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!
I would not go anywhere near DHS today! I used to shoot a ton of press events for the company and its utter pandemonium. No thank you. Toy Story Land must be a sheer madhouse today and this weekend of the grand opening. Hope you two youngsters enjoy the craziness!!
My niece is in the CP and was chosen to preview Slinky Dog Dash. Cant wait to hear all about it! I was hoping for an AP preview this month since I was just there, but hopefully I can get back there in September.
we are planning on being at Hollywood studios on June 18. is toy story mania going to be closed? just wondering if we should just skip Hollywood studios this trip if that’s not even open.
We were there in May and the reason I believe is because they only have one track open. they are expanding and making more tracks. The lines were crazy long.
I did not think they were adding any more tracks as they already added the third track (I wish they would add more). I thought the closing were due to changing the entrance
Correct. No additional tracks are being added to Toy Story Mania. The queue is just being re-routed.
I was there last week and a cast member at HS told me that Tot Story Mania would be closed this week to finish the new entrance to the ride. He said some landscaping still needs to be done too but rides are ready.
I am thankful for any new attractions and expansion at Hollywood Studios, but think the word “land” in Toy Story Land is somewhat overstated. It’s two new rides for crying out loud, a small coaster and a spinning ride of some sorts. I wish they would do more dark rides.
That’s a good point–suprised these are outdoor rather than dark rides. That will make for an even bumpier start with rain closures and people waiting for hours in the heat.
Do you know anything about fast passes for toy story mania for early June. I did my fast passes at the 60 day window at 7am Eastern time. I did do magic kingdom first but by 715, I was at hollywood and it said none available and I have been checking everyday since to see if a time would open up and now it’s even listed as a choice under the fast passes.
Thank you!
When we were there the weekend of April 13-15 they did not open fast pass for Toy Story Mania until the morning of the day we went, which didn’t work for us since we already booked our three and had to use them (or cancel) before we could book another. I’m not sure why they did it that way.
No fast pass for early June. Just stand by line. Also it closes on the 11th (I think) so they can reroute the queues to the back of the building
Saw something that stated Passholder exclusive access to Toy Story Land in September..
When we were there in April, they only had one of the three tracks open since we were told by cast members that they are moving the entrance. Due to reduced capacity, we were told they were not offering Fast Passes. We went for Extra Magic hours first thing in the morning and had to wait an hour.
Are there any mailing lists we need to make sure we are on if we are passholders? I know they did soft openings for Pandora for Passholders and DVC, hoping that happens again.
They just announced there will be pass holder previews in September that you’ll have to register for. But they didn’t yet have any information as to when and how to do that.
Why doesn’t Disney have a Toy Story Character Meal? Or at the very least a Pixar one? With Toy Story Land this would be perfect! There is no need to have 10 fab five character meals – my kid would much prefer either of these than Mickey and Minnie which he has no interest in.
We go to Disney for the 1st week of July every year. Many think we are crazy but it works for us. I was really hoping TSL would open like Pandora, over Memorial Day weekend – in time for the summer and when we are booked to be there . . . now, I don’t know if I am happy or upset . . . TSL opens the DAY WE ARRIVE! After experiencing a very pleasant, less-crowded Disney last year at that time, this year might put me over the edge! I just hope this isn’t a Pandora situation with 5 hour lines. We also always stay at YC or BC so we can pop in and out of Epcot and HS as we please. Now, my location may not be as advantageous as I hoped!
Wish me luck!
Free Dining has been announced on the 4th Monday of April the past 2 years (4/25/16, 4/24/17), so that would be 4/23/18 this year if the trend continues. We have taken advantage of the special deal the past 2 years during the week after Thanksgiving and we are only planning to go again this year if the same dates are available. The bounce back offer did not offer the same week in 2018.
Thanks for the fun update info! This is our first (and probably only) year as annual pass holders and we’ve been highly anticipating the TSL Opening! We do love HS but with younger kids, we’ve been so excited to have a few more kid related rides added to make the park more kid friendly. We actually just booked a hotel and planned a stay for Sept 10/11 over Rosh Hashannah (no school) hoping that we will be able to get some fast passes at the 60 day mark and avoid the craziness a little. I’m sure the crowds will still be big and lines long but even one fast pass will help and we will just appreciate that we get to be there! So excited to hear more about it and hopefully get word in advance before fast passes open up so we are ready to snag one!
Yay! I am excited for Toy Story Land because my children love the the films. It will finally give us something to take them to in HS! It is the only Disney World park they have not visited because they are too young for for 3D experiences aren’t ready for the 2 thrill rides. I am hoping that by the time we head back, the Mickey Train ride will be complete as well. And I am hoping they will still be doing the Disney Jr. Show. That will make for a fun day. I hope to get them there before Star Wars storms in and brings with it the wild throngs of people turning Rope Drop into something akin to a Wal-Mart on Black Friday.
Any chance there will be a soft opening june 1st 2018
Did… Did you read the article?
I know it’s a little early but do you have any idea when the free dining will be available to purchase
I have two weeks booked in June for WDW and unfortunately we come home 2 ays before the opening of toy story land. I was wondering if there will be a soft opening before for annual passholders?
I was wondering the same. I haven’t received an email or notification. We had a preview of Pandora in Animal Kingdom.