Park hours at Hollywood Studios are quirky however constant. This information covers not simply regular opening and shutting instances, but additionally Early Entry, Prolonged Evenings, After Hours, rope drop, when sure rides really begin working, and extra. Plus, ideas & tips for beating the crowds and avoiding instances of day when attendance is highest.
This isn’t only a put up about common working hours at DHS. If it have been, it’d be one sentence lengthy: Disney’s Hollywood Studios is generally open from 8:30 am till 9 pm. When you assume that’s all you have to know, extra energy to you. It is a put up we’re doing as a result of we often get questions on Walt Disney World park hours, and wished to drill down a bit deeper with added perception and nuance.
The very first thing you have to know is that hours are added to DisneyWorld.com’s 5-day calendar on a rolling foundation, usually 60 days upfront. Walt Disney World additionally has a month-to-month calendar that isn’t as straightforward to seek out, and this at present has hours dumped in ‘batches’ a lot additional upfront.
Walt Disney World’s regular follow is to launch boilerplate or placeholder hours earlier than extending these primarily based on attendance and lodge occupancy projections. For some time, the preliminary launch of park hours was virtually meaningless, as each single park and date would see extensions. That is less-pronounced of a follow now, and the hours which can be launched are very often the ultimate hours.
With that stated, extensions are nonetheless comparatively commonplace–they only are much less prone to happen throughout the board. Now, it’s extra focused to weekends, holidays, and particular days when the parks are forecast to be busier. In these eventualities, extensions can happen about a number of weeks to about two months upfront. We’ve seen precisely this state of affairs play out round Thanksgiving, Christmas, New 12 months’s, MLK Day, and Presidents’ Day.
The most typical follow on busier dates at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is for the closing time to be prolonged to 9:30 pm. Up to now, we’ve additionally seen the official park opening time moved ahead to eight:00 am. As of 2023, that’s not widespread. Regular hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are 8:30 am to 9 pm and peak season hours are 8:30 am to 9:30 pm.
One other widespread follow on these busier dates is so as to add second showtimes of Fantasmic. That is extra important than the additional half-hour, because it affords an enormous strategic benefit–see our Viewing Information for Fantasmic at Walt Disney World for extra.
No matter whether or not hours are prolonged, it’s widespread for Fantasmic or the projection reveals on the entrance of the park to start at and even after park closing. Fantasmic’s second showtime is often at 9:30 pm when park closing is at 9:30 pm–and even when the park closes at 9:00 pm.
This permits friends to successfully lengthen the day at DHS by 30 to 60 minutes after official closing, since Fantasmic is about half-hour lengthy. (Which means that you just’ll exit the present at 10 pm, even on nights when the park closes at 9 pm.)
It’s additionally extremely widespread for desk service eating places to supply Advance Eating Reservations proper up till park closing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This implies you could find ADRs for 50’s Prime Time Cafe, Sci-Fi Dine In-Theater, and different eating places till about 8:55 pm on nights when the park closes at 9 pm. Every of those meals take about an hour, so it’s an identical state of affairs–exiting a full hour after parking closing.
At Oga’s Cantina, the follow is much more pronounced. That bar in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is open till 10 pm, and sometimes affords ADRs till shortly earlier than then. The tip result’s that you can exit Disney’s Hollywood Studios 90 minutes or extra after park closing.
When you’re fearful about transportation again to your lodge, don’t. Formally, transportation to the theme parks begins roughly 2 hours previous to park opening time and runs till roughly 1 hour after the parks shut. That is the data you’ll discover on Walt Disney World’s web site, and what Solid Members will let you know.
It’s true that the Skyliner and boats open and shut in line with their posted schedules on the pertinent resorts and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. So the Skyliner really does shut at no matter time indicated on the signage exterior the park. Nonetheless, that’s not true of all transportation.
Unofficially, buses proceed working after park closing continues so long as individuals are contained in the park. As a lot as Kingdom Keepers IRL may sound, Disney gained’t go away you stranded at a park. Generally it’s nearer to 2 hours after the parks shut when transportation ends. Solid Members are methodical about clearing the parks and radio to bus drivers to verify they stick round till all the stragglers are accounted for.
We’ve left Walt Disney World theme parks lengthy after park closing many, many instances and have by no means had a difficulty. If something, delaying departure so long as potential is the very best plan of action. You get to take pleasure in park closing serenity and usually tend to have a bus all to your self. (For these staying at a Skyliner or Crescent Lake Space Resort, bus transportation is on the market to get you again even after the Skyliner and boats cease working.)
Now let’s flip to the expanded Disney’s Hollywood Studios park hours for friends of on-site resorts. These are Early Entry and Prolonged Night Hours, which substitute Additional Magic Hours within the morning and at evening. When you’re unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the morning choice, study extra in our Information to Early Entry at Walt Disney World.
