Toy Story Land expansion announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

[JohnyKaz2078]

Looks like TSL hasn't done a very good job in keeping guests distracted from MK :O. You know that it's super busy when you see 50 minute wait for the Barnstormer and 85 minute wait for the Haunted Mansion.

Slinky and TSM currently sit at 85 minutes while the Aliens are at 35 minutes.

 

[discos]

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Looks like TSL hasn't done a very good job in keeping guests distracted from MK :O. You know that it's super busy when you see 50 minute wait for the Barnstormer and 85 minute wait for the Haunted Mansion.

Slinky and TSM currently sit at 85 minutes while the Aliens are at 35 minutes.

A storm just passed through the area and all the outdoor rides were temporarily down for over an hour, so those kinda wait times are very normal after a storm comes in. Everyone heads to the indoor rides during the storm causing those wait times to go up then once the storm passes and the outdoor rides reopen, everyone who had a fastpass for those rides while they were down, rushes back all at once.

 

[JohnyKaz2078]

A storm just passed through the area and all the outdoor rides were temporarily down for over an hour, so those kinda wait times are very normal after a storm comes in. Everyone heads to the indoor rides during the storm causing those wait times to go up then once the storm passes and the outdoor rides reopen, everyone who had a fastpass for those rides while they were down, rushes back all at once.

That's true but the waits have been the same all day for TSL.
Haunted Mansion by the way is now 95 minutes (!!!).
The longest wait in the park is SDMT with 3 hours.

 

[Bairstow]

Especially in a theme park that only has four other rides operating.

This is another glaring example to me that the TEA annual attendance numbers are wildly overstated for parks like DHS and DAK.

The vast majority of guests visiting multiple Disney parks for a long stay assume, with good reasoning, that the offerings at Disney's four Florida parks are roughly equal, with the Magic Kingdom standing out as special because it's the one with the castle. Having both Toy Story and Tower of Terror ensures that the park remains a "can't miss" activity for most visitors, even if the reality is that the place is still a half day park.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Me and my two friends got to visit Toy Story Land the day before it was supposed to open! Slinky Dog's line went all the way to the entrance and Alien Swirling Saucers was packed as well.

Interestingly enough, Toy Story Mania posted a 50 minute wait, but we got on in 10 minutes flat! Slinky Dog and Swirling Saucer's ride times were not posted anywhere on the app and we didn't bother to fight through the crowds to find out.

My review of the place.... It's alright. Heat wasn't a problem because it was a rainy day. But I mean... Yea. It was alright. That's all I really have to say about it. It did not go above or lower than my expectations. Just kinda.. Meh. I was more stoked about the fact that I was one of the first people to visit the land opened up to the general public! Never happened for me before!

I'm not incredibly impressed by this new land, but I'm not complaining. It detracted people from the rest of the park that day, leaving ToT and Star Tours with walk-on waits!

It was nice to see Mr. Potato Head back in action.

 

[WondersOfLife]

This is absolutely nuts. People are waiting over four hours for a small, naked, lightly-themed coaster because it has Disney branding. You want to wait three hours for FoP on opening day? I wouldn’t do it, but I completely understand the choice. But this?

This is the kind of fanatical “brand loyalty” that ensures that even when competition forces WDW to invest in the parks, execs know they can nix the door coaster and the RSR clone and the Indy ride and build a small bare coaster and a significantly worse version of Mater’s. They can even nix any and all air-conditioned structures. Because guests will form 270 minute lines for Slinky Dog Dash.

I completely agree. I was there for soft opening and I didn't wait for it even then when the line wasn't even more than probably 80 minutes.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The Fourth of July is not the day to compare parks. Most people would want to be in a park with Independence Day fireworks, i.e., MK and Epcot.

 

[Jeremy Geertsema]

It seems the music loop throughout the land is the same as Pixar Place and Toy Story Mania which is fantastic IMO. That music is soooo good...

 

[MrConbon]

@David2319 Mentioned Pandora and that's why I compared TSL and Pandora. SW:GE hasn't open yet, so we don't know .

Um no. Sorry to say you’re wrong. Star Wars is going to be the biggest thing since Harry Potter opened and it will be bigger than that. You seriously think Pandora was a bigger hit than Star Wars will be? You’re delusional.

 

[BrianLo]

Honestly, I weirdly see this rapid drop off as a good thing. The land is filler, it needs filler-like wait times, not 2 hours in an outdoor queue to ride a whip ride. If Slinky settles into peak 45 minute territory and A.S.S. 5-15 minutes like its California cousin... perfect!

 

[JohnyKaz2078]

Um no. Sorry to say you’re wrong. Star Wars is going to be the biggest thing since Harry Potter opened and it will be bigger than that. You seriously think Pandora was a bigger hit than Star Wars will be? You’re delusional.

Um, you're overreacting a little bit. Take a look at my post again and you'll see that I NEVER mentioned how small or how big SW:GE will be. The only think I said is that we don't know how popular it will be yet. @David2319 mentioned PANDORA that's why I compared TSL to PANDORA. Is to so difficult to understand @MrConbon? By the way no opinion is wrong here and I have a very clear sense of reality. So better keep your comments about "delusion" to yourself.

