With the addition of Toy Story Land and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Hollywood Studios is a great park for families with kids under 5. It is a perfect place to see some of their favorite Disney Junior characters, get pictures with characters and experience the immersion of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land. Many of the thrill rides at Hollywood Studios, like Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Rise of the Resistance and Smuggler’s Run have height requirements of at least 40 inches and typically have long wait times. Good news is, this means that many of the rides that would appeal to the younger kids have shorter wait times.
The following is a real day that I spent at Hollywood Studios with my almost 3 year old and my 5 year old.
Some of the choices we made this day were based solely on posted wait times.
9AM – Arrival to the gates of Hollywood Studios
9:10AM – Walk down Hollywood Boulevard – I love Photopass pictures in front of the Chinese Theater as a reminder of our day at Hollywood Studios. Of course you can always have a stranger take a picture for you too!
9:15AM – In line for Minnie and Mickey’s Runaway Railway – I love this ride for littles because the ride if full of characters they know and love – Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Daisy to name a few. It is also indoors and we all need a reprieve from the Florida heat on a park day.
10:05 – Waiting for MuppetVision 3D – Another must do for me because it is indoors and cool!
10:40AM – Walk into Galaxy’s Edge – My youngest cannot ride anything in Galaxy’s Edge because of her height, so we just wander around in this land. Despite not knowing many Star Wars characters and having no understanding of the movies, they both are always in awe of this land. If you’re lucky you may get to interact with a Storm Trooper or see Kylo Ren. The bounty hunter game that interacts with your Magic Band+ would be another fun way to experience this land without riding either of the rides.
10:55AM – Walk into Toy Story Land
11AM – In line for Alien Swirling Saucers – this day we did not ride Slinky Dog Dash because of the longer wait time and my youngest does not meet the height requirement.
11:50AM – Disney Junior Play and Dance! – Because who can turn down air conditioning while burning off some energy with favorite characters?!
12:05PM – In line to meet Doc McStuffins – other options at the time were Pluto, Fancy Nancy and Vampirina.
After our meeting with Doc, we left Hollywood Studios for the day so that my youngest would nap on the way home. However, you can easily spend the full day here.
After the Disney Junior Play and Dance party, I would recommend lunch. PizzeRizzo, Backlot Express, 50’s Prime Time Cafe, or the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater are all good options at Hollywood Studios. You will need to join the walk up list for the Sci-Fi Dine-In and 50’s Prime Time Cafe if you do not get reservations ahead of time. The others you can order ahead with mobile order through the My Disney Experience App.
After lunch, I would recommend riding any rides you missed out on this morning, doubling back to something you loved or visiting some characters. Your afternoon could look something like this:
1PM – In line for Toy Story Mania – You are inevitably going to have to wait for a while for this ride, so download the Play Disney Parks App to help pass the time.
3PM – Meet and Greet with Olaf
4PM – Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
4:45PM – Waiting for Lighting McQueen’s Racing Academy
After this, I would recommend dinner at any of the locations I recommended for lunch or to head back to your hotel or wherever you are staying to eat. Hollywood Boulevard has plenty of shopping so you can grab a souvenir or two if you would like.
I also love that the Skyliner is an option of transportation at Hollywood Studios. It is a fun attraction in itself so you can hop on and ride to your hotel or just to go take a look around at resorts. Our girls love walking around different resorts, mostly to scope out pools they want to play in, but this is a fun option for the end of your day at Hollywood Studios.
