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photo of the entrance to Hollywood Studios and the start of your Hollywood Studios itinerary

The Ultimate Hollywood Studios Itinerary (Without Lines!)

You are here: Home / Hollywood Studios / The Ultimate Hollywood Studios Itinerary (Without Lines!)

March 10, 2020 //  by Zahra Leggatt//  1 Comment

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With so many great, new attractions in this park, planning the Ultimate Hollywood Studios itinerary so you get to do all you want is pretty important, right?  We’ve heard about people not getting done the best things to do at Hollywood Studios and others spending FAR too much time waiting in lines. 

That sounds pretty stressful to us, so we’re going to give you all the information you need to create the ideal Hollywood Studios touring plan, bespoke for you!

Whether you have one day in Hollywood Studios or (even better) more, we want to help you create the Hollywood Studios itinerary that will inform you and make sure you know exactly how to go about planning what to do at Hollywood Studios to have YOUR best day!  

This is just one of our many detailed Disney World Touring Plans! When you are done, make sure to check out other options for any parks you may be visiting! 

So while we’re going to give you the outline based on one day in Hollywood Studios, feel free to modify this to make sure you cover your must-dos.  You can also use it more than once, with key switches to make sure you have the best time while you’re there, using your Hollywood Studios touring plan.

photo of people enjoying and wondering what to do at Hollywood Studios

The Ultimate Hollywood Studios Itinerary (Without Lines!)

Best Time Of Year To Visit Hollywood Studios 

Visiting in lower season, if you can, will certainly help you make the most of your Hollywood Studios itinerary; it’s such a popular park, so any benefit you can make of lower crowds is a GOOD thing!   Our Crowd Calendar will help you identify the quieter times and, if you’re able to do so, we certainly recommend avoiding the ‘red’ (high crowd) times and, if possible, travel instead in the ‘green’ (lower crowd) times.  
 
As with other parks, you’ll notice that, weekends will be more crowded; if you can avoid planning your  Hollywood Studios itinerary at the weekend, this will really help you, particularly if you want to ride Rise of the Resistance.
 
You should be aware that summer (particularly July and August) is the rainy season and many days see storms and rain in the afternoon.  However, if July or August are the only times you can travel and try the best things to do at Hollywood Studios, we still think that this is better than not going at all!   We’re going to help you plan your Hollywood Studios itinerary to make sure the very best of the time you have there.
 
 
photo of the entrance to Toy Story Mania; a must-do if you have one day in Hollywood Studios
 

Hollywood Studios Hours

 
Generally, the ‘core’ hours are from 9am to 9pm, but you should DEFINITELY check on My Disney Experience before starting to plan your Hollywood Studios itinerary.  Since opening Galaxy’s Edge, Disney have regularly been extending the opening hours for Hollywood Studios, which has generally been opening at 8am – as you read on, you will appreciate that knowing the park opening time in advance is crucial to working out your Hollywood Studios touring plan.
 
If you are staying offsite, and there are EMH (Extra Magic Hours); these are just for guests of Disney resorts who are able to access the park for an hour before park opening; you should avoid these mornings if you can, as you will not make the best of your Hollywood Studios touring plan.  If you’re onsite, you should definitely make use of EMH for an extra hour in the park, in the morning.
 
Also for guests of Disney resorts, there are sometimes EEH (Extra Evening Hours) which allow guests to remain in the park for 2 hours after park close.  EEH are less of a disadvantage for offsite guests and less of an advantage for onsite guests.
 
If you want to ride Rise of the Resistance, you should aim to arrive between 1.5 and 2 hours before park opening.  With one day at Hollywood Studios, you want to have the best chance of getting a Boarding Group; arriving very early gives you that best chance AND will allow you to ride some of the other, very popular rides, without long waits in line.
 
photo of people with lightsabers at Galaxy's Edge; one of the best things to do at Hollywood Studios
 

How To Use Fastpass+ At Hollywood Studios

What is Fastpass+?

