From Star Wars to Toy Story, Hollywood Studios has a lot to pack into your day. In this post I am sharing a 1-Day Hollywood Studios itinerary to help maximize your time at the park.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is one of my favorite Disney parks but it can feel like a difficult park to plan because the most popular rides at the park are in opposite corners of each other.
There are also multiple best attractions at Hollywood Studios. This means no matter where you start you will inevitably have a longer wait time for a popular attraction.
We recently returned from a trip and found a way to make all of it work without waiting in lines most of our day. This Hollywood Studios itinerary should help you start your plan so you will accomplish everything you want to do at the park.
When you finish reading this check out my Guide to Hollywood Studios:
Planning Your Day at Hollywood Studios (Before You Arrive)
Before you arrive be sure to purchase tickets, purchase Lightning Lane if you choose to, and take a look at dining reservations and show times you may want to plan your day around.
Lightning Lane is Disney World’s paid line skipping reservation system. I would recommend it for Hollywood Studios because the most popular rides have long wait times. Skipping lines will save you time and allow you to get more done.
Even with Lightning Lane I recommend arriving at rope drop and doing the most popular attractions first. This will make the pacing of your day after lunch a lot easier.
What to Know
You will want to arrive at Hollywood Studios 30-40 minutes before official park opening or early entry if you are staying on-site.
The most popular rides at rope drop at Hollywood Studios are Rise of the Resistance, Rock n’ Roller Coaster, and Slinky Dog Dash. This is where most of the guests will start their day. Guests will be directed by cast members to each of these attractions.
Currently there are 9 rides at Hollywood Studios. I am not including shows or character meet and greets, which also have wait times and you may want to prioritize depending on what you want to include in your day.
Plan on riding your top priority popular rides during early entry and the first hour the park is open. For our itinerary below we did purchase Lighting Lane ahead of our visit.
I will be publishing a full detailed guide on the best way to use Lightning Lane very soon. Stay tuned!
1 Day Hollywood Studios Itinerary
Below I am sharing our exact itinerary for the day at Hollywood Studios. This Hollywood Studios allowed us to ride 12 attractions (Rise of the Resistance 2x). Keep in mind how much you get done in a day depends on crowd level, weather, and any technical delays for the attractions.
- Secured Lightning Lane reservations for 3 attractions prior to arrival.
- Star Tours- 9:10am-10:10am
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror- 1:05pm-2:05pm
- Slinky Dog Dash- 4:40pm-5:40pm
- Took bus from All Star Sports Resort to Hollywood Studios (7:15am)
- Arrived at Hollywood Studios at 7:30am for 8:30am park open. (Early Entry for resort guests.)
- Scanned in to park at 8:01am
- Walked to Rock n Roller Coaster and waited until official park open at 8:30am.
- 1st Ride: Rock n Roller Coaster
- 2nd Ride: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- 3rd Ride: Toy Story Mania (9:06am)
- 4th Ride: Star Tours (First Lightning Lane, after scanned secured Smugglers Run)
- Visit Pixar Pals: Meet Frozone, Edna Mode, and Sulley
- Toured Walt Disney Presents
- Lunch at ABC Commissary (10:35am)
- 5th Ride: Muppets 3D (Muppets is now closed)
- 6th Ride: Rise of the Resistance at 11:26am, Boarded at 12:16pm. This has 2 pre-show rooms so the wait time went quickly and is totally worth experiencing.
- 7th Ride: Millennium Falcon (Lightning Lane)
- Mobile Ordered Cold Brew from Kat Saka’s Kettle
- 8th Ride: Tower of Terror (1:20pm)
- Show: Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After (Check times on My Disney Experience App)
- Bus back to resort for rest and pool time. Headed back to park around 4:00pm
- 9th Ride: Slinky Dog Dash (Lightning Lane)
- Dinner Reservations at Roundup Rodeo BBQ. Booked ahead of time.
- 10th Ride: Rise of the Resistance (Ride broke down during our wait, we were offered anytime Lightning Lane.)
- 11th: Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (8:45pm)
- 12th: Rise of the Resistance (9:30pm)
- 13th: Alien Swirling Saucer (9:53pm)
- Night Show: Fantasmic (10:30pm)
We did all the rides at the park and had time to rest at the resort it was exhausting but one of the best Hollywood Studios days we have ever had. I was on the My Disney Experience continuously throughout the day to make sure everything was booked and we got the most out of our Lightning Lane.
I want to mention we did not see many shows or meet any characters for this trip. If you are visiting with small children you will want to see some of the shows like Disney Jr. Play & Dance! and For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration.
Final Thoughts
I have probably been to Hollywood Studios over 20 times and this was one of our best days ever. There are days where you get lucky and wait times are fast so your day moves smoothly.
We have had days where everything goes a bit off, multiple attractions are down and it is a bit more chaotic. The best advice I can give you is to make a plan and be flexible.
Doing your research ahead of time to prioritize what you want for your trip will help you when you arrive at the park. Make a list of your top 5 things you want to do and then everything else is a bonus.
Plan your day based on the Lightning Lanes you secure, any dining reservations, and plan to use My Disney Experience throughout the day to get the best bang for your buck.
Yes, it means being on your phone but it is really not terrible. I use it to check wait times and book the next Lightning Lane. It only takes a few minutes but saves a lot of time waiting in lines.
Hollywood Studios is a really great park and I hope this itinerary helps you plan an incredible day.
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Leah has been a Disney fan her entire life. From growing up with the movies to planning amazing Disney trips. She loves sharing her passion for Disney and helping others plan amazing Disney trips.
