This was our second visit to Walt Disney World, but our very first time exploring Disney’s Hollywood Studios. And I’ll admit, choosing this park wasn’t quite as straightforward as I had hoped.
With three kids aged 7, 5, and just 15 months, I wasn’t entirely convinced Hollywood Studios would be the right fit for our family.
After all, the park has a reputation for being geared toward slightly older kids, with some pretty thrilling rides. Would our 7-year-old enjoy the roller coasters, or would they be too scary? Would there be enough for our 5-year-old to do? And what about our toddler?
We went back and forth between Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, which initially seemed like the safer choice with little kids.
Spoiler alert: I’m SO glad we chose Hollywood Studios!
All three kids had an absolute blast, and we managed to fit in a surprising number of attractions. As it turns out, Hollywood Studios has a lot more to offer younger visitors than I had given it credit for.
So here’s how our day unfolded, including actual wait times, what we loved, and a few things I’d definitely do differently next time.
A little planning goes a long way (especially in June!)
We visited during the last week of June, which meant one thing: Florida was HOT. And humid. Very, very humid.
I knew going into this trip that keeping everyone comfortable would be just as important as figuring out which rides to prioritize. On top of being prepared with neck fans, cooling towels and the much-needed raincoat during that time of year, I also laid out a broad plan of alternating outdoor attractions with indoor shows and experiences whenever possible.
That way, we wouldn’t spend hours in the heat without getting a chance to cool down. I also kept a close eye on wait times in the My Disney Experience app throughout the day, so we could change plans whenever needed.
We decided to stay off Disney property this time and rented a small Airbnb in Kissimmee, about a 10-minute drive from Hollywood Studios. It worked really well for us, especially since we had our own car and could come and go on our own schedule.
And of course, we couldn’t head to Disney without getting everyone properly excited first! We had matching outfits for the kids, little Disney stickers on our nails, and plenty of excitement leading up to our park day. Because let’s be real, half the fun of Disney is the anticipation!
So let’s get into our day at Hollywood Studios (with time stamps):
9:00 AM — We’re off to Hollywood Studios!
After getting everyone dressed, fed, and ready for the day (which, with three kids, is already an accomplishment), we finally made our way to Hollywood Studios.
We arrived at the Disney World parking area around 9 AM and made our way toward the park entrance.
9:30 AM — Finally inside the park!
Was I hoping we’d be there a little earlier? Absolutely.
But between getting three kids ready, parking, unloading the car and trying to fit everything into stroller and my backpack (if you know, you know…)and actually making it through the entrance, 9:30 AM wasn’t too bad.
We were officially ready to get our Disney day started!
9:45 AM — First stop: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
We headed straight for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, one of the attractions I had been looking forward to most.
We entered the line at 9:45 AM and were on the ride by 10:15 AM, making it a pretty reasonable 30-minute wait.
And what a fun way to start the day! The ride is colorful, playful, and full of surprises, without being scary or overly intense. It’s also a great attraction for families with younger kids, since there’s no minimum height requirement. So even our 15-month old was in for the fun.
10:30 AM — Time to cool off with Frozen!
Next up was For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. And this is where my alternating-outdoor-and-indoor strategy really started paying off.
For the next 30 minutes, we got to sit in a beautifully air-conditioned theater, enjoy and sing along to some familiar Frozen songs, and give everyone a much-needed break from the Florida heat. The show was a hit with the kids, and honestly, sitting down in the AC for half an hour was a hit with the adults, too.
My tip: Don’t underestimate the indoor shows at Hollywood Studios! They’re genuinely fun experiences and an absolute lifesaver during the summer months.
11:30 AM — Slinky Dog Dash (and our biggest lesson of the day!)
After Frozen, we made our way over to Toy Story Land for one of the day’s most anticipated attractions: Slinky Dog Dash!
Our oldest daughter wasn’t too keen on riding a roller coaster, so we split up. My husband took her to explore another attraction in Toy Story Land while the rest of us headed for Slinky Dog Dash.
We got in line around 11:30 AM, with roughly 45 minutes of waiting ahead of us.
Now, here’s where things got a little interesting.
