Complete Guide to Early Entry Disney World

Complete Guide to Early Entry Disney World

Complete Guide to Early Entry Disney World

This article is your complete guide to Disney World’s early entry 2024! Disney has released the newest benefit for guests staying at on-site Disney World hotels, which allows for Disney early theme park entry at all four of the main Walt Disney World theme parks. That’s right, guests staying at a Disney World hotel can now get into the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom a half hour earlier than other park guests! 

In this article, we’ll break down exactly how Disney World’s early entry works, what time Disney early entry starts, exactly which rides are open and so much more. Planning a family vacation to Walt Disney World? Let our Disney travel experts plan a hassle-free vacation for you with a no-obligation quote. Guests can also opt into our concierge service with any discount Disney World ticket order purchased through our small business, including custom Disney park plans to save up to three hours each day, dining recommendations, and price monitoring to ensure you get the best deal. Start your magical journey with us today! 

So if you’re ready to learn about early park entry at Disney World read on!

 Disney World Crowd Calendar

Disney World Early Theme Park Entry 2024

Let’s start with the most common question we receive right now and that is, what is Disney World’s early entry? Disney World’s early theme park entry is a new benefit for guests staying at Disney World hotels and other select resorts, allowing them to take advantage of a 30-minute early entry into Walt Disney World theme parks. This is different from the old extra magic hours which only allowed guests early entry into select theme parks on different days. The new Disney parks early entry system allows guests into the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom every morning up to a half hour early.

Disney is trying to emphasize guests booking a Disney World vacation package with early theme park entry being one of the main benefits. Of course, guests will also have access to free Disney transportation, resort-wide charging privileges, and so much more.

Which theme parks are included in early access at Disney World?

• Magic Kingdom
• EPCOT
• Hollywood Studios
• Animal Kingdom

Related Page: Disney World Vacation Package Deals and Promotions 

What Time Are The Disney Early Park Hours?

The second most important question we receive is, what time is Walt Disney World early theme park entry? And Disney World early theme park entry starts exactly 30 minutes before regular park opening at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Of course, every theme park does have different operation hours however to make it as easy as possible we have included all of the Disney World theme park hours on our Disney World crowd calendar. Guests can also use this tool to see the one day ticket prices for Walt Disney World as well which can be useful when shopping for the best time to visit Disney World. One of the main reasons is Disney World ticket pricing now fluctuates based on the time of year. So the lower the ticket prices the greater chance of getting a better deal on a discount Walt Disney World vacation package! 

What are typical Disney early park hours?

• Magic Kingdom 8:30 AM (estimated)
• EPCOT 8:00 AM (estimated)
• Hollywood Studios 8:00 AM (estimated)
• Animal Kingdom 7:30 AM (estimated)

It’s important to note that we still highly recommend to arrive 30-45 minutes before Disney early entry even begins. The main reason is so many on-site and off-site guests will show up early in the morning and you will want to make sure to give yourself time to go through security and join the correct group which will be allowed in for the Disney World early hours. This will also allow you to be some of the firsts guests into the park and is a huge benefit when trying to get on as many rides with very little wait time.

How early can Disney resort guests get into parks?

Guests staying at any of the Disney World hotels can officially get into the Disney theme parks 30-minutes before other park guests every day. It’s important to note that un-officially and from our experience visiting the parks Disney does sometimes allow guests into the park 10-15 minutes before the Disney resort early entry even begins. However they typically won’t allow guests to start to go onto rides until that 30-minute mark.

Related Page: The Best Time to Visit Disney World 

How to Get Early Entry to Disney World?

Another important question we receive is, who gets early entry to Disney parks? And guests staying at all on-site Disney World hotels and other select friendly neighbor hotels receive Disney World early entry. It’s important to bring your room card, phone with your my Disney experience account or Magicband which is connected to your room for Disney cast members to scan. This will let them know that you are part of the Disney early theme park entry group for the day.

Is Disney early entry worth it?

We find that the new Disney early access hours can be a huge benefit to families who are trying to get the most out of their day and trying to get on some of the most popular rides with very little wait. The main reason why the new system does work when compared to the old extra morning hours is they are available at all four of the Disney theme parks as opposed to one park each day like the old system was set up. This should allow for the crowds to spread out among the four Disney parks and provide less wait times on some of the most popular Disney early access rides.

Related Page: How Much Does a Disney World Vacation Cost 

Disney World Early Entry Hotels 2024

Next we’ll cover another popular question which is, what Disney World hotels include early park admission? As a general rule of thumb the Disney world early entry hotels include all of the on-site Disney owned hotels plus some friendly neighbor on-site third party hotels.

Disney Owned Hotels with Early Admission 2024

• Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Friendly Neighbor Hotels With Early Admission (List subject to change)

• Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
• Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
• Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
• Four Seasons Resort Orlando
• Shades of Green
• Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
• Waldorf Astoria Orlando
• B Resort & Spa Lake Buena Vista
• Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
• Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
• Holiday Inn Orlando
• DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
• Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista
• Wyndham Lake Buena Vista

Related Page: The Dolphin Vs Swan Resort at Disney World 

Magic Kingdom Early Entry 2024

Next we’ll take a look at Magic Kingdom early entry and help you come up with a game plan for your morning in the park. And to start one of the most important things to consider when planning for early entry at Magic Kingdom is how you will get to the park. The three main modes of transportation to Magic Kingdom are the busses, boats, monorail and of course guests driving their own card. But it’s important to remember that for guests driving their own car you will park at the ticket and transportation center and then take the ferry boat or monorail over to the parks.

