Hollywood Studios Strategies

[Shacka1]

Hi Guys!

I will be there New years week and I am torn on how to tackle HS!

I see some people going first thing and they are able to get a lot done but then others are saying to wait til the park is closer to closing and then get in line for hard to get rides?

SD and Runaway Railway are the main 2 I'm worried about

Thoughts?

 

[Tormania]

Hi Guys!

I will be there New years week and I am torn on how to tackle HS!

I see some people going first thing and they are able to get a lot done but then others are saying to wait til the park is closer to closing and then get in line for hard to get rides?

SD and Runaway Railway are the main 2 I'm worried about

Thoughts?

I will ALWAYS do rope drop as the best way to maximize time for rides at ANY park, but definitely at HS. You can get several rides completed by noon easy and then if those afternoon lines are too long for your liking then just chill and then give the final two hours a go. If you ONLY focus on park close then you throw away any chance earlier in the day, and no chance for a BG for ROTR either. Why not do both? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

 

[VandVsmama]

I will ALWAYS do rope drop as the best way to maximize time for rides at ANY park, but definitely at HS. You can get several rides completed by noon easy and then if those afternoon lines are too long for your liking then just chill and then give the final two hours a go. If you ONLY focus on park close then you throw away any chance earlier in the day, and no chance for a BG for ROTR either. Why not do both? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

This is going to be our strategy when we go in January.

 

[Shacka1]

I will ALWAYS do rope drop as the best way to maximize time for rides at ANY park, but definitely at HS. You can get several rides completed by noon easy and then if those afternoon lines are too long for your liking then just chill and then give the final two hours a go. If you ONLY focus on park close then you throw away any chance earlier in the day, and no chance for a BG for ROTR either. Why not do both? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Thank you! HS is the one park I don't know too much about

 

[Befferk]

Hi Guys!

I will be there New years week and I am torn on how to tackle HS!

I see some people going first thing and they are able to get a lot done but then others are saying to wait til the park is closer to closing and then get in line for hard to get rides?

SD and Runaway Railway are the main 2 I'm worried about

Thoughts?

We will be there the same time. My HS days are Sunday 12/27 and Wednesday 12/30. I plan on being there WELL before opening both days based on reports I've read.

 

[LizzyDragon]

For HS, I've been rope dropping it this year in order to get a shot at the 10am BG drop. Since I'm in the park anyway, I'll get in line for something. That something being whatever I'm in the mood for or whatever my friends want to do. I'm not a plan every minute type, and just going for whatever has the shortest wait works well. I've been able to ride nearly everything in about 4-5 hours.

 

[bella_and_the_beast]

To give you an idea of what you can get done in the morning, yesterday we needed to leave the park around noon to catch our flight home. We were staying at the Beach Club and didn't have to rely on Disney transportation - so we walked over. The biggest thing is doing whatever everyone else is not doing. I will never understand starting off your morning waiting 90 minutes for MMRR when the wait doesn't drop significantly during the day. If you have to do that wait regardless, it makes a lot more sense to knock off other rides with lower waits in the morning before everything has a long wait.

8:25 - in line at the park, about the tenth group in line.
8:50ish - security moved up the line to the temperature checks
9:05ish - temp screenings started
9:10 - in line for MMRR
9:30 - off the ride
9:40 - walked on to Smugglers Run, off at 9:55
10 - waiting outside Toy Story Mania, grabbed boarding group then walked onto the ride
10:25 - in line for Tower of Terror (we waited 45 minutes for this, but it's my favorite ride and I wanted to do it once more)
11:30 - in line for Rise of the Resistance
12:07 - off ride, power walked it out of the park.


We had spent 3 other days in Hollywood Studios. Wait times do not significantly drop until the last two hours of the park. In the middle of the day, we were kinda bored waiting around because we just don't care to wait in long lines. There were even times where Muppet Vision 3D had a 40 minute wait because of capacity in the theater. We did make sure to make lunch reservations each day, watched the Mickey Vacation shorts, and spent a lot of time enjoying walking through the One Man Dream's exhibit. If I could go back, I would rope drop, leave around noon, and come back around 3.

