Walt Disney World Early Entry Tips

Planning a visit to Walt Disney World involves strategic thinking and maximizing every moment of your magical experience. Early entry options and rope drop strategies can be game-changers in ensuring you make the most of your time at the parks. Whether you're a seasoned visitor or a first-time guest, understanding how to leverage early entry and rope drop can enhance your Disney adventure. In this guide, we delve into the intricacies of early entry at Walt Disney World, offer tips on optimizing your mornings, and provide insider knowledge to help you navigate popular attractions with ease. Let's embark on this journey to unlock the secrets of early entry success at the most magical place on earth.

Understanding Early Entry at Walt Disney World

What is Early Entry?

If you stay at an on-proprety Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you will have early entry access to all four theme parks. Early entry means you’ll be able to get into the parks sooner than other guests. Early entry times are posted to begin half an hour before regular park opening, but sometimes cast members will let early entry guests in even earlier than that.

Hotels that offer their guests early entry are

• All-Star
• Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Art of Animation
• Boardwalk
• Caribbean Beach
• Contemporary
• Coronado Springs
• Fort Wilderness
• Grand Floridian
• Old Key West
• Polynesian
• Pop Century
• Port Orleans
• Riviera
• Saratoga Springs
• Yacht and Beach Club

There are also select hotels that partner with Disney to provide their guests with early entry access. Those hotels are

• Swan and Dolphin
• B Resort and Spa Lake Buena Vista
• Double Tree Suites by Hilton Orlando
• Drury Plaza Hotel (Orlando Lake Buena Vista)
• Four Seasons Orlando
• Hilton Orlando (Lake Buena Vista and Buena Vista Palace)
• Holiday Inn Orlando
• Shades of Green
• Waldorf Astoria Orlando
• Wyndham (Lake Buena Vista)

What are the Benefits of Early Entry? 

Walt Disney World is the most popular theme park destination in the entire world. This means that the parks can become very crowded, and the rides will have long lines.  Some rides will have a consistent hour long or so wait time throughout the day. Many guests use early entry to beat the crowds and lessen their wait times for the most popular rides. 

Planning Ahead for Early Entry

The earlier you are for early entry, the better. Sometimes cast members will allow guests to enter a few minutes before the official posted time. For example, once I was let into Hollywood Studios at 7:50am when the posted time for early entry was 8:00am. By arriving just 10 minutes earlier, I was able to get a head start and ride three of the most popular rides in the park before the park officially opened at 8:30am and all the crowds came rushing in.

To arrive early, you'll need to plan for transportation. One of the most common forms of transportation at Walt Disney World are the buses that take you from your resort hotel directly to the front entrance of the parks. The earliest bus for the parks departs from your resort hotel approximately one hour before early entry. That means if park open is 8:00am, and early entry is 7:30am, then the first bus will leave at 6:30am.

If you plan to use early entry, the best strategy is to prioritize rides that have the longest waits.  Disney Darling Blog has broken down several early entry strategies for each of the four parks at Walt Disney World. 

Early Entry Strategies For Animal Kingdom

Strategy 1: Pandora - Flight of Passage/ Navi River Journey

This is the most popular strategy for early entry at Animal Kingdom. Most of the crowd veers into Pandora to hop in line for Flight of Passage. Wait times for this ride can be over an hour long. Your best bet for a shorter wait time is early entry. 

If you finish Flight of Passage before the rest of the park opens, you can hop in line for Navi River Journey, the other attraction in Pandora. If you have little ones who are too short for the 44 inch (112 cm) Flight of Passage height requirement, you can start your day with this dark ride. 

Strategy 2: Asia - Expedition Everest/ Kali River Rapids

Expedition Everest is another top attraction at DAK that can get a long wait time later in the day. Since most people head to Pandora, you will be getting Asia (mostly) to yourself. Expedition Everest may even be a walk-on that you can ride multiple times in a row. 

Another clever strategy I've seen is doing Kali River Rapids first thing during the day. This is a water ride, and you WILL get wet. Doing it first thing in the morning gives you all day long to dry off. Nobody likes to sit in a restaurant or on a crowded bus all damp. The wait time for this ride predictably gets longer towards the middle of the day - when the Florida heat peaks. If you do it in the morning, there will be a much shorter wait time. 

After Early Entry

After early entry, many guests will be headed towards Kilimanjaro Safaris. This is another flagship attraction at DAK. The popular tip is to ride the Safari in the morning, as that is when the animals are most active. As someone who has ridden the Safari multiple times throughout the day, I personally do not think there is a difference. Go when you want. Due to the popular tip, the ride will have longer wait times in the morning and shorter in the afternoon. If you enter the line as soon as it opens, you will not have to wait long. If you miss opening and the wait time is over half an hour, you may want to rearrange plans and board this attraction later in the day. 

There are plenty of places to grab breakfast at DAK. There are quick service places such as Pongu Pongu in Pandora, Kusafiri Bakery in Africa, and various Joffrey's Coffee stands around the park. You can also make for a reservation at Tusker House for their character breakfast. My favorite thing to do is to grab something at the Starbucks and sip my drink as I walk around the animal trails on Discovery Island. 

