Now that Toy Story Land is open, Hollywood Studios is a must-visit park for anyone planning a trip to Walt Disney World Resort. This park has always been fun, but since the grand opening of that section, it’s bigger, more exciting, and better than ever. That said, many people take one look at what the park has to offer and decide to jump in with zero preparation. While it is totally possible to have a blast in any Disney park with little planning, everything is much more likely to go smoothly and be absolutely magical when you take the time to do your research and avoid the 10 rookie mistakes below.
1. Not Allowing Time
Despite boasting a brand new land, Hollywood Studios is still a relatively small park. This leads many visitors to plan a much shorter amount of time for this park. The problem with this is that Hollywood Studios is home to a large number of headliner attractions, meaning wait times are likely to be longer. Additionally, this park has some of the best table-service meals on property, meaning you’ll want to allow plenty of time for dining. Finally, the fact that this park hosts many shows will also add to the amount of time you want to spend here.
2. Forgetting a Camera
Hollywood Studios is chock full of amazing character meet-and-greets. On top of the regularly scheduled meets, this park is also host to the secret Characterpalooza, an unadvertised event that happens only occasionally and features a random selection of (often rare) characters. You’ll definitely want to have a camera handy for all the memory-making you’ll be doing.
3. Missing Shows
There are several really good shows featured at Hollywood Studios. You’ll want to see them all, but that’ll mean arriving early enough to do so. You see, most of the shows stop running relatively early in. The evening, meaning its best to see the shows in the late morning and early afternoon in order to ensure you see them all.
For a no obligation, FREE Quote with new bookings contact our sponsor Magical Vacation Planner by calling: 1(407)442-0289
Or for a free no obligation quote with new bookings you can fill out the form by Clicking HERE!
4. Settling for One Ride on Star Tours
Star Tours is a super cool virtual reality flight simulator that the whole family will enjoy. However, many people make the mistake of riding once and calling it good. The thing is, this ride has a whole collection of different video adventures, meaning it’s different almost every time you ride. Therefore, you’ll want to do this one more than once.
5. Waiting Too Long for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Because FastPasses are limited, you may not be able to snag a Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster FastPass as one of your Tier 2 selections. Not to worry though! You don’t have to wait in the usual long standby line. Instead, head to the single rider line for a faster queueing experience.
6. Arriving at “Fantasmic!” Too Late
“Fantasmic!” is easily one of the best shows in Hollywood Studios, and you definitely won’t want to miss it. That said, in order to ensure you get to view the show, you will need to arrive early. “Fantasmic!” has limited capacity and it often fills up. In fact, it fills up so quickly that we recommend arriving at least 45 minutes before the performance begins.
7. Skipping Reservations
As mentioned earlier, Hollywood Studios has some pretty fantastic table-service dining options. However, guests are almost never able to waltz in and get a seat at one of these popular eateries. Therefore, it is super important that you make dining reservations before arriving at the park.
8. No FastPasses for Toy Story Land
Toy Story Land is the hottest thing at Disney World right now. This means super long lines and crowded walkways. For this reason, if you plan to ride the Toy Story attractions (Slinky Dog Dash, Alien Swirling Saucers, and Toy Story Mania), it is super important that you have FastPasses to do so. Grab these as soon as you are able because they go quickly. Keep in mind, you can only snag one of the Toy Story Land attraction FastPasses in advance since they are all on Tier 1. Arrive early enough to ride those you may not have a FastPass for, or look at enjoying two days at Hollywood Studios!
9. Misusing Tier 2 FastPasses
FastPasses at Hollywood Studios are split into two tiers. Guests are allowed to choose one attraction in Tier 1 (as mentioned above) and two attractions in Tier 2. It’s important to know which Tier 2 FastPasses are worthwhile before reserving. Currently, the best Tier 2 options are Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours.
10. Forgetting to Take It All In
The biggest mistake a person can make at any given Disney park is rushing through and forgetting to take it all in. Sure, the rides are wonderful, but the thing that makes a Disney park super special is the atmosphere and the amazing attention to detail. Be sure to slow down enough to appreciate these things!