Waymark
Attraction Orlando — Walt Disney World, USA

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Coasters, Star Wars and a Show on the Water

One day through Disney's movie park — the Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, a full afternoon on Batuu in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, and Fantasmic! after dark.

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Coasters, Star Wars and a Show on the Water
Photo: Jedi94 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Duration
1 day
Distance
8 km
Difficulty
Easy
Best season
Year-round (best October–April)
Print day cards

Hollywood Studios is the smallest of the four Walt Disney World parks by walking distance and the most intense per square meter. What began as a movie-studio park has been rebuilt around immersive lands, and today it holds the strongest ride lineup on the property: the Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Slinky Dog Dash, and — inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge — Rise of the Resistance, the ride most Disney fans will tell you is the best thing the company has ever built.

That lineup is also the catch. A short walking day does not mean a short day: nearly everything here is a headliner, so the lines concentrate, and this park rewards planning more than any other Disney gate.

How the day flows. Be at the entrance before opening and choose a lane: either sprint to Rise of the Resistance and do Galaxy’s Edge before the land fills, or knock out Slinky Dog Dash and Toy Story Land first and save Batuu for the golden-hour evening, when the land’s lighting is at its best. Mid-morning, take the Sunset Boulevard pair — Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster — back to back. The middle of the day belongs to Echo Lake and the indoor stage shows, which are long, air-conditioned and exactly what 2pm in Florida calls for.

Good to know:

Tips & Insights for this route Planning this route? Read our practical tips before you go — 12 tips. Read the tips
Download waypoints (GPX) Points of interest in walking order — not a trail trace.

Day by day

DayDistanceAscentDescentWalking time
Day 1 Hardest dayBoulevards, Batuu and a burning lake
Distance8 kmAscentNot recordedDescentNot recordedWalking timeNot recorded

Flights on Kayak Car rental on Localrent Travel eSIM on Airalo

Day 1

Boulevards, Batuu and a burning lake

Hollywood Boulevard entrance → Fantasmic! amphitheater 8 km
Navigate this day Print day

From the Hollywood Boulevard rope drop through Sunset Boulevard, Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land and Echo Lake, finishing at Fantasmic!.

Segments

  1. Hollywood & Sunset Boulevards 1.5 km Map

    Park entrance → End of Sunset Boulevard

    Paved park streets

    The park opens onto a golden-age Hollywood streetscape, with Sunset Boulevard branching off toward the two classic thrill machines: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, the haunted-hotel drop ride whose randomized fall sequence still surprises veterans, and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, an indoor launch coaster that hits its top speed in seconds. Ride them back to back mid-morning before the waits stack up.

  2. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
    Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge 2 km Map

    Grand Avenue archway → Black Spire Outpost market

    Paved themed-land paths

    Fourteen acres of the planet Batuu, built with no visible Disney branding and a cast that stays in character. Rise of the Resistance is the headliner — a long, multi-system dark ride that many consider Disney's best — and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run puts six guests at the controls of the actual cockpit. Leave time to just wander: the market, the droids, the full-size Falcon parked in the square.

    About this place

    Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is a themed area inspired by the Star Wars franchise in Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, and Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. It encompasses 14 acres (5.7 ha) at each park, and is set in the village of Black Spire Outpost, on the remote frontier planet of Batuu, featuring attractions, shops, restaurants and entertainment based on elements of the fictional Star Wars universe.

    Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Jedi94 · CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. Toy Story Land
    Toy Story Land 1.5 km Map

    Galaxy's Edge border → Slinky Dog Dash exit

    Paved themed-land paths

    You shrink to toy size in Andy's backyard, where the scenery is built from giant blocks, board-game pieces and Christmas lights. Slinky Dog Dash is the land's family coaster and one of the most-queued rides in the park — a perfect first coaster with a double launch. Alien Swirling Saucers and Toy Story Mania's arcade shooter round out the land.

    About this place

    Toy Story Land is a themed land at Disney Adventure World, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, and Disney's Hollywood Studios. The area is based on Disney and Pixar's Toy Story franchise.

    Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Disney/Pixar · Public domain
  4. Echo Lake & Grand Avenue 1.5 km Map

    Toy Story Land → Echo Lake

    Paved park streets

    The middle of the park wraps around a small California-style lake. Star Tours is the motion-simulator flight through the Star Wars galaxy with randomized destinations, and the surrounding theaters run the park's indoor stage shows — long, seated and air-conditioned, which is exactly what the early afternoon calls for. Grand Avenue's brick streetscape is the park's quietest corner.

  5. Animation Courtyard & the Fantasmic! amphitheater 1.5 km Map

    Echo Lake → Fantasmic! amphitheater

    Paved park streets and amphitheater steps

    Animation Courtyard holds the character meet-and-greets and the gentler screen-based attractions — the natural late-afternoon zone with younger kids. Then the day funnels into the lakeside amphitheater for Fantasmic!, the nighttime spectacular that mixes live performers, boats, projections on water screens and fireworks. Arrive well before showtime; the middle sections fill first for a reason.

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