By Lauren Tjaden
Disney’s Hollywood Studios® at Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando brings the excitement of Hollywood’s film industry to vivid life, promising grand adventures and inspiring the imagination with entertainment, live shows and fireworks, thrilling attractions, immersive dining experiences, and special events and tours.
Star Wars invites you to voyage to far away galaxies with epic escapades; Toy Story Land offers excitement for both young and old; and Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy is sure to get you pumped with a high-octane show.
Here's how to discover some of the must-do experiences at this famed Orlando theme park, plus information about how to plan your trip.
Here are some of the great activities for you at Disney's Hollywood Studios® in Orlando, plus information about how to plan your trip.
With 17 attractions and rides from mild to wild, Disney's Hollywood Studios® has range for everyone. Here are some of the rides that you'll want to experience.
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith
You don’t know what fast is until you climb into a super-stretch limo and speed across the murky highways of Los Angeles, all while rocking out to Aerosmith tunes. This roller-coaster style ride is as outrageous as the legendary band: you’ll race through signature Hollywood landmarks, scream past traffic jams and go inverted not once, not twice, but three gut-wrenching times.
Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway
Climb aboard a runaway railway and embark on a whirlwind ride through a world where the rules of physics don’t apply. Prepare for unexpected twists, slapstick gags and mind-boggling transformations at every turn, as Mickey and Minnie try to save the day. There’s no telling where this train is heading! This is an adventure for Mickey and Minnie fans of all ages.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Located in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge®, this thrill ride beckons you to enlist with the resistance against the First Order—a perilous mission. When your transport is ensnared, a grand battle ensues, complete with legions of stormtroopers that you’ll need to escape in order to give the resistance an opportunity to rise. This enormous attraction features multiple ride systems: expect small drops, dark spaces and loud noises on all of them.
Alien Swirling Saucers
Your youngest space cadets can climb aboard the colorful saucers at this attraction, where the loveable extraterrestrials from Toy Story deliver a gentle intergalactic spin through the skies over Toy Story Land.
More Enchantment
Families will love the Slinky Dog Dash, a coaster that rolls by giant toys; thrill seekers will be drawn to the Twilight Zone Tower of TerrorTM and its scary, dilapidated elevator; and anybody who likes to smile will want to see Muppet*Vision 3D, a laugh-out-loud film and live-action show. Here’s where you can check out all of the rides and attractions at Disney's Hollywood Studios®.
Tips
Disney Genie Service lets you use the Lightning Lane entrance at select attractions and experiences at the Walt Disney World Theme Parks. On average, guests can enter 2 to 3 attractions or experiences per day using the Lightning Lane entrance if the first selection is made early in the day. You may make one selection at a time, starting at 7:00 AM on the day of your visit (experiences are subject to limited availability). If your Theme Park ticket includes the Park Hopper option, you can select Lightning Lane arrival windows across multiple Theme Parks.
Make sure to download the My Disney Experience app; it gives you attraction wait times, showtimes for fireworks and parades, and finds Character Greeting locations and times.
The app offers other nifty features too, including browsing restaurant menus, making dining reservations and placing mobile orders at select quick-service restaurants.
And you’ll never get lost when you use the ‘Get Directions’ function.
Disney’s planning page can help you answer other questions.
The character experiences at Disney's Hollywood Studios® include rubbing elbows with familiar Disney friends like Minnie and Mickey as well as journeying to the dark side for an encounter with Star Wars’ epic villain, Darth Vader. The shows will make you giggle, gasp, and sing out loud, while fireworks and light shows will keep your eyes glued to the sky. Check out these these Hollywood Studios® characters:
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
This 30-minute, uplifting tribute to Frozen – a blizzard of stories, special characters and surprises – is sure to melt your heart. Projected lyrics for beloved tunes that include “Let It Go” make it simple to sing along with Anna, Elsa and Kristoff.
Wonderful World of Animation
This excitement-packed projection show will take you on an incredible journey through more than 90 years of Disney and Pixar animation.
Star Wars Launch Bay: Encounter Darth Vader
Travel through the portal from the Dark Side Gallery in Star Wars Launch Bay to discover a fully operational battle station – just one more illustration of the staggering power of the Galactic Empire - to be interrogated by Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith.
Fantasmic!