10 years ago, you could get paper Fastpass for some attractions, one at a time and on the day, when you were visiting Disney World.   Fastpass+ is the name of the existing free service, which is included with your park ticket and which you can book for your party in advance (60 days ahead if staying in a Disney resort and 30 days if staying offsite).   

You can save time with FastPass+ because, it allows you to enter a separate Fastpass+ line (at your selected/pre-booked time), bypassing the main line for certain rides, attractions and character meets.    You can pre-book 3 Fastpasses for attractions in the same park;  the Fastpass+ window is open for an hour and you cannot overlap windows.  So you could book a 10.45am Fastpass, but the second window won’t open until 11.50.

What about Fastpass+ at Hollywood Studios?

Like Epcot, Hollywood Studios operates a Tier system for their Fastpasses, so you book one Fastpass from Tier 1 rides/attractions and the other 2 from Tier 2.   Once you’ve used your third Fastpass, you’re no longer tied to the ‘tier’ system (or even the same park) and can grab whichever Fastpass is available on a ‘one at a time’ basis.

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If you weren’t able to get the Fastpasses you wanted, you should use time in lines to ‘tap’ any Fastpass for your desired attraction, grab them and then persistently try to modify the time, until you get a time that suits you.

photo of fastpass entrance to a ride; fast pass must definitely feature on your Hollywood Studios touring plan

How do I book my Fastpass+?

The simplest way to book your Fastpass+ is through the My Disney Experience app.   

When you’re at the attraction, go to the Fastpass+ line, tap your magic band (or ticket) at the entrance to the line and Mickey will go green.   Once you’ve tapped in for your third Fastpass+, you should open the My Disney Experience app on your phone and start looking for more Fastpasses – you can only book one at a time, but as soon as you tap in at the beginning of the next line, you should start looking for another Fastpass.  This way, you’re not wasting ‘park’ time on the app, just time you’d be in a line, anyway.

There are good and bad options for Fastpasses and, in the next section, we’re going to look specifically at the Hollywood Studios itinerary ‘dos and don’ts’, but you should also check out Best and Worst Fastpasses in Disney World.
 
photo of slinky dog dash, one of the best things to do at Hollywood Studios

Best And Worst Hollywood Studio Fastpass Options

When selecting your Tier 1 and Tier 2 Fastpasses, there are some attractions that will be an excellent use of your Fastpass and some that will not help your Hollywood Studios itinerary go as smoothly.  We also recommend you think carefully about timing (more guidance below) of your Fastpasses; if you plan to keep grabbing extra Fastpasses throughout the day, then you need to not select Fantasmic, as you won’t tap into this attraction until the end of the day.
 
If you’re on the Disney Dining plan or the Deluxe Disney Dining plan, you could book the Fantasmic dining package (at Hollywood & Vine; Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano) and get preferred seating at the show, using one of your table service credits or the dining package at Hollywood Brown Derby for 2 of your table service credits.  
 
Our recommendations for your Fastpass+ uses at Hollywood Studios
 
photo of the muppets fountain in the Streets of America; one day in Hollywood Studios

Fastpass Suggestions To Save To Your Phone

We recommend that you try and grab extra Fastpasses through the day, to minimise your time waiting in lines.  Feel free to save the image below to your phones, as a guide to help you make the wisest Fastpass choices! 
Disney World Fastpass Planner For Hollywood Studios | Best Fastpasses at Hollywood Studios At Disney | Disney Hollywood Studios Fastpass Options | Best and worst Hollywood Studio Fastpass Options #fastpass #disney

Hollywood Studios Map

Hollywood Studios has 9 lands: Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood Boulevard, Animation Courtyard, Echo Lake, Commissary Lane, Grand Avenue, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land and Pixar Place.  To get the most out of your one day in Hollywood Studios and to plan the best touring plan for you and your party, familiarising yourself with the layout of the park is really going to help.
 
We’ve broken it down for you so everything is really clear, and linked to where you can download the Official Hollywood Studios Map.
 
photo of one of the signs; iconic photo opportunity when you decide what to do at Hollywood Studios

Arrival And Rope Drop At Hollywood Studios

If you’re driving and planning to arrive at the Parking lot 1.5 – 2 hours ahead of park opening, you may want to factor in additional time it may take with other cars waiting to get into the parking lot in front of you, and perhaps even the time it takes to get from your parking space to the park entrance.
 
