Actual Disney World Wait Times: Hollywood Studios

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What are wait times actually like at Walt Disney World with no Fast Passes? I recently compared posted wait times on the My Disney Experience app to actual wait times at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

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Things at Walt Disney World have definitely changed this year.

 

With mask requirements, temperature checks, social distancing, and reduced entertainment, you might be wondering if it is even worth going to Disney with the current world conditions.

 

 

Only you can answer that question for your family, but if fewer people and short lines sound amazing to you, then right now may be the right time to go!

 

Disney World Wait Times

 

My family visited Disney World back in August, about two weeks after reopening. The crowd levels were very minimal. The longest line that we waited in was 40 minutes, and that was for Slinky Dog Dash at Hollywood Studios.

 

 

Every other line we waited in was 20 minutes or less. We were able to ride most rides multiple times a day, even with reduced park hours.

 

Check out our visit to Hollywood Studios in August below:

 

We had such a great time, even with all of the changes, that we decided to go back again, the week of Halloween.

 

Disney World App Wait Times

 

As our second trip began to get closer, I started reading comments on Facebook and Instagram indicating that the days of short lines were gone.

 

I started to panic because the last thing I wanted to do was spend all day waiting in line because Fastpass+ service is unavailable.

 

 

I also started to see many comments that said that the wait times posted in the My Disney Experience app are inflated, and that actual wait times are much shorter.

 

This made me feel a little better. I wanted to test this out for you, to see how posted wait times compared to actual wait times.

 

 

Actual Wait Times at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

 

We choose to visit the busiest of all Disney World Parks on Halloween 🤦🏼‍♀️ The reason for this was because we were able to score a reservation for Minnie’s Halloween Dine for dinner and thought it would be fun to see the characters dressed in their Halloween costumes!

 

Read all about my favorite Character Dining experiences at Disney World here.

 

Slinky Dog Dash

 

Slinky Dog Dash is located in Toy Story Land and is usually one of the busiest attractions in the park.

 

After riding Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Slinky was the first ride we went to. We arrived at the entrance of the ride about 20 minutes before the park officially opened, so the wait time was short.

 

Posted Wait Time for Slinky Dog Dash: 15 Minutes

 

The wait time for Slinky Dog was listed on the app and on the sign at the entrances as being 15 minutes, not too bad if you ask me.

 

Actual Wait Time for Slinky Dog Dash: 11 Minutes

 

There are actually quite a few cute things to look at while you wait! By the time we reached the front of the line and were able to board, our actual wait time was 11 minutes.

 

 

After riding Slinky Dog, we had time to try and get into a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance. We managed to get a spot in Group 3 which was boarding immediately.

Toy Story Mania!

 

 

After riding Rise of the Resistance, we headed back to Toy Story Land to ride Toy Story Mania. This ride is a 4D shooting game that features the gang from Toy Story and it is absolutely adorable!

 

Toy Story Mania! Posted Wait Time: 40 Minutes

 

 

This ride is typically very popular and can have an extremely long wait time. The Disney World app listed the wait time for Midway Mania as 40 minutes.

 

When we finally found the end of the line (near the entrance of Toy Story Land 😳 ) I believed that it would actually be 40 minutes!

 

Toy Story Mania! Actual Wait Time: 9 Minutes

 

To my surprise, the line went very quickly. Instead of waiting the listed time of 40 minutes, the actual wait time was 9 minutes!

 

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

 

My boys were begging to ride the Tower of Terror, so that was our next stop. This ride takes you through the story of a haunted hotel in the 1930s. Guests will ride in an elevator-style car that will lift and drop you, over and over again.

 

Tower of Terror Posted Wait Time: 45 Minutes

 

 

The wait time of 45 minutes for the Tower of Terror was longer than I would have liked, but I knew we needed to get it in, because it is a family favorite.

 

As we waited in line, it became clear that this experience would not be like our previous experience at Toy Story Midway Mania.

 

Tower of Terror Actual Wait Time: 53 Minutes

 

The line for Tower of Terror actually began in the entrance to Fantasmic! We seemed to be moving pretty quickly, until there was a technical difficulty.

 

 

I’m not exactly sure what the problem was, but the ride shut down for a few minutes. By the time we were at the front ready to board, we had waited 50 minutes.

 

Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster 

 

When we finished riding Tower of Terror, we headed next door to ride Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster. This ride is a dark, fast roller coaster that you ride while listening to songs by the rock band Aerosmith.

