Guide to Visiting Toy Story Land
Planning a trip to Disney World soon? Visiting Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios is a must-do activity that should definitely be on your itinerary. Toy Story Land is one of my favorite new lands and it’s a lot of fun for both kids and adults.
At the time of writing this post, Toy Story Land is the newest addition to Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. It’s also currently one of the most popular lands, but I expect that will change once Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens in late August 2019.
Right now, Toy Story Land draws big crowds and long wait times for its rides and attractions. This guide will show you how to maximize your time and enjoyment when you visit Toy Story Land!
Morning at Toy Story Land
One of the best times to visit Toy Story Land is first thing in the morning right when Hollywood Studios opens. (Check the current park hours to see exactly what time that is.)
If you want to go this route, you should arrive at Hollywood Studios about 40 minutes before the official opening time. This will give you enough time to go through bag check and park entry, and then you will line up on Hollywood Boulevard until the park actually opens.
In my experience, the park tends to open 10 to 15 minutes before the official opening time, at which point Cast Members from various popular rides will start leading guests into the park. (This is to prevent people from running/stampeding towards the popular rides, you will have to stay behind the Cast Members as you enter the park.)
Follow behind the Toy Story Land Cast Members who will lead you all the way across the park.
Rides at Toy Story Land
Once you’re in Toy Story Land, there are three rides you can do:
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Toy Story Mania
- Alien Swirling Saucers
If you’re following my morning itinerary plan, the first ride you should do is Slinky Dog Dash. This rollercoaster is a ton of fun and gives you a great view of the whole park! If you make this your very first stop right when the park opens, you should be able to do it with very little wait.
Next, you can do Toy Story Mania and Alien Swirling Saucers (in whichever order you prefer.) You should still be able to ride both of these without too much of a wait and be finished up pretty early.
If you follow this morning ride strategy in Toy Story Land, be sure to book FastPasses for the other popular rides at Hollywood Studios (Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours) for later in the day. Read more about FastPasses, plus get more Disney World tips here!
Dining at Toy Story Land
There’s only one restaurant in Toy Story Land, Woody’s Lunchbox. This is a quick-service restaurant with covered outdoor seating. The theming is incredibly fun, with oversized toys and gigantic kid-friendly snacks as decorations.
By now, if you’re following my morning itinerary plan, you should have ridden all three rides in Toy Story Land and you’ll probably be pretty hungry!
I highly recommend stopping at Woody’s Lunchbox for breakfast. They serve breakfast until 10:30 AM, and after that they switch to the lunch/dinner menu.
Both menus are good, but breakfast is my favorite.
The s’mores French toast is a must-try item, and the tropical yogurt parfait is a good choice too. I usually order a kid’s meal which comes with a half portion of French toast, a side of tater tots, a clementine, and a drink. (Not a bad deal for $6!)
Characters at Toy Story Land
You can meet Buzz Lightyear, Andy, and Jessie in Toy Story Land. If you want to meet the characters and get your picture made with them, after breakfast is a great time to wait in line and do this.
You can also see the green army men toys marching around throughout the day. Occasionally they will stop and play a game of “Sarge Says” and take kid volunteers from the audience. This is a lot of fun to watch, and if you have kids they will enjoy participating in this! Ask a Cast Member what time this event will occur while you’re there.
Evening at Toy Story Land
Another great time to go to Toy Story Land is at night! It won’t be as hot or crowded, and the area looks really pretty and colorful all lit up.
Slinky Dog Dash is also a ride best experienced at night, so I recommend finishing your night there. If the wait times are still long at the end of the night, get in line one minute before the park closes. You will still be able to ride, and the wait time will usually be much shorter at this point.
FastPasses for Toy Story Land
At the time of writing this, FastPasses for Toy Story Land rides are still pretty difficult to secure. If you are staying at an on-property hotel, you can start booking FastPasses 60 days in advance. If you are staying off-property, it’s 30 days in advance.
If you’re following my morning itinerary for Toy Story Land, you really don’t need any FastPasses for the three rides in Toy Story Land because you should be able to knock them all out within the first 90 minutes of the park opening.
However, if you plan to visit Toy Story Land later in the day, you will need FastPasses if you don’t want to spend a ton of time in line. Slinky Dog Dash is easily the most popular ride at Toy Story Land, with wait times regularly exceeding two hours. Toy Story Mania and Alien Swirling Saucers can often be over an hour wait as well.
Try to book FastPasses for these rides right when your booking window opens for the best chance at securing them. Set an alarm so you don’t forget!
The Best Time of Day to Go
There is very little shade in Toy Story Land, which is why I really don’t recommend going there during the afternoon when the sun is at its hottest. There also aren’t any indoor stores/restaurants in Toy Story Land where you can stop to cool down.
This can make walking around pretty miserable on hot and sunny days, especially if you have kids with you. Because of this, I really recommend going in the morning or at night!
Toy Story Land is a great addition to Hollywood Studios and it is guaranteed to be a highlight for all kids (or those who are just a kid at heart!)
Enjoy your trip!
More Posts About Disney World
For even more tips about Disney World and other Orlando attractions, be sure to check out the following:
- How to Beat the Crowds at Disney World
- 10 Essential Time Saving Tips for Disney World
- How to Save Money at Disney World
- 15 Disney World Tips You Need to Know
- Disney Packing List: Don’t Forget These 12 Items!
About Denise Cruz
Denise is a marketing executive who escaped corporate to travel the world… twice. A Brazilian native living in the U.S., she’s lived in 4 countries and visited 35+ others. After side-hustling her way to financial independence, she curates solo destination guides, slow travel tips, and travel blogging advice on Wander Her Way. When she’s not on the road, you can find her in Miami with her dog Finnegan.