Disney’s Hollywood Studios at all times has excellent days to talk over with and ones to steer clear of, however that shall be much more pronounced for the rest of 2024. Halloween and Christmas seasons deliver with them a curler coaster of crowds, with dramatic variations in wait occasions and attendance in opting for the most efficient as opposed to worst days to do DHS. This explains why, with lists of the least & maximum crowded dates in September via December, and a handful of pink flag dates to steer clear of in any respect prices.
As with the Very best & Worst Dates at Magic Kingdom in 2024, Birthday celebration Season is the most important issue on this listing. Birthday celebration Season is a huge deal at Walt Disney Global as it disrupts attendance dynamics and creates a “porcupine trend” of wait occasions and crowd ranges. In a nutshell, each Mickey’s No longer So Frightening Halloween Birthday celebration and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Birthday celebration push attendance at Magic Kingdom a lot upper at the dates they’re now not going on and decrease on days of the occasions.
That is not anything new–we’ve been banging the Birthday celebration Season drum the decade, no less than. Magic Kingdom crowd patterns throughout Birthday celebration Season are a key dialogue issues of our August via December crowd calendars. Then again, this publish isn’t merely a ‘reproduction+paste’ of the Magic Kingdom suggestions. On the contrary, our recommendation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios is sort of the reverse of what it’s for Magic Kingdom!
As a reminder, we strongly suggest that readers talk over with Magic Kingdom throughout the day on Mickey’s No longer So Frightening Halloween Birthday celebration and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Birthday celebration nights. In a super international, they’d have Park Hopper tickets and leap to some other park at round 4 pm.
The underlying rationale for that is that many day visitors steer clear of Magic Kingdom on days when MNSSHP or MVMCP is held at evening for the reason that common park hours are shorter and Luckily Ever After fireworks don’t seem to be proven. This leads to considerably lighter crowds on days of the vacation events when Magic Kingdom closes at 6 pm.
Those similar visitors then flock to non-party days in Magic Kingdom. For guests with out Park Hopper tickets (which is maximum visitors), visiting Magic Kingdom on non-party nights is the most obvious, intuitive selection. For a similar admission worth, they get a number of extra hours within the park and get to peer the fireworks. That’s the rationale in a nutshell.
In principle, the dynamic must be very equivalent with Disney’s Hollywood Studios throughout its personal truncated Birthday celebration Season, which is in large part simply the Disney Jollywood Nights Christmas Birthday celebration. Then again, there are a number of variations.
First, visitors who decide to wait Disney’s Hollywood Studios on celebration nights nearly no doubt aren’t going to lose as many hours as the ones doing the similar at Magic Kingdom. The citadel park will shut at 10 pm or 11 pm (or every now and then middle of the night!) on non-party nights. That quantities to staying an additional 4-5 hours later, seeing fireworks, and attending to benefit from the cooler night time hours within the park.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will shut at 10 pm at the newest (more than likely 9 or 9:30 pm maximum nights). It additionally most likely gained’t shut as early to common visitors on celebration nights, that means that the volume of misplaced time on a celebration vs. non-party evening would possibly most effective quantity to 90 mins to a few hours. That’s nonetheless a excellent bite of time, however it’s nowhere close to as a lot. And it’s additionally now not being taken from the park the place visitors wish to spend essentially the most time.
This brings us to the second one key level. Disney’s Hollywood Studios truly clears out within the ultimate few hours of the day, while Magic Kingdom does to not just about the similar stage. That is related from the above viewpoint–visitors gained’t care as a lot about dropping an hour or two there as opposed to Magic Kingdom–but additionally from a strategic one.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios has the worst wait occasions, on reasonable, of any park at Walt Disney Global. However the ones occasions top previous within the day. Visitors “hit a wall” and are much more likely to bop previous within the day than they’re from Magic Kingdom. This creates a pointy distinction in wait occasions, which might be terrible till overdue afternoon, after which plummet.
This dynamic is why we’re staunch advocates of a noon spoil on DHS days, or arriving and staying overdue to steer clear of hitting that wall. Doing DHS on a celebration day way necessarily forfeiting that end-of-night slowdown, which gained’t occur because of the celebration mix-in. (In all chance, it additionally way heavier crowds for Fantasmic, particularly with the chance of just one efficiency on celebration nights.)
In the end, there are merely a ways fewer celebration dates at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While Mickey’s No longer So Frightening Halloween Birthday celebration and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Birthday celebration duvet a lot of the calendar from October via December and are held a majority of dates every week throughout their peaks, there are a grand general of 13 dates for Disney Jollywood Nights. It’s by no means hung on greater than two evenings a week.
This on my own way are 5 non-party nights a week to take in the displaced crowds–to the level they even exist–from Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In consequence, the distinction in wait occasions between celebration days and non-party days at DHS might be a ways much less excessive than at Magic Kingdom.
