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Disney-MGM Studios

Important Note: UltimateOrlando.com cannot bring you every minor detail about the Walt Disney World parks – there are too many! Questions of this nature are the only ones we will not answer by email. Instead, we suggest you drop by Deb Wills’ All-Ears Net website, which has complete ride and show reviews, operating hours, and even all the menus and prices at the eateries.

Overview
The third park in WDW's lineup, the Disney-MGM Studios opened in 1989. Criticized for its fairly meager lineup of attractions, the park responded by almost constant expansion, such as the Fantasmic theater, the Tower of Terror, and Rock 'n Roller Coaster. The charge is less often leveled now that MGM is a "half-day" park, but on the other hand few people need to return for a second day during their extended trip to WDW.

How to Visit
The Disney-MGM Studios is located on the east side of World Drive, just a few hundred meters south of Epcot. Shuttles lead directly to the park from Disney hotels as well as local-area hotels off property, and cars following those ubiquitous purple signs will be directed to MGM's own parking lot. A short tram ride away, the turnstiles await.

Planning Your Day (aka, “Touring” the Park)
There is no shortage of advice out there about how you should visit the studio park, and in what order you should do each ride. There are a few Golden Rules, however, that everyone agrees upon:

1. Use FASTPASS. This is a free electronic ride-reservation system. Stick your admission ticket into the machine, and it spits back a time for you to return, at which point you’ll only have a minimal wait before loading. In essence, a virtual version of you is waiting in line while you go do other things, such as eat, shop, relax, or even ride different rides. FASTPASS is on many of the major rides at WDW, though not all. However, you can’t over-use it. You can only hold one reservation at a time (or, if the “return time” is very far away, it allows you to make a different reservation after two hours). Decide which rides having FASTPASS are crucial for you to visit, and plan your day “on the fly” around the FASTPASS return times.

2. Do crowded rides early. The attractions which generate the largest crowds at MGM are Tower of Terror and Rock 'n Roller Coaster. Although FASTPASS is available on other attractions throughout the park, they are almost always not needed. Especially later in the day, the two signiture rides of the Backlot Tram and the Great Movie Ride do not sport long waits.

3. Or, don’t plan at all. First-time visitors are well-advised to avoid the panic and stress of trying to plot out a visit as if it were a major military campaign. Disney parks are built to encourage discovery, wandering, and whimsy. This is especially true if you are visiting with small children. Let THEM determine the agenda and you’ll stumble across the “magic of Disney” a lot faster than if you try to force a hurried schedule onto cranky kids.

Where to Eat
If an extraordinary dining experience isn’t your goal, by all means, make use of the frequent fast-food options in the park, including carts along the street. However, if you’re looking for some variation, here are some ideas:


1. Upscale: For sheer uniqueness, you can't beat the Sci-Fi Diner, where your table is a mock car, and all "cars" in the room faces the drive-in screen and the requisite science fiction movies from the 1950s. If you want more upscale fare, try the Brown Derby. There's also Hollywood & Vine, a real rarity inside Disney parks: an all you can eat buffet. Reservations for all the above are a must, earlier than same-day, if you can: 407-WDW-DINE.

2. Character meals: None at Disney-MGM Studios.

3. Moderate-but-different: Cuban sandwiches at the ABC Commissary, or fresh baked goods and sandwiches at Starring Rolls.

4. Treats: Gourmet pretzels at Min and Bill's Dockside Diner, Snow Cones at the Dip Site, and frozen desserts at KRNR Station.

Our Bottom-Line Recommendations
You may hear grumbles about a perceived lack of attractions at Disney-MGM Studios, but there's actually a lot to do, especially when you factor in the shows which dot the landscape. Don't schedule less than a full day for this park, and make an effort to see Fantasmic! if it's playing on the evening you visit.

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