Early Entry is big at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Indubitably, that is the park the place Early Entry affords the largest strategic benefit. That’s very true should you prioritize Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, with the added upside of doing this primary being that you just’re much less prone to encounter a breakdown when you’re in line for it. Try our report on Early Entry at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that covers our expertise knocking out the “triple digit trio” at DHS earlier than the park opened to common friends.
To date, Prolonged Night Hours is very uncommon at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, solely occurring when there are scheduling conflicts or excessive crowds forecast for Magic Kingdom. With that stated, Prolonged Night Hours can also be a stable option to expertise DHS with decrease crowds. (See our Information to Prolonged Night Hours at Walt Disney World for extra.)
With that stated, staying late on a traditional evening and skipping the second exhibiting of Fantasmic (if there’s one) is nearly as robust of a technique as Prolonged Night Hours. Crowds are inclined to peak early at DHS, lowering within the afternoon and changing into extra manageable by night on regular days.
One other uncommon option to keep late is the 2023 After Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. At the moment, these are solely scheduled for Winter and Spring 2023, however given their reputation and what number of dates are already offered out, we count on many extra dates within the months to return.
Whereas we’re vital of “overbuying” upcharge choices resulting from FOMO and so forth, we really love After Hours at DHS. It’s undoubtedly a splurge, however it’s one which’s really definitely worth the cash. It provides a VIP vibe to the go to, and at a fraction of the value of hiring a tour information.
Posted wait instances are decrease within the final two hours of the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, however that’s solely half of the story. Precise wait instances are sometimes dramatically decrease, significantly for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Canine Sprint, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and different headliners.
One caveat we must always add right here is that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is unreliable and susceptible to breakdowns. Which means ready till the top of your solely day at DHS to do that glorious attraction is dangerous. If the journey goes down within the final two hours of the day, it might not reopen in any respect. Learn our Trip Information for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, which affords an outline of the very best & worst methods to do this, and plan accordingly.
Talking of dangerous enterprise, counting on common rope drop (official park opening time) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is ill-advised. All headliner sights are open for Early Entry and, as famous above, wait instances peak earlier than noon at DHS. Typically, you’ll be able to count on the worst crowds of the day between about 10 am and 1 pm at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
It’s additionally value noting that not all sights begin working at park opening time. Essentially the most notable examples are stage reveals and meet & greets–and there are numerous of each at DHS. That is a part of the rationale why waits are worse earlier on–there’s much less to do to take in crowds till the park’s many stage reveals begin having their showtimes.
In the case of the interaction of park technique & hours, an alternative choice is Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. It’s quite common for journey reservation return instances to be pushed out later within the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This will imply that having fun with a relaxed morning exterior the park whereas “stacking” Lightning Lanes for later within the day is the savviest technique.
Right here’s the tough define of my splendid day doing Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with a mixture of productiveness and leisure:
- Keep in a Skyliner resort
- Head over to DHS for Early Entry and common rope drop as quickly as Skyliner begins working
- Get hold of first Lightning Lane for Slinky Canine Sprint
- Go away DHS by 10 am
- Lounge poolside
- Stack Lightning Lanes all through morning and early afternoon
- Return to DHS at about 2 pm
- Use Lightning Lanes
- Dinner
- First Fantasmic
- Standby sights with brief waits within the night and finish of evening
This method usually means spending a few half day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in mixture, however getting rather a lot carried out–together with some sights twice. It minimizes complications and the probability of burn out, and is an effective way to beat the crowds!
With that stated, this method is not optimum for first-timer or anybody who needs to see all the stage reveals. We’ve carried out all of these many, many instances over the previous few a long time, so we’re not regular in that regard. The excellent news is that every thing between “go away” and “return” may be swapped out for leisure–and presumably a desk service lunch–and the plan nonetheless works virtually precisely the identical. The truth is, that’s exactly the method in our touring plans for DHS.
To that time, for Disney’s Hollywood Studios technique & planning perception see the next posts:
Finally, that ought to cowl what you have to learn about park hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Now it must also be clear why there’s a variety of nuance and quirks which can be value understanding past simply the fundamentals that DHS often is open from 8:30 am till 9 pm. Many regular friends will see that, present up between 9 am and 10 am, be overwhelmed by 11 am, and go away earlier than 3 pm.
Now you must perceive why that occurs, keep away from burnout, working schedules that differ from common hours, and so on. Greater than every other Walt Disney World theme park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the one the place mastering and exploiting schedule quirks will put you at an enormous benefit–and going with the circulate will put you at an enormous drawback!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study resorts on our Walt Disney World Resorts Opinions web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Opinions. To save cash on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a singular take a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every thing you have to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider regular park hours in 2023 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Favor to reach very first thing for Early Entry, later within the morning, afternoon, or night? How do you benefit from the working quirks of DHS to beat the crowds? Do you agree or disagree with something in our information to park hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!