
Every Hotel and Hospitality major in America wants to work at Disney. I highly doubt their labor pool is low.
I don’t think every Hotel and Hospitality major is looking to work in construction/contracting though (which was Tom’s point above).
What Pete said. Beyond construction, the labor pool definitely is low for front of line positions–also not what someone with a hospitality management degree is going to be looking for.
Forgive me if this is a ridiculous question, but how do passholder previews/soft openings generally work? Do you just walk by, and if they let you in, great? This will be our first time as APs during a new land opening, and we already have a trip scheduled May 26-June 2, Any advice you have is appreciated!
If they’re Annual Passholder previews, it’s likely you’d register for them in advance. Normal soft openings are just a ‘walk past a partially-opened construction wall with a Cast Member stationed out front letting guests in’ type of scenario.
Each has its benefit: with a registered AP preview, out-of-town Passholders have sufficient notice to book a trip and plan around the preview. With soft openings, it’s much more under-the-radar; only those who watch closely on social media or who get lucky in the right place at the right time tend to know they’re happening.
Thanks so much!