In this word, there’s additionally the truth that Jollywood Nights isn’t going on in isolation. That’s evident since we’re speaking about it in tandem with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Birthday celebration. However the sensible result of all that is that individuals shall be much more likely to plot round MVMCP, adopting the intuitive technique there, whilst ignoring Jollywood Nights.
Scheduling round the primary vacation tournament is already a large number of paintings–juggling plans round two other events in two parks will merely be an excessive amount of for the typical visitor. They gained’t trouble being worried in regards to the DHS tournament and can simply talk over with after they talk over with. (For those who’re studying this, you’re now not the typical visitor.)
With all of that mentioned, you may understand some wiggle phrases within the above. It is a departure from our best possible & worst days to do Magic Kingdom, which expresses a prime stage of self assurance and calls this the very best prediction we make. The adaptation, relatively merely, is precedent. This has been going down at Magic Kingdom year-in and year-out for so long as we’ve been monitoring crowds, so no less than a decade. Most definitely longer.
In contrast, that is most effective the second one 12 months of Disney Jollywood Nights. The development used to be now not specifically widespread in its inaugural 12 months, which might partially give an explanation for why it had a negligible have an effect on on crowds. The larger explanation why, although, is that it used to be necessarily an After Hours tournament by means of some other identify, with little or no have an effect on at the running calendar (lower than an hour according to night time). Day visitors thus didn’t “plan round” DJN, since they’d no explanation why to imagine it might have an effect on them. (It did, they only didn’t are aware of it.)
This 12 months, the beginning time of Disney Jollywood Nights is transferring ahead by means of an hour. We will see whether or not it’s nonetheless the case that individuals don’t plan round DJN with the 7:30 pm get started time. That may well be pushing it an excessive amount of and motive extra disruptions to crowd dynamics a l. a. MNSSHP and MVMCP, however we’re truly skeptical that’ll be the case for all the causes recognized above.
All of that is exactly why we don’t suggest a zig after they zag advice for Disney’s Hollywood Studios like we do with Magic Kingdom. Reasonable visitors don’t care as a lot about lacking (much less) time at DHS as they do (extra) time at MK. Attendance gained’t be that a lot decrease throughout the day sooner than events. Displaced crowds gained’t be as giant of a deal as a result of there are fewer occasions.
The lack of the ones quiet nights is the larger deal than all the above. The ones slower evenings shall be misplaced–we will be able to already say this with a prime stage of self assurance in keeping with what we noticed final 12 months and on different laborious price ticket tournament nights–because of the mix-in. For the ones unfamiliar with it, mix-in is the casual time period for the overlap between the common running day and time when visitors with tickets to the particular tournament are allowed to go into the park early.
Since those occasions are the one probability many attendees must talk over with the respective parks, they come as early as imaginable to cram rides in sooner than the celebration begins. Because of this we propose bouncing from Magic Kingdom at 4 pm on celebration days–as a result of that’s when mix-in begins, and the park will get noticeably busier.
With Disney Jollywood Nights, mix-in will start at 7 pm. As an alternative of wait occasions falling within the ultimate two hours of the night time like standard, they are going to building up on DJN nights from 7 to 9 pm. It is a giant blow–as that’s most often after we suggest knocking out Superstar Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Tale Land. On some evenings, it’s imaginable to do the ones complete lands within the final two hours of the evening. That may not be the case on DJN nights.
In consequence, we propose doing Disney’s Hollywood Studios on non-party days in the event you’re spending all day within the park and don’t have Park Hopper tickets. (Extra at the Park Hopping exception within the clarification beneath.) Now that we’ve defined the why and the way of this, right here’s the listing of dates to steer clear of at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the rest of the 12 months…
When to Steer clear of Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Fall 2024
- August 27, 2024
- August 29, 2024
- September 25, 2024
- October 2, 2024
- October 16, 2024
- October 23, 2024
All the dates at the listing above after After Hours, Prolonged Night time Hours, or different particular occasions. The similar good judgment applies to those events as Disney Jollywood Nights, albeit to a lesser extent. On those evenings, there shall be mix-in crowds that lead to much less of an finish of the evening slowdown. We’ve additionally noticed ever-so-slightly upper daylight crowds on Prolonged Night time Hours dates.
When to Steer clear of Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Christmas 2024
- November 9, 2024
- November 13, 2024
- November 16, 2024
- November 18, 2024
- November 23, 2024
- November 25, 2024
- November 30, 2024
- December 2, 2024
- December 7, 2024
- December 11, 2024
- December 14, 2024
- December 18, 2024
- December 21, 2024
As for the best possible days to talk over with Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the low density of events shouldn’t truly disrupt our common Very best & Worst Days of the Week to Do Each Walt Disney Global Park suggestions that a lot.
The only factor I can indicate is that Jollywood Nights is hung on Saturday and Monday nights for many of November. As you’re more than likely (optimistically!) mindful, Sunday is the day in between.