Toy Story Land is adorable, but standing in line in the Florida summer heat is no joke. And even though I had come prepared with water bottles, cooling towels, and portable fans, I made one pretty big mistake:
I left everything in the stroller.
I figured we’d be fine and wasn’t quite sure what to do with all our stuff once we got on the ride anyway.
Well, lesson learned!
The heat suddenly got to our 5-year-old, who started feeling faint and got sick while we were waiting. Definitely not the kind of Disney excitement we had planned for!
But this is also where we experienced a little Disney magic of a different kind.
The people around us were absolutely wonderful, immediately offering their cooling towels and fans to help her feel better. The Cast Members were equally amazing, bringing us water and making sure she was okay.
We stepped out of the line for about 10 minutes to give her a chance to cool down and recover. Thankfully, she bounced back quickly and was determined not to miss out on Slinky Dog Dash!
And thanks to the wonderful Cast Members, we didn’t even have to start the wait all over again. They kindly let us rejoin from the side once she was feeling better.
Honestly, moments like these remind me that sometimes the people you encounter are just as much a part of the Disney magic as the rides themselves. We were so grateful for everyone’s kindness!
My biggest takeaway: Bring your cooling essentials INTO the ride queues!
Don’t leave your water, cooling towels, or portable fans in the stroller. Even a 30–45-minute wait can be a lot in the Florida heat, especially for little kids. And if someone starts feeling unwell, don’t hesitate to step out of line and ask a Cast Member for help.
As for Slinky Dog Dash itself? Totally worth the excitement! Such a fun family coaster, with just the right amount of thrills.
By around 12:30 PM, we were finished and more than ready for our next adventure.
Or, more accurately, ready for FOOD.
1:00 PM — Lunch at The Hollywood Brown Derby (and a little trip back in time!)
After our eventful morning, we were more than ready for a proper lunch break. And The Hollywood Brown Derbyturned out to be a really good choice!
The restaurant has this lovely old Hollywood atmosphere, and after spending most of the morning outside in the Florida heat, sitting down in the air conditioning for a full hour was exactly what we needed.
The kids loved their special lemonades with glowing ice cubes, and even dessert came with a little Mickey-themed surprise.
And the prices? Well, nothing at Disney is exactly cheap, let’s be honest. But for Disney standards, I actually thought it was pretty reasonable for a nice sit-down restaurant.
The kids’ meals were around $15.00 including two sides and a drink, while adult entrées range from approximately $32–$59. Not exactly a bargain, but decent for a sit-down Disney dining experience.
But one of my favorite little moments happened after lunch.
The Hollywood Brown Derby has these old-fashioned, corded telephones, and my kids were absolutely fascinated by them.
They’ve literally grown up in a world of smartphones. We’ve never even had a landline at home, so the concept of picking up a phone attached to a cord was apparently quite the novelty.
And we weren’t the only parents giving our kids a little history lesson about how we used to make phone calls!
It was such a funny, unexpected little highlight, and we got some really cute pictures of the kids trying out the phones.
Little tip: If you eat at The Hollywood Brown Derby, take a few minutes to check out those old phones with your kids!
2:40 PM — Under the Sea with The Little Mermaid
After lunch, we headed pretty much straight to our next attraction: The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure.
This was another one of those experiences that worked really well for our family because everyone could enjoy it, including our 15-month-old.
The show brings Ariel’s story to life with music, colorful effects, and some familiar Disney characters.
It was cute, entertaining, and not overly scary for the little ones. And, once again, we got to enjoy a little more time indoors.
I was really starting to appreciate how many attractions Hollywood Studios has that give you a break from the heat without feeling like you’re just killing time between rides.
3:30 PM — Back to Toy Story Land for Alien Swirling Saucers!
Next, we headed back to Toy Story Land, where we discovered what would become one of the kids’ favorite attractions of the afternoon: Alien Swirling Saucers.
It’s a fun little spinning ride featuring the green aliens from Toy Story, and the best part was that the line was incredibly short!
So short, in fact, that we ended up riding it several times throughout the afternoon.
