“Is it worth the wait?”: What’s the ROI for every Hollywood Studios Attraction?

Who’s ready for another 👏 round 👏 of math 👏 ?

[Cue wild cheers from the crowd]

If you haven’t checked out the first installment of this series, you may want to catch up on the Magic Kingdom Attraction ROI or Magic Kingdom: Revisited (3 Weeks Later), but if you’re ready get to the Hollywood Studios breakdown, then let’s get rolling!

What’s the ROI for Hollywood Studios attractions?

As a reminder, our formula is:

(Average wait time / Attraction duration)*100 = Attraction ROI (Return on Investment)

**So that means:**

A 10-minute wait for a 10-minute attraction would be a 100% ROI. The time we spent waiting was equally returned by the attraction.
And a 30-minute wait for a 10-minute attraction would a 33% ROI. Only one-third of our time was returned by the attraction this time.
But a 5-minute wait for a 10-minute attraction? That’s a 200% ROI. We just doubled our investment, my friend!

Other things to note:

Average wait time data sourced via Thrill-Data
Attraction duration data sourced via Touring Plans
We’re using a sample of average wait times between June 1-22, 2021.
Some attractions like Indiana Jones: Stunt Spectacular and Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage are not included in this list due to the closure of live shows in the parks, but we hope to see them back soon as vaccinations and safety measures continue to help reopen the parks and remaining cast members and performers can return to work safely.

Any guesses for which attractions had the best ROI and which ones didn’t fare so well? Let’s see if the math says that your favorites are promoted to must-dos (or possibly ones to skip on your next trip).

12. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (Worst ROI)

Raul654, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sorry, Aerosmith fans. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is already coming up on its 22nd birthday on July 29, 2021 and that wait time just doesn’t seem to drop. The good news: You’re in for a charmingly awkward pre-show with Aerosmith, Illeana Douglas, and Ken Marino, plus a pretty exhilarating launch-start as Steven Tyler scream-counts you down. The bad news: The queue before getting into the building is a winding mass of metal corrals…outside. Luckily you’ll be winding back and forth under an awning with some fans blowing a warm breeze your way? We’ll take whatever relief from the Florida heat we can get, but we’d recommend grabbing a FastPass when it’s “Back in the Saddle Again”.

By the way, did you know that Danielle’s dad offered Steven Tyler some pizza in a CVS in Scituate? Weird things can happen in the South Shore of Massachusetts.

Average wait time: 46 minutes
Attraction duration: 1.5 minutes
ROI: 3.26%

11. Slinky Dog Dash

Freddo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It’s the rope-drop destination for most Hollywood Studios-goers: Slinky Dog Dash. Slinky comes in at a whopping wait time of 70 minutes, which should be surprising to no one familiar with this attraction. It honestly feels like unless you hop on first or last thing, you’re waiting well over an hour for this coaster. In the last few times we’ve been at the parks, FastPasses are hard to snatch up even with the Disney Resort perk of booking 30 days in advance of your stay, which usually means that you’re either doomed to constant refreshing of the My Disney Experience App on your park day or you’ll need to be mentally prepared for a long wait that trails through (and possibly out of) Toy Story Land. But boy is that attraction photogenic. We see what you did, Disney…

Average wait time: 70 minutes
Attraction duration: 3 minutes
ROI: 4.29%

10. Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run

elisfkc from Orlando, FL, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

As one of the newest additions to the park, it should be expected that Smuggler’s Run has a long wait. That said, this queue seems to be built with those long lines in mind so your 50ish-minute wait is filled with plenty to look at to hold your attention until you finally enter the Millenium Falcon to live out your dreams of sitting at a Dejarik board with a small tear in your eye. Watching most of the pilot seats go to the littlest kids might disappoint the big kids (yes, we mean full adults) after waiting nearly an hour, but if you are at all a Star Wars fan, this one is still probably worth the wait. Or hop on that Single Rider line your second time around! No guarantees, but it easily cut our wait-time in half last time we took a ride on the Falcon.

Average wait time: 50 minutes
Attraction duration: 5 minutes
ROI: 10.00%

9. Alien Swirling Saucers

Alien Swirling Saucers is the ride for thrill-seeking little ones who want that extra boost of excitement above a standard dark ride. You’ll be spun around and lightly tossed back and forth for two and a half minutes of Green Alien fun. As adults, it’s hard to unsee a plussed-up Scrambler from our days at the local fair, so we might pass on that 24-minute wait. But if the line’s short enough and no one’s on the verge of a breakdown in the hot Florida sun, this could be a good attraction to add to your kiddo’s day in Toy Story Land.

Average wait time: 24 minutes
Attraction duration: 2.5 minutes
ROI: 10.42%

8. Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway

Jedi94 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

So look…while it’s very hard for us to accept that The Great Movie Ride is gone, we’re pretty thrilled to have the new Mickey cartoons featured in the parks. This one’s new enough that the World of Commotion crew hasn’t experienced it yet, but we hear that the pre-show magic alone is worth the wait. Just being inside the Chinese Theater again would make our hearts soar, so while we might try for that FastPass for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway first, we’d probably do the 40+ minute wait.

Average wait time: 43 minutes
Attraction duration: 5 minutes
ROI: 11.63%

7. Toy Story Mania!

Theme Park Tourist, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

For anyone with a competitive nature, this one’s a must-do in Hollywood Studios for us. Even with our grumblings of “too much Toy Story” seeping into the parks, it’s hard not to want to hit that high score every time you ride. The queue is not exactly mind-blowing, but you’ll easily find yourself pointing out nostalgic toys and games to your family and friends as you’re shrunk down to toy-size in Andy’s room. If you know that you won’t be able to handle losing to other people in your ride car on that first go, you might want to consider doing the wait first and then hopping right back on with a planned FastPass for a serious rematch.

