A bit bored at the Studios

[Dug720]

This seemed like a more valid complaint before Toy Story Land opened.

You’re assuming everyone is gaga over Toy Story. Had they made it all different Pixar movies, I *might* have been interested. But my least favorite of the Pixar stuff? No thank you.

 

[dachsie]

I can't find a lot to hold my interest in HS either. Love TSL and my next trip in Aug, I only plan to do EMM there and then hop to MK. I like Star tours but the one time I rode RnR it cured me from riding any coaster for 10 years. I literally was shaking and needed help out of that ride. LOL And no ToT for me either. So the only thing left are shows for me, so I am looking forward to MMRR and the new SWGE rides - well - will have to see about RotR since don't know anything about that one yet. So I can understand those who find it a 1/2 day park. I completely skipped it in 2016 when I went to WDW. I did enjoy the old attractions when it was MGM as well but understand things must progress.

 

[PerfessorZ]

I like Star tours but the one time I rode RnR it cured me from riding any coaster for 10 years. I literally was shaking and needed help out of that ride. LOL

I know you're not the thread creator, but you have to admit, that's definitely not "boring"!

 

[ClapYourHands]

It’s Toy Story, not grown up at all. It would make no sense to put in a thrill ride that kids couldn’t ride in a section that is themed for kids. I’ve never had the impression that HS is more grown up than the MK.

I think the idea that HS is more "adult" comes from the fact that Disney did kind of a poor job putting in things of interest to kids. The "kid" things they included were attractions rather than rides, and sometimes had a limited (young) age range appeal, like Disney Jr. characters.

When we took our kids a few years ago, TSL was not yet open, but our kids were past the age where they cared much about meeting characters. The result was we skipped HS. There just wasn't enough for lower elementary aged kids to do there, between having so few rides and the available rides being height restricted. Last fall, my boys were older, and we had a blast, but they were tall enough to go on everything, while still being young enough for Trials of the Temple. Unfortunately, I couldn't get them interested in "girl" things like the Frozen Singalong or Beauty and the Beast - hoping my 4-year-old daughter will be more amenable so I can finally see them. But I think she'll be too little for any rides other than TSMM and AS2, so HS might be a show and character meet park for us. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it leads to HS being less well-rounded than the other parks.

I think, if anything, HS could use more rides that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Right now, it feels a bit separated, having fast/scary rides like ToT and RnR for older kids/adults, and then Disney Junior stuff for preschoolers. TSL does a nice job of providing a few things that can be enjoyed without splitting up the family, but I'd like to see more.

The people who see HS as a full-day or multi-day park seem to be the ones who are okay with "big" rides (by Disney standards), while also still having the touch of childhood needed to enjoy fluffier fare like meeting Vamparina. I think what we're seeing on this thread is that there are people who don't switch easily between those extremes, so for them, about half the park is uninteresting (little kid stuff) or unreachable (fast/scary height restricted rides).

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I always have loved the vibe of DHS. Several attractions are just for the preschool set (Disney Jr stuff) and mostly younger kids (VotLM). It also seems like they don't have as many streetmosphere actors out as they used to. It's hard for us to spend a full day there without getting a little bored. Looking forward to experiencing TSL for the first time soon

 

[eco-muse]

I have to agree that Hollywood Studios is a half day park. I'll only be doing 3 rides and 1 show on my next trip. The remaining half day will be spent at EPCOT (which is also a half day park for me--3 rides, 1 meal, and whatever the new fireworks thing will be).

 

[Dis Dragon]

I think a lot of the perception of the park going more kiddie is the infusion of IP and less disconnected “adult” rides. Just speaking from a content perspective, GMR is a lot more interesting to me than the a ride based on the new Mickey shorts, but my kids think they are hilarious. You can see this shift in the current executive structure at Disney.

I would love for some original ideas that would appeal to adults (not just based on nostalgia) that interested kids as well. Think AK.

 

[Hannahinwonderland]

On my last trip, I spent maybe 4 hours total of a 4 day trip at HS. 1 of those hours was spent waiting for TSMM to open as it was down at rope drop. We also did Star Tours and saw Beauty and the Beast. Then we gave up on TSMM and went to a different park.

