Disney World Hollywood Studios 2026 Review

Disclosure

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We chose Hollywood Studios as our first park, as we read online that they have exclusive metal Batuuan Spira gift cards. They are only sold in $100 amounts, and you have to pay an extra $5 for the metal coin, which you get to keep as a souvenir. The gift cards can be used in the parks on merch and food, so if you're a Star Wars fan or just want a cool coin to remember your trip, I recommend stopping by the Droid Depot to pick up one or more before shopping the parks. 

While the Spira gift card was one of our goals, it was not the first thing we did at rope drop (when the park opens for early entry). Unless you can frequent the parks, the best strategy is to hit the popular rides first, so I'll start out by listing the rides we did and which ones were our favorites.

Rides

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

We had originally planned on starting with Rise of the Resistance, but to our dismay, it was delayed! So we went to Smugglers Run first, which worked out for the best. It was our 9-year-old's first ride at Disney, and she was not a fan. I was able to tolerate it, but I wouldn't ride it again. My husband thought it was alright, and he would later make it onto Rise of the Resistance. 

For our child, it was too fast and unnerving. For me, it was too much motion (even with Dramamine!). This was a good test ride for future simulators though, and our child decided against doing some other rides like Avatar Flight of Passage, which was originally on her to-do list. 

At rope drop, this ride had about a 15-minute wait, but it didn't feel very long. 

Rise of the Resistance

This ride remained delayed until around 4 PM, which was about when we headed back to the park after an afternoon hotel break. My husband got in line, and then it was delayed again, but he remained in line and finally got on the ride. He said the two-hour wait was worth it.

While we were unable to rope drop due to the ride being down, I would recommend rope dropping this one if you can; otherwise, wait times were around 80-100 minutes. 

Star Tours

When we went years ago, I remember this having quite the wait. This ride is now a walk-on. I never saw it go past the 5-minute wait time when we were there. My husband did it once, but he said it wasn't worth going again. 

I think our child could have handled this one if it had been her first ride, but after Smuggler's Run, she refused to do anything Star Wars.

Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway

This was the only other ride I was able to convince our 9-year-old to go on with us. She actually enjoyed it! She would do it again, but it was still too much motion for me. 

This ride has long wait times all day (45-60 minutes), so I would recommend rope dropping if not doing Star Wars, or skip the 9 PM Fantasmic show and hop on the ride. The wait time dropped to 10 minutes at 9 PM. 

Shows

For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration

We saw this show when our child was a baby, so I was excited they were still doing it now that she is nine. The Royal Historians of Arendelle (comedians), were great and, of course, we enjoyed singing along to the songs. Elsa also still makes it snow at the end, which is always a hit. 

The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure

This new show replaced the Voyage of The Little Mermaid, but if you've seen Voyage of The Little Mermaid, it will feel oddly familiar because they kept many similiar elements. It's still a great show, and I would watch it again.

Vacation Fun at Mickey Shorts Theater

This is a short film, about 11 minutes, and was just a way for us to sit down in the AC. My child thought the show was funny, but if you have other things to do in the park, I would recommend skipping. 

Fantasmic! 

Based on online comments, we chose to skip the first showing at 9 PM and went to the second showing at 10:30 PM. There was plenty of room for the 10:30 PM show, so we got good seats and used that extra hour to hop on Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway and shop. 

Fantasmic doesn't always have a second showing, so make sure to check the schedule.

 

Characters

Stitch

If you are a Disney Visa Card holder, there is a special area where you can meet Stitch. This was probably the easiest experience for us, as there was no line and we just walked right in. 

Mulan

We ran into Mulan by chance, and she took a photo with us. This is not a meet-and-greet, so the characters don't have to sign or take photos, but can if they wish.

Rapunzel

Rapunzel also makes character appearances, but unlike Mulan, she was sitting down and talking to children, so we weren't able to get a photo with her. But again, this isn't a meet-and-greet area, so if you want a photo with Rapunzel, your best chance is to get lucky with her being a visiting princess in Magic Kingdom.

Bitsy 

There is a traditional meet-and-greet with Bitsy from Super Kitties available. The line wasn't too long for her, and she is our child's favorite Super Kitty, so it worked out perfectly. 

Disney Characters

Other Disney characters were out and about interacting with kids. We didn't see any of them taking photos or signing autographs, but they may do so from time to time. Our child played "red light, green light" with Goofy. We saw Chip & Dale running around too. 

Star Wars Characters

We didn't stop for photos, but there were several Star Wars characters you could talk to and get pictures with. We saw Rey and the Mandalorian with Grogu walking around, talking to others, and taking pictures. There are also special meeting spots for Chewy and Darth Vader. 

Food & Drinks

Note: We had the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan, so all the places we ate at accepted the plan. 

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo

If you're a Star Wars fan, this restaurant has all the vibes. Our child found the decor creepy and would not eat here again, so it may scare some children. 

I had the Sweet Puffer Pig Ribs with Portion Bread, and my child had the Fried Chicken Tip Yip Youngling Meal. I found the food to be subpar, and my child didn't like her chicken or mac and cheese (which she usually likes). 

We also tried the Black Spire Mousse. It was alright, but way too fruity for our liking. However, the Takodana Quencher (alcohol) was very good, and I would have it again. 

Ronto Roasters

My husband went next door to try a Ronto Wrap and Malastare Margarita (alcohol) from Ronto Roasters. He said it was very good. 

ABC Commissary

For dinner, we ate at the ABC Commissary. I had the Mediterranean Salad with Chicken and my child had the Shrimp Bowl. 

It was probably one of the best salads I ate. The hummus it came with tasted weird, but I would get the meal again just for the salad. My child liked her shrimp, but did not care for the Mexican Rice (I ate some, and it did have some spice to it, but it's not bad). 

I also had the Strawberry Lemonade Slushy, which was delicious, and we later tried their Raspberry-Pistachio Cheesecake, which was much better than the Black Spire Mousse, but it's not something I would get again. 

In Summary

Highlights:

Rise of the Resistance

Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway

Fantasmic!

ABC Commissary - Mediterranean Salad with Chicken

Disappointments:

Delayed opening of Rise of the Resistance (luckily he still got on!)

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo