Hollywood Studios Fastpass Guide

Deciding what Fastpasses to get can be one of the more difficult decisions while planning a Walt Disney World vacation. There are absolutely rides that should take priority over others. There are rides that are going to have a line every day from the second the park opens until when it is closed. It is important to know which ones you should focus on.

Don’t forget to check out the fastpass guides for the other parks:

Hollywood Studios functions on a tier system. This means you can pick 1 fastpass from tier 1, and then 2 from tier 2.

As of February 19, 2020, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run will be included in Fastpass+!

Hollywood Studios Tier 1 Fastpass Attractions:

- Slinky Dog Dash
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Toy Story Mania!
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- Tower of Terror
- Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run – as of February 19, 2020

Hollywood Studios Tier 2 Fastpass Attractions:

- Star Tours – The Adventure Continues
- Voyage of The Little Mermaid
- Disney Junior Dance Party!
- Frozen Sing-Along Adventure
- Beauty and the Beast
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Fantasmic!

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and Rise of the Resistance are open, but it are not part of the Fastpass+ reservation system.

Which Tier 1 Fastpasses should I get at Hollywood Studios?

You should always select a tier 1 fastpass. The order for what to select at Hollywood Studios is:

1. Slinky Dog Dash
2. Toy Story Mania
3. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
4. Tower of Terror
5. Alien Swirling Saucers

Slinky Dog Dash is absolutely the hardest fastpass to get in Hollywood Studios. Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror are interchangeable for a recommendation if you cannot snag a Slinky Dog Dash fastpass.

The only one of the tier 1 fastpasses that you really don’t need is for Alien Swirling Saucers. The wait time for this is typically much less than the other four, even though it is newer.

Which Tier 2 Fastpasses should I get at Hollywood Studios?

Tier 2 choices are a bit different. There are a few that take priority and others that rarely need a fastpass ever. Those that rarely need a fastpass should never be reserved in advanced. You are wasting an advanced fastpass reservation on those rides. Attractions worth reserving in advance are:

1. Star Tours – The Adventure Continues
2. Muppet Vision 3D
3. Voyage of the Little Mermaid
4. Beauty and the Beast
5. Fantasmic!

There is one major reason was fastpassing Fantasmic! isn’t always a great idea. You cannot book additional fastpasses until you use your original three. Since the show is at the end of the park day, this means you’ll have to do standby for everything else. This isn’t an issue depending on the time of year you are going, or if you are planning on only being in the parks for half the day.

Disney changed the structure of fastpass in Hollywood Studios during the launch of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This means a lot of the tier 2 fastpasses are typically easy to get later in the day. The exception being Star Tours. That is still a popular attraction, although you will see minimal wait times sporadically with people heading straight to Galaxy’s Edge. Also important to note, Muppet Vision 3D tends to fill up a bit more since it is located at once of the entrances/exits to Galaxy’s Edge.

Which rides at Hollywood Studios never need Fastpass?

This is one of those “never say never” situations, but 99% of the time, you won’t need a fastpass for the following attractions:

1. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
2. Disney Junior Dance Party!
3. Frozen Sing-Along Adventure

There are a few exceptions to when you might consider using a Fastpass for these rides:

1. The week between Christmas and New Years. Everything is crowded and busy, even rides that are typically walk on attractions can get a line.
2. You don’t have thrill seekers in your party. Hollywood Studios is arguably the best park for thrill seekers, which means those who prefer a tamer ride can usually walk on the other attractions. If you don’t have any intention of riding the faster rides or your party isn’t tall enough to ride them, use them on whatever ride your family prefers. Please note: If you aren’t going to us fastpasses on the harder to get on rides, I suggest saving your fastpasses for a different park that day.
3. You are traveling with a child or children who love Disney Junior or Frozen and want to see their favorite characters comes to life.

Where are the FastPass+ Kiosk Locations at Hollywood Studios?

While most prefer to use My Disney Experience, you do not need a smartphone to make fastpass reservations in the park. You can sometimes make selections at the kiosks quicker and simpler than on your phone too! At the end of the park day, the app usually times out reservations, but more than once we have gone to a kiosk and were able to get a last minute fastpass! You’ll find the kiosks in Hollywood Studios at:

- Hollywood Boulevard, at the corner of Hollywood and Sunset
- Sunset Boulevard, between Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- Pixar Place, before you turn down the road for Toy Story Land

Tips for Hollywood Studios

Every Disney theme park operates slightly differently as far as finding the best “hacks” to make the most of your day. Here are some of the best tips and tricks for Hollywood Studios:

- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has a single rider line. They never guarantee that is faster than the regular standby line, but if it is usually a safe bet.
- Try to rope drop any Toy Story Land attractions you did not get a fastpass for. The order of difficulty for Toy Story Land rides is Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania, and Alien Swirling Saucers. That is the order you should attempt to ride the rides in.
- Don’t forget to schedule Slinky Dog Dash is currently the most difficult fastpass to get in any of the four theme parks. It will be easier to get a fastpass the later it is into your trip. This means, try and schedule your Hollywood Studio day toward the end of your trip, but schedule those fastpasses first.
- Slinky Dog Dash is an amazing ride during the day, but is even better at night. If you don’t have a fastpass for the evening, try to go during Fantasmic or the Star Wars Galatic Fireworks Show. As long as you are in line for a ride before the park closes, you can stay in line even when it does close, no matter how long the wait.
- If you want to see Fantasmic and want a guaranteed seat, but don’t want to use a fastpass on it, you can book a Fantasmic Dining Package instead. This is offered at Mama Melrose, Hollywood and Vine, and The Hollywood Brown Derby. The other option is to book the Fantasmic Dessert Party which will give you a special seating area and treats for the show!
- Hollywood Studios has the most thrill rides which means most of the rides also have height restrictions. Be sure to review the height requirements before you making fastpass reservations for your family.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and Rise of the Resistance are officially open in Walt Disney World! Neither of them are available to fastpass, however, Rise of the Resistance does function differently than any other attraction.

Once you get into Hollywood Studios, open your My Disney Experience app. You will want to join a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance. Please note, this does fill up. If you are not there in the morning, the chances of you being able to join a boarding group in the afternoon or evening are extremely limited.

You cannot get more than one boarding pass a day, per person anyway, for Rise of the Resistance. The virtual queue does not give return times. It gives you boarding numbers. You will receive a notification that it is time for your boarding group. If you do not have notifications on, you will have to chek your status on the app yourself.

A virtual queue for the land itself does exist, however, besides opening day, Disney hasn’t really had a need to use it. There is a chance with the holiday crowds approaching this could change.