Now granted, we are in our twenties with no kids, and I don't ride tower or rockin', AND this was before toy story land. That being said..I am definitely in agreement with the OP that in it's current state, DHS is not that exciting of a park. My main reason is the theming issue. I'm SO excited for GE though and I think the park will be on the up and up.

 

[OfCourseTheresAlwaysMyWay]

There’s just not enough turnover. They changed the show for little kids, but the Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones, Little Mermaid, and Muppets shows have been there since the dawn of time. The Frozen show is horrendous and the new Cars attraction is fine but I don’t see a lot of repeat value.

They never update One Man’s Dream with other interesting stuff about Disney history. There’s one table service and one quick service restaurant worth eating at. The rest are terrible.

I personally have never understood why people go gaga for Fantasmic, but that’s just me.

If you aren’t into meeting characters, or thrill rides, it’s a pretty junky park. On my last trip I instituted Hollywood Studios/Disney Springs Day. Will continue in the future.

 

[TerriC31]

This park is a disappointment currently as there are very limited options compared to when this park was in its glory days. Even half the stores on Main Street are closed . Waiting on a fast pass to do Rockin Rollercoaster then we are out . Currently a half day park for us (at best). Waits are so long on the few rides open. My wife characterized this park as a Meet N Greet Park. I guess we will return when GE opens

 

[TerriC31]

My husband and two kids absolutely loveeeed HS. It was by far my husbands favorite of the four parks. To each their own opinions. All depends what your looking.for!

 

[Planogirl]

We get bored at both Epcot and DHS now. They both have a mostly "been there done that" feeling for us now.

 

[kathy884]

We like all the Disney Park, but on our last trip (We had six full days and of the Disney Parks, just did three: Epcot, AK, and MK. HS (even though we like it) is the one we skipped. T of T is one of our very favorite rides, but when push came to shove it wasn't enough to put the park on our itinerary.

We also did SeaWorld (we have always really liked this one -- it is number two for us after then MK in terms of Orlando priorities), Busch Gardens (I would skip the Busch Gardens park except it is a great way for me to meet up with my cousin who lives in Tampa for a day (I like to use the free bus to get there and back to vs. driving and have to say it was a lovely way to get together.), and a day at Disney Springs (We had not been even though it has been open quite a few years and wanted to see it this trip).

Unlike most of the planet too lol, Star Wars stuff is not going to get us to rush back to the HS park. We've seen most of the movies, but aren't fans (Star Wars just isn't what we think of when we think of Disney). Despite not being that into the movies, I'm sure we'd enjoy the attractions (just like Avatar stuff in the AK), and I would imagine that we will eventually get there. Some how despite not planning on it, we seem to get to Orlando at one time or another and try all the new stuff there but it might take us a few years to get to it (Have been to Universal for the HP stuff too) just to see it.

We don't have any Disney trips planned for 2020, but lol (We are getting a day in at the MK) before taking a cruise out of Port Canaveral. We are also doing a bucket list trip that includes Paris and lol (on one of our days in Paris we will get a park hopper for the Disney Parks there - added time to our itinerary to fit that in).

 

[tink2]

For those asking - we were there this past week and saw the Beauty and the Beast show two different days- so it is operating currently. I never knew it had closed.
We spent two days at HS. We love TOT and RNR though - so that helps. We did repeats- but we love the Beauty and the Beast show and Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Toy Story Land exceeded my expectations and we loved it. We spent the longest time in lines at this park bc of the transition it is in. We saw Fantasmic one night and did Toy Story Land the next night - it’s cool at night.
We were disappointed so many shops were closed- but you have to go into the park knowing it is undergoing changes. Hopefully once SWGE opens- it will all be better.

 

[jess20k]

This park is a disappointment currently as there are very limited options compared to when this park was in its glory days. Even half the stores on Main Street are closed . Waiting on a fast pass to do Rockin Rollercoaster then we are out . Currently a half day park for us (at best). Waits are so long on the few rides open. My wife characterized this park as a Meet N Greet Park. I guess we will return when GE opens

I AGREE 100%..BUT YET THE PRICES GO UP UP AND UP.

