Rise and shine — today we're talking about Disney World's Early Theme Park Entry benefit! To begin with, Early Theme Park Entry grants Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests access to any of the resort's theme parks — Disney's Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Disney's Animal Kingdom — 30 minutes before the parks open to the public. Furthermore, this perk will be offered every day from now through 2025. (We think that's the best part!) Get your to-do lists (and coffee!) ready!
We utilized early entry at Magic Kingdom during our most recent stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. However, while guests with regular admission were held by the castle, we were able to head over to Fantasyland and ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train!
Accessing popular rides such as that, for example, is one of the (many) great reasons to stay on-site at a Walt Disney World hotel! Furthermore, Early Theme Park Entry extends to select partner hotels, as well. So, what else should you know about Early Theme Park Entry at Disney World? Let's jump in!
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All About Disney World's Early Theme Park Entry Benefit
Extra Magic Hours (EMH) were retired upon Walt Disney World's reopening in July 2020. As a replacement, guests at official Disney Resort hotels and select Disney partner hotels can now enjoy 30-minute early entry to ANY theme park, EVERY day. Yep, this is a big change that has implications for all park-goers! (Applicable theme park, days and times of operation and availability may vary and are subject to change, capacity and/or cancellation. For example, during busier times, the benefit may be extended to a full hour of early entry.) Indeed, we're so hoppy that early entry is confirmed to continue through the end of the year!
While giving on-site hotel guests more flexibility — and probably a better benefit than the original Extra Magic Hours, which was limited to one park each day — the new Early Theme Park Entry also helps Disney better spread visitation across all four theme parks. Note that hotel guests still need valid admission. If using date-based tickets, you will not need a park reservation. If using other select admission types, you will need to make a park reservation via the Disney Park Pass system. Meanwhile, guests without the Park Hopper option must spend the day at the same park where they'd like to enjoy the Early Theme Park Entry benefit.
For those who might have frogotten, the former Extra Magic Hours were extended theme park hours available to Disney World Resort hotel guests and some Disney partner hotel guests. Each day of the week, these hotel guests were typically allowed to enter one park one hour early or stay up to two hours later than non-hotel guests. Like EMH, this change impacts all park-goers.
This (relatively) new Disney early entry benefit gives hotel guests the flexibility to decide which park they want to visit 30 minutes ahead of regular park opening. Allowing hotel guests to enter all parks early lessens the benefit of arriving ahead of opening for non-hotel guests, who typically could have arrived at a non-EMH park and had a couple of hours with lower ride wait times.
Each theme park has a different method for how to utilize early theme park entry, so be sure to keep an eye out for cast members with signage. For example, at EPCOT, there was a special section of touchpoints that resort guests could enter ahead of the general public, while non-hotel guests used other touchpoints and were stopped in front of Spaceship Earth. For Magic Kingdom, all guests were allowed into Main Street and the castle area, but only resort guests could enter into either Fantasyland or Tomorrowland.
Guests will need to present some sort of resort ID, such as a MagicBand, Disney MagicMobile pass or Key to the World card linked to their stay to access the parks during Early Theme Park Entry. This benefit is included on both check-in and check-out days.
And an even better bonus? Disney Deluxe and Villa guests also have access to the parks on select nights after they close. Check out our guide to Extended Evening Theme Park Hours for more details!
Which Hotels Offer Disney Early Theme Park Entry?
All of Disney World's Resort hotels and Villas offer Early Theme Park Entry. The following non-Disney hotels also offer the new Early Theme Park Entry benefit:
- DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
- Four Seasons Resort Orlando
- Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
- Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
- Holiday Inn Orlando
- Shades of Green on Walt Disney World Resort
- Walt Disney World Swan Resort Hotel
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
- Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs
- Wyndham Lake Buena Vista
- Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
- Waldorf Astoria Orlando
- Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista
Available Attractions During Early Theme Park Entry
During this early entry period, select attractions, merchandise and food and beverage locations are operating. While attractions are subject to change without notice due to refurbishments or unplanned closures, here's a full list of the available attractions.
Magic Kingdom Park
- "it's a small world"
- Astro Orbiter
- Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Mad Tea Party
- Mickey's PhilharMagic
- Peter Pan's Flight
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- 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
EPCOT
- Frozen Ever After
- Mission: SPACE
- Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin' Around the World
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track (reopening late summer 2025)
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Tours — The Adventures Continue
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Toy Story Mania!
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest — Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- It's Tough to be a Bug!
- Na'vi River Journey
By the way, we offer discounts on hotel rooms at all of these Orlando hotels and more, so you can get a hop on the savings!
How Does Early Theme Park Entry Work with the New Lightning Lane Multi Pass?
Disney Genie+ now revamped as the new Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a pay-to-skip-the-line service that allows you to make Lightning Lane selections seven days ahead of your check-in if you're staying at a Disney World hotel (or Shades of Green or the Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels), three days ahead of ticket's start date if you're staying off-site and have a date-based ticket or three days ahead of each day of your visit if you have a non-dated ticket, annual pass or Main Entrance pass.
Arrival windows are only eligible during regular park hours, so there are no Lightning Lane Multi Passes (formerly Genie+) available during Early Entry.
For more information, leap over to our hopful guide on everything you need to know about Disney World's Lightning Lane passes and our Lightning Lane FAQs.
Tips For Utilizing Early Theme Park Entry on Your Next Trip
We use Early Theme Park Entry every time we stay on property. As such, we have a few helpful tips to share:
- Get to the parks at least 30 minutes before Early Theme Park Entry begins so you're not waiting in as long of a line to enter the parks.
- Eat breakfast before you go or wait until after you've hit those in-demand rides (you don't want to waste time in line when you could be soaring through the galaxy on Space Mountain!) Afterward, treat yourself to one of those ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls from Gaston's Tavern!
- Confirm which rides are open; For example, Pirates of the Caribbean is inaccessible during Early Theme Park Entry, as is all of Adventureland.
- Expect some lines (but, we promise they'll go quickly.) Remember, it's you and thousands of other guests trying to make a beeline for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. Undoubtedly, however, Early Theme Park Entry is still worth the (short) wait!
Finally, we are toadally excited for the opportunity to get a hop on our mornings with Early Theme Park Entry or stay late in the evening with Extended Evening Theme Park Hours! What are your thoughts? Be sure to drop us a line in the comments below!
Related: Have You Heard of Disney Extended Evening Hours? Hop in for a Well-Kept Secret!
Hoppy planning!