Sometimes it’s not the biggest or most exciting attractions that make the kids happiest. Sometimes it’s simply being able to get off a ride, turn around, and get right back on again.
And I certainly wasn’t going to complain about that!
4:00 PM — A little friendly competition at Toy Story Mania!
Around 4 PM, we headed to Toy Story Mania!, another attraction in Toy Story Land.
This one was a huge hit!
You sit in little ride vehicles and compete in a series of interactive carnival-style games, aiming at targets and collecting points along the way.
It’s basically a giant video game that you get to ride through.
And once again, the lines were surprisingly short.
One of the things I loved most about this afternoon was that we weren’t constantly rushing from one attraction to the next. We had already checked off most of our must-do rides, so we could just go wherever the kids wanted and take advantage of the shorter waits.
4:50 PM — One more spin with the aliens!
Before leaving Toy Story Land, we squeezed in another round of Alien Swirling Saucers.
Because apparently, once or twice just wasn’t enough!
By this point, I was really happy with how our day had unfolded. We had managed to fit in a good mix of rides, shows, and breaks, and the kids were still going strong.
So we decided to explore a part of the park I hadn’t originally planned much time for.
5:00 PM — Exploring Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
I’ll admit, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge wasn’t particularly high on my list when planning our Hollywood Studios day.
I had assumed most of the attractions would be geared toward older kids or adults, and with our three little ones, I wasn’t sure how much we’d actually get out of it.
But since we had already done most of the things on our list, we figured we’d take a walk around and see what there was to discover.
And I’m glad we did!
The entire area is incredibly detailed, and even if you’re not a huge Star Wars fan, it’s fun to walk through.
Of course, we had to stop for a family picture in front of the massive Millennium Falcon spaceship.
And then we decided to give the flight simulator a try.
5:15 PM — Flying the Millennium Falcon!
We headed to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, with a wait of only about 15 minutes. It’s a – the name giving it away – interactive Star Wars flight simulator where you get to pilot the famous spaceship, shoot weapons, or serve as an engineer while working together with your crew to complete a mission.
Our oldest daughter, who is generally not a fan of roller coasters and had been too nervous to ride Slinky Dog Dash, absolutely loved it!
Meanwhile, our 5-year-old, who is usually the more adventurous one, wasn’t nearly as impressed.
She made it through just fine, but let’s just say she wasn’t asking for a second round.
And I can totally relate to her hesitation? These flight simulators always make me a little motion sick, so I can’t say I was quite as enthusiastic as our oldest.
It was such a funny reminder that you really can’t predict which attractions your kids will enjoy based on whether they’re considered thrill-seekers or not.
My tip: Don’t automatically rule out attractions because you think your kids might not like them. Sometimes the biggest surprises turn out to be their favorites!
5:45 PM — Meeting Olaf (and the Florida skies opening up!)
After jumping off of Galaxy’s Edge (aka leaving Star Wars World), we made our way over to Celebrity Spotlight, so meet one of the girls most beloved frozen friends: Olaf!
And then, right on cue, Florida (…) it was time for one of its famous summer downpours. If you know Florida downpours, you know what I am talking about. It was coming down hard for about an hour.
The rain even brought down the nearby indoor activity we wanted to visit, and it had to shut down due to a power outage.
This is exactly why I don’t like scheduling every minute of a Disney day. Between the weather, wait times, occasional ride closures and just kids being kids, you just have to be ready to go with the flow. So we spontaneously changed plans:
After we found out how much she liked flight simulators, our oldest and I spontaneously headed to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, another Star Wars flight simulator located near Echo Lake. And, true to her newfound passion, she enjoyed that, too!
Early evening — Puddle jumping on Sunset Boulevard
Eventually, as the grand finale of the day, we made our way over to Sunset Boulevard, the area leading toward The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
And I have to say, I really loved this part of Hollywood Studios.
The whole street has this nostalgic, old-fashioned American Hollywood atmosphere, with cute souvenir shops, places to grab snacks, and plenty of little things to explore.
My husband and our au pair decided to ride The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, while I stayed with the kids.
We had originally planned to switch afterward so I could ride, too, but the wait times were getting too long. And honestly? We were having a pretty good time anyway.