Sunday is most often our favourite day to do DHS. The wait occasions information doesn’t absolutely reinforce this, however we like Sunday nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the reason that vacationers filter like standard–however so too do the locals, and disproportionately so, since Monday is a workday–resulting in decrease exact wait occasions within the evenings. Then again, I might now not be expecting this to be the case throughout November when Jollywood Nights is occurring on Saturday and Monday nights. Sunday must be no less than barely worse consequently.
Statistically talking, Wednesdays and Thursday are the most efficient days to do Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That gained’t be true on December 11 or 18, when the park is website hosting DJN, however it must another way stay correct within the months to come back.
Every other factor to notice is that the above ‘worst’ lists are relative to the dates inside every week or basic date vary.
As a basic subject, all dates from August via mid-September are slower than the peak of the vacation season. November and December have prime highs and coffee lows in keeping with vacation breaks, however are nonetheless, as a basic subject, busier than August and September.
In different phrases, in the event you’re a neighborhood who has a large open calendar and needs to select an collection of dates based totally upon absolute crowd ranges and not anything else, intention for previous. Probably the most August or September dates on our “steer clear of” listing remains to be going to be higher than the Wednesday or Thursday of Thanksgiving or Christmas weeks.
Moreover, Walt Disney Global has thrown a monkey wrench into all the above with the Loose Park Hopper Deal. Truthfully, it’s truly tricky to evaluate the have an effect on this promo may have. For something, there’s been nearly no buzz about it–we haven’t heard from many people who find themselves eligible and plan on taking merit (most commonly the other).
In principle, providing loose Park Hoppers would normalize crowd ranges to some extent. However I believe it’s simply as most likely–if now not extra so–that this gambit backfires and is counterproductive. It’ll completely redistribute crowds to some extent, however in what path? Loose Park Hoppers won’t lead to upper attendance on early park ultimate days in any respect. It’ll as a substitute merely lead to heavier crowds at the overdue nights, as visitors leverage Park Hoppers to visit the parks open earliest and newest.
Talking of Park Hoppers, another choice in case you have one is following the reverse of our technique: beginning at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Jollywood Nights dates, after which bouncing to another round 6 or 7 pm for the remainder of the evening.
From a realistic viewpoint, this may well be particularly horny when paired with the zig after they zag technique for Magic Kingdom throughout Birthday celebration Season since Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Birthday celebration and Disney Jollywood Nights are at all times hung on other dates. That means you might want to get started at Magic Kingdom on a MVMCP day and hop to DHS that evening; then do the other at the Jollywood Nights day.
To be very transparent, I’m now not suggesting that is an ill-advised technique. It if truth be told is usually a beautiful excellent one! The above lists and steering have been made out of the viewpoint of the ones visitors who don’t have Park Hopper tickets, and to give an explanation for why Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a special beast than Magic Kingdom throughout Birthday celebration Season.
In the end, that’s why we don’t suggest spending all the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Jollywood Nights dates–a departure from our Magic Kingdom zig after they zag recommendation. It’s additionally price reiterating that this dynamic may not be as excessive at DHS as it’s at Magic Kingdom. There’s a chasm in wait occasions on celebration vs. non-party days there for causes mentioned above. The distinction gained’t be just about as stark at DHS. If you’ll be able to most effective apply our Birthday celebration Season recommendation at Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios for no matter explanation why, accomplish that at MK. For sure.
Once more, Park Hopping provides a special size to this, particularly whilst you pair two MK/DHS part days in combination. That are supposed to paintings truly neatly. As is optimistically now transparent, the aim of this publish isn’t truly the listing of dates. That’s truly only a subject of pulling up the occasions calendar, which you might want to’ve executed your self in like 30 seconds. Relatively, it’s serving to you’re making extra sense of this dynamic, and why Disney’s Hollywood Studios is other than Magic Kingdom throughout Birthday celebration Season.
As at all times, we prefer the “train an individual to fish” means–serving to you know the why of Walt Disney Global, so you’ll be able to take the recommendation and use it on your individual instances, holiday dates, and so on. With a bit of luck this wasn’t too complicated, and you currently have a way of which days shall be best possible for you at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in overdue 2024.
Making plans a Walt Disney Global shuttle? Find out about accommodations on our Walt Disney Global Resorts Opinions web page. For the place to consume, learn our Walt Disney Global Eating place Opinions. To economize on tickets or decide which kind to shop for, learn our Pointers for Saving Cash on Walt Disney Global Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys publish takes a singular take a look at artful pieces to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney Global Experience Guides will lend a hand. For complete recommendation, the most efficient position to start out is our Walt Disney Global Go back and forth Making plans Information for the whole lot you wish to have to grasp!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Does this persuade you that you’ll be able to, from an goal viewpoint, pop out forward by means of doing non-party days at DHS? Or, are you continue to unpersuaded, favoring the counterintuitive means? Do you settle or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will be able to mean you can solution? Listening to your comments—even whilst you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas beneath within the feedback!