While Disney World resort buses generally start running 90 minutes before park opening, we’d be anxious that such an early morning and important early start needs to rely on us making sure we’re on one of the first buses of the day. Skyliner is a great option, also, but as yet, it’s not a reliable form of transportation to get you to Hollywood Studios as early as you need to have a good ‘rope drop’ strategy.
 
If you’re staying onsite at Disney’s Beach or Yacht Club Resorts; BoardWalk Inn or the Swan and Dolphin, you could walk and, in doing so, be absolutely sure that transportation won’t let you down.  
 
Ride shares like Lyft/Uber (or Minnie Van, operated by Lyft) are a good idea, but be aware that, the closer you get to Park opening, the less availability there will be.
 
Your Hollywood Studios Itinerary, as we are recommending it, definitely involves Rope Drop.  When you enter the park, you are able to move up to the end of Hollywood Boulevard  OR wait at the entrance to Toy Story Land.  We are going to recommend that you head to the end of Hollywood Boulevard and get in line for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, this is when you should secure your Boarding Group for Rise of the Resistance, but please read on for some really important tips about this.
 
photo of the newest ride at Hollywood Studios, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway; one of the best things to do at Hollywood Studios
 

Rise Of The Resistance Boarding Groups And Virtual Queue

So, at the moment, there’s no Fastpass OR standby line for Rise of the Resistance, which makes it the hardest ride to get onto – but the massive benefits associated with these same facts is that you DON’T have to choose Rise of the Resistance for one of your Fastpass choices AND you don’t have to spend hours waiting in line.  
 
It is possible to get a Boarding Group, but if you’ve only got one day in Hollywood Studios, you need to read this guide carefully and be prepared to get up early.

The Virtual Queue

So, there’s no physical line for the Rise of the Resistance, it is a virtual queue – a line you join by using the My Disney Experience App.  

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Step 1: At LEAST the day before, make sure you’ve downloaded the most up to date version.  Make sure you have all of your party in My Disney Experience (which you will, if you’ve booked Fastpasses for them).

Step 2: Firstly, to join the Virtual queue, all members of your party (who wish to ride) need to be present, in the park – you can’t secure a space in the Virtual queue for them by being in the park alone. 

Step 3: A lot of people have had more success getting a Boarding group using their own data than the park WiFi – whilst Disney’s WiFi is excellent, you’re competing with many other people in your area.  Make sure you are NOT in a building when following subsequent steps, even if it means missing a few places in line.

Step 4: Do NOT open the My Disney Experience app a second before opening time (for this illustration, we’ll assume an opening time of 8am, so do not open My Disney Experience before 8am) – doing so could cost you enough seconds to make a difference between getting a Boarding group and not!

Step 5: From the home page of the App, under ‘Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – Access by Boarding Group’, tap ‘Find Out More’

Step 6: Tap ‘Join Boarding Group’; then select the people in your party and tap ‘confirm’.

If you get an error message, close the app and reopen it; backing out doesn’t work.  If, for whatever reason, you have a Boarding Group but not all of your party is listed, go straightaway to a Cast Member.

If you’ve been successful, you’ll then see which boarding group you’ve joined.  It’s very helpful to ensure that you enable ‘lock screen’/push notifications for the My Disney Experience App, so you know when your Boarding Group has been called.

photo of the inside of Oga's Cantina in Galaxy's edge; will definitely be on the Hollywood Studios itinerary of Star Wars fans!

Boarding Groups

Once you’re given a boarding group, you are free to do whichever rides you want – so your itinerary can start once you’ve secured your boarding group!  You don’t even have to stay in the park, but we recommend you make the most of your Hollywood Studios itinerary!

When your boarding group is called (keep an eye on your phone), you have 2 hours to get to the Rise of the Resistance ride.   If you’re called within the first few hours of the park being open, we recommend you do not return until nearly the end of this window, because waiting times at the other rides will increase during the day.