We spent close to an hour just wandering up and down Sunset Boulevard, checking out the shops, grabbing treats, and watching the kids jump in puddles.
Sometimes you spend all this money on Disney tickets, plan out your favorite attractions, and the kids end up having the time of their lives jumping around in the rain.
But that’s exactly what I loved about this part of the day. Nobody was rushing, nobody was complaining about waiting in line, and everyone was just enjoying themselves.
8:57 PM — One last roller coaster (and one VERY long wait)
To finish off our day, our au pair and I decided to tackle Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
We had spotted a wait time of around 20 minutes, which seemed almost too good to pass up. But unfortunately, we were not the only ones who had spotted that opportunity…
You know that moment after a rainstorm when everyone suddenly comes out of hiding and heads straight for the rides? Well, that;s exactly what happened the moment we joined the line.
Even though the app was still showing a relatively short wait, the actual line was already getting longer. And longer. And longer.
Eventually, we decided to leave the regular queue and try the single-rider line instead.
If you’ve never used a single-rider line at Disney, here’s how it works: Instead of riding together with your group, you’re used to fill empty seats in ride vehicles. That means you might not sit next to the person you came with, but you can sometimes save a significant amount of waiting time.
Unfortunately, even the single-rider line didn’t save us this time. Between both queues, we ended up waiting around 90 minutes!
By the time we finally got on the ride at 8:57 PM, everyone was more than ready to call it a day.
My husband had been waiting with the kids the entire time, and they were absolute troopers. But after nearly 12 hours at the park, I think it’s fair to say we were all running on fumes.
We finally left Hollywood Studios around 9:30 PM, exhausted but happy.
And even thought the 90 minute wait was borderline torturous (more for my hubby with the kids than us in the line…) it was one of my all-time favorite coasters, so definitely worth a bit of a wait.
Our biggest takeaways: Hollywood Studios with little kids
Looking back, Hollywood Studios turned out to be one of our favorite Disney days. Here are the things I’d recommend to anyone planning a visit with younger kids:
1. Start early (or as early as your family realistically can). Ideally, arrive when the park opens. We never quite manage that with three kids, and that’s a trade-off we’re okay with. But aim to be there by 9 AM if possible.
2. Keep your plans flexible and watch the wait times. Have a few must-do attractions in mind, but be ready to change plans. Short wait-time windows can appear unexpectedly, especially around rainstorms. If you spot one, take advantage of it before everyone else does!
3. Split up when it makes sense. Not every child will enjoy every attraction. Our oldest wasn’t interested in Slinky Dog Dash, so we split up rather than having her wait around. Talk to your kids about what they’re comfortable riding before you go.
4. Bring your cooling essentials everywhere. Water bottles, fans, and cooling towels are absolute must-haves during the Florida summer. And whatever you do, don’t leave them all in the stroller when you get in line!
5. Spend the money on Disney’s Memory Maker! This was hands down one of my favorite purchases of our entire three-day Disney trip. For around $200, we could download all our professional Disney PhotoPass pictures, including character meet-and-greets and hilarious ride photos, over a 30-day period. Disney currently charges $185 when purchased at least three days in advance or $210 at the regular price. Considering how many pictures we took across multiple parks, it was worth every penny. You can also share eligible photos with linked family and friends.
6. Make restaurant reservations, especially for character dining. I don’t love planning every minute of our Disney days, but having a lunch reservation was a lifesaver. And if you’re hoping to book popular character experiences like Cinderella’s Royal Table at Magic Kingdom, make sure you’re ready when reservations open, generally 60 days in advance.
So, going back to our original hesitation of choosing Hollywood Studios over Animal Kingdom: Would I do it again? Absolutely!
We went into this day wondering whether Hollywood Studios would be too focused on thrill rides for our family. Instead, we were surprised by an amazing mix of attractions, shows, character experiences, and little surprises that kept everyone entertained.
And after almost 12 hours of Disney magic, three very tired kids, and a whole lot of memories, I can confidently say that choosing Hollywood Studios over Animal Kingdom was absolutely the right decision for our family.
Helpful Links:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/photopass
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/hollywood-studios