One of the best ways to make your Walt Disney World vacation extraordinary is to plan a smart itinerary. Planning a good itinerary in advance is the best way to experience the park’s many attractions with less time waiting in line. Hollywood Studios has many must-see attractions and shows, and with careful planning, visitors can see most of what the park has to offer in one day.
First and foremost, guests should be sure to familiarize themselves with Disney’s FastPass+ system. A FastPass will give guests entry to a queue separate from the standby line, allowing for a much shorter wait for travel. Guests may select 3 FastPasses at one park per day prior to arrival. Additional FastPasses can be earned after the first 3 have been used. Please note that Hollywood Studios has a tiered FastPass+ system, which means that the park’s FastPass+ eligible attractions are divided into two groups. Guests can choose 1 attraction from the first group and 2 from the second. Group 1 attractions include: Fantasmic!, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Great Movie Ride and Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage. Attractions in Group 2 include: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Star Tours, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Disney Junior – Live on Stage, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, MuppetVision 3D, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, and lights! Engine! Values! Extreme stunt show.
One of the most challenging aspects of planning an itinerary for Hollywood Studios is fitting in all the shows, because this park has so many of them. For the most part, I wouldn’t recommend using FastPasses for shows, unless you plan on skipping most other FastPass-eligible rides. The theaters for these shows are quite large, and it’s unlikely you won’t make it a show if you arrive at least 15 minutes or more before it starts. Most shows, such as the Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage, Disney Junior – Live on Stage, and the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular run from late morning through late afternoon. The first and last shows will be the least crowded. Note that Lights! Engine! Values! it normally only has two performances in the afternoon. Check show times and plan your FastPasses and meals around the shows you want to see.
My picks for FastPasses are Group 1’s Toy Story Midway Mania (you can also use it for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster if you plan on visiting Toy Story first thing in the morning or don’t plan on riding it, but I wouldn’t pick any other attraction in this group at the expense of of one of these two rides), and Star Tours and the Tower of Terror from group 2. All other eligible attractions do not usually have long waits or are shows that do not really need FastPasses. If you don’t plan on riding the more intense attractions and have children in your group, other FastPasses you might consider include Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. FastPasses may not be required, but you must choose 3 when making your FastPass selections (and the Frozen Sing-Along celebration has been very popular, especially if you have little Frozen fans in your family).
Plan to arrive about 30 minutes before the park opens. Your first stop, depending on your FastPass selections and what your family wants to do, should be either Toy Story Midway Mania or Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Other attractions to visit early include the Tower of Terror, the Great Movie Ride, and Star Tours. Spend the late morning and afternoon visiting shows and using the rest of your FastPasses.
Hollywood Studios’ nightly entertainment is Fantasmic!, presented on a stage beyond the end of Sunset Boulevard. This is a popular show, and its hours vary as well. Depending on the season, Fantasmic! There may not be a show every night; be sure to visit on a scheduled day. Sometimes there will be two shows scheduled and in this case the later show is much less crowded. If there is only one performance, plan to line up 40-50 minutes before performance time. If you want guaranteed good seats to the show, consider booking the Fantasmic! Dining package, including a central seating area reserved for the show and lunch or dinner at select Hollywood Studios restaurants.