Hollywood Studios 1-Day Itinerary 2024 (With Times!)

Looking for an hour-by-hour plan to ensure you maximise your one day at Hollywood Studios? If so, then you’re in the right place.

Hollywood Studios is my favourite theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. I love it here and am passionate about showing others how to spend an incredible day here, too!

I’ve broken this one-day itinerary down by time to make it as easy to follow as possible.

This itinerary assumes the opening hours of Hollywood Studios are 9:00 am until 9:00 pm. However, the opening times of Hollywood Studios may be different when you travel. Be sure to check those here before your trip.

Before Your Trip to Hollywood Studios

There are three things I suggest doing before you visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios to ensure the day runs smoothly.

1. Buy Park Tickets

First, you will want to do is buy your Walt Disney World theme park tickets.

You can buy tickets to Walt Disney World at the theme park gate. However, the best time to buy Disney World tickets is online in advance.

2. Decide if You Want Disney Genie+

Disney Genie+ allows you to skip the lines at rides and attractions at Hollywood Studios. However, it comes at a price.

You can only buy Disney Genie+ on My Disney Experience on the day you visit the theme park. However, I suggest deciding whether you’re going to buy it in advance of your visit. That way, you can plan your day accordingly to maximise your investment.

3. Make Dining Reservations

Want to eat somewhere special at Hollywood Studios? Then I suggest making dining reservations.

Dining reservations at Hollywood Studios open 60 days in advance of your visit. So, if you want to eat at a table service restaurant at peak times (between 12:00 pm and 1:30 pm and 5:00 pm and 7:30 pm), it’s essential you make a reservation.

6.30 am: Genie+

If you want Disney Genie+ for your visit to Hollywood Studios, you’ll want to be up at 6:30 am to buy it.

Disney Genie+ is only available to buy on the day of your visit. As such, you can wait until 00:01 am on the day of your visit. However, since Genie+ rarely sells out. As such, I recommend getting up at 6:30 am to buy Genie+ instead.

You can then stay up to make your first Genie+ lightning lane selection for Hollywood Studios at 7:00 am.

All guests can reserve their first Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane at 7:00 am. After that, you can reserve a ride every 2 hours or after scanning in for a ride reservation – whichever comes first.

8:15 am: Arrive at Hollywood Studios

In this itinerary, I’m assuming that Disney’s Hollywood Studios opens at 9:00 am. Given this, I recommend arriving at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at 8:15 am.

Please adjust this according to Disney’s Hollywood Studios opening times on the day of your visit.

I recommend arriving at Hollywood Studios 45 minutes before rope drop as this is enough time to:

• Park your car or get off the resort shuttle bus
• Go through security
• Scan your tickets for entry into the theme park

9:00 am: Rope Drop

If Hollywood Studios is set to open at 9:00 am, then this is when the rope will drop, and you’ll be free to explore the park.

This first hour inside Hollywood Studios is critical as it’s often the quietest. What you do in this first hour can determine how long you wait for other rides at Hollywood Studios throughout the day.

As such, it’s essential you have a strategy in place for which ride(s) you’re going to go to first. For example:

Meeting Characters at Celebrity Spotlight might have a 5-minute wait just after rope drop. However, at 1:00 pm, when Hollywood Studios is the busiest, it will likely be all day, and the wait time is still only likely to be 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land might have a 20-minute wait just after rope drop. However, come 1:00 pm, that line will likely be between 100 and 120 minutes.

Much like your Disney Genie+ choices, the ride(s) you head to during this time will depend on;

• The height of the members of your party
• Your interests (Toy Story, Star Wars etc.)
• Whether you’re a fan of rollercoasters
• Which ride you’ve reserved with Genie+ (if you’ve purchased it)

If everyone in your party is over 97cms, I suggest you go to Slinky Dog Dash first. After that, I would go over to Toy Story Mania.

If members in your party are shorter than 97 cm, I suggest Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway first. Once you’ve been on this ride, head around the corner into Toy Story Land for Toy Story Mania. Neither of these rides has any height requirement.

However, if you’re a Star Wars fan, forget everything I said earlier and instead go to Rise of the Resistance first.

10:30 am: Snacks & Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!

One and a half hours after rope drop, you’re likely wrapped up with your initial rides and ready for a snack.

In this case, I suggest heading to one of the several snack carts around Echo Lake. Here, you’ll find churros, ice creams and doughnuts. Then, head into the first showing of Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at 10:45.

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is a fun and engaging show that lasts around 30 minutes.

However, there are several loud noises and special effects which may be frightening for younger guests. Consider sitting at the back if you’re unsure how your kids will respond.

If your child is between 4 and 12 years old and a Star Wars fan, now is a great time to sign up for Jedi Training Academy: Trials of the Temple show. Registration for the show takes place at Adventure Outpost next to Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.

