Easy Guide to Hollywood Studios

Learn everything you need to know before enjoying a day at Hollywood Studios!

Virtual Queue & Lightning Lanes

Virtual Queue

There are no virtual queues available at Hollywood Studios.

Genie Plus & Lightning Lanes

Genie Plus retired as of July 23, 2024.

Lightning Lanes can be purchased through the My Disney Experience App, so you can go through the line more quickly than the standby line. Prices vary depending on the theme park and time of year. If you are park hopping, you can buy the multi pass for the first park you will be visiting. Walt Disney World Resort guests can book 3 lightning lanes 7 days in advance for the duration of your visit, and all other off site guests can book 3 lightning lanes 3 days ahead.

One Tier 1 attraction can be booked ahead of time:

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Slinky Dog Dash

Two Tier 2 attractions can be booked ahead of time:

Alien Swirling Saucers
Beauty and the Beast
Disney Junior Play & Dance!
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Muppet*Vision 3D
Star Tours - The Adventures Continue
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Toy Story Mania!

STEP 1: After you use your first Lightning Lane, you can book another Lightning Lane from either Tier 1 or Tier 2 in any park.

STEP 2: Repeat. Repeat. Etc.

Single Pass Lightning Lanes

There are some lightning lanes that you can purchase individually. Multi Pass and Single Pass Lightning Lanes are two separate purchases. You can purchase one without the other. You can only buy up to two Single Pass Lightning Lanes per day and only one per ride.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Single Pass Lightning Lanes can be purchased at Magic Kingdom.

All Walt Disney World Resort guests as well as guests staying at Shades of Green and Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels can purchase Single Pass Lightning Lanes 7 days ahead of check-in starting at 7 A.M. EST. Single Pass Lightning Lanes can be planned for the duration of your stay (up to 14 days).

All other guests can book their Single Pass Lightning Lanes 3 days ahead of their visit starting at 7 A.M. EST.

Typical Park Hours

Hollywood Studios will either open at 8:30 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. Depending on the time of year and the crowd levels, the park will close at 9:00, 9:30, or 10:00 p.m.

Early Entry time starts at either 8:00 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. The gates will open up at 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. for Early Entry guests.

In 2023, there were nights in September and October when Hollywood Studios Extended Evening Hours replaced Magic Kingdom Extended Evening Hours. Typically, these hours would be 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

From November to December, there are select evenings for Jollywood Nights, a holiday party that debuted in 2023. On these nights, the park closes at 8:00 p.m. Fantasmic! will still occur for regular day guests.

Disney lists park hours as early as 70 days ahead on the My Disney Experience App. HOWEVER, the finalized the park hours are updated two full weeks ahead. When planning, finalize your itinerary 1-2 weeks before your trip with the updated park schedule.

Example: The day you visit Hollywood Studios, the posted hours are 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Transportation starts: 6:30/7:00 a.m.

Main Gates open: 7:30 a.m.

Early Entry: 8:00 a.m.

Park Opens: 8:30 a.m.

Park Closes: 10:00 p.m.

How To Get To Hollywood Studios

Transportation options vary depending on where you're staying:

Walt Disney World Resorts

If you're staying at a Walt Disney World Resort or Swan and Dolphin Hotels, there are many modes of transportation available for guests.

The Skyliner is the newest transportation option for Hollywood Studios:

1. Art of Animation Resort

2. Caribbean Beach Resort

3. Pop Century Resort

4. Riviera Resort

5. Yacht & Beach Club Resorts & Beach Club Villas

6. Boardwalk Inn & Villas

7. Swan & Dolphin Hotels & Swan Reserve

8. EPCOT

Water taxis run to Hollywood Studios from resorts along Crescent Lake. You can also use the walking paths from these resorts:

1. Yacht & Beach Club Resorts & Beach Club Villas

2. Boardwalk Inn & Villas

3. Swan and Dolphin Hotels & Swan Reserve

4. EPCOT

Buses transport guests from the rest of the on-site resorts:

All-Star Resorts
Animal Kingdom Lodge & Villas
Contemporary Resort & Bay Lake Tower
Fort Wilderness Campgrounds & Cabins
Grand Floridian Resort & Villas
Old Key West Resort
Polynesian Village Resort & Villas
Port Orleans French Quarter Resort
Port Orleans Riverside Resort
Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Wilderness Lodge & Copper Creek Villas & Cabins & Boulder Ridge Villas

*The Disney World website states that all transportation options start operating 45 minutes prior to theme park opening. However, there are many reports of transportation much earlier (up to 90 minutes before early entry). If your goal is to go to early entry, make sure you leave your hotel room 60-90 minutes before early entry time!

Off Property Hotels & Rentals

If you decided to stay off property, make sure to check to see if your hotel has a shuttle option to Hollywood Studios. All hotels have different transportation schedules, so it is important to look for this information on the hotel website.

Early Entry

Early Entry Attractions open 30 minutes before official park open. All Walt Disney World Resort guests have access to early entry benefits as well as the following hotels:

Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
B Resort & Spa Lake Buena Vista
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista
Four Seasons Resort Orlando
Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
Holiday Inn Orlando
Shades of Green on Walt Disney World Resort
Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
Waldorf Astoria Orlando
Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista
Wyndham Lake Buena Vista

*Make sure to check shuttle times so you can make early entry time.

Guests will be allowed into the park 30 minutes before Early Entry begins. You will be able to line up at an early attraction. Sometimes, rides will start before the posted Early Entry time. No Lightning Lanes will be available during this time.

Here are the attractions open during Early Entry:

Alien Swirling Saucers
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Slinky Dog Dash
Star Tours - The Adventures Continue
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Toy Story Mania!

Dining Open during Early Entry:

Anaheim Produce
Fairfax Fare (by Tower of Terror & Rock n Roller Coaster)
Hollywood & Vine*
Ice Cold Hydraulics (Grand Avenue before Star Wars Land entrance)
Ronto Roasters (Star Wars Land)

*Hollywood & Vine opens at 8:30 a.m. which may or may not be during Early Entry and requires a dining reservation.