This over-the-top outside nighttime musical celebration showcases the forces of good and evil duking it out in Mickey’s dream. The show transports viewers with more than 50 live performers, mammoth sets, exquisite effects, glittering pyrotechnics and stimulating music, set against a striking backdrop of vibrant water and light.
More Enchantment
More pixie dust awaits: at Disney Junior Play and Dance, join Doc McStuffins, Vampirina, Timon and Mickey for a high-energy musical celebration; relive the romance and magic of a tale as old as time in a lavish Broadway-style musical version of Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage; and root for Indy and Marion, demonstrating jaw-dropping stunts complete with explosive special effects at Indiana Jones™ Epic Stunt Spectacular! With 25 character experiences and shows, Disney's Hollywood Studios® offers unforgettable experiences to please every taste. Here’s a list of all of the theme park’s offerings.
Tips
Check the Entertainment Schedule, My Disney Experience app or the Times Guide at Magic Kingdom park for the schedule and showtimes. Be aware that outdoor parades and events may be cancelled due to inclement weather, and that showtimes are subject to change.
SPECIAL EVENTS AND TOURS
Marathons! Holiday galas! Seasonal celebrations! Special tours and unique access! Check out these special events at Disney's Hollywood Studios®.
Disney After Hours at Disney's Hollywood Studios®
When the sun goes down the action heats up at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®. On select nights, the theme park stays open for three extra hours for guests with special event tickets to attend Disney After Hours. The benefit for night owls is that the wait times for popular attractions and Character Greetings are short. Ice cream, popcorn and select beverages are included with admission.
Sunset Seasons Greetings
Delight in a festive yuletide projection show on The Hollywood Tower Hotel this holiday season.
VIP Tour Services
Disney World turns into your personal kingdom with a guided tour, helping you make the most of your time at the parks. Choose from offerings focused on food, adventure or customize your own tour.
More Enchantment
Here’s a list of all Hollywood Studios special events and tours.
Hollywood Studios® delivers 34 different ways to refuel across the park, including fine signature dining, casual eateries and food stands. Here are some of the yummy restaurants and dining options at Disney's Hollywood Studios®:
The Hollywood Brown Derby
Contemporary American cuisine is the star of the show at this upscale restaurant that transports you into Hollywood’s Golden Age. The wood-paneled eatery is a faithful replica of Tinseltown’s famous Brown Derby, an iconic site rich in glamour and glitz. It promises specialties that include Faroe Island salmon, char-grilled filet of beef and its renowned Cobb salad, as well as elegant cocktails poured tableside. Save room for dessert; the chocolate mousse cake, decadent with dark chocolate and candied cherries, is worth every indulgent calorie.
Ronto Roasters
A ronto is an immense creature native to the planet Tatooine from the Star Wars films - but Ronto Wraps are made from roasted pork, grilled pork sausage, peppercorn sauce and tangy slaw wrapped in pita bread. The traditional wraps, as well as the breakfast version of it, are offerings that get high marks at this exotic meat stall in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge®.
BaseLine Tap House
You find this charming pub housed in a small brick building frothing with character. While it offers a vast variety of California craft ales, lagers and cider as well as California wines and specialty cocktails, don’t overlook its luscious small bites, like the California Cheese and Charcuterie Plate, the Bavarian Pretzel complemented by Beer-Cheese Fondue and Spicy Mustard, and the Coffee-rubbed Rib-Eye Beef Puff.
Woody's Lunch Box
It’s hard to go wrong with chocolate-hazelnut stuffed pastry slathered in maple fondant and candied bacon. You can find this wonder, dubbed the ‘Chocolate-Hazelnut Lunch Box Tart,’ at Woody’s walk-up window, located in Toy Story Land.
More Enchantment
Take a walk on the wild side and try a cup of Batuu’s fabled blue or green milk at the Milk Stand - the possibilities are legion. Here’s a list of all the restaurants and dining experiences at Disney's Hollywood Studios®.
Tips
In addition to a confirmed dining reservation, in-park dining at table-service restaurants requires a park reservation and valid admission for the same park on the same date for each person in your party ages three and up. Dining reservations don’t guarantee admission to the park.
Make sure to make reservations, and make them early. Dining reservations can be booked online up to 60 days in advance.
The My Disney Experience app lets you browse restaurant menus, make dining reservations and place mobile orders at select quick-service restaurants.
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