Hollywood Studios Vent

YoJDew

YoJDew

Member
Guys.

I'm trying to sketch out plans in advance so that I can be prepared to select my FPs at the stroke of midnight at the 60-day mark... and Hollywood Studios is giving me acid reflux. With a 3-year-old child, we could easily check this park off the list in one day, IF it wasn't for the stupid dumb-dumb fascist Tiered FP+ system. So basically, there are really only nine major things I/we want to do at Disney's Hollywood Studios:

Fantasmic
Aerosmith R&RC
Beauty and the Beast
Toy Story Midway Mania
Disney Jr.
Frozen Singalong
Muppets
Indiana Jones
Tower of Terror

In order to do all of those things without spending half of our day in line, we would need to go to Disney's Hollywood Studios on FOUR SEPARATE DAYS. That is stupid. I do not like this tiered system. It is dumb.

Possible solutions:
Pay $96,000 for a Fantasmic Dinner Package (hooray, we knocked off ONE day!)
Take our chances on Beauty and the Beast and possibly not be able to see anything
Single rider line for R&RC since I'm really the only one who wants to do that anyway

Making a mad dash to TSMM from rope drop is not an option. 3-year-old + Grandma = not so much on the running.

Thanks for listening to me vent.
dduckrage.gif
 
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Hakunamatata

Hakunamatata

Le Meh
Premium Member
YoJDew said:
Guys.

I'm trying to sketch out plans in advance so that I can be prepared to select my FPs at the stroke of midnight at the 60-day mark... and Hollywood Studios is giving me acid reflux. With a 3-year-old child, we could easily check this park off the list in one day, IF it wasn't for the stupid dumb-dumb fascist Tiered FP+ system. So basically, there are really only nine major things I/we want to do at Disney's Hollywood Studios:

Fantasmic
Aerosmith R&RC
Beauty and the Beast
Toy Story Midway Mania
Disney Jr.
Frozen Singalong
Muppets
Indiana Jones
Tower of Terror

In order to do all of those things without spending half of our day in line, we would need to go to Disney's Hollywood Studios on FOUR SEPARATE DAYS. That is stupid. I do not like this tiered system. It is dumb.

Possible solutions:
Pay $96,000 for a Fantasmic Dinner Package (hooray, we knocked off ONE day!)
Take our chances on Beauty and the Beast and possibly not be able to see anything
Single rider line for R&RC since I'm really the only one who wants to do that anyway

Making a mad dash to TSMM from rope drop is not an option. 3-year-old + Grandma = not so much on the running.

Thanks for listening to me vent.
dduckrage.gif
Click to expand...
Before FP you would spend all day in line. Guess it's a matter of perspective.
 
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CAPTAIN HOOK

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
YoJDew said:
In order to do all of those things without spending half of our day in line, we would need to go to Disney's Hollywood Studios on FOUR SEPARATE DAYS. That is stupid. I do not like this tiered system. It is dumb.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, but this is simply a load of rubbish.

From your post it looks like you're set on just walking up to each attraction and expecting to get on. NOBODY does that unless the park is closed off to everyone else.

You have listed 9 attractions that you want to do - 3 of these will be done with FP+ (minimal waiting time) leaving you 6 attractions to do in approximately 10 hours. That can be done easily (unless you're going New Years Eve).
 
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Tinkerkelle

Tinkerkelle

Well-Known Member
Are you going in busy season? Rope drop RnR then ToT as both so close together? That lets you FP+ TSMM as tier 1 and FP+ the two tier 2 shows that are most important/busy. Frozen would be one I'd FP+. Get food for dinner and eat it as you wait for Fantasmic to make that more bearable. Try for fourth FP+ - you never know? Plan out how you'll move round the park to at least keep walking to a minimum in the heat and have handy packs or drawing books for the little one to keep occupied with in line.
 