Also, I really think you need to be able to line up early like we were able to in order to get this much done. Parking and the skyliner guests start coming in a little after 9, and by 9:30 MMRR has an insane wait, and Slinky creeps up to 75 minutes really quickly. So, if your only option is to get to the park around 10am, it may very well be better to wait until the afternoon depending on how you want to plan your day and if you don't mind waiting for rides.

 

[gregorykicks]

8:25 - in line at the park, about the tenth group in line.


Also, I really think you need to be able to line up early like we were able to in order to get this much done. Parking and the skyliner guests start coming in a little after 9, and by 9:30 MMRR has an insane wait, and Slinky creeps up to 75 minutes really quickly. So, if your only option is to get to the park around 10am, it may very well be better to wait until the afternoon depending on how you want to plan your day and if you don't mind waiting for rides.

How were you able to get in line so early? Bus?

*Edit* Just read a post about walking from Boardwalk after an early breakfast ADR so my guess is you walked. Seems like a great strategy!

 

[bella_and_the_beast]

How were you able to get in line so early? Bus?

*Edit* Just read a post about walking from Boardwalk after an early breakfast ADR so my guess is you walked. Seems like a great strategy!

We were at the Beach Club at the end of the trip, so we walked over. We were at the Animal Kingdom Lodge earlier in our trip and made a breakfast reservation at Trattoria al Forno for 7:30am one day. We ubered there for it (and it was delicious)! We didn't want to rely on disney transport for HS opening because of everyone trying to get in so early for boarding groups.

 

[gregorykicks]

We were at the Beach Club at the end of the trip, so we walked over. We were at the Animal Kingdom Lodge earlier in our trip and made a breakfast reservation at Trattoria al Forno for 7:30am one day. We ubered there for it (and it was delicious)! We didn't want to rely on disney transport for HS opening because of everyone trying to get in so early for boarding groups.

We'll be bringing the kids in February and I like the idea of using this strategy. We're staying at AOA so we could pop back to the hotel around noon for a break and then head back in pretty easily after 4.

 

[bella_and_the_beast]

We'll be bringing the kids in February and I like the idea of using this strategy. We're staying at AOA so we could pop back to the hotel around noon for a break and then head back in pretty easily after 4.

Yeah, I mean who knows what it'll be like in February but that's definitely what I wished I had done. In the middle of the day, you just basically have to pick a line to stand in, so it definitely would have been better for our sanity to take a break and come back. This was definitely a strange trip - we usually go open to close most days or plan half days in the park on purpose but we were just ready to get out of there some days, and we really did manage to do everything without waiting. We did opt to wait for Slinky Dog one afternoon to "kill time" before our lunch reservation, but other than that we really just chose not to wait for things until the wait was bearable and if we didn't get to do it that day, oh well. But we also had a few days in each park so that helped with our flexibility.

I do think it still stands that rope drop and end of day are the best times for rides. Hopping on a line 10 minutes before closing is a good idea most of the time - and you beat the people waiting till one minute before closing to get on line.

 

[Shacka1]

To give you an idea of what you can get done in the morning, yesterday we needed to leave the park around noon to catch our flight home. We were staying at the Beach Club and didn't have to rely on Disney transportation - so we walked over. The biggest thing is doing whatever everyone else is not doing. I will never understand starting off your morning waiting 90 minutes for MMRR when the wait doesn't drop significantly during the day. If you have to do that wait regardless, it makes a lot more sense to knock off other rides with lower waits in the morning before everything has a long wait.

