If you’ve been trying to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios after 4pm lately, you’ve probably run into big problems with crowds and parking. The final season of the “Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights” means many people are trying to add an evening visit or two to say farewell to the popular light display. Add to that the opening of new Star Wars themed experiences inside the park and you have a recipe for huge crowds.
The crowds are so big that the parking lot has been declared ‘full’ at some point nearly every evening. This means patrons arriving in the evening get redirected to EPCOT’s parking lot where they have to take a bus back to DHS. The result is an extra hour or two of travel time for those guests. Often there’s a long wait just to get on the bus from the EPCOT parking lot to DHS. If the park closes at 8 pm (its usual closing time in the off season) you’re essentially wasting the majority of your evening just getting to the park.
But good news. Once Disney rolls out the new Star Wars themed “Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular” fireworks show, the operating hours for Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be extended to accommodate the show and the crowds.
The fireworks debut on December 18th. For the 18th through the 24th, the fireworks will launch at 11pm as the park closes. From December 25-30, the fireworks will launch at midnight as the park closes. The Dec 31st fireworks will be a special New Years Eve show.
Those extra hours should definitely help soak up the crowds that are sure to get worse as families start arriving as part of their winter breaks.
If you’re planning on visiting DHS in the evening and find the parking lot is closed, remember there is a walking path from EPCOT, through the Boardwalk area, into Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It takes about 30-35 minutes to walk, but it’s better than a long wait for a bus and a long wait through traffic trying to get into DHS.
Are you planning a visit to DHS between now and the end of the year? What are you looking forward to seeing?