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Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Galaxy’s Edge, Character Dining & Fantasmic Review

Danielle

September 29, 2025

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As our magical adventure at Disney World continued, I couldn’t contain my excitement for our visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Day 4. My son, a huge Star Wars fan, was especially eager to experience all the Hollywood Studios Star Wars rides and explore Galaxy’s Edge. He looked forward to Hollywood Studios, even more than Magic Kingdom!

Since we’re not big roller coaster fans, rides like Slinky Dog Dash and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway weren’t on our itinerary for the day. My kids generally aren’t fans of thrill rides, and I’m more than happy to skip them as well. They also weren’t interested in waiting in line for character meet-and-greets, so we only met characters during our character dining experiences on this trip.

Unpopular strategy, we did not rope drop or use early entry. At the time of our visit, Geni+ was still being used (currently replaced by the Lightning Lane Multi Pass). Armed with Geni+, lightning lane reservation,  and a full day at Hollywood Studios, we were able to ride everything we wanted and a few repeats. Strategic park planning is crucial for Disney trips. Learn more about how to earn credit card points for Disney trips to maximize your park time and experiences.

Our Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Adventure

Stepping into the park felt like walking onto a movie set, surrounded by iconic landmarks like the Hollywood Tower Hotel and the Chinese Theatre. We strolled along Hollywood Boulevard and around Echo Lake, taking in the sights as we made our way to Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. To our surprise, it didn’t have long lines!

Star Tours 

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is a 3D motion simulation ride that immerses you in a thrilling Star Wars story. Fun fact: each ride can offer a new adventure with different storylines. A different experience each time you ride and shorter lines make Star Tours a great choice for a repeat ride.

Throughout our 2 days at Hollywood Studios, we rode Star Tours 5 times.  It’s a bit bumpy but smoother than Smugglers Run—just exciting enough without being overwhelming. My 8-year-old daughter enjoyed it, even though she isn’t a big Star Wars fan.

After Star Tours, you’ll pass through a Star Wars-themed gift shop with unique items, though we chose to save our shopping for Galaxy’s Edge. I regret caving to my kid’s indifference about seeing Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular—it’s definitely on my must-do list for our next trip! Instead, we headed over to Grand Avenue to catch the Muppet 3D movie. The story is clever, featuring all the classic Muppet characters, and sitting in the air-conditioned theater was a welcome break from the heat.

Smuggler’s Run, Wandering the Marketplace and Character Sightings

After the Muppets movie, we made our way to Galaxy’s Edge. With some time before our Genie+ reservation for Smuggler’s Run, we wandered through the marketplace, checking out the shops and admiring the immersive setting.

We spotted a Stormtrooper and Chewbacca walking around, and it was thrilling to see the characters interacting with the crowd—they played their roles perfectly!  He had the best time walking around Galaxy’s Edge and taking in the sites.

My son absolutely loved Galaxy’s Edge, and his favorite ride of the entire trip was Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. This 3D motion simulator is very bumpy, so it might be challenging for those prone to motion sickness, but the kids had a blast!

After Smuggler’s Run, we were hungry, and the heat was intense—we needed a break. I hadn’t booked any dining reservations to keep our day flexible, but when I checked the My Disney Experience app, I found plenty of options for same-day reservations, including Hollywood and Vine. I was able to grab one just 30 minutes out! So if you’re looking to book on the day of your visit, it’s definitely possible.

Hollywood and Vine: A Last-Minute Character Dining Win

After Smuggler’s Run, we were hungry, and the heat was intense—we needed a break. I hadn’t booked any dining reservations to keep our day flexible, but when I checked the My Disney Experience app, I found plenty of options for same-day reservations, including Hollywood and Vine. I was able to grab one just 30 minutes out! So if you’re looking to book on the day of your visit, it’s definitely possible.

Hollywood and Vine is the only character dining option in Hollywood Studios and has a charming, retro diner vibe. There’s a cute photo op at the entrance (without characters), and then Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy come around to each table to pose for pictures and sign autographs. The characters took their time, making each interaction feel personal, and since it was the Springtime Dine, they were all dressed in spring attire, which was a fun touch!

The Hollywood and Vine buffet had a variety of options to suit everyone in our group. The Hollywood & Vine menu did not disappoint! As a vegetarian, I was pleased to find dishes like tofu with an Asian glaze, a potato dish, and a salad bar. For my non-vegetarian family, there were plenty of meat and seafood choices, including a carving station.

There was also a kids’ section with chicken nuggets and tater tots, which made my daughter especially happy. But the highlight for the kids? The soft-serve ice cream station—they were thrilled to make several trips!

Lunch at Hollywood and Vine was a perfect break from the heat. A mid-day break was a good time for air conditioning and a satisfying meal re-energized us, getting us ready to tackle Toy Story Land with a bit more pep in our step.