8:25 - in line at the park, about the tenth group in line.
8:50ish - security moved up the line to the temperature checks
9:05ish - temp screenings started
9:10 - in line for MMRR
9:30 - off the ride
9:40 - walked on to Smugglers Run, off at 9:55
10 - waiting outside Toy Story Mania, grabbed boarding group then walked onto the ride
10:25 - in line for Tower of Terror (we waited 45 minutes for this, but it's my favorite ride and I wanted to do it once more)
11:30 - in line for Rise of the Resistance
12:07 - off ride, power walked it out of the park.


We had spent 3 other days in Hollywood Studios. Wait times do not significantly drop until the last two hours of the park. In the middle of the day, we were kinda bored waiting around because we just don't care to wait in long lines. There were even times where Muppet Vision 3D had a 40 minute wait because of capacity in the theater. We did make sure to make lunch reservations each day, watched the Mickey Vacation shorts, and spent a lot of time enjoying walking through the One Man Dream's exhibit. If I could go back, I would rope drop, leave around noon, and come back around 3.

Also, I really think you need to be able to line up early like we were able to in order to get this much done. Parking and the skyliner guests start coming in a little after 9, and by 9:30 MMRR has an insane wait, and Slinky creeps up to 75 minutes really quickly. So, if your only option is to get to the park around 10am, it may very well be better to wait until the afternoon depending on how you want to plan your day and if you don't mind waiting for rides.

This is SO helpful! We will be coming from Saratoga, so to get there early will I need to Uber/lyft? How early are you thinking, leave around 8am? Also, my son wants to ride Rockin Rollercoaster but only him, how does that work? We all have to wait in line? He's too young to be on his own. Thanks again!

 

[Shacka1]

For HS, I've been rope dropping it this year in order to get a shot at the 10am BG drop. Since I'm in the park anyway, I'll get in line for something. That something being whatever I'm in the mood for or whatever my friends want to do. I'm not a plan every minute type, and just going for whatever has the shortest wait works well. I've been able to ride nearly everything in about 4-5 hours.

Thank you!!!!!!!

 

[Marc A.]

To give you an idea of what you can get done in the morning, yesterday we needed to leave the park around noon to catch our flight home. We were staying at the Beach Club and didn't have to rely on Disney transportation - so we walked over. The biggest thing is doing whatever everyone else is not doing. I will never understand starting off your morning waiting 90 minutes for MMRR when the wait doesn't drop significantly during the day. If you have to do that wait regardless, it makes a lot more sense to knock off other rides with lower waits in the morning before everything has a long wait.

8:25 - in line at the park, about the tenth group in line.
8:50ish - security moved up the line to the temperature checks
9:05ish - temp screenings started
9:10 - in line for MMRR
9:30 - off the ride
9:40 - walked on to Smugglers Run, off at 9:55
10 - waiting outside Toy Story Mania, grabbed boarding group then walked onto the ride
10:25 - in line for Tower of Terror (we waited 45 minutes for this, but it's my favorite ride and I wanted to do it once more)
11:30 - in line for Rise of the Resistance
12:07 - off ride, power walked it out of the park.


We had spent 3 other days in Hollywood Studios. Wait times do not significantly drop until the last two hours of the park. In the middle of the day, we were kinda bored waiting around because we just don't care to wait in long lines. There were even times where Muppet Vision 3D had a 40 minute wait because of capacity in the theater. We did make sure to make lunch reservations each day, watched the Mickey Vacation shorts, and spent a lot of time enjoying walking through the One Man Dream's exhibit. If I could go back, I would rope drop, leave around noon, and come back around 3.

Also, I really think you need to be able to line up early like we were able to in order to get this much done. Parking and the skyliner guests start coming in a little after 9, and by 9:30 MMRR has an insane wait, and Slinky creeps up to 75 minutes really quickly. So, if your only option is to get to the park around 10am, it may very well be better to wait until the afternoon depending on how you want to plan your day and if you don't mind waiting for rides.

Assuming park opened at 9???

