Touring Plan and goals for DHS

[Teddi]

I'm just starting to try and formulate a plan for our day at DHS and I'd love some feedback.

Who's going: Me, DH, D&D 7/7 and DS 12. Will have adaptive stroller for use as wheelchair for one daughter who has mild Cerebral Palsy. None of us have been to DHS before so if there are any accessibility issues that need to be on my radar, please let me know.

Coming to and from Ft Wilderness cabins. We will be renting a golf cart. We will be there midweek in very late January (28th?) probably a Thursday, park hours 9 - 7, not and EMH day.

Want to do:
Great Movie Ride
Indiana Jones Stunt show (there's no showtimes on the website, how many shows are there?)
Lights, Motors, Actions stunt show (there's no showtimes on the website, how many shows are there?)
Studio Backlot Tour (is this pretty similar to US backlot tram tour? keep in mind we've only done the CA version)
Walt Disney: One Man's Dream (how long does this take, is there usually a line or wait)
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Beauty and the Beast stage show (husband and son may not want to do this one)
Rock N Roll Coaster (daughters not tall enough, husband and son will want to do, i'm iffy)
Tower of Terror (daughters and husband not likely to want to do, I'll do it if my son wants to go)

Things we would enjoy, but have done @ DLR and could live without and would not be a priority based on time: Star Tours & TSM
Things we are not very interested in and have done @ DLR: Muppet VIsion, Disney Animation, Disney JR, F! Pixar Parade
Things I don't think we want to do: Am Idol, Honey I shrunk kids, Sound Dangerous (what is that even?)

If you think I am way off on some of the "don't want to do list", please tell me. I've read about these but have no in person experience. Also, as you can see I have some time where we could easily split into girls group and boys group. I don't do Screamin' (quite similar to Rock N Roll) very often because I almost always get nauseated from it, so it always has to be timed well around a meal.

Meal- QS suggestion for lunch?

OK First question- is this do-able getting us back to FT wilderness by 3 pm, if we are there at rope drop?

[GusMan]

I think that is a LOT to do within that period of time. Considering that you would have to leave for FW somewhere close to 2PM to get there by 3PM, following the 1 hour rule. (Unless you have a car.) What is going to clog your time the most is the shows themselves. They are longer in duration, have defined start times, and you tend to need to get there before the actual start time, sometimes 30 mins or more.

Here are my takes:
Great Movie Ride - This is cool if you are a movie buff. If not, its skip-able.
Indiana Jones Stunt show - Liked it, but you have to get there around 15 mins early or so.
Lights, Motors, Actions stunt show - You gotta get there early, and it takes a while to get out of there after the show.
Studio Backlot Tour - Somewhat interesting, but skipable.
Walt Disney: One Man's Dream - Most of this is a walk-through with like a 10-15 min film at the end. Its an interesting exhibit if you are a fan of Walt.
Voyage of the Little Mermaid - Possible FP attraction.
Beauty and the Beast stage show - Get there 15 mins early.
Rock N Roll Coaster - If nothing else, compare the standby time with the single rider line. If the standby time is greater than 30 mins, then do single rider. Or use a FP for this.
Tower of Terror - See about using a FP on this.

As for CS eatery - Backlot Express is good. We also like the ABC Commissary, though most give it blah reviews.

Hope that helps.

[oregontraveler]

DHS is fun and you can see & do everything in one day.
TOT is much different here, as you pass thru 'the fifth dimension': passing from one elevator shaft into the drop shaft.
RNR is like Screamin' with the initial launch, however there are 2 inversions, a roll over & corkscrew.
I saw the Car Stunt Show in the rain, they still put a show on, but at lower speeds. There are about 3-4 shows a day.
Missed the Indiana Stunt Show, multiple times a day though.
Great Movie Ride is a classic. Right behind it is Pixar Alley with TSMM. FP's go quickly here, there is a Meet-N-greet with Buzz & Woody acrros the way. One Man's Dream is also here. A fantastic exhibit of the history of WDW, a short film of Walt is shown.
I thought the Beauty and the Beast stage show was OK, didn't see The Mermaid Show.
The Backlot Tour show has been cut down drastically and since they shut down the Orlando Animation Studios, the
Show here is kinda meh. But they do have a meet-n-greet area afterwards and displays of some of the Disney Oscars.
I don't think the Sounds Dangerous show is playing anymore. Honey I Shrunk The kids is a playground with oversized objects.
I really enjoyed the Hollywood Blvd. entry area, rich theming and streetmosphere characters.
You might be able to see everything from 9am to about 2ish. You should probalby prioritize your list of must see's.
Dining-wise, for sit down there is the Prime Time Cafe, Sci-Fin Dine In plus Hollywood & Vine character buffet.
Defintely get an ADR and save some time. Quick Service is a good idea, as you mentioned.

[Drince88]

A couple more adds to what GusMan said:

Make sure and walk through Pixar Place (between Toy Story Midway Mania and the Backlot Tour. It's really well done. My favorite detail there - between the restrooms and the FP distribution is a very small little building (not sure what it is/what it was before, because I don't think it was there during the Millionaire days of that building) and there's glass on the door facing the FP distribution. There's a 'plan' on that window - and the plan is actually executed with the Green Army Men/etc on the buildings there. Oh, and walk by Star Tours - you're kind of in the forest where the Ewoks live.

I'm not sure what the exhibit is - but there's a small exhibit area off of the animation courtyard that might be something to enjoy for a couple of minutes. Also, off of the animation courtyard is a large meet and greet area for various characters, so if that's important to your daughters particularly, check that out. There's also usually some charaters near the big hat.

