Insider Secrets at MGM Studios

When you first enter the park, pick up a map and a times guide right away, which will tell you park hours and special event times.

Be sure to bring water and sun screen. Having a poncho, umbrella or light raincoat might be a good idea, too, as afternoon rain showers are not at all uncommon in Central Florida, especially during the rainy season (from June through September).

Adults with youngsters too small to ride an attraction may take turns riding. Simply see a Cast Member at the front of the attraction and obtain a Child Swap Pass, which will allow one parent (and any other child who is tall enough to ride) to enjoy the ride while the other sits out with the other child. Then, without waiting in line again, you can swap so that both parents can enjoy the ride!

Many Disney Cast Members are fluent in more than one language – check the lapel pins under their nametags which indicates which languages they speak.

Check the tip board on the corner of Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards for daily show times and updated wait times.

For full-service meals, it is best to make reservations in advance by calling 407-WDW-DINE. You can also check for last-minute reservations when you arrive at the park at either Guest Relations or at the desired eatery. If you are planning on eating dinner at one of the full-service restaurants, you may want to check into booking a Fantasmic! Dining Experience, which gets you a meal and guaranteed seating at the nighttime show. 

Take advantage of Disney's FASTPASS Service. Simply slip your Park Pass into the FASTPASS machine to receive an assigned return time and enjoy the rest of the park while you wait. Here’s a tip though – only use the FASTPASS for the biggest attractions at the park – The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith.  The other attractions’ lines fluctuate throughout the day, but those rides are sure to always have a long wait! And, plan your FASTPASS uses wisely – you cannot get another FASTPASS until your current time is up. So, if your FASTPASS time is from 3-4 p.m., you cannot get another FASTPASS until 4 p.m.
There are two ATMs at Disney-MGM Studios: one just outside the park entrance and one inside Toy Story Pizza Planet.

Many of the attractions and shows at the Disney-MGM Studios stop admitting guests prior to the park's official closing time. Attractions that you may enter up until the very last minute include Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, The Great Movie Ride, Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3-D and Star Tours.

The shops on Hollywood Boulevard are open a half hour past park closing, so you can take advantage of park hours to ride the rides and save the shopping until you are on your way out!
Just to the left outside the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is a well with a sign that says, “do not touch.” Ignore it! If you pull on the rope, you will find a surprise!
If you want the good food at the 50’s Prime Time Café but don’t have priority reservations (meaning you will probably have to wait a long time for a table), you can always go in and head to the bar and eat there with usually little to no wait.

If you want to see Fantasmic! (and trust us, you do), be sure to get there very early in order to get a seat. If it is during busy season, you will want to get there an hour before show time, and during the off season, you still will want to allow about a half hour. Also, once the theater fills to capacity, they will not allow anyone else in, so it doesn’t matter whether you are saving a seat for someone or not! If there are two shows during the evening, always try to go to the second one. That means you can enjoy the rides until they close down and still be guaranteed a great seat for the show (the second show never gets more than half full)!

One more tidbit about Fantasmic! Be sure to stay until the end of the show – once the boat with the characters comes out, many people start to leave. But, what they don’t realize is that the best part of the show is still to come!
The shows at Disney-MGM Studios end earlier in the day, so be sure to hit all of these early and save the bigger attractions for later in the day.