Hollywood Studios – With Young Kids – Half Day

Hollywood Studios – With Young Kids – Half Day (9am – 4pm) With Extension Option
Theatre Seating
Backlot Tour
Lights, Motors,
Action!
Backlot Tour
Backlot
Tour
Studio
Catering
Mama
Melrose’s
Streets of America
Characters
Muppet
Vision
3D
TOY STORY
MANIA
Honey
I Shrunk
the Kids
Sci-Fi
Drive-In
Toy Story Pizza Planet
STAR TOURS 3D
Jedi Training
Academy
Sounds
Dangerous
Great Movie
Ride
ABC
Commissary
One Man’s
Dream
LITTLE
MERMAID
American
Idol
Stage Show
Backlot
Express
Indiana
Jones
Journey
Into Narnia
Min &
Bill’s
Dockside
Diner
Brown
Derby
Starring
Rolls
Disney Jr.
on Stage
Toluca
Legs
Magic of
Disney
Animation
Rosie’s All American
Catalina
Eddie’s
50’s
Prime H’wood
Time & Vine
ROCK ‘N’
ROLLER
COASTER
Fairfax
Fare
1. Toy Story Mania - Obtain FASTPASS
2. Toy Story Mania
3. Disney Jr. - 22 Mins - 9:40am
4. Character Meet and Greet
5. Star Tours - Obtain FASTPASS
6. Voyage of the Little Mermaid
7. Lunch
8. Indiana Jones Spectacular - 12:45pm
9. Great Movie Ride
10. Muppet Vision 3D
11. Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Adventure
12. Snack or In-Park Break
13. Parade - (3pm)
14. Star Tours - With FASTPASS
15. Toy Story Mania - With FASTPASS
16. Open
17. Exit
18. Open
19. Open
20. Open
Beauty &
the Beast
TOWER
OF
TERROR
Resort
Bus Stops
Boat Launch to
Epcot Resorts
Fantasmic!
Walkway to
Epcot Resorts
1. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Toy Story Mania - 12 Minutes - Obtain FASTPASS
2. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Toy Story Mania - 5 minutes (75 +/- 20)
3. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Disney Jr. - 22 Mins - (9:40,10:30,11:20,12:10pm,1:30,2:20,3:20,4:10,5:00,5:50)
Character Meet and Greet
4. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Star Tours - 19 Minutes - Obtain FASTPASS
5. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Voyage of the Little Mermaid - 17 minutes (15 +/- 10)
6. ___________________________________________________________________________________
7. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Lunch
8. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Indiana Jones Spectacular - 30 minutes (11:30am, 12:45pm, 2:00, 4:15, 5:30, (6:45))
9. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Great Movie Ride - 22 minutes (15 +/- 10)
10. __________________________________________________________________________________
Muppet Vision 3D - 17 minutes (10 +/- 5)
11. __________________________________________________________________________________
Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adevnture - 1 to 30 minutes (10 +/- 10)
12. __________________________________________________________________________________
Snack or In-Park Break
13. __________________________________________________________________________________
Parade - 6 Minutes - (3pm)
14. __________________________________________________________________________________
Star Tours - 5 Minutes (30 +/- 10)
15. __________________________________________________________________________________
Toy Story Mania - 5 minutes (75 +/- 20)
16. __________________________________________________________________________________
Open
17. __________________________________________________________________________________
Exit
18. __________________________________________________________________________________
Open
19. __________________________________________________________________________________
Open
20. __________________________________________________________________________________
Open
21. __________________________________________________________________________________
Open
22. __________________________________________________________________________________
Open
23. __________________________________________________________________________________
Open
24. __________________________________________________________________________________
Open
Open
25. __________________________________________________________________________________
26. __________________________________________________________________________________
Open
Hollywood Studios – With Young Kids – Half Day (9am – 4pm) With Extension Option
This easyPlan is designed for use with young children. It skips Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster due to the height requirements and the fact that they may scare kids.
It does visit Star Tours, which has a 40” height requirement. You may easily skip Star Tours if
you prefer or are unable to ride. If you’re planning to ride Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller
Coaster, you may want to modify one of the Disney Adult easyPlans or use the Family Hybrid
easyPlan. You may also work those attractions into this Plan by using FASTPASS at both
attractions throughout the day. If only a couple of the people in your group want to ride the thrill
rides, have them do so in the early morning while the rest of the group is watching Disney Jr.
