Hollywood Studios - One Day - Touring Plan With Young Kids - Plan B - No Fantasmic
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Hollywood Studios With Young Children One Day Plan This plan skips both Rock N Roller Coaster (must be 48 tall to ride) and Tower of Terror (must be 40 or taller to ride), which means we don t have to follow the masses to Sunset Boulevard after Toy Story Mania. It also focuses on the shows that kids will find the most enjoyable. If several of the members in your group want to visit Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror, they can very easily do so with FASTPASS later in the day. To do this, I recommend sending someone to collect FASTPASSes for those rides throughout the day. Keep in mind two things FASTPASSes can be used after the stated time. For example, if your return time is 1:30pm to 2:30pm, you can return to the ride at 4pm and use the FASTPASS. Also, everyone s tickets can be used to get FASTPASSes, even those who don t intend to ride the ride. For example, if your group consists of four people and only two want to ride Rock N Roller Coaster, you can get FASTPASSes with all four tickets and the two that want to ride can use all four FASTPASSes. A good time to ride the two thrill rides would be during Beauty and the Beast or Playhouse Disney/Disney Jr. Live on Stage because both are nearby and may be of less interest to older kids or adults. We also want to avoid the Backlot Tour for at least an hour after Lights, Motors, Action! lets out because of all the people who will exit the show and enter the nearby queue. The Great Movie Ride should also be avoided from 10:30am to 12pm and 3:30pm to 4:30pm. A lot of people who arrive late will naturally visit the first major attraction they see, which happens to be The Great Movie Ride at the end of Hollywood Boulevard. Lines also increase after the 3pm Parade because the Parade route goes right by the entrance and brings large crowds to the Hollywood Boulevard area. Hollywood Studios With Young Children One Day Plan B Without Fantasmic Plan B is different from Plan A because it visits Animation Courtyard after Toy Story Mania and the Backlot Tour in the morning rather than going down the Streets of America. It also skips Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure and substitutes the American Idol Experience Finale. There should also be time for Magic of Disney Animation if you would like to include it. If you would prefer to go to Lights, Motors instead of some of the other attractions, you can substitute it for Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at 4:20pm or Beauty and the Beast at 1:20pm. The Itinerary in Order: 1. Head directly to Toy Story Mania in Pixar Place. If the line is 30 minutes or less, go directly to the standby line to ride and grab a FASTPASS on the way out. If the line exceeds 30 minutes, you don t want to wait at all, or only want to ride Toy Story Mania once, grab a FASTPASS without riding in the standby line and continue to step two. This is the absolute priority in the morning because FASTPASSes will likely be gone by 10:30am and the line will be 60+ minutes after 10am and will likely peak at 90 minutes or more.
2. Walk under the arch to the Backlot Tour in the Streets of America, which is in the opposite direction of Animation Courtyard. Ride. 3. Exit back toward Toy Story Mania and on to Voyage of the Little Mermaid in the Animation Courtyard. See the show. If some people in the group are interested in riding Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror later in the day, send someone with everyone s tickets to get FASTPASSes after Voyage and meet up after Playhouse Disney. 4. Continue walking down toward the entrance for Playhouse Disney (soon to be Disney Jr.) Live on Stage. We plan to see the 11:20am show. If you are running ahead of schedule, you can also opt to switch steps 3 and 4 and see the 10:30am Playhouse Disney show and then see Voyage of the Little Mermaid after. 5. Walk through the Walt Disney: One Man s Dream Exhibit. 6. Have lunch. I recommend nearby Starring Rolls Café or Sunset Ranch Market. 7. After lunch, head to the 12:45pm Beauty and the Beast Stage Show along Sunset Boulevard. It shouldn t be very crowded because it s a prime lunch time and a lot of people will be headed up to Lights, Motors, Action! but you ll still want to arrive by 12:35pm at the latest. The entrance to Beauty and the Beast is near the Tower of Terror and Rock N Roller Coaster. If some people in the group are riding those rides with FASTPASSes, now is a good time to use them. Meet up at Disney Channel Rocks. 8. After Beauty and the Beast, walk back to the Sorcerer s Hat at the end of Hollywood Boulevard and watch Disney Channel Rocks, which begins at 1:30pm. The elevated stage makes it easy to see from most vantage points. You ll have time to use the restroom either before or after the show. 9. Walk through the Backlot to the Jedi Training Academy Stage near the entrance to Star Tours. We re scheduled to see the show that begins at 2:20pm. 10. Watch the 3pm Parade near the entrance to Sounds Dangerous and American Idol Experience. It s less popular and more shaded than Hollywood Boulevard. 11. We have some free time before the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at 4:15pm. The entrance is close to where we are now, so you can hang out and get a snack or walk up to see Mulch, Sweat, Shears Bandscaping along the Streets of America (show starts at 3:45pm). 12. Arrive by 4:00pm for the 4:15pm Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. Enjoy. 13. Walk up the Streets of America to see Muppet Vision 3D.