For detailed thoughts on this experience, you can read our complete Hollywood & Vine review and compare it with our other character dining experiences like Garden Grill, Storybook dining, and 1900 Park Fare.

Toy Story Land and Other Hollywood Studios Highlights

After lunch, we headed over to Toy Story Land to ride Toy Story Midway Mania and Alien Swirling Saucers. The theming in Toy Story Land is fantastic, with so many details inspired by the movies! Alien Swirling Saucers was a lot of fun, though it felt really short—it seemed to end almost as soon as it started.

The kids loved Toy Story Midway Mania. A quick tip: there’s minimal shade in Toy Story Land, so it gets very hot in the afternoon! My parents found a shaded bench to relax on while the kids and I went back to Galaxy’s Edge. Florida heat can be intense – make sure you’re prepared with our Disney essentials guide including cooling gear and hydration tips for hot park days.

Back to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge

We hadn’t yet been on Rise of the Resistance, one of the most popular attractions at Hollywood Studios. The ride was down for part of the day, but my daughter later said it was one of the best experiences of the day! Thankfully, we had a Lightning Lane reservation for Rise of the Resistance, as the standby line had long waits.

While at Galaxy’s Edge, we took advantage of the Disney PhotoPass photographers, capturing some fantastic shots in this immersive Star Wars setting. I really appreciate the PhotoPass option—it gave us so many wonderful family photos throughout our trip.

And, of course, no visit to Hollywood Studios would be complete without a stroll down Sunset Boulevard! We enjoyed some shopping, delicious snacks from the food carts along the street, and even braved the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

Evening Magic and Fantasmic! Nighttime Show

After Tower of Terror, we needed a break, so we headed back to our hotel for the rest of the afternoon. My son really wanted to see Galaxy’s Edge at night, so around 6 pm, we made our way back to Hollywood Studios.

My daughter had decided to call it a day and stayed at the hotel (Marriott’s Imperial Palms Villas), so it was just the two of us for the evening. We rode Star Tours and Smuggler’s Run again and wandered around Galaxy’s Edge as the sun began to set. It was a fantastic time, taking in all the sights and enjoying the atmosphere. Having vacation club accommodations with space to spread out was perfect for midday breaks during our intensive park days. Learn how to book Marriott hotels near Disney with points.

Characters from Star Wars (accompanied by cast members in character) roamed around, interacting with guests, while many fans with lit lightsabers and Star Wars outfits added to the vibe. Galaxy’s Edge truly comes alive after dark—even if you’re not a Star Wars fan, it’s worth experiencing once the sun goes down. We ended up spending so much time there that we were a bit late to Fantasmic!. Although we got seats, they were in the very back with some obstructed views. Studios, Star Wars 

Day 4 of our trip at Hollywood Studios was truly magical and unforgettable. Our plan for Day 5 (our fourth park day) was a second visit to Magic Kingdom, but the kids preferred to have a second  Hollywood Studios day, so we decided to return there instead.

Since we wanted to try for the 9 pm Fantasmic! show, we decided to head to Hollywood Studios in the early afternoon and have a relaxing morning. We spent the morning hanging at the hotel (Marriott Imperial Palms Villas) and picking up some Disney souvenirs at Target, where you can find tees, mugs, keychains, and more at better prices than in the parks. Smart shopping is part of earning credit card points strategically– every dollar saved on souvenirs can go toward more magical experiences. Check out our Disney Cashback Toolkit for more ways to save on Disney purchases

Hollywood Studios Repeated! Day 2 of Hollywood Studios

On day 5 at Hollywood Studios we rode our favorite rides again from the day before, which included Star Tours, Smuggler’s Run, Rise of the Resistance, and Alien Flying Saucers.  We wanted to have a more leisurely evening, so we took our time to walk around Galaxy’s Edge again, check out the shops, and take in the sights. We enjoyed dinner at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo, which was wonderfully themed and a good food choice for a quick check restaurant.

We all wanted to make sure we got better seats for Fantasmic! this time, so we arrived with plenty of time to spare. We started heading over around 8 pm and ended up snagging front-row seats! Just a heads-up: if you sit in the front few rows, you will get wet—but it’s worth it for the incredible close-up view of the show.

For Disney fans, Fantasmic! is a dream, with characters from so many beloved Disney films singing and bringing the story to life. I was thrilled to see Mary Poppins, one of my favorites, along with Elsa, Mickey, Belle and the Beast, and many others. If you’re up for getting a bit wet, those front seats really do offer the best view!

Many people suggest that Hollywood Studios is a half-day park or even one to skip altogether. However, it turned out to be one of my kids’ favorites—they even preferred it over Magic Kingdom!

While you can experience most of Hollywood Studios’ major attractions in a single day, you could also stretch it to a day and a half, like we did, to revisit your favorites. I’d definitely recommend not overlooking Hollywood Studios on your next Walt Disney World trip!