At ride time, go to Galaxy’s Edge and the Rise of the Resistance ride, where Cast Members will see you into the line.  Typically, if all is running well, you’ll be in line around 40 minutes before the ride.

 
photo of Star Wars characters walking through Galaxy's Edge, one of the best things to do at Hollywood Studios

One Day Hollywood Studios Itinerary Morning Plan

Our other itinerary articles (linked at the very bottom of this article) give you a time (9am-10am, for example) but because Hollywood Studios has been opening at 8am for such a long time, we’re going to tell you first hour, second hour etc, because we don’t want to mislead you by giving you the wrong time!

 A Note about lines and Fastpasses: If you come to any ride on this itinerary early in the morning and it has a VERY long wait, SKIP IT!   Do not waste 120 minutes, especially in the early morning!   If you MUST do it, modify this itinerary and rush there first, right at rope drop.  If you don’t make it to other priority rides, try and tap/grab for Fastpass throughout the day and if nothing else, make it be one of your last rides of the night.  
 
Throughout the day as you are standing in line, make sure to constantly refresh your Fastpass+ Options – you may be able to get a time that suits you better.  As SOON as you use your third fastpass, make sure to sign on to grab another fastpass! You should do this throughout the day! Constantly refresh and modify based on Fastpasses that are open near you!

First Hour 

Stop 1:  Rush to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway!  Secure ROR Boarding Pass Rise of the Resistance while waiting for rope drop
Stop 2:  Ride Minnie and Mickey’s Runaway Railway – enjoy and see our article for this new ride: Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Stop 3:  Head to Toy Story Land and do The Ride You Do NOT Have A Fastpass For!   Example: If you have a Slinky Dog Dash Fastpass (which we recommend you try to get) then ride Toy Story Mania.  If you DON’T have a Slinky Dog Dash Fastpass, ride it as soon as you can after rope drop.
Stop 4:  Standby line for Alien Swirling Saucers (assuming you have a Slinky Dog Dash Fastpass; if you don’t, then Toy Story Mania is better before lines build up).
 
photo of the alien swirling saucers, which should be on your Hollywood Studios itinerary

Second Hour 

These are the big thrill rides which you may have chosen to get Fastpasses for; below is a way to ride them early in the day if you don’t have Fastpasses or if you want to make the most of your Hollywood Studios itinerary and ride twice!   If you have kids who don’t want to ride, you can do Rider Switch for both of these rides.   We’ve rode both before our Fastpass window opens, then gone straight around and rode again!!

Stop 1: Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster Starring Aerosmith – we suggest you do single rider if you don’t have a Fastpass and the standby lines are long
Stop 2: The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror – if you have a Fastpass for later, you may choose to skip this stop; or you may choose to ride it twice!
 
photo of the Tower of Terror, sure to be on your Hollywood Studios Touring plan

Third Hour

Stop 1: Slinky Dog Dash Fastpass – if this was your third Fastpass, while you’re waiting for this ride, try and grab a Smuggler’s Run Fastpass.  
Stop 2: Go to Galaxy’s Edge and ride Smuggler’s Run – if you don’t want to wait in line and it suits your party, use the single rider line.
Stop 3: Ride Star Tours
 
Remember: As SOON as you use your third fastpass, make sure to sign on to grab another fastpass!  If you can, grab additional Tier 1 Fastpasses, if they are available.  You should do this throughout the day! Constantly refresh and modify based on Fastpasses that are open near you!
 
photo of the inside of Toy Story Mania; definitely on our Hollywood Studios itinerary
 

Fourth Hour: Break/Lunch!

If you can avoid the 12-1pm period for lunch, it’s likely you’ll encounter less crowds in the restaurants.  Eating earlier could be a really helpful strategy and probably provide you with a much needed rest, given the early entry strategy!

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We particularly recommend either Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo or ABC Commissary for lunch (both of which you can use Mobile ordering for and save even more time!), but you can also check out our Quick Service recommendations.

photo inside 50's Prime Time Cafe

One Day Hollywood Studios Itinerary Afternoon Plan

You may be relieved to read that your afternoon itinerary can be much more relaxed and you can vary this depending on your party’s interests.
 
