Is it even worth it?

[AaronK72]

Hello, first time visiting WDW within the next few months. We are creating an itinerary for the parks we want to visit for the 8 days, (6 park days) and we are wondering if Hollywood Studios is even worth it since it looks like the park is under a lot of construction. We like Star Tours and Fantasmic in Disneyland but would hate to waste a whole day at Hollywood Studios just for those two things, maybe three with Aerosmith ride. And my wife is scared of heights so Tower of Terrors is out of the question. We also do not have park-hopper. So we think we already know the answer to the question, but just making sure we aren't going to be missing something? Any help would be appreciated.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention, our trip to WDW is celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary!

TIA!

 

[mesaboy2]

Unless there is some particular show at DHS you must see, sounds to me like you can skip it with no worries.

 

[CAS239]

Majority of HS is not under construction. Very few things have been closed. But with that said, I really don't think enough has been at HS to make it a full day park for me. We have AP's so we always just park hop

If I were you I would either skip HS all together, or rope drop the park and check out the shows and some rides..take a midday break, maybe check out Disney Springs or just head back to the hotel, then head back to HS in the evening and ride anything else and check out the Star Wars fireworks. If you decided to go to HS then that could be a more relaxing day where you take everything a little slower.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

For us, HS is the park we spend the least amount of time in and on some trips is an easy skip. BUT, with 6 park days, I’d want to spend at least a little time there - especially if you have hoppers. In my opinion, there’s still enough going on with rides, shows, fireworks, even with the construction. Maybe slot it in for a late afternoon-fireworks night, or something like that.

Happy anniversary!

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We visited HS for a few hours on our latest trip, mainly just for ToT and then we hopped to MK. There’s not enough there to justify using a ticket day, especially if you don’t have hoppers. I’d skip it, use the time for a nice romantic anniversary dinner at World Showcase!

 

[verleniahall]

See, i'm the opposite - I think there is plenty to do at Studios, but then, we are partial TO studios!

There is the indiana jones stunt show, midway mainia, TOT, arrowsmith, etc... not inclding the shows, character meets, etc... - its actually our favorite park

 

[Aggiedoug02]

Hello, first time visiting WDW within the next few months. We are creating an itinerary for the parks we want to visit for the 8 days, (6 park days) and we are wondering if Hollywood Studios is even worth it since it looks like the park is under a lot of construction. We like Star Tours and Fantasmic in Disneyland but would hate to waste a whole day at Hollywood Studios just for those two things, maybe three with Aerosmith ride. And my wife is scared of heights so Tower of Terrors is out of the question. We also do not have park-hopper. So we think we already know the answer to the question, but just making sure we aren't going to be missing something? Any help would be appreciated.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention, our trip to WDW is celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary!

TIA!

I think HS depends on how much mileage you get out of shows and other things like character meets. With 2 boys under 10 we still enjoy a full day there but we may be in the minority.

From a ride standpoint we only do Toy Story and Star Tours. But the shows and characters, to a lesser extent, fill up a good chunk of our day. Fantasmic (even though we've heard it's inferior to Disneyland) is our favorite show in all of WDW.

We tried the Frozen Sing-a-long this year and all thought it was hilarious (even our "Frozen is for girls" pair). Throw in Indiana Jones, a couple other shows and eat at 50's Prime Time/Sci-fi and I think it's a solid day with the potential to be more relaxed than your typical day.

 

[srwarden1928]

With six park days and no hopper, I would do 2 days at MK and Epcot, 1 day at HS and AK. In HS without Tower of Terror, you have Rock n Roller Coaster, Toy Story Midway Mania, and Star Tours for rides--more if Toy Story Land is open by your trip. The shows on my personal list include Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones Stunt Show, Muppet Vision 3D, Frozen Ever After, Fantasmic, and One Man's Dream (if they are showing their excellent movie on Walt's life). Plus I never miss 50s Prime Time Cafe.

 

[rpb718]

Depending on when you specifically are going, TSMM may be unavailable as they rework the queues from within the new Toy Story Land. Last I heard, one of the 3 tracks is either already not being utilized as the queue work begins or soon will be.