 

 

This ride is great, if you don’t suffer from motion sickness. I usually cannot handle this ride so I decided to sit this one out with my 6 year old, who wasn’t quite tall enough anyway.

 

Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster Posted Wait Time: 50 Minutes

 

While the rest of my family waited to ride, my son and I stopped to enjoy a Mickey Ice Cream Bar and visit the gift shop at the exit of the roller coaster.

 

 

Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster Actual Wait Time: 38 Minutes

 

The actual wait time for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was minutes faster than what was listed in the app.

 

 

Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

 

After a quick lunch break, we headed over to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. This is a 3D simulator attraction that takes you through a different Star Wars adventure each time you ride.

 

 

Star Tours Posted Wait Time: 20 Minutes

 

We were happy to see that the posted wait time for Star Tours was only 20 minutes! We quickly hopped in line to enjoy the attraction.

 

 

Star Tours Actual Wait Time: 17 minutes

 

For this ride, the app was actually pretty close. Instead of waiting the listed 20 minutes, we waited only 17 minutes.

 

 

Frozen Sing-Along Celebration

 

We finished riding Star Tours at 2:15 and had just enough time to make it to see the Frozen Sing-Along Celebration.

 

 

If you want to see this cute show, make sure to arrive 20-30 minutes before show time. Because of social distancing, the amount of people allowed in is very limited.

 

 

There are also very few shows to see in general, so this was was definitely in high demand. I recommend seeing it with your family if you can, it is really fun and cute!

 

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run

 

After checking the My Disney Experience App, we saw that Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run had a relatively short wait, so we headed over there.

 

 

Millennium Falcon Posted Wait Time: 40 Minutes

 

As soon as we entered the queue, there was an announcement that the ride would close for a short time for cleaning.

 

 

Millennium Falcon Actual Wait Time: 56 minutes

 

The closure for cleaning actually added 16 minutes to our wait time, but it was still worth it. We managed to engage “Chewy Mode” so that was fun!

 

 

Alien Swirling Saucers

 

Our next stop was back in Toy Story Land to ride Alien Swirling Saucers. This is a fun little ride that makes you feel like you are right in the middle of Pizza Planet from the movie Toy Story.

 

 

Alien Swirling Saucers Posted Wait Time: 15 Minutes.

 

When entering the line for the ride, we could immediately see that we would not be waiting for 15 minutes. 

 

 

Alien Swirling Saucers Actual Wait Time: 2 Minutes

 

We pretty much walked right on this ride. The 2 minutes that we had to wait were due the the ride needing to finish the group before us.

 

 

Toy Story Mania!

 

Since we were back in Toy Story Land, we decided to ride Toy Story Mania! for a second time.

 

Toy Story Mania! Posted Wait Time: 20 Minutes

 

This time, the posted wait time was 20 minutes which was perfectly acceptable to us.

 

 

Toy Story Mania! Actual Wait Time: 13 Minutes

 

The wait was pretty close to the 20 minute time that was posted, but I was still happy that we didn’t wait that long.

 

 

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster & Tower of Terror

 

We had about 90 minutes until our dinner reservation, so our group split up for the final ride of the day. Half went on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and the other half went on Tower of Terror.

 

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster & Tower of Terror Posted Wait Times: 50 Minutes & 35 Minutes

 

 

Actual Wait Times

 

Tower of Terror’s actual wait time was 25 minutes and the actual wait time for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was 31 minutes.

 

 

Minnie’s Halloween Dine

 

We finished up our day with dinner at Minnie’s Halloween Dine. This was one of the first character meal experiences to reopen.

 

 

Dinner was ordered from a pre-fixe menu instead of buffet-style like it usually is at Hollywood & Vine. 

 

Most of us ordered the Prime Rib, and I have to say that it was delicious!

 

 

It was also fun to see some of our favorite characters dressed up in their Halloween costumes.

 

The characters did not come right up to the table, but they were still able to interact with the kids, which was fun.

 

I also have to mention that the S’mores dessert was absolutely amazing!

 

 

I hope that this article helps you get an idea of what wait times are actually like at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with not Fastpass + service available.

 

Make sure to check out what wait times are like at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot as well!

 

More Disney World Tips:

 

• Month by Month Guides to Disney World
• Best Character Meals at Disney World
• Disney World Planning Tips

 

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