Hi, the new Toy Story Land aside, I’ve seen lots of posts where people say either to skip HS or it’s they feel that it’s just a half day park. Do you think this is advice for experienced park goers only? Because I’ve been planning one day and I am struggling to fit it all in. I thought we could do 11am till close. Obviously it’s all new to us and we are genuinely excited to see all the shows etc. I think we could see maybe 3 shows and will try to get Fp for TSMM, star tours and ToT. Some of our party may queue for RnRC. Is this a realistic experience of HS for a first timer? ( We will be there in August but I’m planning on pretending TS land doesn’t exist!).
I always plan 11/2 days in HS. Three of my favorite attractions are there: Star Tours, RnR and ToT! I love Frozen Sing A Long and honestly, I could spend hours watching the street performers!
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Thank you! I was beginning to worry that I was a bit of a saddo actually wanting to spend time there! I absolutely loved the studios in Disney Paris, the shows are as fun to me as the rides. I shall continue my planning and see what I can squeeze in. Thanks
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We did an open to close day on our last trip and are planning another open to close in May. There is more than enough to do for a first timer. Those that say it is a half day are those that have been there many times and don’t need to see some of the shows every time they go. My family loves HS. Have fun planning!
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I have to admit I told my family that I was considering planning one last trip to HS before TSL. I love the changes but I will miss the small, intimate park.
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Absolutely!
Those that say it’s a half day park have seen the shows so many times, and they really haven’t changed - apparently (because I haven’t seen them all).
I find it really hard to plan there too. I do love the Indy stunt show though, always do that one.
One thing though - the entrance to TSMM will be moving to be in Toy Story Land, so if you do TSMM you will not be able to ignore the new land.
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I love the street performers. They are so good and funny.
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I do not think I appreciated them enough my first couple of trips!
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I agree. They were just cast members but not worth the time. The past 2 times, I’ve enjoyed them so much. We even were picked out by them as we walked into Hollywood Studios one morning during our honeymoon. It was so much fun.
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Wasn’t sure if we were gonna still visit this park with TSL not being open during our visit, but 4 yr old and 9 yr old wanna see indiana jones. Looks like we will be walking around for a bit, eating lunch and seeing the show. Spend the rest of the day at disney springs.
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If you have never been to HS, you must go. There is still enough for a first timer to fill the day. If you have Star Wars fans in your family, then you definitely have enough to fill the day!
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No star wars fan and the 4 yr old does not sit still long enough for many of the shows. So we decided to just make a quick trip and then head on over to the springs.
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Reasons you should do Hollywood Studios (not necessarily in order of preference):
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Aerosmith’s Rockin’ Roller Coaster
- Star Tours
- The Great Movie Ride (well, at least it used to be)
- The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular
- Toy Story Mania (quite possibly the MOST FUN ride ever!)
- The Star Wars shows/“parade”…not sure what you call them. Worth watching, though.
There are other things to enjoy, shows and such. But those, for us, are the must-dos. Of course, it depends on ages of kids. Last time we did Star Tours, our 6-year-old son was called out as a rebel spy, which he found shocking and fun. 
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The opening date for the attraction that is replacing the great movie ride was recently announced:
That link just says it’s speculation though.
No date confirmed yet.
Yes, I was more focused on the internal document dates. Wdwnt has been pretty reliable with their info.
Trust your own judgement, especially if you’ve researched all of the parks. I got excoriated before my trip by asking whether our family should skip Animal Kingdom and spend more time at the other parks.
We did Animal Kingdom, and turns out my initial opinion was absolutely correct. Animal Kingdom turned out to be our family’s least favorite park, and I should have gone with my gut feeling and spent more time at the other parks.
There is no best way to enjoy Disney World since everybody has different preferences. The generic plans simply try to get you to most of the parks and the general high points. I found that our family had more fun repeating their favorites than just trying to see more things. (Obviously, you have to try some things, but with a little research, you’ll have a good idea whether you might like or hate certain things.)
Didn’t like Pandora? Flight of Passage?
Is your 4 year old into Disney Junior? My DD3 loved the Disney show! You sit on the floor & they get to wiggle and dance. It was a big hit here.
4 yr old might like this, but not sure 9 yr old grandson would. Makes planning difficult with the ages so far apart
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