 

[mamamelody2]

DH and I went last November, celebrating 23rd anniversary, so I'm guessing we're similar in age.
DH especially loves Star Wars, so no way would we miss HS. We had no problem filling a day. We do Star Tours, Rock N Roller Coaster (but we can only handle it once. LOL), ToT, TsMM (3 times, love this ride!) We met Star Lord and Baby Groot. Super fun! We always do the Indiana Jones show. We totally enjoyed the Frozen sing-along, and I actually would have liked to do it again it was so fun. Spent a bit of time in Star Wars Launch Bay. Watched the March of the First Order and the Star Wars stage show. Saw Fantasmic for the first time.

We actually ran out of time for MuppetVision 3D, meeting Olaf, meeting Chewbacca, meeting Daisy and Donald. All things I wanted to do, but just not enough time.

That said, if you've never been, you won't know what you missed, so no problem. You could always do your other days and if you have done what you wanted to do in the other parks, see what FPs you can get for HS and give it a try.

 

[blancah76]

Since you have 6 days I think you guys should go check it out. There are some good rides and shows to see. Like someone else mentioned you could go in the morning take a break and go back in the evening. I don't know if they will still have the Star Wars fireworks in the evening at the time of your trip but I've heard only good things about them.
Some must do's for me are: Star tours, Toy Story Mania, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones Stunt Show, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen sing a long(its actually really funny), Star Wars stage show. I haven't been to the Launch Bay but that should be good. And there are usually unique character meet and greets. And I love 50's Prime Time Cafe.
Oh and the carrot cake cookie!
HS is my least favorite park but it is definitely worth a trip there, especially if you've never been.
You will have an amazing time regardless

 

[Wubar]

With six park days and no hopper, I would do 2 days at MK and Epcot, 1 day at HS and AK. In HS without Tower of Terror, you have Rock n Roller Coaster, Toy Story Midway Mania, and Star Tours for rides--more if Toy Story Land is open by your trip. The shows on my personal list include Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones Stunt Show, Muppet Vision 3D, Frozen Ever After, Fantasmic, and One Man's Dream (if they are showing their excellent movie on Walt's life). Plus I never miss 50s Prime Time Cafe.

This was exactly our itinerary last week with 6 day base tickets, 2 days MK/EP, 1 day AK/HS. We rope dropped Jedi training sign ups for my 4 year old son (completely worth it, he battled Vader and had the time of his life), then he and my wife went to TSMM and Disney Jr while I rode RnRC and ToT. Then net up again to use our FP to ride TSMM, did plenty of character M&Gs for photos and autographs, Frozen show, Mermaid, BntB, Star Tours, got more FPs for TSMM by refreshing the app (I actually rode it 3 times, my wife and son 4 times - his favorite ride), had dinner, then chose to wait in a good spot for Star wars fireworks instead of running from Fantasmic to try and see both shows. We had plenty to do that day.

 

[Davey Jones II]

Is there any way you can add more park days? It's very hard to see and do everything you might want in just six days. It may seem like a lot, but WDW is vast, far bigger than Disneyland Resort. I would seriously consider doing all eight days in the parks, if not more. We have visited several times, and recently spent ten days at WDW. We still missed some things.

Second, I would also seriously consider adding park hoppers to your trip. It's not very expensive on a per-day basis, and it gives you the flexibility to do half days in some parks, and also hop to a second park for nighttime events.

As for DHS, I think it's worth a day or half day, especially for a first timer who hasn't seen the shows. The Little Mermaid show is very good, and the Indiana Jones show is entertaining, with great sets. DHS has more Star Wars stuff, and, as others have mentioned, you might get Toy Story Land, either after its debut or in a soft opening.

Also, allocate at least a day or two for Animal Kingdom. Most of the attractions are not available at DLR, and Pandora is a great new land. You can only reserve one fast pass for the Pandora rides each day. And most people feel the need to do Flight of Passage more than once. It's an amazing experience.

 

[Delirium]

It is absolutely worth it. Other than our first day at Magic Kingdom each trip, I would say we enjoy our time at Hollywood Studios more than anything else. And, it's not because there is a lot to do (though you can easily fill up a day), it's that we we not only really enjoy the rides it has, but the shows, and the smaller crowds as well. We find it to be the most relaxing park time of the whole trip. Another advantage is it is small. The small size, plus the abundance of shows does not tire you out as much as the other parks. You're simply not on your feet as much.

Finally, I would take the time to enjoy it now. Because, in 2019, after Star Wars opens, while there may be more to do, you won't be able to do nearly as much, because after that land opens, the best way to describe HS will be 'chaos'. You'll be waiting 30 minutes to use the bathroom.

 

[OhThePain]

I have never been much of a fan of DHS, even before all the construction. As far as spending a whole day in DHS, I just don't see it, unless you are planning on seeing all the shows. However, with that being said, I wouldn't skip it completely since it is your first trip. Maybe give yourself a relaxing morning by the pool or head to DS. Then at maybe 2-3PM head over to DHS. Have a FP+ for TSMM and Star Tours and then stand-by for Rock'n Roller Coaster (or make a third throw-away FP and see if any FP are available for it after using your first 3). Make an ADR for a restaurant in the park (Sci-Fi or 50's have the best theming, IMO, the food at HBD is very good) and then watch the Star Wars fireworks.

 

[AFwifelife]

HS is firmly a half day park for us but we don't care for sitting at shows. TSMM, ToT, RnRC, and Star Tours is all we do when we are all traveling together (RIP GMR). Going on a May trip with just the kids and me and we are skipping altogether. The only ride they can ride is TSMM and it's not worth the travel time to just ride it.

 

[goodeats]

WDW Fantasmic! is not as good as DL Fantasmic!.

We also have 6 park days and no park hoppers. We're planning on spending a half-day at HS and then at night head to Disney Springs. I really enjoy the HS Tower of Terror and Toy Story Land will be open when we go as well. DH might like the Indiana Jones stunt show and the kids might like some of the characters. We're not really Star Wars fans so there's not much of a draw. I really enjoyed the GMR and the old Back Lot Tour. It's kind of a shame what has happened to HS.

Sounds like you are an adults- only group? I really like Brown Derby - that could make a nice lunch.

ETA - When you go to WDW.com and filter attractions by Hollywood Studios - only 11 come up. Is that accurate? No more Stunt Show?

 

[loves to dive]

I always say if you have enough days, and if it's your first time, you should visit each park. If it's worth it is subjective but you will never know if you don't try. We love HS, always have always will. We always have PHs so we tend to hop between that and Epcot. They are starting to gear it more towards kids but it tends to be more adult than some of the other parks. My son (grown) and I love to go to the new brew pub and have a sampler, go to the HBD lounge and eat lunch, walk around and look at the details, watch both Star Wars shows (and I'm not a huge Star Wars fan). Neither of us can ride RnRC or Star Tours but we love ToT and he loves TSMM so we always do those. I actually enjoy watching the kids do the Jedi training and I enjoy watching the Indiana Jones show. I was surprised I enjoyed the Frozen show since I dislike that movie and how saturated it is in the parks but I really did enjoy it. The park makes for a very relaxing day, lots of good shopping and just enjoying the atmosphere.

 

[seelyt2]

We didn't find it worthwhile to spend a full day when we were there in August, however we absolutely LOVED Disney Movie Magic and especially the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular nighttime shows. Fantastmic! is pretty awesome, too, but Star Wars was new to us and we're fans. If it were me, I'd make any necessary FP's for the afternoon and spend the morning through lunch at Disney Springs (or in our resort pool), and head to the park late afternoon to do rides and catch the nighttime shows. Whatever you decide, enjoy!!

 

[kj2mom]

My favorite ride in the World is at Hollywood Studios (Toy Story) so I consider it a must do. We make a day of it seeing all of the shows, doing character greets and we always make sure to have a TS planned which eats a chunk of time. Only you can decide if it is worth it but for us it definitely is.