Being a Disney Adult certainly has its perks, but what happens when your fellow adults start doing things that are out of control?!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
We’re constantly trying to hack Disney World between its pricing, menus, souvenirs, and more. Disney Adults are die-hard Disney fans who will do just about anything to put their years of training, planning, and researching to good use. While most of the time, those come with good intentions, we’re learning that sometimes the plan on paper is better than when it’s put into action.
Disney Adults could probably take on the Disney World parks blindfolded and with their hands tied behind their backs and still find a way to beat you at Toy Story Mania every single ride — they’ve just done the hard work to know all the ins and outs of the parks. But, as they say, all magic comes with a price, and sometimes these Disney World hacks result in some unintended consequences.
Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land
We’ve rounded up a list of Disney Adult hacks we’ve seen most recently used at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to help these consequences keep from getting too out of control.
Rope Dropping Rise of the Resistance
“We’re all in this together…” no seriously, it’s truly as if everyone that entered the park with us at rope drop beelined it straight for arguably the most popular ride in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Crowds at rope drop in Hollywood Studios
It’s exciting to plan out your day in whatever order you want to get everything accomplished, but when everyone that’s waiting for the clock to strike opening hour heads straight for the same ride, chaos probably isn’t too far behind. Disney Adults are notorious for wanting to show off their incredible knowledge of how quickly they can get through some of the park’s highest wait times, and while rope drop is a good plan, we’ve got a few alternatives to offer.
Rise of the Resistance
IF riding Rise of the Resistance really is a non-negotiable for you with the shortest wait time possible, consider buying a Lightning Lane Single Pass for the day. This will allow you to skip the standby line for one ride through the day reserved in the app at a specific time block. Otherwise, your better alternative is to wait until later in the park’s day, close to closing or during Fantasmic! there are plenty of us here who would also argue that riding at night is an even cooler experience than during the daytime.
This Simple Change Would Make Disney’s Rise of the Resistance Ride 10X BETTER
Lounges > Restaurants
We’re calling our own selves out for this one with 100% transparency. Disney Adults as of late are showing a trending preference for a restaurant’s lounge over their proper restaurant setting. And, it’s a hack we’re quite fond of using on the regular, too.
Brown Derby Lounge seating
We love the open feel that comes with visiting a restaurant’s lounge and most of the time we’ve had good success with minimal wait time to dine at some of the hardest Disney World restaurants to get into. Historically, a seat at the restaurant’s lounge affords you a place at the bar or a small seated area where you’re able to order off the same full menu as if you had a reservation. What’s the problem with this hack? Well, everyone’s figured out our secret and share the same affinity for these lounges!
T.V.’s over the bar
Since it is such an easier process, we’re finding it harder to get into our favorite lounges with the same minimal time as we used too. As these lounges have grown in popularity, your chances of getting in around the same time as when you walk up has drastically decreased. If you’re really looking to use this hack at Disney World, we recommend you plan to visit just as the lounge opens to have the best chances at the shortest wait possible.
REVIEW: This Hollywood Studios Lounge Might Just Be One of the Best Kept Foodie Secrets in Disney World
The Famed Table Service Restaurant Walk-Up
Disney Adults talk about Disney “magic” constantly, and with so many stories floating around about what that looks like, they sometimes have a hard time realizing its exists when it happens to them. So, if you’ve ever walked up to a fan-favorite restaurant without a reservation and the Cast Members were able to accommodate you, then you need to recognize this as a magical moment.
It was quite the spread!
Disney World does their best to stress the importance of making reservations for their table service restaurants up to 60 days in advance. Is that always possible for everyone? No, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t keep trying to snag a reservation even up until a few hours before the reservation.
Sci-Fi Dine In
No Cast Member wants to turn you away from a restaurant you really want to dine at. If they have to ask you to check for reservations, they’re truly at capacity for the restaurant and are giving their best advice possible to you to get you in the quickest. Sure, grabbing a last-minute reservation doesn’t always work, but there’s also no guarantee they’ve got room to accommodate you whenever you decide to walk up without a reservation, even if you’ve been successful in doing this in the past.
