What are wait times like at Walt Disney World without Fast Passes? I recently compared wait times posted 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 going to Disney is worth it in current world conditions.
Only you can answer that question for your family, but if fewer people and short lines sound awesome to you, now might be the time to do it!
Disney World wait times
My family visited Disney World in August, about two weeks after it reopened. Crowd levels were minimal. The longest line we waited in was 40 minutes, and that was forstealth dog raceemhollywood studios.
Every other line we waited in was 20 minutes or less. We were able to do most tours multiple times a day even with reduced parking hours.
Take a look at our visit to Hollywood Studios in August below:
We had such a good time, despite all the changes, that we decided to come back again, Halloween week.
Disney World app wait times
As our second trip approached, I began to read reviews aboutFacebookyInstagramindicating that the days of short queues are long gone.
I started to panic because the last thing I wanted was to spend all day waiting in line because Fastpass+ service is not available.
My Disney Experience App
I also started to see a lot of comments saying that the wait times posted onMy Disney Experience Appare inflated and that the actual wait times are much shorter.
It made me feel a little better. I wanted to test this out for you, to see how the published wait times compare to the actual wait times.
Real wait times at Disney's Hollywood Studios
We chose to visit the busiest of all Disney World parks on Halloween 🤦🏼♀️ The reason for this was because we got a reservation forCena de Halloween de Minniefor 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.
stealth dog race
stealth dog raceIt is located in Toy Story Land and is usually one of the busiest attractions in the park.
after walkingMickey and Minnie Escape Railroad, Slinky was the first tour we took. We arrived at the entrance of the attraction about 20 minutes before the official opening of the park, so the waiting time was short.
Posted cooldown for Slinky Dog Dash: 15 minutes
Posted cooldown for Slinky Dog Dash
The wait time for the Slinky Dog was listed on the app and on the sign at the entrees as 15 minutes, not bad if you ask me.
RealCooldown time for Slinky Dog Dash: 11 minutes
Actual cooldown time for Slinky Dog Dash
In fact, there are some cute things to look at while you wait! By the time we got to the front of the queue and were able to board our actual wait time was 11 minutes.
After assembling the Slinky Dog, we had time to try and get into a boarding party forRise of Resistance. We got a spot in Group 3 which went on board immediately.
Toy Storymania!
After assembling Rise of the Resistance, we headed back to Toy Story Land to assembletoy story hobby. This tour is a 4D shooting game with the gang oftoys Storyand it's absolutely adorable!
Toy Storymania! Wait time posted: 40 minutes
Toy Story Mania app timeout!
This tour is generally 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 to Toy Story Land 😳) I thought it would actually be 40 minutes!
Toy Storymania!RealStandby time: 9 minutes
Real wait time for Toy Story Mania!
To my surprise, the queue moved very quickly. Instead of waiting for the stated waiting time of 40 minutes, the actual waiting time was 9 minutes!
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
My boys were begging to ride theTorre do TerrorSo that was our next stop. This tour takes you through the history of a haunted hotel in the 1930's. Guests will travel in an elevator-style car that will repeatedly raise and lower you.
Cooldown time posted on Tower of Terror: 45 minutes
Published wait time for Tower of Terror
The 45 minute wait time for the Tower of Terror was longer than I would have liked, but I knew we had to go in because it's a family favorite.
As we waited in line, it became clear that this experience was not going to be like our previous Toy Story Midway Mania experience.
Torre do TerrorRealStandby time: 53 minutes
The queue for the Tower of Terror started at the entrance to the Fantasmic! It looked like we were going pretty fast, until there was a technical difficulty.
Real waiting time for Tower of Terror
Not sure what the problem was, but the ride stalled 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 building the Tower of Terror, we went next door to buildRock 'N' Roller Coaster. This ride is a dark and fast roller coaster that you ride while listening to songs by the rock band Aerosmith.
This trip is great if you don't suffer from seasickness. I usually can't handle this ride so I decided to sit with my 6 year old who wasn't tall enough anyway.
Advertised wait time for Rock 'N' roller coaster: 50 minutes
While the rest of my family waited to ride, my son and I stopped for a Mickey Ice Cream Bar and a visit to the gift shop at the coaster exit.
Announced Wait Time for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Rock 'N' Roller CoasterRealStandby time: 38 minutes
The actual wait time for the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster was minutes faster than stated in the app.
Real wait time for the Rock 'n' Roller coaster
Star Tours – The adventures continue
After a short break for lunch, we head toStar Tours – The adventures continue. This is a 3D simulator attraction that takes you through awar of the galaxiesadventure every time you ride.
Waiting time published by Star Tours: 20 minutes
We were happy to see that the wait time posted for Star Tours was only 20 minutes! We quickly lined up to enjoy the attraction.
Star Tours actual wait time: 17 minutes
For this trip, the app came pretty close. Instead of waiting the listed 20 minutes, we only waited 17 minutes.
frozen corner celebration
We finished riding at Star Tours at 2:15 and had enough time to see thefrozen corner celebration.
If you want to see this cute show, arrive 20-30 minutes before show time. Due to social distancing, the number of people allowed is very limited.
There are also very few shows to see in general so it was definitely in high demand. I recommend watching it with your family if you can, it's really funny and cute!
Millennium Falcon: The Smuggler's Run
After reviewing the My Disney Experience app, we saw thatMillennium Falcon: The Smuggler's RunWe had a relatively short wait, so we headed there.
Millennium Falcon post waiting time: 40 minutes
As we got in line, we were advised that the ride would be closed for a short time for cleaning.
Millennium Falcon actual cooldown: 56 minutes
Closing for cleaning added 16 minutes to our wait time, but it was still worth it. we managed to get involved“Chewable mode”so it was fun!
alien record player
Our next stop was Toy Story Land for a walk aroundalien record player. This is a fun little tour that makes you feel like you're in the middle of Pizza Planet from the movie.toys Story.
Posted alien spinners Cooldown time: 15 minutes.
Getting in line for the ride, we could see right away that we wouldn't be waiting 15 minutes.
Alien Swirling Saucers Actual Wait Time: 2 minutes
We practically walked to the right on this hike. The 2 minutes we had to wait was because the tour needed to finish the group before us.
Toy Storymania!
Since we were back in Toy Story Land, we decided to go for a ride on Toy Story Mania! for the second time
Toy Storymania! Wait time posted: 20 minutes
This time the posted wait time was 20 minutes which was perfectly acceptable to us.
Toy Storymania! Actual standby time: 13 minutes
The wait was pretty close to the posted 20 minute time, but I was still glad we didn't wait that long.
Real wait time for Toy Story Mania!
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster e Tower of Terror
We had about 90 minutes until dinner reservations, so our group split up for the last ride of the day. Half were on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and half were on the Tower of Terror.
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror Advertised wait times: 50 minutes and 35 minutes
actual wait times
The actual cooldown time for Tower of Terror was 25 minutes and the real cooldown time for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster was 31 minutes.
Cena de Halloween de Minnie
We ended the day with dinner atCena de Halloween de Minnie. This was one of the first character dining experiences to reopen.
Dinner was ordered from a set menu rather than a buffet as is often the case at Hollywood & Vine.
Most of us ordered the Prime Rib, and I have to say, it was delicious!
It was also fun to see some of our favorite characters dressed up for Halloween.
The characters didn't come straight 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 this article helps you get an idea of what wait times are really like at Disney's Hollywood Studios without Fastpass+ service available.
Be sure to check out the waiting times at the Magic Kingdom,animal Kingdomand Epcot too!
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More Disney World tips:
- Disney World Monthly Guides
- Best Character Meal at Disney World
- Disney World Planning Tips