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YoJDew

YoJDew

Member
Original Poster
Ok I'm a little calmer now. The thing is... it's a bit more complicated than simply getting on nine rides in ten hours. In order to make it all the way to Fantasmic, my kid needs a nap in the middle of the day; so we are really looking at 3-4 hours in the morning and 3-4 hours in the evening. The suggestion above about R&R/ToT at rope drop is a good one; grandma could take the LO to Disney Jr while daddy and I do the scary rides, then we could all meet up for a FP at TSMM. Then FP Frozen Singalong and something else, take our chances with B&B and just brave the crowds at Fantasmic.

It's true, I do hope to more or less "walk on" to every ride. (By which I mean wait 10 min or less.) I'm traveling with an elderly mom and a 3-year-old so yeah, I'll try to avoid lines as much as I can, within reason. Which is why FPs are such a godsend. But when they tier them in such a way that you can only get one per day to the headliners, that kind of sucks. I stand by my opinion that the tiered FP system at DHS is dumb.
 
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Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
The tiered FP+ is frustrating, to be sure, but you do not need to visit on four separate days! You can get all of that done in one day, easily, plus a few other things that aren't on the list, if you wish.

Line up at least 30 minutes before rope drop, and as soon as the park opens, hit TSMM, Rock 'n Rollercoaster and ToT, in that order, in the standby line. It won't take you more than an hour. Plan the rest of your day around scheduled shows, making FP+ for your choice of the remaining attractions. If you don't have a FP+ for a show, get there at least 30 minutes beforehand.

Just to give you an idea of what can be done at HS on a day with crowds rated "5" out of 10 (obviously if they're higher during your visit, waits will each be a few minutes more), here's what my family did on our last visit to HS:

Rope Drop (regular 9am opening): TSMM, RnR, ToT, cupcake break, TSMM a second time (with FP+), Great Movie Ride, Star Tours (with FP+), browsing in Star Tours gift shop, Muppets 3D, Maleficent Preview at ABC Studios (now gone), Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, CS Lunch, Backlot Tour (now gone), Little Mermaid (with unnecessary FP+). We finished all of that and left the park before 2:00pm, to go back to our hotel for a nap/swim break.
 
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CAPTAIN HOOK

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
Weather_Lady said:
Rope Drop (regular 9am opening): TSMM, RnR, ToT, cupcake break, TSMM a second time (with FP+), Great Movie Ride, Star Tours (with FP+), browsing in Star Tours gift shop, Muppets 3D, Maleficent Preview at ABC Studios (now gone), Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, CS Lunch, Backlot Tour (now gone), Little Mermaid (with unnecessary FP+). We finished all of that and left the park before 2:00pm, to go back to our hotel for a nap/swim break.
Click to expand...
Just shows what can be done with a little planning and no venting or amateur dramatics
 
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C

ChrisHouston

New Member
I don't think this presents much problem. We have done this in the past.

Group A: all get TSMM
Group B: all get Frozen & ToT.

Gets you on ToT twice (assuming grandma doesn't ride).

You are going to have to wait in lines at some point. Aerosmith and B&B are only significant ones. The rest go pretty quickly.

Having to wait in some lines would happen under an untiered system or under old paper system also.
 
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BrianV

BrianV

Well-Known Member
YoJDew said:
Guys.

I'm trying to sketch out plans in advance so that I can be prepared to select my FPs at the stroke of midnight at the 60-day mark... and Hollywood Studios is giving me acid reflux. With a 3-year-old child, we could easily check this park off the list in one day, IF it wasn't for the stupid dumb-dumb fascist Tiered FP+ system. So basically, there are really only nine major things I/we want to do at Disney's Hollywood Studios:

Fantasmic
Aerosmith R&RC
Beauty and the Beast
Toy Story Midway Mania
Disney Jr.
Frozen Singalong
Muppets
Indiana Jones
Tower of Terror

In order to do all of those things without spending half of our day in line, we would need to go to Disney's Hollywood Studios on FOUR SEPARATE DAYS. That is stupid. I do not like this tiered system. It is dumb.

