(finally!) opens in Walt Disney World this month (August 29!), and if you are planning to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the early days of Black Spire Outpost, you’re likely sitting on some FastPass+ reservations or trying to figure out what to select.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
With the announcement that Hollywood Studios will change to a tiered FastPass system on August 29 (of course) and knowing that Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run won’t utilize FastPass in the land’s initial opening period, it’s trickier than ever to know what to do.
UPDATE: Hollywood Studios’ FastPass Tiers have changed. Click here to see the most up-to-date Tiers.
Here we’ll discuss the FastPass system at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and how Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will impact your plans.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney World
Tiered FastPass at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Like Epcot and Animal Kingdom before it, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a tiered FastPass system that will expand on August 29, which means many of you with late-summer travel plans will already have made some tough decisions — and possibly encountered some deep frustration — if our DFB comments are any indication.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios FastPass+ Tiers
That’s because all of Hollywood Studios’ E-Ticket-level rides are now clustered in Tier 1, meaning guests can only select a FastPass for one of them (and will choose Tier 2 attractions for the Park day’s other two FastPass reservations). Tier 1 rides when Galaxy’s Edge opens are Toy Story Mania!, Slinky Dog Dash, Alien Swirling Saucers, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
Hollywood Tower of Terror
The tiered FastPass system prevents guests from reserving a FastPass for more than one of the Park’s most popular rides and, as a result, strives to spread guests out a little more evenly over the Tier 2 attractions as well. But it may mean more time in queue for those who are used to maximizing the FastPass system to avoid long waits.
Slinky Dog Dash
Impact of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on FastPass+
When Galaxy’s Edge opens, only one of the land’s headliner attractions will open with it: Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Black Spire Outpost’s second attraction, Rise of the Resistance, will open on December 5, 2019. (It won’t open until January 17, 2020, in Disneyland Park.)
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
When Disney World’s Galaxy’s Edge opens later this month, Millennium Falcon will not use the FastPass system. (We expect the ride will use a single rider line, however, so keep that in mind if it helps you navigate the queue more efficiently.)
Queue up at Millennium Falcon!
What this means for your Hollywood Studios FastPass plans is that you’ll want to time strategically your Park FastPasses. And we’ve got some great tips for you to do that:
If you plan to rope drop the Park (don’t forget that Hollywood Studios will offer extra Extra Magic Hours from 6-9AM on September 1 through November 2, and the Park will open to all guests at 6AM on August 29 to August 31), plan your FastPasses for later in the day (think noon or later). This way you’ll finish with Millennium Falcon (and anything else you can experience in Black Spire Outpost) before you need to leave the land for your FastPasses. And don’t forget: once you complete your three FastPass+ reservations, you can immediately search for a fourth, “on-the-fly” FastPass in any Tier (and then a fifth, a sixth, and so on as you complete each fastpass)! On lucky low-crowd days, this may help you to score a second, third, or more Tier 1 FastPasses.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Disneyland Park
If you’re more of a night owl, you’ll want to schedule your FastPasses for earlier in the day, and try to cluster them so you can take advantage of those on-the-fly FastPasses, too. Also remember that if you’re in line when the Park closes, you’ll still be allowed to ride, so burning that midnight (or 10 or 11PM) oil might work in your favor with Millennium Falcon. (Just note that if the land closes due to capacity, there may be a prohibitively long line just to enter the line later in the day!)
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at NIGHT in Disneyland
We do expect that FastPass+ will eventually be activated for both Millennium Falcon and Rise of the Resistance (we’ve even spotted signage for FastPass at the entrance of Rise of the Resistance), and that will further throw a wrench into the FastPass planning at Hollywood Studios. But until that day, we’ll be doing our best to keep you posted on how the Tier 1 and 2 system expansion shakes out and Galaxy’s Edge opens to the masses!
Want MORE Details About Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge?
Click HERE for All the News About Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge — Including Our REVIEWS!
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What do you think about the FastPass Tiers system? What would you lock down with your Tier 1 reservation? Let us know in the comments!
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Couldn’t even get a slinky dog fast pass for my trip. Disappointing. They should have made Tower of Terror and Aerosmith a tier 2. I was seriously reconsidering booking any fast passes at the studios. I have no interest in Star Wars and will not even enter that part of the park. I guess it will be an early morning for me on October 9th so I can ride slinky for the first time. It’s disappointing that you have to waste 2 fast passes for a chance to fast pass a top tier ride at this park.
Actually, I like this move as it will make SDD more accessible rather than basically a 75-95 min wait for the entire day!
Disappointed the way park is putting rides in tiers and disappointed in fast pass procedures. What spend more in park hoppers if you cannot do fast pass in morning at one and another in afternoon at different park
I really don’t like the new tiers, either. I really wanted to book one for Slinky Dog or Toy Story Mania and one for Tower of Terror, but now I’m forced to go with only one when my FP+ time opens up.
We are in wdw from Xmas eve through to Jan 3rd. We miss out on the extra extra magic hours, we are hoping they have a hard ticket extra magic hours event. What are the chances?
Craig, we’ll keep an eye on this! Hopefully they’ll announce plans for after the Extra Extra Magic Hours as it gets closer!
Craig, this news just broke this morning: new dates added!
Thanks Sarah,
Unfortunately we miss the events by a few days either side of our trip ?.
Hopefully the will announce something for Hollywood Studios soon. Maybe they are waiting to see what the crowds are like in Galaxys Edge ?
How does anyone even plan for DHS? SO frustrated. Makes me want to just skip it next trip. I think they have made it back to basically the before Fastpass time where you spend all day on 3 rides
I wonder if any of the execs ever walk around the parks, the way Walt did. So many people just sitting and standing around in little groups, sweating and looking at their phones, waiting for their next activity. I don’t think that was the vision for Walt. As for Disney now, I’m sure it was just about trying to push people into the shops. I don’t think they care about guest experience any longer.
The solution is to stay club level and purchase the extra fastpass privilege. (Ninety days ahead.)
My family and I were able to fast pass Slinky Dog attraction when TSL first opened.
My solution was to schedule the ride I REALLY wanted (Flight of Passage) to be the last full day of my trip. That way, my 60 day window would really be about 67 days for that park’s schedule. It allowed me to get FoP, and even within the first two hours of park open. I made HS the day before that, allowing me to get SDD. The first day I set as Magic kingdom since I’m not as interested in getting 7 Dwarfs Mine train as I am in the other rides. As it turns out, though, I did get a Mine Train FP, so, YAY!
I agree with you both, though, Twilight Zone and Rock n Roller Coaster really should be Tier 2 rides.
So the solution is to be rich 🤣.
Private VIP tour would also be a solution…
I am trying to reserve my fast pass selections for Oct. 14th. I am having difficulty. I only scheduled 1 attraction, The Galaxy’s Edge. I keep going in a circle. Which site actually will allow me to schedule Tower of Terror & I can’t remember the total line up of tier 2, but I think it was another sci-fi offering.
Where & How do I schedule a FAST PASS?
Marie, FastPass has been suspended for now. But when it’s available, you book them in My Disney Experience.
Marie, you can’t schedule FastPass+ for now.