You can (and, we think, should) use Shows and indoor activities to sit down, rest your feet and, in some cases, beat the heat by enjoying air conditioning!    Definitely check out our best and worst shows at Disney World.  Don’t forget to check the app while you’re waiting for shows to see what Fastpasses you can grab!

Here are our suggestions for the afternoon, in the order that suits you best:

  • Use your Rise Of Resistance Return Time – remember, you have 2 hours from when your Boarding Group is called, so you don’t have to worry about leaving a line you’re in for another ride
  • Watch Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Echo Lake
  • Use any remaining Fastpasses and continue to tap/grab Fastpass+ throughout the day!
  • Watch Beauty and the Beast- Live on Stage on Sunset Boulevard
  • Explore Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – get a reservation for Oga’s Cantina for a refreshment experience, with a twist!
  • Consider, also at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Droid Depot (from $99 plus tax) and/or Savi’s Workshop for Handbuilt lightsabers (from $199 plus tax), both of which are indoor activities – reservations suggested 

photo of the green army men in Toy Story land; what to do at Hollywood Studios

Plus…Disney Trippers’ Favorites for beating the heat!

  • Frozen Sing-A-Long Celebration – at Echo Lake; humor as well as a sing-a-long! (30 minutes duration)
  • Lightning McQueen Racing Academy – on Sunset Boulevard (10 minutes duration)
  • Muppetvision 3D – on Grand Avenue; some lovely nostalgia that the kids are bound to love! (25 minutes duration)
  • Voyage Of The Little Mermaid – in Animation Courtyard (almost 20 minutes duration)

photo of people boarding slinky dog dash; a definite must, even if you only have one day in Hollywood Studios

Dinner

After a very full (and hopefully fun!) Hollywood Studios itinerary, you will need a rest and some more refuelling!   If you’re still working through your Touring Plan at a pace, you may want another Quick Service meal, but we’re confident you can build time into your day for a table service evening meal, and enjoy being waited on while you rest!   Our favorite is the Sci Fi Dine In Theater Restaurant, but you should check out the rest of our Table Service recommendations here.
 
photo inside the SciFi diner; which might feature on your Hollywood Studios itinerary

Rest of the Evening

There are 2 evening shows that you could choose – Fantasmic! or the Star Wars Galactic Spectacular.   If neither of these appeal to you, or you’re having so much fun with rides that you want to finish the day off with more goes on your favorite rides, then you are likely to encounter shorter lines during these shows.
 
photo of the inside of rock n roller coaster; definitely on our Hollywood Studios touring plan
 
A Note About Lines: If you come to any ride on this itinerary early in the morning and it has a VERY long wait, SKIP IT! Do not waste 120 minutes, especially in the early morning, on rides!  If you MUST do it, modify this itinerary and rush there first, right at rope drop. If you don’t make it to other priority rides, try and tap/grab for Fastpass throughout the day and if nothing else, make it be one of your last rides of the night
 
We hope you enjoyed reading our Ultimate Hollywood Studios Itinerary.   Have you visited Hollywood Studios recently?  We’d love to hear what strategy you used and how you feel it went.   As always, we’re happy to answer any questions you may have.   Thank you for reading!
 
If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy our Ultimate Epcot Itinerary and Ultimate Magic Kingdom itinerary, too!
 
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  1. Shayla

    May 10, 2021 at 1:14 am

    This is great information, but do you have an updated post for 2021? With no Fast Passes and changing they way they do Extra Hours, a lot of this information is unusable. I read the article and didn’t see any links to an updated post – sorry if I missed it!

    Reply

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Hello! I’m Victoria and I am Disney-obsessed! I went to Disney for the first time when I was just 9 months old and have been a Disney Annual Passholder ever since! Living just an hour away from Walt Disney World sure has its benefits and I try and go to the parks as much as possible! When I am traveling abroad I always try and make time to see Disney too. I made this site to share my love of Disney with you so that you can have the best trip possible! I am always open to talking about anything Disney or planning so don’t be afriad to shoot me a message if you have any questions!

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