11:00 am: Meeting Characters / Star Tours

After Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, you’ve two options:

1. Meet a character at Celebrity Spotlight
2. Ride Star Tours – The Adventures Continues

Both experiences will have a wait time of around 30 minutes at this time of day.

12:00 pm: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

If you still need to go on Mickey & Minnie’s Runway Railway by this point, now is a great time to do so.

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway usually has a standby wait time of 30 to 80 minutes. This is one of the newest rides at Hollywood Studios and has no height requirement. Although speaking from experience, I’d recommend little ones are at least one year old.

If you’ve already been on this ride, consider other nearby attractions you might have missed. Some of my favourites include:

• Celebrity Spotlight
• Star Tours – The Adventure Continues
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!

1:00 pm: Lunch

By 1:00 pm, you’re no doubt ready for lunch.

At this point, you should still be at the centre of Hollywood Studios and, therefore, have several dining options to choose from. Some of my favourites include:

• ABC Commissary
• Pizzerizzo
• Sunset Ranch Market

2:00 pm: Adults / Kids

After lunch, you have two options for your Hollywood Studios itinerary. Which option you choose will likely depend on who you’re travelling with.

Under 102cm: Beauty & The Beast & Lightning McQueen

If you are:

• Not a fan of rollercoasters
• Travelling with children under 102cm

Then now is a great time to enjoy two of Hollywood Studios’ best and most popular shows.

First is Beauty & The Beast Live on Stage, which currently has a show time of 2:00 pm.

Beauty & The Beast Live on Stage takes place at the end of Sunset Blvd, just to the right of the Hollywood Tower of Terror. The show lasts 30 minutes and features a short version of the feature-length movie.

Once Beauty & The Beast Live on Stage has finished, cross to the other side of Sunset Blvd towards Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster. Just behind the Rock’ n’ Rollercoaster, you’ll find Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy.

Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy runs continuously throughout the day. As such, the wait time is pretty much always under 15 minutes.

The Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy show lasts 12 minutes and sees Lightning McQueen come out to show his racing abilities. It’s hard to explain, but believe me, it’s excellent!

Over 102cm: Tower of Terror & Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

If you are:

• Over 102cm
• Love rollercoasters

Then now is a great time to go on two of the most thrilling rides at Hollywood Studios:

• Hollywood Tower of Terror
• Rock’ n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

Both of these rides are very popular. As such, standby wait times at this time of day will usually range between 40 and 90 minutes. It’s, therefore, unlikely you’ll be able to queue and go on both of these rides in under an hour without Disney Genie+.

In that case, you’ll either want to postpone the next part of the Hollywood Studios itinerary or skip one of these rides.

3:00 pm: Toy Story Land

The following two hours are going to be spent exploring Toy Story Land. However, if you’d rather explore Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge first, head to my notes under the 6:30 pm header.

Toy Story Land is smaller than Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. However, there’s still a whole lot of action packed into a small space here.

There are three rides inside Toy Story Land:

1. Slinky Dog Dash
2. Toy Story Mania
3. Alien Swirling Saucers

However, only Toy Story Mania is suitable for children of any age and height. Toy Story Mania and Slinky Dog Dash typically have standby wait times of more than an hour. As such, you’ll unlikely be able to go on both rides in just two hours in Toy Story Land or using Genie+.

5:00 pm: Dinner

At around 5:00 pm, you’ll likely be ready for dinner. Thankfully, in Toy Story Land, you’re no more than a 10-minute walk from most major food options.

If you have a dining reservation, then you can head directly there. Alternatively, you can use My Disney Experience to see what dining reservations are still available.

If you’re happy with quick-service locations for dinner, then some of my favourites at Hollywood Studios include:

• Backlot Express
• Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo
• ABC Commissary

6:30 pm: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

After dinner, it’s time to head to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This is the newest and most popular area at Hollywood Studios. However, the crowd levels should be starting to subside around this time.

There are two rides inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge:

1. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
2. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run usually has a wait time of around 60 minutes. However, I’ve walked on in under 10 minutes as a single rider at this sort of time.

Meanwhile, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance can often have wait times of over 120 or even 180 minutes.

You can buy a separate Disney Genie+ Lightening Lane for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at $15 per person, plus tax. This is a worthwhile investment if you’re a big Star Wars fan.

Aside from the rides, there are several interactive experiences inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Some of my favourites include:

• Oga’s Cantina
• Savi’s Workshop
• Droid Depot
• Bounty Hunting
• Photo ops

8:30 pm: Wonderful World of Animation

Your one day at Hollywood Studios ends with the Wonderful World of Animation show.

This show takes you on an incredible journey through 100 years of Disney and Pixar animation. Both start and end with the mouse that started it all, the one and only Mickey Mouse!

The show is a projection on the Chinese Theatre, home to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride. The location of the Chinese Theatre means that once the show has finished, you can turn around and walk straight up Hollywood Blvd to the park’s exit.