Do You Need More Than One Day at Hollywood Studios?

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a special cinematic atmosphere that gives Guests the full Hollywood experience. Through different offerings, Guests have the opportunity to feel like an old time Hollywood star, watch live performances, see theatrical productions, and visit worlds that have been displayed on the big screen.

Guests who are planning to visit Hollywood Studios during their Walt Disney World vacation often wonder how many days should be dedicated to the park. When deciding how many days to spend at a park, things such as size, popularity, rides, attractions, entertainment, and additional offerings should be taken into consideration.

Let’s take a look at everything that Hollywood Studios has to offer to see if this is a park that can be accomplished in one day or if multiple days are needed.

Heads Up, Hollywood Studios Is Popular!

Hollywood Studios isn't a very large park. It also doesn’t have an exceptionally large number of rides and attractions. Nevertheless, it is a popular. Even though there aren’t many rides and attractions, the ones that are there are very popular, which often results in long lines and wait times. 

A large portion of Hollywood Studios crowds are made up of Star Wars fans. Many Guests visit the park specifically to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and experience the other Star Wars rides and attractions that are located throughout the park.

Hollywood Studios also has other popular experiences like Toy Story Land, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, and an awesome Indiana Jones stage show.

Whether you’re visiting Hollywood Studios as a die-hard Star Wars fan, or as a casual park goer, the combination of limited space, few attractions, and large crowds will leave you with the same result – more time would be more beneficial.

Can it Be Done in One Day?

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Based on the size of the park and the number of offerings that are available, it may be tempting to only set aside one day for Hollywood Studios. However, we find that a better experience can be had at Hollywood Studios if at least two days are dedicated to the park.

If you have a Star Wars fan in your group, you’ll without a doubt want to spend more than one day at this park. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is such an immersive land, that fans of any level will want to spend a good portion of time there. There’s so much to see, do, and experience on the planet of Batuu. Besides that specific land, there’s also a number of Star Wars experiences within the rest of the park that the Star Wars fan in your group will surely want to explore as well.

If you’re not an avid Star Wars fan, and don’t care to experience that portion of the park, you may be able to get through Hollywood Studios in just one day. However, due to the popularity of the park, rides, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the crowd level may make it difficult for you to fully enjoy the experience. Rather than rushing through and trying to get everything done quickly, we recommend taking multiple days so you can genuinely enjoy your time there and all of the offerings that are available.

Let's break down all of the different experiences at Hollywood Studios and why we think you might need more than one day to fully enjoy what the park has to offer!

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge – An Out of this World Experience

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a land unlike any other, and one that every Star Wars fan should experience at least once in their life. When entering Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, guests are transported to a galaxy far, far away. This land, the planet of Batuu, puts Guests in the middle of their own Star Wars Story.

The phenomenal details within the land, such as the buildings, landscaping, food and drink offerings, characters, rides, decor, and experiences are all so authentically Star Wars. It’s sometimes hard to remember that you aren’t actually on another planet.

My family and I spend a large portion of our time in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. This is an area that Star Wars fans of all ages will LOVE. Everyone in my party – from my dad, who grew up watching the original movies, all the way down to my son, who is new to the world of Star Wars – has a great time at this land.

Best Star Wars Rides at Hollywood Studios

Two phenomenal rides can be found at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run gives guests the opportunity to step inside the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon and fly the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy. After being tasked with a smuggling mission by Hondo Ohnaka, Guests enter the cockpit with the job of a pilot, engineer, or gunner. Everyone must work together to successfully fly the Millennium Falcon and complete the mission.

This ride is one that's always a highlight for us on our trips. Whether we do a great job on our mission, or end up taking a lot of damage and owing Hondo for the repairs, we always have a great time.

While we all love the experience of flying the Millennium Falcon, nothing compares to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. This is an immersive ride that makes Guests feel like they're in a Star Wars movie.

Your experience will start with an exciting introduction from Rey and BB-8. Rey will brief you on the task at hand and then ask you to join the Resistance. Throughout the mission, you will experience being captured by the First Order, rescued by the Resistance, and then stuck in the middle of a battle. Who will win? Watch your back, because Kylo Ren is showing no mercy.

Both of these rides are extremely popular. However, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the most popular ride in the park. Many Guests rush to this ride first thing in the morning in order to avoid the long line that's seen throughout the day.

While you can opt to rope drop and stand in line for this ride as soon as the park opens, I prefer to purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass. Not only does this guarantee access onto the ride in a prioritized line, it gives you the opportunity to head to another attraction upon entering the park.

Merch Heaven for Star Wars Fans

On Batuu, there are a variety of shops that are filled with rare and unique items. However, there are two exceptionally exciting opportunities when it comes to merchandise. Not only can you buy Star Wars gear, you can also design and build your own.

Guests visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge can build a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop or a droid at Droid Depot. During my many visits to Galaxy's Edge, I've taken part in both of these builds. While the two experiences are quite different, I would recommend that every Star Wars fan tries them both at least once. I find that both of these builds are extremely enjoyable. Neither one is too difficult, but they also aren't oversimplified.