 

[nickg420]

We are there the second week of December staying at POP and are most likely planning to drive to DHS rather than try to fight the Skyliner crowds. I may do the breakfast thing though how long of a walk is it? My 2 kids may not be down for a mile trek to the park after breakfast lol.

 

[Shacka1]

For waiting in long lines, usually I give my littlest one a lollipop. But with masks are we allowed to do that in line since we're social distanced or is that a no go?

 

[bella_and_the_beast]

The park officially opened at 10. There's no guarantee they will continue letting everyone in early or that rides will operate early.

We got in line at 8:20 because we knew that would get us right at the front of the line, but I think as long as you're there ahead of the skyliner/parking crowd you'd be okay to at least rope drop one ride without a significant wait. You also can't uber directly there early - the parking gates don't open until close to 9, or a little after 9 - it will change every day by a few minutes I'm sure.

I don't know distance, but it takes us about 20 minutes to walk there from our room at the Beach club....from the Boardwalk area it's probably about 15 minutes. We don't power walk but we definitely have a brisker walking pace than most, so I'd say 20-25 minutes? It's not a terrible walk, but definitely the best way to guarantee you get in quick...you'll have to wait around for about half an hour with that strategy too so you can at least take a seat on the pavement after the walk and recuperate!

As for ubering there, we wanted a guarantee we could get into the Boardwalk. Without being a guest or having a dining reservation there is no guarantee that they will let you past the gates. They did check that we had a dining reservation, but I've read it depends on the guard at the gate.

I have also seen people being dropped off at the Swan/Dolphin or the Speedway down the street but personally we didn't want to do that so I can't really give tips on how that would work.

 

[bella_and_the_beast]

For waiting in long lines, usually I give my littlest one a lollipop. But with masks are we allowed to do that in line since we're social distanced or is that a no go?

That's a big "it depends." You aren't supposed to eat/drink unless you're stationary and can be physically distanced. However, it seemed like every line we were in had people with their masks off eating and drinking which did bother us. It made me feel bad for cast members trying to enforce the rules. I'm not talking about a lollipop for kids like you're saying but I'm talking about people literally running out of line to grab drinks and snacks for their party, and they kept their masks off throughout the line while they were eating/drinking. Cast members didn't always say something, but then I would hear a few cast members telling guests to pull up their masks or be escorted out of the park (I think he must have had a long day at that point).

So I guess my point is in reality I'd bet on no one saying anything to you about it. And if you find they do say anything, it would just be them asking you to stop. Also, I'm not saying I'd be bothered by a kid eating a lollipop in line to keep them occupied if that's how that came off! Just wanted to let you know I really didn't see any mask rules actually being enforced in lines. There weren't any cast members patrolling them when I was in them.

 

[disneyfamily71]

We will be there next week. We are staying at Copper Creek. We will have a rental car. What is the best way to get to rope drop at HS? Car? Bus? Not sure what to do!

 

[Shacka1]

That's a big "it depends." You aren't supposed to eat/drink unless you're stationary and can be physically distanced. However, it seemed like every line we were in had people with their masks off eating and drinking which did bother us. It made me feel bad for cast members trying to enforce the rules. I'm not talking about a lollipop for kids like you're saying but I'm talking about people literally running out of line to grab drinks and snacks for their party, and they kept their masks off throughout the line while they were eating/drinking. Cast members didn't always say something, but then I would hear a few cast members telling guests to pull up their masks or be escorted out of the park (I think he must have had a long day at that point).

So I guess my point is in reality I'd bet on no one saying anything to you about it. And if you find they do say anything, it would just be them asking you to stop. Also, I'm not saying I'd be bothered by a kid eating a lollipop in line to keep them occupied if that's how that came off! Just wanted to let you know I really didn't see any mask rules actually being enforced in lines. There weren't any cast members patrolling them when I was in them.

Thank you for your input! I think I wouldn't want people around me with their masks off so we shouldn't do the same. I'll bring some bite sized stuff we can shove up our masks if need be