To skip or not to skip... Hollywood Studios with a toddler

[lilmape]

So I'm struggling. I am having a super hard time justifying using a ticket on Hollywood studios. Our little one would love the disney jr stuff, Hollywood and vine meal, and the frozen sing along. She's not a toy story fan. Have you skipped HS with a toddler?

What keeps making me second guess is the disney jr meal... Help please.

 

[livinginthecornfield]

There was plenty to do at HS with our 4yr old and 2yr old. They loved the Frozen Sing-along, Toy Story (neither of them saw it, but really liked shooting at things), Beauty and the Beast, Disney Jr, meeting characters (especially CharacterPalooza at 230 by the Tower of Terror -- they were excited to meet a bunch of characters in 20 minutes!!!), Cinderella's carriage, Muppets, and the Honey I Shrunk the Kid playground! We got there at 9 and were there until they collapsed around 4pm.

 

[lauraleh]

I don't like to skip any park but I especially think there are fun things at DHS for toddlers. DJ LOS is awesome for that age. There are lots of fun characters to meet. The Frozen sing a long is really great. TSMM is still fun. My kids had fun twisting our car around (which made it difficult for me to hit anything!). I do think it could easily be a half a day park if you wanted it to be though.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

There is definitely a lot to do. My toddler loves disney jr. So we have that meal planned. He also loved the frozen movie so that is a must do. Plus they have the disney jr show with the puppets and the kids love that. There is also the little mermaid show and my kid loves cars so I am sure he will love the car stunt show. Plus beauty and the beast and the toy story ride is a ton of fun even if you have never seen the movie. They also have the great movie ride which is another really fun thing to do. We use Hollywood studios as sort of a down day bc we see most of the shows and only go on a few rides so it's more of a relaxing day than the other parks.

 

[tabistar]

My daughter loved it at 2 years and again at 4. I think it's great to slow down a bit and really let them enjoy the experience, as opposed to all the rushing around done at MK. We let the kids pick which park to go back to on our last (half) day, and 2 out of 2 times it's been HS.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

If the toddler loves shows and characters, I think it would be fine to go. Plenty of shows to attend.

My pre-schooler, on the other hand, does not appreciate that there aren't more rides for her height. So we have been skipping DHS lately. Hoping she is 40 inches next time we go. She has a month to grow half an inch. I'm not hopeful.

 

[glohoffman]

We will be skipping it this trip. Went last May and my youngest was 2.5. The only thing she loved was meeting Mike and sulley. She wanted to explore and ride ride, not sit and watch shows. It was a half day park for us, and we would rather use that day for am extra day at magic kingdom!

 

[lilmape]

I forgot about beauty and the beast and little mermaid. She may enjoy those too! Didn't know about the character meet either... Thank you guys. I was on the fence and I think I need to make sure we get in a day

 

[agavegirl1]

I think there would be plenty to do, but not as much as there used to be. Toddlers and shows work well together for times when your child is overstimulated by the park itself. Bring snacks. I wouldn't skip it.

 

[Meriweather]

At 17 months, there wasn't a lot for DGD to do. She did like TSMM, but is not one to sit still for the shows. She did like the playground and people watching.

 

[lovndisney12]

When my son was two and we were at DHS I didn't mind that there wasn't as much to do as some of the other parks. It made it easier to leave than push through with a crabby overtired toddler! I actually felt it had about the right amount of "stuff" for him. The key to any of the parks is knowing when enough is enough and missing some rides and shows isn't as bad as sitting through them with unhappy toddlers, kids, and parents. DHS was nice because it was one of our shorter park days - but also allowed for a little more R&R.

 

[philschrek]

I think it's worth it for the Disney Jr. Live on Stage show alone! Our kids were absolutely amazed with this as toddlers.

 

[lelesansan]

We've gone every year to HS, but haven't seen it to be worth it this time around. Maybe we'll change our minds too. Unless you are able to FP toy story, the lines can be outrageous. They did really seems to enjoy Disney Jr and all the shows were nice.

 

[nat8199]

We skipped it last trip and will again the next one. I just don't enjoy it much, except for RnR and ToT, which our kids are too small for. We just don't have enough time to waste a day there. HOWEVER, we do two park days at AK, which a lot of people would disagree with.

 

[ktlm]

It depends on how many park days you are planning and what your child likes. If you are doing a short trip- I would focus on MK and EPCOT. If you are going to be there a week, then I would fit in a DHS day, especially if your child likes and will sit through shows. DD was a show kid at age 2. She loved all of the live shows and would sit through them without wiggling (she is now 9, and to no one's surprise she is now a theatre kid). For us, on her 2 year old trip, DHS turned out to be great for a day mid-trip. We were a little tired from running open to close at the other parks, and since DHS is show heavy, it would up being a nice slower day. There is Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Disney Jr., Muppets 3D and now Frozen Sing along. Now- if she does not like shows- it may not be worth the day. Other than that, for little ones it is mostly TSM and character meet and greets. Just because your DD is not a Toy Story fan, don't assume she won't car about TSM or meeting the Toy Story characters. DD didn't really care for Toy Story when she was a pre-schooler, but she did still love TSM and she was always a character nut, so she also wanted to meet Buzz and Woody at DHS, even though she wasn't a big fan of the movie. If your DD turns out to like characters, there are Disney Jr. characters available for meet and greets like Sofia and I've heard Doc McStuffins was either recently added or is about to be added for meets. I will say that for us when DD was 2 and 3, DHS was just a half day or at most a 3/4 day park. As she got a little older and started enjoying more things there- that time expanded.

 

[lilmape]

HOWEVER, we do two park days at AK, which a lot of people would disagree with.

I'm a huge AK fan. The ambiance and details of the park are amazing. I know folks compare it to a zoo, but it's so much better than that.

 

[tbia]

Every family is different, but took my DD 2 and 4 and we ran out of time. Not sure if it was mentioned above, but don't forget Characterpalooza

 

[Mikie]

Depends on your length of trip. It might be the first park I'd skip if I had 5 or fewer days, but otherwise I wouldn't eliminate it. If the adults have favorites there and are willing to child swap (like me with ToT and Rockin roller coaster - two of my favorites in all parks combined!) then there's definitely enough to do to spend 3/4+ of a day. As people often joke, a toddler could be happy watching Ducks walk around much of the day, so you don't have to worry too much about keeping them interested! If the adults have no special favorites there AND your kids don't like to sit through a show, that's when I'd start thinking about skipping it.

 

[daisynan]

on my kids' first trip they were 4.5 and 2 and I think Hollywood Studios was their favorite park! The Toy Story Ride is the BEST family ride in the whole World, and all the Disney Jr. characters are there. As I see it, they will outgrow Disney Jr characters, so you should take them to HS when they are little. We have not done the H&V character meal, but it seems like a no brainer with little ones. My kids loved seeing Jake (from the Neverland Pirates), Mater and Lightning McQueen, Mike and Sully, Buzz and Woody, and they loved the Disney Jr. Live on Stage Show. HS is a must-do for toddlers, IMO. Have fun!

 

[ilovebassets]

DHS is my least favorite park, and if you are there for a short trip, I'd skip it. But if you have the time, there's certainly lots of fun things for toddlers there. How old is the toddler? There is a big difference between a 1 year old and a 3 year old. My children LOVE the Disney Jr Live on Stage Show and enjoy the Little Mermaid Show. They also like the Toy Story ride even though they have never seen the movie. I actually find it to be the best park for meeting characters (that aren't princesses). If you get there at rope drop but don't run to any rides, you can see LOTS of characters with essentially no wait.