DisneyTips.com Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
There’s never been a better time to visit Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios. Once, Park Guests might spend half a day in, or skip altogether when short on time, but no longer! Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land have breathed new life into what once felt like a neglected Theme Park.
All of the new attractions and lands in Disney’s Hollywood Studios might have you wondering – what should I ride, and what can I skip without missing much? After all, not all rides are in the same ballpark as the crowd pleaser Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance! Here are a few Theme Park attractions you can easily bypass to maximize your time – and suggestions for what to do instead.
Skip: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
There aren’t a ton of true thrill rides at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is one of them. So if all you’re looking for is thrills, feel free to stop reading!
Some Guests, however, find this attraction to be overrated. It’s very much in the Space Mountain mold – it’s dark, over before you know it, you’re guaranteed to be uncomfortable, and better have some pain medication on hand when you’re done.
Sure, the 0-60 mph launch is exciting, as are the inversions and blaring rock music. But while the queue is fun, the theming Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster can’t compete with other attractions in this Park, and it often has longer lines than seeming worth the ride. Having experienced it once is more than enough!
Ride: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Instead
This drop tower dark ride lives up to its name – Disney’s Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is truly terrifying (and truly awesome). You’ll see this behemoth a mile away and hear the foreboding screams of Guests enjoying the ride as you approach.
In true Disney fashion, all the details here are jaw-dropping, from the instantly recognizable exterior to the cobweb-adorned, frozen-in-time hotel lobby to the ominous boiler room where you’ll step into your rickety ride lift. Based on the tv series The Twilight Zone, Tower of Terror successfully brings 1939 glamour – and terror – to life!
The randomized drop sequence means that no matter how many times you ride, you still won’t know how many times you’ll drop or how far. And even if you’re opting out of the ride itself, it’s worth waiting through the queue to soak up the brilliant atmosphere the Imagineers created.
Skip: Alien Swirling Saucers
Yes, it’s located in one of Hollywood Studios’ new lands, but your time is better spent just about anywhere else in Toy Story Land than on Alien Swirling Saucers. It’s not a bad ride, per se. There’s just nothing here to warrant spending copious amounts of time in line, especially with so much to see and do in Hollywood Studios.
Alien Swirling Saucers is simply a traditional teacup ride, dressed up in Toy Story fashion with some remixes of songs from the animated film. Fun? Sure. But it’s been done, and you have places to go and attractions to see!
Ride: Slinky Dog Dash Instead
It may seem like it’s only for kids, but this outdoor roller coaster ride is a ton of fun for all ages. Because it’s not stuck inside in the dark like some WDW coasters, you’ll be able to enjoy some fabulous views of the ever-impressive Toy Story Land as it unfolds below you in Slinky Dog Dash.
When else will you get the chance to shrink down to the size of a toy and ride a coiling Slinky Dog along Andy’s assembled backyard track? The midway power booster provides Guests with an exciting second launch, and the queue is filled with nostalgia-inducing childhood memories. Ride again at night for a completely different experience.
Skip: Star Tours: The Adventure Continues
Once the go-to attraction for Star Wars Guests in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, nowadays Star Tours: The Adventure Continues can’t compare with its newer, fancier, more technologically advanced cousins over in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Sure, this classic simulator ride is still fun and provides a hit of intergalactic nostalgia, but despite updates over the years, it’s starting to show its age. Guests will find more interactive, immersive, technologically advanced attractions over at Galaxy’s Edge, so if you’re short on time, definitely give Star Tours a miss.
Ride: Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Instead
If you’re a Star Wars fan, riding in the Millennium Falcon is probably a lifelong dream. Well, Disney is all about making dreams come true! When you visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios, you can hop on board Han Solo’s famous ship as a gunner, engineer, or pilot.
This is a simulator ride, like Star Tours, but that’s where the similarities end. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run requires you to interact with the controls, and fulfilling the different duties required by the three assigned roles has an actual effect on your ride experience.
Plus, the ride queue is immersive and full of predictably impeccable Disney details. And just being in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon might just bring some Guests to tears!
Bottom Line
To skip or not to skip, that is the question. While, of course, Guest criteria for WDW ride excellence vary, there are certain attractions that most Guests can skip without worrying about missing much. And in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with its recent additions, it’s more important than ever to think about what to skip and what to ride with your limited time in the Parks!