Possible solutions:
Pay $96,000 for a Fantasmic Dinner Package (hooray, we knocked off ONE day!)
Take our chances on Beauty and the Beast and possibly not be able to see anything
Single rider line for R&RC since I'm really the only one who wants to do that anyway

Making a mad dash to TSMM from rope drop is not an option. 3-year-old + Grandma = not so much on the running.

Thanks for listening to me vent.
dduckrage.gif
Click to expand...

Don't forget the honey I shrunk the kids playground. My kids used to love that. We've discovered that little kids enjoy things you wouldn't have noticed or expected.
 
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YoJDew

YoJDew

Member
Original Poster
ISTCNavigator57 said:
Will your 3-year old tolerate all of those shows? That's an issue we have with our sons. Too many shows at DHS and not enough rides for little ones.
Click to expand...

Oh my, yes! I mean, I *think* she will... This is a child who will sit rapt through the entirety of Maleficent and loves to watch classical ballet! True she is usually dancing around WHILE watching it, but... I don't suppose they let you dance in the aisles at the Disney Jr. show?
 
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ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
YoJDew said:
Oh my, yes! I mean, I *think* she will... This is a child who will sit rapt through the entirety of Maleficent and loves to watch classical ballet! True she is usually dancing around WHILE watching it, but... I don't suppose they let you dance in the aisles at the Disney Jr. show?
Click to expand...
They encourage dancing at Disney Junior! There aren't actually any seats. Our boys can't sit for five minutes of Winnie the Pooh haha. Every kid is different. I don't imagine there would be any issue with a child moving around for any of those shows other than maybe Indy.
 
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draybook

draybook

Well-Known Member
CAPTAIN HOOK said:
Just shows what can be done with a little planning and no venting or amateur dramatics
Click to expand...


This comment reminds me of the people that go onto random Facebook posts and say, "who cares"? Seriously, if the person is venting and you aren't going to be helpful but instead make a snide remark then why not just pass up the thread? It clearly says at the beginning of this thread that it's a vent. All of us here love Disney, but sometimes we get frustrated. Let them get it out and then when they're calm then perhaps offer helpful advice.

That being said, the FP tier structure at DHS is indeed very much garbage. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that there is a limited amount of things to do at that park. You'll spend some time waiting on that list, but I don't see a problem getting it done in one day. Hope it works out for you guys!
 
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Nemo14

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
Just my 2 cents worth of venting:
I find it so disturbing that waiting in line has become such a horrible thing to so many people. Our visits to WDW go back to the days before FP and yes, we waited in some lines back then, although we did our best to minimize wait times. But the waiting and the themeing in the queues set the stage for and heightened the anticipation of many of the rides and attractions. Visiting a park shouldn't be a marathon conquest of rides - that's what amusement parks are for. FP and FP+ have only served to encourage the mindset that you're some kind of failure if you don't conquer every ride, every attraction in the least amount of time possible. I'm sure the high price of tickets has a lot to do with it too - got the get your money's worth after all.
 
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YoJDew

YoJDew

Member
Original Poster
It's not about NOT waiting in lines, it's about MINIMIZING lines. There are entire websites devoted to this concept. Not sure why it's considered by some to be unacceptable or inappropriate to try to avoid standing in long lines whenever possible.

That said, some of my best childhood memories were formed while standing in line at various amusement parks, etc. So Nemo makes many valid points, and I'm certain that once we are there we will roll with it and enjoy no matter the length of line we end up in. Meanwhile, I'm a Virgo so imma PLAN.
 
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Otterhead

Otterhead

Well-Known Member
Don't forget that you get more FP+'s after you use your pre-booked ones.

The key with FP+ (just like the old system) is to balance what lines you can tolerate. Get Toy Story, Aerosmith, and Tower of Terror. Those are by far the longest lines. Pretty much everything else you listed is a walk-on. Unless you're there during the busiest time of the year, you absolutely do not need a FP for Muppets, Indiana Jones, or Beauty & the Beast. The Frozen Singalong... I can't comment to, because I've never done it.

The other note is that Rock & Roller Coaster has a handy single rider line. If you don't mind not riding together, you can easily get on R&RC in five to ten minutes.
 
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