14. Walk back to the Great Movie Ride at the end of Hollywood Boulevard. The entrance is behind Mickey s Sorcerer s Hat. Before or after riding is also a good time to use those Toy Story Mania FASTPASSes. 15. Walk back to the Backlot area for the American Idol Finale. This is the most popular show of the day and you ll want to arrive around 6:10pm for the 6:30pm show to get a good seat. 16. If you have more time at Hollywood Studios, consider returning to an attraction you particularly enjoyed, visiting an attraction you skipped earlier in the day, eating dinner, shopping, or whatever else you would like to do. 17. You may also want to head back to Toy Story Mania to enter the standby line right before Hollywood Studios is scheduled to close. Disney will allow you get in line for a ride and ride it right up until Park closing, even if it s clear that you will exit the attraction long after the Park closes. They will not ask you to leave a standby line unless there is a significant problem with the ride and it must close. In other words, even if the Studios closes at 7pm and the wait at Toy Story Mania is listed as 60 minutes, you may enter the line at 6:50pm and ride. It s common for wait times to be inflated at the end of the night to persuade people from entering the queue. Make sure you check on the actual length of the line and take into consideration it will likely take less time than stated. If you get antsy, you can always leave. Don t worry about Disney offering transportation after you get off the ride either. They run buses for at least 90 minutes after the Park is scheduled to close to accommodate those with late dining reservations. Skipped Attractions and How to Fit Them In Journey into Narnia: Prince Caspian This attraction is right next door to Walt Disney: One Man s Dream. There is rarely a line longer than 10 minutes and you re welcome to replace another attraction with it if you re particularly interested in the Chronicles of Narnia. Magic of Disney Animation This is an interesting guided tour, but it may seem boring to the younger set. If your child is interested in animation or drawing, I would recommend fitting it in in place of one of the stage shows that sounds less appealing. The best part of the exhibit is at the end, when there is an optional drawing tutorial where you will learn to draw your own Disney character. It s also in Animation Courtyard, near Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Mulch, Sweat, and Shears Bandscaping: This is a fun band to watch, but not necessarily worth going out of your way to see. They play along the Streets of America and you may see them as you re walking to a nearby attraction. If you do and you have some time, stay and watch for a few minutes. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock N Roller Coaster: This plan visits shows and attractions aimed at the younger set and thus skips the two major thrill rides at Hollywood Studios. If members of the group want to ride these two rides, I recommend obtaining
FASTPASSes for them throughout the day and then those people can use them during Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage and/or Playhouse Disney/Disney Jr. Live on Stage. Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show: This show can be easily switched with Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at 4:20pm or with Beauty and the Beast Stage Show at 1:20pm. If a show at 10:30am is offered, you can also opt to see it after the Backlot Tour. Reschedule Voyage of the Little Mermaid and the other Animation Courtyard activities for later in the day. Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure: This can be a fun playground, but it gets extremely hot when the weather is warm and it gets crowded in the afternoon. Because there is no time limit and the capacity is small, it can also have long waits. If this attraction is paramount to your itinerary, you may want to consider Plan A which visits Movie Set Adventure shortly after it opens. Fantasmic: Fantasmic is shown on limited nights. If you would like to see Fantasmic, you will need to visit the Studios when it is offering it and follow a touring plan that includes Fantasmic.