The Most Expensive Restaurant in Disney’s Hollywood Studios You Should SKIP (and the One You’ve Gotta Try)
Single Rider Lines
This one gets me in a singing mood, “All the single riders! (all the single riders)”, sorry Beyonce, don’t come for me with copyrights, but it’s true. The single rider line is a coveted hack for Disney Adults and we’ll skillfully use it to our advantage.
Look out for the sign!
The single rider line exists for its intended purpose — to mix a single rider with other riders and fill the ride vehicles to their maximum capacity. Doing this, they’re able to accommodate those that might have had a chance to ride sooner, rather than waiting in the full standby line alone. Disney Adults have been known to use this one as a hack for the normal standby line and decrease their wait time. This is a great tactic to use IF you truly understand it is for solo riders. If you’re splitting up your riding party in hopes of getting through quicker, don’t be upset when the Cast Member ends up having to assign each member of your crew with an entirely different ride vehicle — they’re just doing their jobs, we promise!
Why This Hollywood Studios Single Rider Line Is a Blessing and a Curse
The Skyliner Sprint
Yeah, this one is so apparent we’re giving it a nickname! You know just what we meant too by just 3 little words. It’s late at night and the park is closed following an incredible performance you and 14,000 of your Disney-loving neighbors just experienced together. And of course you start to see the trail form as folks run to the Skyliner.
Disney Skyliner at Hollywood Studios
We’re with you — it’s late and you’re tired after a long (dare we include humid) day at Disney World. We’re all running on a one-track hive mind of wanting nothing more than to get our heads on our pillows back at the hotel as quickly as possible. HOWEVER, sometimes this is just a by-product of choosing to close down the park at night.
Who’s up for a ride on the Skyliner?
If your plan back to your hotel includes a ride on the Skyliner at park close, consider hanging out for a while. Everyone is doing their best to be one of the first to catch the next gondola outta there and too many people all gathered at the same time in the Skyliner line is pure chaos. Take your time exiting the theater and the park, stop for a photo with your family if there’s still PhotoPass photographers around, or have a look in the shops for one last glance before you call it a night. This is much better use of your time than standing around on already tired feet in one spot wishing for the line to move faster. By the time you’ve meandered for a bit, chances are the line has dramatically decreased and you’ll find a more tame line to the Skyliner than you would have before.
I Had a Frustrating Skyliner Experience at Disney World and I Know I’m Not the Only One
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What restaurant is the “ lIt was quite the spread!” picture from? Thank you!
I’m sorry, but recommending a paid lightning Lane single pass to avoid rope dropping is not a good recommendation. No wonder Disney is raking in some serious money.
Don’t miss your opportunities to create magical moments as a guest as well! I carry pins that I love to give away to kids trading the unrecognizable ones away for recognizable Disney characters. And it’s a bonus if I happen to have a pin that matches the costume the kid is wearing!
Also, there was one time I had a dining reservation made for 4 people, but two of our party were not going to be able to show because they were not feeling well and couldn’t make the park. As it happens, we saw another couple walk up and ask if the hostess could accommodate them, who had no reservation. So we invited them to our table instead, and made some new friends. It was very much appreciated!
I really wish Disney had a plan in place to usher people after Fantasmic show. Possibly handicap persons guided by a rope off system. It is truely a stampede out.
I’ve loved the single rider jack as a family ever since our son was old enough. We have one parent go first and one go last so he’s accompanied except when he’s on the ride.
Hi Trista! That’s the Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge. 🙂
As far as Fantasmic exiting is concerned, the Magic Kingdom opens their behind the scenes gates, to allow the flow of the crowd to exit much faster. I don’t know why Hollywood Studios can’t do the same thing. The crowd could exit right out into the front of the park, through the gate next to the filling station. This would be better than walking all the way down Sunset Blvd. and back the other way to the front of the park!