 

[agavegirl1]

This thread got me thinking about our last two trips and our upcoming October trip. Trip one was 2010 in October. We spent about 8 hours total in the park as two half day mornings. No shows. Multiple rides on RnRC and ToT. We did Muppets, Great Movie Ride and Star Tours each twice. We ate at a QS after being ignored after being seated at the Brown Derby for 25 minutes. The food was icky. We visited One Man’s Dream and some display thingy for the newest Pirates movie. We rode TSMM and Backlot tour once and saw Indiana Jones and Lights Motors Action. No other shows, M&Gs, play areas, dance parties or exhibits. We felt we accomplished a lot without having to endure “cartoons” as DH refers to animated IP.

In 2014, we began our half day phase. Crowds were far worse. The FP+ system had been implemented and multiple rides on our favorites was not possible. (No ability to book from phone, refresh etc). We spent about 5 hours total including lunch at 50’s Prime Time. Even FP lines were long. We rode RnRC twice, ToT once, Star Tours, Great Movie Ride once and wandered through One Man’s Dream. We ate and left the park. We came back to see Fantasmic another night.

We have resigned ourselves to the “toonification” of WDW and I have listed everything at DHS. Here is where we are leaning...

Ride: RnRC, ToT, Star Tours, SDD, AS2 and TSMM
We will not skip any rides this trip due to EEMH.

See: BatB, Mermaid, Frozen Singalong. We haven’t seen them before because they seemed very child oriented but I am committed to seeing things I haven’t seen.
Maybe: Lightening McQueen, Star Wars Fireworks, Indiana Jones (it’s been 9 years)
Skip: Pretty much every M&G, all Dance Parties, Fantasmic, Muppets

Other: Launch Bay Exhibits, March of the First Order, Citizens of Hollywood.
Skip One Man’s Dream,

We will show up at 6AM one day to try to get into Galaxy’s Edge.

We have an ADR at Sci Fi. I wonder how it’s going to be actually spending some show time in the park.

 

[NickC]

I wouldn't call it boring, but it has changed. On our first two trips, we spent two full days in DHS. Of course, we rode every ride a dozen times. On the last few trips, we were usually ready to go by dinner time.

On our next trip, SWGE will be open and we are nervous. Depending on the crowds, there is a good chance that we might just sneak in, ride RnRC and ToT, then leave.

 

[monkyby87]

The fact of the matter is, HS is currently undergoing the changes and reshaping that it has needed for a while. When the Hollywood backlot feel started to leave the park (which happened over 10 years or so ago), the park began a bit of an identity crisis. A few different rides and experiences would be brought in to add some flair, but those were only bandages over the real issue. Now, they're finally going through the big changes it needs and rebranding the park. It's becoming a park based around the popular Disney movie franchises, and is less about the Hollywood feel. Yes, there was charm and nostalgia in that, but it was dated. It likely wasn't resonating with a lot of kids anymore, if it ever was.

It's unfortunate that it couldn't have happened years ago, but it had to happen sometime. I'm excited to see what will happen in the future and what changes will come. If people want to skip the park for now, that's fine, go ahead. I'm sure Disney is aware that the offerings are limited at the moment, but they are working to change that.

 

[glocon]

I think TSL is really cute, the colors are great, good M&G if you’re into that. And now it’s getting a restaurant. It needs a toy store- kind of obvious- it would help with the heat since it’s so out in the sun. It’s really a good land for families. And GE will be good for families also with the theming and all. The FP is messing things up now, but it’s gett much better. It really does need more food options that people enjoy. Maybe the new TS and GE restaurants will help. It’s not really movie making themed anymore, so maybe a name and description change is in order. We always enjoy it.

 

[YesterDark]

Last trip in 2017 we did a full day here. Rope dropped with two young kiddos (4 and 2.5 yo) and did all the shows except Indy. Did not do ToT and the coaster and there wasn't a Toy Story Land yet. Going back again in 60 days, it'll probably be a full day again.

Then again, our day ended in the evening after dinner while we waited for fireworks. We did a character meal, then sat/walked around for an hour or so for the show then left. So after 5ish we stopped doing attractions.