An additional day at the park would be extremely ideal for those who are interested in building a droid or lightsaber. These are both experiences that shouldn’t be rushed. You'll have a much better time on Batuu if you have plenty of time to do these one-of-a-kind experiences, while also still having time to explore the rest of the planet.

More Star Wars Experiences

While Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is the only land that’s fully themed to Star Wars at Hollywood Studios, there are other Star Wars rides and attractions throughout the rest of park.

Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is a 3-D flight simulator that takes Guests on an exciting journey through space, where they’ll see familiar sights and faces. The ship that the flight takes place on, the Starspeeder 1000, is piloted by the one and only C-3PO.

Over at Star Wars Launch Bay, Guests can explore an exhibit filled with costumes, models, concept artwork, movie props, and authentic replicas that were specifically made for Star Wars Launch Bay. At the Launch Bay, you can also come face to face with three different Star Wars characters – Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and BB-8. My children aren't overly fond of Darth Vader (for good reason!). However, they both very much enjoy meeting Chewbacca and BB-8.

There’s so much Star Wars to experience at Hollywood Studios. Multiple days could be used to simply explore all of the Star Wars offerings. However, if you want to see Galaxy’s Edge, take part in these other Star Wars experiences, and see the rest of the park, you should definitely plan on visiting Hollywood Studios for more than one day.

Toy Story Land

Hollywood Studios has another land that puts Guests directly into a popular movie – Toy Story! At Toy Story Land, rather than visiting another galaxy, you’re visiting Andy’s backyard. However, you’re not there to play with toys. During your time at Toy Story Land, you’ll feel what it’s like to be shrunk down to the size of a toy. Toy Story Land has three different rides – Alien Swirling Saucers, Toy Story Mania!, and Slinky Dog Dash. The most popular ride here is easily Slinky Dog Dash. 

My family very much enjoys this land. Toy Story Land feels very surreal for my husband and I, who grew up watching Toy Story. At the same time, our children, who now also love these movies, have a great time here as well.

Slinky Dog Dash was one of the first coasters that both of my children experienced. Its fun theme and easy-going feel makes it a perfect beginner coaster for little ones. However, it also has enough kick to make it enjoyable for adults as well.

Toy Story Mania! is a family favorite. This shooter-style dark ride creates a fun opportunity to challenge those  your travel party. See who can hit the most targets and get the highest score! Want some help? Check out our article “SECRET Targets to Get High Score on Toy Story Midway Mania“.

Toy Story Land can get very busy. Since there are multiple rides that have little to no height requirement, it’s an area that’s often populated by families. Because of this, the lines tend to get very long.

Out of the three rides, Slinky Dog Dash is the most popular. If you aren’t using Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, this is a great ride to head to first thing in the morning. Especially if you’re traveling with little ones and you aren’t interested in Rise of the Resistance.

However, it’s not uncommon for Guests to be interested in the Star Wars rides and want to enjoy these family-friendly attractions as well. Multiple days will give you the time that’s necessary to take in every part of this amazing park!

Dine Like a Toy

Within Toy Story Land, there are two dining locations – Woody’s Lunch Box and Round Up Rodeo BBQ.

Woody’s Lunch Box is a quick service restaurant that offers quick bites like sandwiches, melts, and the infamous Totchos. While you’re here, don’t forget to try a tasty Lunch Box Tart!

Roundup Rodeo BBQ is a full-service restaurant that serves family-style meals. Here, you’ll be able to enjoy barbeque ribs, brisket, sausage, and chicken along with all the fixin’s. After you’ve finished, you’ll be able to choose a delicious dessert. Available options include cheesecake, pies, and an adorable Forky cupcake!

While you're dining at Roundup Rodeo BBQ, make sure that you're ready for Andy to come by. Whenever he's around, everyone needs to FREEZE!

Don't Miss Out on These Rides!

As I previously mentioned, Hollywood Studios doesn’t have a large number of rides. However, the rides that are located at this park are extremely fun and popular among Guests. Even though there aren’t many rides, there’s still something for everyone. At the park, you can find family-friendly rides as well as thrill rides.

While many of these rides are in the Star Wars and Toy Story areas, there are a few others that you won’t want to miss out on!

One of the newest additions to Hollywood Studios is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. This attraction is the first ride to ever feature Mickey Mouse! On this trackless dark ride, you’ll enter a cartoon world and go on an adventure with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and the rest of their pals!

For those looking for a more thrilling experience, you’ll want to drop in at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This ride provides thrills and chills. As you venture through the abandoned Hollywood Tower Hotel, you’ll realize that something supernatural took place here. Your journey will lead you to an abandoned elevator shaft, where the haunting occurrence previously took place. Will you make it past the plummeting drops and propelling lifts of the haunted elevator?