How early should you leave your hotel before Magic Kingdom Early Entry?

• On-site Busses – 75 Minutes
• On-site boats – 45 Minutes
• Monorail – 45 Minutes
• Driving – 90 Minutes

What are the Magic Kingdom early entry rides?

• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Astro Orbiter
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• it’s a small world
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Mad Tea Party
• Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
• The Barnstormer
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
• Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

Related Page: Guide to Disney World Photo Pass 

EPCOT Early Entry

Another popular question we receive is, does EPCOT open early for resort guests? Yes, as a general rule of thumb EPCOT is included in the early theme park entry at Disney World. EPCOT has also become one of the most popular parks to visit during Disney early entry with one of the newest Disney World rides in Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. We would also say that EPCOT has more quality rides over quantity so we do find it helpful to rope drop to take advantage of some of the other rides as well such as Test Track, Frozen and Soarin. The main modes of transportation to EPCOT are busses, Monorail, boats, guests driving their own car and the brand new Disney Skyliner. 

How early should you leave your hotel before early entry at EPCOT?

• On-site Busses – 60 Minutes
• On-site boats – 45 Minutes
• Monorail – 90 Minutes
• Driving – 60 Minutes
• Disney Skyliner – 60 Minutes

What are the EPCOT Disney World early entry rides?

• Test Track
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Beauty and The Beast Sing-Along
• Frozen Ever After
• Mission: SPACE
• Spaceship Earth
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Related Page: Guide to the Best Rides at EPCOT 

Hollywood Studios Early Entry 2024

Hollywood Studios is another extremely popular park to use early entry at Disney World these days. With the main reason being many families trying to figure out if they should rope drop Star Wars Rise of the Resistance or not. Overall we do see there to be a benefit to rope dropping at Hollywood Studios still and as you’ll see there are plenty of popular rides to take advantage of such as Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Slinky Dog Dash. The main modes of transportation to Hollywood Studios are busses, boats, guests driving their own car and the brand new Disney Skyliner.

How early should you leave your hotel before early entry Hollywood Studios?

• On-site Busses – 60 Minutes
• On-site boats – 45 Minutes
• Driving – 60 Minutes
• Disney Skyliner – 60 Minutes

What are the Hollywood Studios early entry rides?

• Star Wars Rise of the Resistance
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Toy Story Mania

Related Page: Should You Rope Drop Hollywood Studios? 

Animal Kingdom Early Entry 2024

Animal Kingdom is by far one of the most complicated parks to visit during the early entry hours at Disney World. With the main reason being that almost all guests are using the Disney resort early entry to ride Avatar Flight of Passage. So for this reason we do typically see the average wait time in the morning to be around 90 minutes. Now on the flip side guests can absolutely take advantage of shorter wait times on some of the other popular rides such Expedition Everest and Dinosuar. We just don’t believe there is too much benefit compared to later on in the day. The main modes of transportation to Animal Kingdom are busses and guests driving their own car.

How early should you leave your hotel before early entry Animal Kingdom?

• On-site Busses – 60 Minutes
• Driving – 60 Minutes

What are the Animal Kingdom early entry rides?

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Expedition Everest
• Dinosaur
• It’s Tough to be a Bug
• Na’vi River Journey

Related Page: The Best Disney Springs Restaurants 

Is Disney World Early Entry Worth it?

Now that you have all of the basics on how the early entry to Walt Disney World works, you might be wondering, is Disney World’s early entry worth it? And from our experience using Disney World early entry for hotel guests, it can be a huge advantage when visiting the parks. This is especially true if you arrive 30-45 minutes before the early entry even begins, which will allow you to be some of the first guests into the park and have your pick from any of the rides you would like. As a general rule, what we will typically do is pick one of three individual lightning lane rides that accept standard wait time guests or two of the most popular rides included with the regular Disney World Genie+. We have found that by taking advantage of the Disney World early entry this way guests should be able to save an average of 65 minutes on longer lines later in the day.

Which rides are worth it with Disney World Early Entry?

• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• Test Track
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Frozen Ever After
• Star Wars Rise of the Resistance
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Avatar Flight of Passage

Related Page: Disney World Vacation Package Deals 

When is The Best Time to Visit Disney World?

Our Disney  World Crowd Calendar is the best tool to help you get the most out of your time in the parks. We break down park crowds, park hours of operation, ticket prices, and average temperature. We also break down the best time to visit Disney World based on specific times of the year and special events.

Are You Ready to Plan Your Next Disney World Trip?

Are you planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Be sure to speak with a Disney World Travel Agent for the most recent deals and promotions. The Park Prodigy will provide a Free Quote for all Disney World Vacation Packages. The Park Prodigy can also help you save up to $20 per ticket when purchasing your Walt Disney World Tickets, and we offer promotional discounts for special events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Tickets and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Tickets. If you’re brand new to Disney vacation planning we recommend our Walt Disney World Planning Page! Learn more about Disney hotels by reading our Walt Disney World Hotels Review page.

Don’t forget to check out our wonderful friends over at Theme Park Today, as well!