Average wait time: 35 minutes
Attraction duration: 6.5 minutes
ROI: 18.57%

6. Star Tours - The Adventure Continues

The Conmunity - Pop Culture Geek from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

With Galaxy’s Edge nearby, Star Tours sees much shorter lines these days, which is great news for any fan who needs a break from the crowds in Batuu, but still needs their Star Wars fix. Plus we can’t help but feel nostalgic when we go through the queue of this ride as we walk under the AT-ATs, past R2D2, C3PO, and Admiral Ackbar, and then wind around those chattering worker-bots. At a breezy 17 minute wait, this is one of the few attractions that doesn’t really need a FastPass. If the line’s long, we’d recommend just waiting 30 minutes and you’ll probably see a change in the wait time. (And if we’re being honest, Star Tours is still the better thrill-ride and screen experience compared to Smuggler’s Run).

Average wait time: 17 minutes
Attraction duration: 7 minutes
ROI: 41.18%

5. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Childzy at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

We’re quickly getting past the 50% ROI mark with the iconic Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This highly-themed gem might still scare away park-goers who avoid heights and drops, but if you find that the queue is only 30 minutes or less, it might be worth the wait. The hotel exterior and lobby queue, the eerie cast members, and of course the mini Twilight Zone pre-show make this attraction a must-do for Twilight Zone fans and thrill-seekers alike. Plus you’ll only get the Twilight Zone experience in the U.S. on the east coast now that the Collector has taken over at Mission: BREAKOUT! in Disney California Adventure Park.

Average wait time: 29 minutes
Attraction duration: 15 minutes
ROI: 51.72%

4. Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy

HKDisneyFan via https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Lightning_McQueen's_Racing_Academy

Unless you’re a massive Lightning McQueen fan (“Ka-chow!”), we can’t exactly recommend this attraction for everyone, but if you’ve got a Cars fan in your family and need the added bonus of some air-conditioned sit-down time, this attraction tucked beyond Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster might be a good call for your Hollywood Studios day. We’re guessing that with the crowds heading in the opposite direction toward Batuu, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy sees pretty low wait times, almost averaging out to the same length as the attraction itself. So if you just miss the show, you’re bound to get in with the next group of Cars-fans.

Average wait time: 14 minutes
Attraction duration: 10 minutes
ROI: 71.43%

We’re entering another top 3 of 100%+ ROI!

3. Muppet*Vision 3D

We’re well into the 100%+ ROI zone now and we’re very happy to see Muppet*Vision 3D coming in with the bronze medal. Danielle will try to refrain from gushing about the Muppets and this attraction, but the pre-show alone is worth catching. It’s a perfect example of classic Muppets silliness. More often than not for this attraction, you’ll walk in mid-to-early preshow and enjoy some laughs before heading into the theater for some 3D entertainment from Kermit and the gang. We just hope the Muppets keep their footprint in Hollywood Studios as Galaxy’s Edge looms right behind this show building.

Average wait time: 11 minutes
Attraction duration: 17 minutes
ROI: 154.55%

2. Vacation Fun Animated Short

PudgetheFish00 via https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Vacation_Fun

Vacation Fun is a new-ish addition to the park featuring a park-exclusive Mickey cartoon. We’re pretty sure the intent of this one is to familiarize park-goers with the new Mickey cartoon style so there’s less of a surprise when they hop on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. (Or there was an empty building that needed some love. We’ll say both.) While this one’s nothing mind-blowing, it’s probably a good one to pop into for some quick entertainment and a cool break from the park. Plus we’re admittedly in love with the new Mickey cartoons produced by Paul Rudish, so we’re bound to stop by to see what Mickey’s up to.

Average wait time: 9 minutes
Attraction duration: 15 minutes
ROI: 166.67%

1. Walt Disney Presents (Best ROI)

CrystalSolo64, Via https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Walt_Disney_Presents

And we top the list with…another theater and a show. We know, we know, not the most exciting top of the list, but it’s expected that these theater shows have a minimal-to-no wait, especially in a park with attractions that people flock to right at rope drop. If you’re at all interested in Walt’s history and the story behind the man and the mouse, this one might be worth popping into to see a mini-museum of items connected to Walt, Mickey Mouse, and Walt’s dreams of the parks, plus a short film dedicated to the man himself.

We have to imagine that you’re essentially just waiting for the next show to begin if you do venture into this building, so take some time to soak in some knowledge and enjoy the quiet break from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood Studios.

Average wait time: 14 minutes
Attraction duration: 25 minutes
ROI: 178.57%

So that’s our list! Congrats to Walt Disney Presents for being the best decision, mathematically, for your Hollywood Studios park day. Plus you now have some clear calculations to shame your family with as you’re waiting in the hot sun in Toy Story Land for Slinky Dog Dash.

As we’ve said before - only you can plan the perfect park day for you and your family and/or friends, so be sure to use our calculations as just one of the many factors involved in planning your day.

And to address the evil glares for “Where is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance on the list?!?”: Rise is (and maybe forever) tied to the virtual boarding pass system, so it’s nearly impossible to find a perfect average wait time for that attraction. We simply wish for your internet connection to be strong and your fingers to be swift as you snatch up your next boarding pass. Til the Spires!