Which DVC Resorts Are Best for Hollywood Studios

In 2017, even loyal Disney fans complained about the status of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. On the day that The Great Movie Ride closed, people vented that this place wasn’t even a half-day theme park anymore. Instead, it was closer to a quarter-day park.

Clever DVC members appreciated the opportunity and still hung out at Hollywood Studios, as the park featured a handful of E-ticket attractions and generally low wait times. Within a year, the story had changed anyway, with the arrival of Toy Story Land increasing the crowds. Then, the conversation turned entirely when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge debuted in 2019.

Now, the park is arguably the most crowded at Walt Disney World. You’ll want to spend multiple days here to get the most from your vacation. So, which DVC resorts are best for Hollywood Studios vacations? Here are the ones I’d recommend.

What’s a Hollywood Studios Vacation?

Everyone vacations differently, but I’m assuming that the average person will spend a week at Disney. After all, that’s what the DVC Points Chart incentivizes members to do. 

So, a “Hollywood Studios vacation” is one where you’ll spend at least two full days and other partial days here. It’s the place where you’ll schedule your Lightning Lane Multi Passes most often. Given the sheer volume of E-ticket attractions at this park, you might even do this on days when you plan to Park Hop elsewhere. 

To maximize a Hollywood Studios vacation, you want to spend as little time on Disney transportation as possible. Ergo, there’s a clear choice for where you should book.

Disney’s Riviera Resort 

This hotel opened in December 2019 and remains one of the newest facilities at Disney World. After nearly five years in operation, Riviera has proven to be a delightful vacation option due to its mix of luxury and logistics. 

Imagineers themed this hotel under the auspices that Walt and Lillian Disney loved their family vacations to the Italian and French Riviera. So, the hotel offers that exotic European vibe, but it also does more. It celebrates those family trips by displaying images of the Disneys traveling abroad. 

You’ll love the hotel’s ambiance as well as the familial nature of the imagery. However, what you’ll appreciate the most is the Disney Skyliner. This form of transportation didn’t even exist when many of us purchased our DVC memberships.

Now, the gondola service will carry guests from the Riviera directly to the front gate of Hollywood Studios. It’s seriously only about 100 steps from the park entrance. So, when you stay at the hotel, you’re eight minutes from the park. Here’s a video as proof.

The one caveat is that you must change gondolas at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. That will slow you down slightly, especially in the unlikely event there’s a line, which rarely happens. Still, when you stay at the Riviera, you can easily travel back and forth to Hollywood Studios. 

Disney’s BoardWalk Villas

Of course, long before the days of the Disney Skyliner, DVC members employed a tried and true method to reach Hollywood Studios. We took the walking path from Disney’s BoardWalk Villas. This lovely stroll takes 15-20 minutes to complete, and it includes a tranquil backdrop by the water.

When you want to save your strength for walking within the parks, you can take a different approach. The hotel is only a five-minute walk from the Disney Skyliner station near EPCOT’s international gateway, providing DVC members with two exceptional options for reaching Hollywood Studios quickly. 

Frankly, BoardWalk and Riviera Resort tower above the other options. Their combination of location and easy park access differentiates them. Still, we have a couple of other choices to consider. 

Disney’s Beach Club Villas 

Objectively, when you want to visit Hollywood Studios, BoardWalk is the superior choice, presuming you don’t mind the walk. However, when you do want to take it easier, Beach Club flips to the better option.

Why is that? Well, you’ll have a shorter walk to the Disney Skyliner station at the International Gateway. So, you’ll reduce the arrival time at Hollywood Studios while exerting yourself less. 

Even better, when you stay at Beach Club, you gain access to Stormalong Bay and some of DVC’s most beloved restaurants. Thus, when we’re doing a Hollywood Studios-intensive visit, we typically choose Beach Club. It helps that I’m a Skyliner enthusiast, though. 

Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort 

Finally, we have a much different option, one that will probably require you to take a bus in some instances. Sure, when you stay at Bay Lake Tower, you can ride the monorail to EPCOT. Then, you can walk to the back of the park and ride the Skyliner, but that’s a bit convoluted. 

Instead, you should view the various monorail resorts in a different light. When you stay at these places, you enjoy the dual benefits of Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, with EPCOT thrown in for good measure. 

At the start of your park day, you can ride the bus to Hollywood Studios. Then, once you’re done for the day, you should head back to the hotel. These bus rides take 12-15 minutes each, but the strategy comes with a side benefit.

Hollywood Studios restaurants aren’t the greatest, while the ones at the monorail resorts are impeccable. So, you can leave Hollywood Studios in time for dinner and eat a much better meal. Later, if so inclined, you can return to the park. However, I’d suggest a different tactic.

Since Magic Kingdom is so vibrant at night, you can walk over there instead. It’s an exceptional way to Park Hop without sacrificing anything at Hollywood Studios. 

Remember that the Lightning Lane system is about to change, allowing you to schedule your bookings a week ahead of time. The new system should allow you to get more done at Hollywood Studios, liberating you to spend the evening at Magic Kingdom. That’s why a Bay Lake Tower booking makes sense, too.