Hollywood Studios Multi Pass Dec 19–31: Worth It?

By Amy L. · Local mom · Celebration, FL

Published November 10, 2026

Here’s the forecast to plan around: SupaPark rates Hollywood Studios 10/10 on seven days in a row, Dec 21 through Dec 27, and again on Dec 31. Across Dec 19–31 the park averages 9.5/10. Only one day drops noticeably, and that’s Dec 19 at 7/10.

On crowd levels like these, Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Hollywood Studios usually earns its price. That only holds if you use it on the right rides, though. Spend it on rides that get short later in the day and you’ve paid for time you would have saved anyway.

What the Dec 19–31 forecast says

SupaPark’s crowd forecast for Hollywood Studios, as of Nov 10 (levels out of 10):

• Dec 19: 7
• Dec 20: 9
• Dec 21–27: 10 every day
• Dec 28–30: 9
• Dec 31: 10

For comparison across the same window, EPCOT is the busiest park, averaging 9.9/10 and hitting 10 almost every day. Magic Kingdom averages 8.5 and Animal Kingdom 8.3, the lightest of the four. Hollywood Studios is the second-busiest park of the holidays.

The move: if your dates allow it, make Dec 19 your Hollywood Studios day. It’s the only day in the window rated below 9. Your next-best options are Dec 20 and Dec 28–30 at 9/10. If your Studios day falls between Dec 21 and Dec 27 or on Dec 31, assume Multi Pass is a requirement rather than a nice extra.

About the price

Disney sells Multi Pass per person, per day, and the price changes by date, so there isn’t one number that covers this whole window. Peak holiday dates usually sit toward the top of the range. Check the exact price for your date in My Disney Experience before deciding.

Don’t stop at the price. Ask how many hours of standby it will save your group on a 10/10 day. At this crowd level, the answer is usually several.

Planning around this? See crowds for my dates.

What Multi Pass covers here (and the big one it doesn’t)

A lot of first-timers get this wrong. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is not part of Multi Pass. It’s a Lightning Lane Single Pass ride, bought separately in My Disney Experience. Buying Multi Pass for your Studios day won’t get you a Lightning Lane return for Rise.

Multi Pass does cover the rest of the park’s Lightning Lane lineup, including Slinky Dog Dash. Slinky tends to sell out faster than most Lightning Lanes, so it should be one of your first selections.

How the timing works:

• On-site Disney resort guests can make selections starting 7 days before arrival, for the whole trip.
• Off-site guests can start 3 days before their park day.
• The window opens at 7:00 AM Eastern on your eligible day.

Buy the pass, book your first set of selections in advance, then add the next one through the day each time you redeem one (or its return window passes). On a 10/10 day the best return times for top rides go early, so be ready when your window opens.

Where the time savings are: follow the hours

SupaPark’s wait data from the last 30 days (Oct 12–Nov 9) shows how a Hollywood Studios day usually plays out. This is the recent daily pattern, not a measurement of late December. Holiday waits will run higher, but the pattern through the day is what you plan with.

Median posted wait across the park’s five busiest rides:

• 9 AM: 39 min
• 11 AM: 50 min (the daily peak)
• 2 PM: 50 min
• 5 PM: 45 min
• 8 PM: 33 min
• 9 PM: 23 min (the daily low)

Two rides show the biggest swings:

• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway: 10 min at 9 PM vs 48 min at 11 AM.
• Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets: 15 min at 8 AM vs 51 min at 12 PM.

What to do with that: aim your Multi Pass return times at 11 AM–2 PM, when standby is at its worst. Don’t use a valuable selection on Runaway Railway if you’ll be in the park late. It’s often one of the easiest standby rides of the night. Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster is a rope-drop ride, so do it first thing and save the selection for something that’s long all day.

One caution: holiday park hours can change. Before you plan a late finish, check the closing time for your date.

The single rider line backup

Hollywood Studios has single rider lines on three rides: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets. Adults, teens and anyone happy to ride separately can use them to get through the park’s biggest rides without paying for Single Pass. It’s the best free option at Hollywood Studios during these crowds, especially for Rise.

Families: run the Rider Switch math first

If a child is too short for a ride and two adults both want to ride, Rider Switch changes the math. One adult rides while the other waits with the child, then the second adult rides afterward on the Lightning Lane side without standing in standby again. A single Lightning Lane return can cover both adults’ rides. That makes a Single Pass for Rise look much better per adult, and it adds value to a Multi Pass selection too. Confirm how it works with a Cast Member at the ride entrance.

Protect your Studios morning

The first hour after opening is when headliners are shortest. On a 10/10 day, it’s the most valuable hour you’ll get in the park.

• On-site guests get Early Theme Park Entry, 30 minutes before official opening. Be at the tapstiles early, not just arriving at opening time.
• Don’t book a sit-down breakfast on your Hollywood Studios morning. Have character breakfasts on an arrival day, a departure morning, or as a late brunch on a lighter day. Trading your rope drop for pancakes during Christmas week costs you a lot of ride time.

The Magic Kingdom party nights matter too

Magic Kingdom closes early to day guests on Dec 20 and Dec 22 for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Without a party ticket, your Magic Kingdom day is shorter on those dates, and the guests who leave have to go somewhere. Hollywood Studios is forecast at 9 on Dec 20 and 10 on Dec 22. Don’t count on an evening there being any quieter than usual on those nights.

How SupaPark helps

On a 10/10 day, the biggest mistakes come from timing: missing a return time that frees up, or walking to a ride that has just gone down. SupaPark’s refill predictions and live alerts tell you when a Lightning Lane becomes bookable or a ride drops to a short wait, and you book it yourself in My Disney Experience. If you’re also after a hard-to-get Studios dinner, Drop Watch alerts you when a cancellation frees up a table. The free plan includes live waits, the best-time forecaster, the crowd calendar and one live watch at a time at supapark.com. SupaPark is also free on iPhone and Android.

The one thing to remember

If you can, put Hollywood Studios on Dec 19. If you can’t, buy Multi Pass for any 10/10 day. Book Slinky Dog Dash early, aim your return times at late morning and midday, rope drop Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster, ride Runaway Railway at night, and use single rider or Single Pass for Rise of the Resistance, because Multi Pass doesn’t cover it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass worth it at Hollywood Studios Dec 19–31, 2026?

Usually yes. SupaPark forecasts the park at 10/10 from Dec 21–27 and on Dec 31, and Multi Pass saves the most time when you book return times for 11 AM–2 PM, the busiest part of the day.

Does Multi Pass include Rise of the Resistance?

No. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is a Lightning Lane Single Pass ride bought separately, though it also has a single rider line if your group doesn’t mind splitting up.

What is the least crowded Hollywood Studios day between Dec 19 and Dec 31?

Dec 19, at 7/10 in SupaPark’s forecast. Dec 20 and Dec 28–30 are next at 9/10, and every other day is a 10.

When are Hollywood Studios waits shortest?

Over Oct 12–Nov 9, SupaPark measured the lowest median wait across the park’s top five rides at 9 PM (23 min), and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway dropped to 10 min at that hour. Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster was shortest at 8 AM (15 min).

Keep planning: today’s crowd forecast · is Lightning Lane worth it

Go deeper — the full guides: How to Pay $0 for Disney World Parking in 2026 · The Ultimate Crowd-Crushing Guide to Walt Disney World: How to Avoid the Worst Lines, Pick the Right Park Each Day, and Save Your Energy for What Matters · Disney World Crowd Calendar: How to Read One Right

SupaPark tracks live wait times and crowd forecasts, and pings you the second a hard-to-get reservation opens or a ride goes walk-on — free to start at supapark.com.

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