Those who enjoy the rush can also get their adrenaline pumping on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. In an attempt to make it to an Aerosmith concert, you’ll load into a super-stretch limo and race through Los Angeles. During the dark, nighttime journey, you’ll see popular Hollywood landmarks as you speed through the city. This indoor roller coaster has a high-speed launch that takes Guests from 0 to 57 miles per hour in less than three seconds, through two rollover loops, and one corkscrew. The entire time, you’ll be rocking out to one of Aerosmith’s popular hits.

You won’t want to miss out on any of these popular rides! If you only have one day at the park, I would suggest coming up with a game plan for your day. Choose which rides and attractions are the most important to you and plan accordingly. For assistance, take a look at our Hollywood Studios 1-Day Itinerary. You may also want to consider using Lightning Lane Passes. When visiting with a limited amount of time, a combination of the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and the Lightning Lane Single Pass can be very beneficial.

Of course, we prefer setting aside multiple days for Hollywood Studios during our trips to Walt Disney World. The additional time allows us to experience all of the rides, as well as other offerings, without feeling the urge to rush or miss out on anything.

Hollywood Studios Entertainment

Being a Hollywood-style park, it only makes sense that there are a large number of shows and entertainment offerings. At Hollywood Studios, there’s a variety of stage shows, live entertainment, and cinematic productions. The entertainment is one of my family’s favorite things about this park.

One show that’s always a must-see for us is Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage. This Broadway-style musical performance is one that you won’t want to miss. During the show, live performers sing, dance, and reenact the tale as old as time. Beloved characters such as Belle, Beast, Lumière, Cogsworth, Chip, and Mrs. Potts take center stage during this beautiful performance.

Another show that I highly recommend is For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. The Royal Historians of Arendelle lead the way during this show by retelling the story of Frozen with a comical twist. Guests can enjoy side stories, favorite songs from the film, character appearances, and a magical snowfall (courtesy of Elsa!). The best part about this celebration is that everyone in the crowd is invited to sing along. This Frozen sing-along is another show that we never miss. The comedy is enjoyable for the adults in our group and the children love singing along to their favorite Frozen tunes.

Hollywood Studios also offers action-packed entertainment. During the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, Guests get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to do popular stunts from the Indiana Jones films. Indy, Marion, and additional stuntmen perform these daring acts. They even ask for crowd participation in a portion of the show!

Younger Guests have an opportunity to put on their own show during the Disney Jr. Play and Dance! dance party. Disney Jr. pals – Mickey, Vampirina, Timon, and Doc McStuffins – take the stage and throw an awesome dance party for the children of Hollywood Studios. Kiddos can show off their best dance moves as the lights flash and music plays. My little ones always have a great time at this show. They love seeing some of their favorite characters and letting their energy out in a fun way.

Hollywood Studios offers quite a bit more entertainment than the other Walt Disney World theme parks. Multiple days at the park will give you the opportunity to see all of these wonderful acts.

Nighttime Spectaculars

Hollywood Studios offers more than amazing entertainment during the day. There are multiple acts that are available at nighttime as well. The nighttime spectacular that you absolutely will not want to miss is Fantasmic!. This is easily the best evening entertainment in the park, but also one of the best nighttime spectaculars in all of Walt Disney World.

During the performance, Guests follow along with Mickey as he goes on an adventure while he’s dreaming. You’ll see Mickey come across heroes from movies such as Moana, Mulan, Frozen 2, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and the Lion King. However, things take a turn for the worse when the Disney Villains turn Mickey’s dream into a nightmare. Watch as Mickey uses the power of his imagination to fight the evil away.

This show is filled with music, characters, pyro, water effects, projections, stunts, and beautiful sets. Even the villains look very impressive. You won’t be able to keep your eyes off of the 40-foot-tall Maleficent dragon!

Meeting the Stars of Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios offers the widest variety of character meet and greets. From favorite Disney friends, to Pixar pals, all the way to Star Wars characters, the selection can certainly be appreciated.

While some of these characters can be found at the other theme parks, there are multiple that are exclusive to Hollywood Studios. If you love character experiences, more than one day at the park will give you the chance to meet all them. However, if you only have one day, I would suggest meeting the characters that can only be found at Hollywood Studios!

My kiddos always enjoy heading to Animation Courtyard to meet some of their Disney Junior favorites. Four character meetings are set up right next to each other in this area, which makes it easy to get multiple meetings done in a short amount of time. Generally, you’ll be able to meet Vampirina, Fancy Nancy, and Doc McStuffins. Pluto is usually there as well!

In Toy Story Land, you’ll have the chance to meet some of Andy’s favorite toys. Currently, Woody, Jessie, and Buzz are available for meetings. In the past, we’ve also seen Bo Peep, Forky, and Bullseye meeting Guests in Andy's backyard.

Nearby, in Pixar Plaza, there are more Pixar friends waiting to meet you. Here, you can meet Sulley, Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, and Frozone.

Besides character meet and greets, characters can also be seen during Character Dining experiences. There is only one dining location that currently offers Character Dining at Hollywood Studios – Hollywood & Vine.

If you really want to see it all at Hollywood Studios, it's possible in one day but we recommend two days if you are a big Star Wars fan.

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