The atmosphere characters/shows are really fun, too, if you stumble upon them.

For approximate show times, you can look at this site (http://wdwent.com/) and see what the show schedules are like for this week. It likely won't be too different in late January. - and you can use that with GusMan's times to see if it's doable.

Tower of Terror has randomized drop sequences in FL - so it won't be the same as in DL - if that's a difference maker (also, before the drops, there's one big difference between the parks that when it first came out - was REALLY cool. (I think I'm jaded by it now))

The queue for TSMM is a lot different and a LOT more detailed than at DL (which IMHO isn't saying much, since the only detail in DL is the posters). But you're basically toy sized in Andy's room.

Great Movie Ride has a sequence from Alien that some younger guests have issues with.

Honey I shrunk the kids is just a play area. If you need to kill some time with your daughters or they need to get some wiggles out, it's a good place for that.

They have posted signs at WDW that they do enforce the 'ending time' on Fastpasses - so take that into consideration as something that's going to be different from your DL approaches.

If you find yourself pressed for time, I'd skip Indiana Jones and do Lights Motors Action. They're both 'stunt' shows, though the LMA is more car related (huge shock there) and Indiana Jones is more actor related.

Oh, and if you want to skip out on the movie in One Man's Dream - there's a exit right at the big turn in the exhibit area. It's marked as an exit and NOT as an emergency exit, but when you look at it, you will check a couple of times to make sure it's NOT an alarmed exit. It's a regular exit from the exhibit (though in the middle of the exhibit, not at the end).

ETA: To add on to what OregonTraveler said about RnR -- for me, the BIG difference between that and California Screamin' is that RnR is inside, in basically the dark with lots of black-light road signs and such.

[danyoung]

You're getting some great advice above. I'd also suggest that you check out easyWDW.com. For whatever reason they seem to LOVE the detail oriented person, and like to dig into itemized itineraries and make lots of suggestions. Nice folks over there too!

[rph13]

I would add that January can be downright cold in Florida, we have been multiple times and have needed gloves and hats. We are from New England so very use to cold and snow but for some reason it just seems colder at the "world" when that wind blows. Anyway, remember that the Beauty and Beast show is outside,roof overhead but open sides. LMA and Indiana Jones are also outside, more sun at the LMA theatre than Indiana Jones.

Does Luxor (the Pixar lamp), still come out by TSMM? That is cool to see even if you don't plan to ride TSMM.

[danyoung]

I don't think Luxor has worked for quite a while now.

[TulaBelle]

HI Teddi! Everyone here has a lot of good info. DHS is a lot of ground to cover. Great Movie Ride is fun in a nostalgic way but it has a scene or two in the middle that could be upsetting to young ones. You may want to check you tube first. LMA I think has their reserved seating in the front, where Indy has theirs in the back. Both shows are LOUD, so again check it out before you go. Don't miss out on the Streetmosphere performers the citizens of the Studios or the musical performances by Mulch,Sweat,& Shears as well the current high energy kid show du jour. The streets of America are neat to wander around too. They have city noises playing in the background and it's just a nice way to get away from the intensity of the park for just a few minutes. If you want a snack the Writers Stop has real coffee and delicious pastries that are big enough to split between people. I love going through One Man's Dream, it has a huge display of memorabilia as well as some revolving displays. It's also a good place to grab a little peace. The Backlot Tour is not what it once was,but it can be entertaining. You get to go through the prop storage area where there are a few gags,and at the end there is a movie museum exhibit costumes,props, pictures etc. Sounds Dangerous was a show that Drew Carey was a part of, but I think it's been a while since it has had an audience. You were seated in an auditorium given headphones then the lights were turned off. You experienced the attraction by hearing sounds corresponding to the story told at the start of the show. It was kinda cute but kids would absolutely freak out in the dark. Good luck and happy planning!

[danyoung]

I'm pretty sure the Drew Carey thing is gone for good. And not a moment too soon!

[betsyrina]

I think you have a ton of good advice above... The only thoughts I would add are:

Since you are thinking only two or three of you would do Rock 'n Rollercoaster and only two of you would to Tower of Terror, get FPs for both at the same time, using all five of your tickets. They are very close to each other. Or you could go there first and you and son could ride ToT and send dad for FPs for RnR, then meet him over there, and you could probably go right in. That knocks off two things right at the start in one corner of the park. Then you can plan the rest of your day based on the time schedule for the shows.

I thought both Indiana Jones and Lights! Actions! Motors were both good. I would skip the backlot tour if you are pressed for time. We weren't able to fit in Beauty and the Beast. The show times make doing all of them difficult. You could split up with the girls going to B&B and the boys going to the Lights! Action! Motors!.

I wouldn't skip One Man's Dream if you're a fan of Disney. It is really well done, and the movie was great.

If you're pressed for time the Great Movie Ride can be skipped, but it is kind of fun. But I agree with the others - it can be scary. I think it depends on your own kids.

My 10 year old son really liked Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I was surprised by this, but glad. I thought it was cute too.

[Teddi]

Belated thanks. I think we are going to keep our options open of having Dad & DS go back in the evening for a couple hours if they want to "finish" out stuff they may have missed. I'll also look at the you tubes of GMR, not sure if it might be too intense for the girls. Thank you all for the great stuff to think about.

[stan4d_steph]

Does Luxor (the Pixar lamp), still come out by TSMM? That is cool to see even if you don't plan to ride TSMM.

It's Luxo Jr., not Luxor, and he hasn't been operational for quite a while. Mr. Spell has started working again though.