 

[Jon81uk]

The vast majority of guests visiting multiple Disney parks for a long stay assume, with good reasoning, that the offerings at Disney's four Florida parks are roughly equal, with the Magic Kingdom standing out as special because it's the one with the castle. Having both Toy Story and Tower of Terror ensures that the park remains a "can't miss" activity for most visitors, even if the reality is that the place is still a half day park.

Except for a first timer who hasn't seen the shows it is impossible to do the park in one day. Indiana Jones, Little Mermaid and Frozen shows plus all the rides and the Star Wars entertainment and Jedi training will fill a day.
The issue at DHS is for the people who have been going to the park for 20-30 years the Indiana Jones, Beauty & the Beast and Little Mermaid shows are old and really urgently need switching out.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Except for a first timer who hasn't seen the shows it is impossible to do the park in one day. Indiana Jones, Little Mermaid and Frozen shows plus all the rides and the Star Wars entertainment and Jedi training will fill a day.
The issue at DHS is for the people who have been going to the park for 20-30 years the Indiana Jones, Beauty & the Beast and Little Mermaid shows are old and really urgently need switching out.

And yet to those that aren't obsessed with Disney and going for the first time... it is a brand new experience. There are more of them at this point then there are of us. It's only old because, we personally, have seen it a lot. Perspective can be our friend.

 

[Jones14]

And yet to those that aren't obsessed with Disney and going for the first time... it is a brand new experience. There are more of them at this point then there are of us. It's only old because, we personally, have seen it a lot. Perspective can be our friend.

I’m inclined to disagree here. The shows feel old because they haven’t been maintained/upgraded, not because everyone’s seen them a million times. Even a first timer can see that the BatB costumes are worn out and the sets and lights are not up to 2018 standards.

It’s the same principle as rides: Peter Pan feels like it was built in 1971 in a bad way, but Haunted Mansion has a charming rather than an aged feeling. I’ve taken first-timers on both, and no one would believe me if I told them they were built at the same time. It’s all about routine maintenance and keeping things updated.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I’m inclined to disagree here. The shows feel old because they haven’t been maintained/upgraded, not because everyone’s seen them a million times. Even a first timer can see that the BatB costumes are worn out and the sets and lights are not up to 2018 standards.

I concur.

I love musical theater. When done well, I'll see the same show many times. I'll see FotLK every day of a week's vacation (which I do thanks to glomming daily FoP FPs). But DHS's Ariel and Belle? Nope. Not good musical theater. They have one or two highlights and the rest is a bore and with outdated SFX, costuming, and dancing. The MK castle daily stage show is more entertaining than these theatrical productions. Especially when you compare them to the mini-musicals that DL and the cruise ships have put on. These are embarrassments. WDW should feel bad that they still exist.

 

[wdwmagic]

REVIEW - Toy Story Land

 

[JohnD]

Good review. Yeah. It sounds like the lack of covered queues will be a problem. This is one area where I think they can take immersion too far. “Well, Andy would have just built the models.”

At IOA, I think the theming of Hogwarts Express suffered the same problem. I was caught in the rain in winding queue that went on and on. I can imagine JK Rowling putting her foot down. “There weren’t canopies in my train station. So none here either” Compared to the Kings Cross entrance at USR which is covered from the start because themed to Downtown London.

I hope that like what they eventually did with HM is put canopies over the queues, especially SDD.

 

[culturenthrills]

REVIEW - Toy Story Land

I liked the review. After experiencing the land in the morning, middle of the day and night. This land really shines at night. I don't think you emphasized enough how much better the land and both new rides are at night. Alien Swirling Saucers is way better at night thanks to the lighting package during each of the ride songs. Makes the ride way more fun than during the day. You did say SDD was better at night which it is. The lighting package on it just makes it more fun of a ride. The whole land is better at night and so far less busy. Really feel night is the best time to experience the land.

 

[rkleinlein]

When I saw the renderings and descriptions for the new land I was underwhelmed. It's basically a spinner and kiddie coaster. Nothing in the detailed and well-considered review or posts in this forum make me question my initial reaction. There are so many lost opportunities; so much more that might have been done with the idea of giant toys. We see some tinker toys and building blocks but not much else. An indoor kid-friendly restaurant, large gift store, and character meet and greet seem like no-brainers, and yet there are none. As with the Fantasyland expansion, Toy Story Land seems lackluster. And anticipating the greatness of Star Wars doesn't change that.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

REVIEW - Toy Story Land

Really excellent review. I like how you looked at things from the perspective of both the "Disney-detail" fans among us and the more typical/average guest who's less into parsing operational and design elements. What results is a review that strikes a nice balance of the positives and negatives of this land. Been said before but it bears repeating - it's content like this that makes WDWMagic the best site out there for news and discussion.

Look forward to seeing your food review!