Live on Stage and meeting characters. It will take about an hour to get through Rock ‘n’ Roller
Coaster and Tower of Terror in the early morning. The group can meet up in the late morning
and continue the rest of the day together.
Deviation from the Plan
This easyPlan is easily modifiable and you will likely want to make substitutions depending on
your personal preferences. Other than Toy Story Mania right after Park opening, none of the
other attractions are particularly time sensitive, other than arriving at the various shows in time to
see them. As written, the Plan minimizes walking as much as possible, has an easy pace, and
visits many of the attractions that families will find most enjoyable. However, you may very
well want to do the Backlot Tour instead of the Great Movie Ride or Jedi Training Academy
instead of Muppet Vision 3D. Take a look at the attraction times and estimated waits and try to
replace attractions with others that will take a similar amount of time.
Jedi Training Academy Participation
See the Hollywood Studios touring overview for more information about signing up for Jedi
Training Academy. If you do sign up, you’ll need to plan your day around the show and will
probably not be able to ride Toy Story Mania in the standby line with a short wait in the
morning. Try to have at least one person visit Toy Story Mania to collect FASTPASSes while
another adult and the child(ren) participating in Jedi Training go immediately to sign up after the
Studios opens. Because you won’t know the specific show time that your child will be
participating in, you’ll need to maintain a lot of flexibility with your day.
Extending the Day
As written, this easyPlan finishes around 4pm, which is a full day for most families. Many of the
major stage shows have a show that begins between 4:00pm and 4:30pm, including Indiana
Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Beauty and the Beast Stage Show, Disney Channel Rocks, Jedi
Training Academy, and Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. You may want to extend
your day by seeing one of these shows or head over to Backlot Tour. Theoretically, you could
also extend your day through dinner and include Fantasmic, but that may be too much for
families with young kids, particularly in the summer heat.
Additional FASTPASSes
The easyPlan specifically only calls for you to collect one set of FASTPASSes for Toy Story
Mania and Star Tours. You’re welcome to collect a second set for Toy Story Mania, but you will
want to do so by 10:00am at the latest or you risk them running out. Ideally, you would collect a
second set right after Disney Jr. Live on Stage at 10am. The return time for the second set for
Toy Story Mania will likely be around 3pm-5pm. Note the return time and consider skipping the
second set if it’s after you plan to leave. For Star Tours, FASTPASSes are plentiful and you’re
welcome to collect a second or third set throughout the day. They generally have return times
that are 40 to 60 minutes in the future. Keep in mind that it takes about 20 minutes to wait for
and ride Star Tours, even with FASTPASS.
Fantasmic
If Fantasmic is scheduled and you’d like to see it, you may want to do the One Day Standard
easyPlan With Kids, which visits in the morning, takes an afternoon break, and returns in the
evening. This way, you rest up for the evening performance while crowds are heaviest and
temperatures highest. You may be able to attach an early Fantasmic (around 7pm) to the end of
this easyPlan, but realistically that may be too much touring for most kids. Even with a lot of sitdown shows and attractions, most kids can’t tour straight from 9am – 8pm or later without minor
or major meltdown(s).
The Attractions in Order:
Arrival: Arrive at Hollywood Studios 30 minutes prior to opening. Have one person from
your party collect all theme park tickets and move to the front of the pack on Hollywood
Boulevard, prepared to head straight to Toy Story Mania.
1. Collect FASTPASSes for Toy Story Mania. Ideally, have your fastest member collect the
group’s theme park tickets and head straight to Toy Story Mania’s FASTPASS line (this person
is known as the FASTPASS runner), which is located before the attraction entrance on the right
side. There will be a single line for all FASTPASS machines and cast members will be set up at
each FASTPASS machine to put your tickets through (they’ll put one ticket or 100 tickets
through, they don’t care). Most everyone present at 9am will also be headed to Toy Story Mania
and cast members will be present in front of the entrance to walk the masses towards the
attraction. The rest of the group can meet across from the Toy Story Mania entrance.
2. Once the FASTPASS runner meets the rest of the group, continue immediately to the standby
entrance to ride Toy Story Mania.
