You came back!! You like me! You really like me!!
Okay, enough of that. Welcome back to week 10 of what is becoming a crazy long series. That’s the Disney Vacation Planning series, if you’re new to these parts. Back when I was just a young whipper snapper I tried to plan my first vacation to
Last week I filled you in on everything you need to know about the FastPass system at Epcot, this week we’re going to take a quick walk down the Boardwalk to talk about Hollywood Studios. (You see what I did there, Boardwalk…because…well…never mind). Anyway, it’s time to break out that Vacation Planning worksheet (In case you missed it, get yours HERE) and start filling in some more blanks.
Be sure to check out the Disney Vacation Series Main Page for any posts you’ve missed!
More Tiers
Yup. Just like Epcot, Hollywood Studios has a 2-tier FastPass system. And just as before you can pick 1 Fastpass from Group A and 2 from Group B. After you have used all 3 of your FastPass+ (FP+) reservations, you can then book one at a time for any rides available. Let’s take a look at the tier breakdown.
Group A (pick 1)
Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage
Fantasmic!
Rock ‘n’ RollerCoaster
Toy Story Midway Mania
Group B (Pick 2)
Disney Junior – Live! On Stage
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
Muppet Vision 3D
Star Tours – The Adventure Continues
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Okay, but everything I want to do is in Group A…
And that’s what
What to Skip
Fantasmic! is a downright AMAZING show that I HIGHLY recommend, but you don’t need a FP+ to see it (unless it’s July then you may). Even if you prefer to be sure and have the reservation, you should be able to use up your first 3 passes and get this one later in the day. There are usually 2 shows per night and it is a sizeable arena, so save the pass for something bigger and better.
You’ll also want to let those reservations for Beauty and the Beast go as well. This is a stage show (also amazing) that plays all day. Again, there are a ton of seats so you shouldn’t have much of a problem at all getting in to see a performance. You may have to wait for 20 minutes or so if you are picky about your seat, but there’s really not a bad view in the entire stadium.
The Case of Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster
I’ve been to Hollywood Studios so many times and have still never ridden this. Not because I don’t want to, because it’s always broken. I booked the FP+ once, and when I arrived it was down. I wasn’t given the option to use the reservation on a different ride or at a different time I was just out of luck. And I get that, they can’t very well re schedule the thousands of people who were undoubtedly effected but it was still a let down. There are also other ways to sneak this one in such as single rider, rope drop, or EMH. There’s really not much reason to spend your FastPass+ on this Group A attraction.
So, that leaves you with Toy Story Midway Mania. This is an interactive game that immerses you in a video game like environment. It’s tons of fun, especially with a bigger group to compare scores against. However, this ride is marketed towards a young segment of audience and that means there are lots of kids in line. I don’t have anything against kids, but put them in a line for an hour (or more) and they will get bored. Bored kids do make me crazy, so I recommend avoiding this predicament and using your FastPass+ reservation to get in and get out.
Group B
The second tier for DHS is pretty substantial, there are several noteworthy rides that you do not want to be stuck in standby for. But there are also a few duds that are more place holders than anything. So, let’s take a look at the options.
Pass
These attractions have little to no line and are preformed frequently throughout the day. Not recommended unless you have a loyal fan in your group, even then it’s not really worth it.
Disney Junior – Live! On Stage
Muppet Vision 3D
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
For the rest of the attractions, it will depend on what you are schedule looks like and what you’re interested in doing.
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
As is the case for all things Frozen, there will be a line and it will be full. If you want to see this show, you should get the FastPass+ Reservation. I can’t stand the franchise, so that’s all I’ll say on that.
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
This is such a fun and exhilarating show to see, and because of that it’s pretty popular. There are performance throughout the day, but it’s one of the more popular attractions. The line is entirely outside so it will get HOT! If you want to see this one, get the FastPass.
Star Tours – The Adventure Continues
Get the Fastpass. With the popularity of the new films (do you guys really like those?!?!?) the wait on this ride can be downright ridiculous. It’s not uncommon to surpass 2 hours. And ti’s a really great ride, even if you aren’t a fan.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Ahhhhh!!!!
That was be screaming in fear that you might waste a FastPass+ reservation on this ride. Don’t do it!! Yes the line gets long, yes it’s mostly outside, yes you want to ride it. Make rope drop at Hollywood Studios a priority. You can easily ride this, at least twice, at rope drop before the crowds start to pick-up. You could actually do most of DHS in a half day if you can make rope drop, then hop over to Epcot or hang around the Boardwalk.
I love writing these little nuggets of information. I really hope it’s helping you guys navigate the vacation planning waters. Drop a comment down below and let me know what questions you have about
