Toy Story Land Evening Touring Plan (Our Favorite Way to Tackle 3 Rides)

Toy Story Land is one of the most difficult lands to tackle at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. First, the land is home to Slinky Dog Dash, which holds exceptionally long lines from rope drop to park close. Another classic, Toy Story Mania, has steady lines all day long. Last but not least, Alien Swirling Saucers averages 30 minutes throughout the majority of the day.

On any given day, you could easily invest 2 to 3 hours experiencing all three attractions when touring without Lightning Lanes. So the goal of this article is to help you ride all three attractions via the standby line with the shortest wait possible. This Toy Story Land touring plan uses my favorite touring method, circle touring, which means you tour where you’re at. This is also a nighttime touring plan.

To date, I’ve completed this plan casually at least 20 times. It has not been completed during the holiday season when crowds are at their highest. However, we have tested it during Spring Break, and it worked well.

It is also important to note that you will likely have to give up something else to make this touring plan work. Since this plan takes up the final hour of the night, Slinky Dog Dash will be the last thing you get in line to experience. Once you’re finished, it will be time to start making your way out of the park. That means you’ll miss Fantasmic!, the primary nighttime entertainment offering at Hollywood Studios. (That said, if you visit on an evening when Fantasmic! is offered twice, you should be able to make the second performance.)

There is one other caveat. We would not recommend this touring plan if you plan to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance on an evening when Extended Evening Hours are offered (and you are eligible). Unfortunately, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is not offered during Extended Evening Hours. So we would recommend getting in line to ride it before the park closes and then moving on to Toy Story Land before making your way to other attractions toward the front of the park.

How Our Toy Story Land Nighttime Touring Plan Works

For this itinerary to work, our goal is to arrive at Alien Swirling Saucers by 8:00 p.m. If you want to give yourself a little cushion, you might get in line a few minutes beforehand. Our objective is to complete this attraction by approximately 8:15 p.m. If you’re already in the park, you might want to have everyone take a quick restroom break before you get started. Time is of the essence once the clock starts. (Restrooms are immediately across the walkway from Alien Swirling Saucers.)

As soon as you exit Alien Swirling Saucers, you’ll head straight to Toy Story Mania! As long as the wait is posted at 40 minutes or less, you should be okay at this point. Now, know that if a ride is down or goes down at any point in time, this touring plan is fallible. That’s just the luck of the draw sometimes.

From our experience, we are almost always exiting Toy Story Mania between 8:45 and 8:50 p.m. (even with a few minor ride stops). Afterward, the only thing you have to do is get in line for Slinky Dog Dash by 8:59 p.m. Of course, we always head straight there and are typically in line with at least an extra five-minute cushion.

Now, if you don’t visit often, you do need to remember that the exit queue for Toy Story Mania! is somewhat long. So while we wouldn’t recommend running or even walking too fast, it is important to be assertive and focus on where you’re going. This is not the time to discuss who had the highest score in your vehicle or all the reasons everyone else in your party lost. You can do that while you’re waiting for Slinky Dog Dash. Just imagine those green army men you pass by on the way are saying, “Move it, soldiers!”

Thankfully, Slinky Dog Dash is not too far away. Remember, as long as you’re in line before the park closes, you’ll get to experience the attraction. This tip can be used at any park for any attraction before the park closes. While we can’t guarantee wait times, the line will start to move more rapidly after the park closes. That’s because the Lightning Lane ends, so you’re not standing there waiting while other people pass you with their skip-the-line pass.

Toy Story Land Evening Touring Plan in Action

Okay, before publishing this article, I decided to test our plan during the busy Spring Break period. So on a visit the last week of March, I tested the plan with my sister and nephew, who visit Disney World about once every couple of years. They are not very familiar with the parks. Of course, we hit a snag when we arrived, because my nephew wanted to pivot and ride Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. At that point, I was worried that it wouldn’t work out. Here’s how our night went:

• 8:21 p.m.: Got in line for Alien Swirling Saucers (This attraction had a 10-minute wait posted.)
• 8:31 p.m.: Got in line for Toy Story Mania (This attraction had a 25-minute wait posted.)
• 8:52 p.m.: Got in line for Slinky Dog Dash (This attraction has a 40-minute wait posted.)

We were out of Slinky Dog Dash by about 9:25, which wasn’t bad at all. Since Fantasmic! was offered twice on this particular evening, we were able to get a seat (and a snack) and enjoy the performance.

Looking at the numbers above, I would say we were close, and plenty of things could have gone wrong. We had arrived at the park at about 7:50 p.m. this evening. Normally, I would have gone straight to Toy Story Land, but since we had a special request, we swung by Galaxy’s Edge. Thankfully, even with the late start, things still worked in our favor.

Final Thoughts

I hope you’re able to incorporate this touring plan into a future visit. We often enjoy spending afternoons at the resorts, having a nice dinner, and visiting the parks at night, even if it’s just for an hour or two. Of course, this Toy Story Land touring plan could work for anyone, even if you’ve already spent the entire day in the park. So try it out on a future visit, and let us know how it worked for you!

In the Comments

What do you think of this plan? Would you incorporate it into your evening? Let us know your thoughts or the outcome below in the comments.