3. See the 9:40am Disney Jr. Live on Stage Show. It’s located in the Animation Courtyard.
Walk back the way you came and take a left past the entrance to Voyage of the Little Mermaid,
into the Animation Courtyard. The entrance to Disney Jr. is on the right side, about half way
into the Courtyard area. If you’re running behind, skip to Step 4 and return for the 10:30am
show.
4. We have about an hour for Character Meet and Greets. Many of the characters in the
Animation Courtyard and around the Studios begin appearing at 10am and lines are always
shortest in the early morning. I recommend heading into the Animation Building to meet
Sorcerer Mickey, along with whatever other characters around the Park you wish to meet. Check
your Times Guide for exact times and locations. To enter the Animation Courtyard, enter the
gift shop located on the far right of the long building in the back of Animation Courtyard.
Continue through the back exit of the gift shop and continue into the large Animation building.
Check your Times Guide to see about possible Meet and Greets near Mama Melrose Ristorante
Italiano and Pixar Place as well.
5. Ideally, have one person from your group collect everyone’s tickets and collect FASTPASSes
for Star Tours at the same time as the rest of the group is meeting characters. If you’re headed
toward Star Tours to meet characters anyway, you may be able to stay together more easily. Star
Tours is located in Echo Lake. The easiest way to get there is to head back out to Mickey’s
Sorcerer’s Hat and continue across down the path in front of American Idol Experience.
Continue down the path past American Idol to your right and Indiana Jones Epic Stunt
Spectacular and Backlot Express Quick Service on your left until you reach Star Tours. The Star
Tours FASTPASS machines are located directly to the right of the standby entrance.
6. See Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It’s located in Animation Courtyard, across the way
from Disney Jr. Live on Stage.
7. Have lunch. With kids, I recommend Toy Story Pizza Planet, but all of the Studios’ quick
service locations are pretty mediocre. Starring Rolls Café serves excellent sandwiches if you’re
in the mood, Backlot Express serves standard Disney fare in an air-conditioned setting, and
Studio Catering Company also serves a variety of sandwiches and salads. Our next timed
engagement is around 12:45pm, so keep that in mind. See Step 8 for details.
8. See the 12:45pm Beauty and the Beast Stage Show, 12:45pm Indiana Jones Epic Stunt
Spectacular, or 1:20pm Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show – whichever you
prefer. Seeing the Extreme Stunt Show would put us behind a bit because it won’t be over until
2:00pm. You’ll have another opportunity to see one (or two) of these shows at the end of this
Plan if you so choose. Beauty and the Beast is located on Sunset Boulevard, on the right side
before the entrance to Tower of Terror. Indiana Jones is located across the way from American
Idol Experience. Lights, Motors is located in the very back of the Streets of America. It’s about
a 15-20 minute walk from Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat to your seats in the Theater, so be on your
way no later than 1:00pm if you do decide to see it. Plan to arrive 15 minutes early for the other
shows to guarantee good seats together.
9. Ride the Great Movie Ride. The entrance is located directly behind Mickey’s Sorcerer’s
Hat.
10. See Muppet Vision 3D. The Theater is located across from Tatooine Traders and Toy Story
Pizza Planet. Walk back toward Star Tours, past American Idol Experience on your right and
Indiana Jones on your left. Continue walking past Star Tours and take a left down the path past
Tatooine Traders. Muppet Vision is located in the large Theater directly in front of you.
11. Our next timed engagement is 3pm for the Parade. You may have extra time here to run
around the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure playground if the kids need to
burn off some steam. The Movie Set Adventure is located down on the Streets of America,
near the end on the right side. The entrance may not be obvious because of the facades. Note
that this is not the 3D show from Epcot, but a themed playground area. If the Studios is busy,
you may want to find your spots for the Parade now or have one adult and the kids visit the
Movie Set Adventure while the rest of the group scouts out a viewing location.
12. Grab a snack if you like as you prepare the Parade. It’s also a good time to take turns
using the restroom. I recommend the milkshakes at Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner, though
they are more like Wendy’s Frostys rather than a traditional milkshake. The Pretzel Garden
Kiosk is also located along the Streets of America on the same path as Honey I Shrunk the Kids,
about half way down as you walk towards the entrance to Lights Motors on the right side.
You’ll find pretzels, churros, and the like.
13. Enjoy the 3pm Parade. We’ll catch it along the Parade route out in front of American Idol
Experience and Sounds Dangerous. This area is significantly less crowded than Hollywood
Boulevard and Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat and offers a view that it just as good. Stand on the
American Idol side because it will make it easier to head up to Star Tours after the Parade passes.
14. Ride Star Tours with the FASTPASSes collected earlier in the day.
15. Ride Toy Story Mania with the FASTPASSes collected earlier in the day.
16. It should be around 4pm and it’s officially the end of the easyPlan. However, you may
want to stack a couple more attractions on the end of the Plan if everyone is feeling up to it.
Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones, and Lights, Motors, Action! all have shows coming up and
you’re welcome to head over to Backlot Tour, Magic of Disney Animation, or whatever else
you’d like to do. If everyone is ready to head out, you’ve completed a lot in a short period of
time and should consider it to be a full, successful day at the Studios.
17. Exit Hollywood Studios.
Skipped Attractions and How to Fit Them In
American Idol Experience: With shows beginning at 12:30pm, you may be able to fit one in
during the day. The 7:00pm Finale show is the best if you can stay long enough to see it. You
may also elect to see the 12:30pm show instead of Beauty and the Beast or Indiana Jones.
Backlot Tour: This 35 minutes attraction, plus a ten minute wait, is simply too long to fit into an
abridged day at the Studios. If you’d like to see it, replace it with about 45 minutes worth of
other attractions or shows or affix it at the end of your day.
Beauty and the Beast Stage Show, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, or Lights,
Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show: We plan to see one of these shows in the afternoon.
You’ll need to stay after 4pm to see one or both of the others, unless you’d like to substitute one
for another attraction. Check the Times Guide for availability.
Fantasmic: In most situations, we’ll be long gone before Fantasmic is shown in the late evening.
During the fall and winter, Fantasmic may begin around 6:30pm or 7pm, which may enable you
and the family to stay for it. However, most young kids won’t be able to tour straight through
from 9am – 9pm, especially in the summer.
Jedi Training Academy: This show’s stage is located outside of Star Tours and you may be able
to nonchalantly catch a few minutes while you’re in the vicinity. There are multiple shows
scheduled throughout the day and you should be able to fit it in if you really want to see it. If
your child would like to participate onstage, you’ll need to head to the signup area immediately
after the Studios opens with that child.
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. Keep in
mind that this is little more than an advertisement for Prince Caspian on Blu-ray and Disney lost
the rights to distribute subsequent Narnia movies.
Magic of Disney Animation Tour: This is a great tour if you have additional time. Consider
replacing it with another attraction if it sounds more appealing or visit it after your break if you
have extra time.
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 or at Mickey’s Sorcerer’s
Hat 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.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster: This attraction has a minimum height of 48” and may be too intense
for young children. If there are adults that want to ride it, do so after Toy Story Mania in the
morning, when the kids are meeting characters and watching Disney Jr. Live on Stage. If you
don’t want to split up, FASTPASS it as soon as possible after Toy Story Mania. Return times
can be 90+ minutes out by 10:30am and FASTPASSes may run out around 4pm when the
Studios is busy.
Sounds Dangerous: This oft-closed attraction is rarely open because it isn’t very good or very
popular. It’s a nice respite from the heat when it is open, but 99% of the population will want to
skip it unless you have extra time or need a break.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: Tower of Terror has a minimum height of 40” and may be too
scary for young children. If you do want to ride, plan to collect FASTPASSes after Toy Story
Mania and/or Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. FASTPASS return times are usually just 40-60 minutes
in the future, making it relatively easy to FASTPASS throughout the day. You may also want to
head here immediately after Toy Story Mania in the morning and then visit the 10:30am Disney
Jr. Live on Stage. If you’re planning to do both Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror,
see the Disney Adult easyPlans as well because they visit all of the thrill rides.
Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream: This self-guided tour takes about 30 minutes to appreciate
and is an excellent introduction into the life of Walt Disney. Consider visiting after your break
or replace it with a stage show or other lengthy attraction. It’s rarely crowded and you won’t
find a wait.