Early Entry Strategies for Epcot

Strategy 1: International Gateway Entrance - Ratatouille

Recently, this has become the most popular early entry strategy for Epcot. Remy's Ratatouille Adventure is a fantastic and popular ride at Epcot. Wait times during the day can be over an hour long. The shortest wait times are during early entry. 

However, you should not attempt this strategy unless you are entering from the International Gateway entrance. This ride is located in the very back of the park, the exact opposite side of the main entrance. The International Gateway is the "backdoor" entrance of Epcot that leads you directly into the World Showcase, right in-between France and the UK. This gives you the ultimate head start towards Ratatouille.

There are only a few ways you can reach this entrance. First, is via Skyliner. This is a method of transportation that goes travels between several resort hotels, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. The Skyliner resorts are the Caribbean Beach, Riviera, Pop Century, and Art of Animation. The Skyliner starts operating one hour before early entry begins. This means if Epcot opens at 9:00am, and early entry is 8:30am, then the Skyliner will open at 7:30am. 

The second mode of transportation is via Friendship Boat. The Friendship Boats travel around Crescent Lake, stopping at the Swan and Dolphin, Boardwalk, and Beach and Yacht Clubs hotels before dropping off guests at the International Gateway. Alternatively, if you are staying at either of these hotels, you can walk up to the entrance. It is about a 5-10 minute walk from the Yacht and Beach Club and Boardwalk hotels. It is about a 10-15 walk from the Swan and Dolphin hotel. 

Once you check in at the gates, you'll turn right and head directly to the France pavilion for the Ratatouille ride. 

After this ride, you may be tempted to try for Frozen Ever After, also located in the World Showcase. However, this is the second most popular ride option for early entry. Depending on how quickly you are able to complete Ratatouille, the line for Frozen may already be very long. Instead, you can head into Future World and do the attractions on this half of the park - Soarin', Living with the Land, and Nemo. 

Strategy 2: Front Entrance - Frozen 

Frozen Ever After is an extremely popular ride for kids at Epcot and is a popular choice for early entry. 

You may think that since Frozen Ever After is located in the World Showcase that the fastest route would be through the International Gateway entrance. However, it is actually faster from the main entrance. So if you are taking the monorail, bus, or a car  to get to Epcot you may want to try to go to Frozen first for your early entry ride. 

After early entry is over, you can head into the Mexican pavilion nearby for the boat ride inside the pavilion. Or, you can be first in line for the Anna and Elsa meet and greet that opens about 15 minutes after regular park open. Or, you can do Test Track which is also near Norway and Mexico.

Strategy 3: Front Entrance - Test Track/ Mission: Space

Test Track is another popular attraction at Epcot. If you are entering from the main entrance and do not care for Frozen, you can do Test Track first instead. 

Right next to Test Track is Mission: Space. This attraction can also have some long-ish wait times, so it's not a bad idea to knock it out with early entry. Plus, some people prefer to do the ride on an empty stomach, before the drinking begins. 

After Early Entry

Once the park officially opens, I recommend traveling out of the World Showcase and into Future World. I recommend spending the rest of the morning here. Ride Test Track and Mission: Space if you have not yet, or go to Soarin' and Nemo. Or grab breakfast at the Connections Cafe and chill in the new gardens. 

Early Entry Strategies for Hollywood Studios

Strategy 1: Star Wars Land - Rise of the Resistance/ Smuggler's Run

Rise of the Resistance is the most popular (and possibly the best) attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios. In fact, if you do early entry at only one park, I recommend it for Hollywood Studios simply for Rise. 

Rise of the Resistance can reach up to a 90-minute wait time during peak hours of the day. If you are able to do this for early entry, it will be a walk-on. 

The ride itself is pretty lengthy, but you might still have time left during early entry to hop on Smuggler's Run. This attraction is not as popular as Rise, but it is still a good idea to knock it out of the way first thing in the morning, especially if you are a Star Wars nerd. 

After completing the two attractions in Star Wars Land, early entry will probably be over and the park will be letting in another wave of guests. They'll all be in the front of the park, so you should stay in the back and head to Toy Story Land. 

Strategy 2: Toy Story Land - Slinky Dog Dash/ Toy Story Mania

The second most popular rides at Disney's Hollywood Studios are in Toy Story Land. Slinky Dog Dash's wait times rival Rise at times, so it is not a bad idea to use your early entry time for this rollercoaster. It is very fun and a great choice for your kids' first roller coaster. 

If you have little kids who are not tall enough for the 38 inch (97 cm) height requirement for Slinky, you can go to Toy Story Mania first instead. I recommend Toy Story Mania as a must-do for every guest. Since there is a video game element to the ride, guests often want to ride it over and over again to beat their top score. You may have more success doing this with early entry. 

Strategy 3: Sunset Boulevard - Tower of Terror/ Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

Instead of heading to the back of the park like most early entrance guests, you can stay in the front and go down Sunset Boulevard. Here are two of Hollywood Studios most iconic attractions - Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Both of these attractions can have hour-long wait times during the day. Doing these as a one-two punch within the first half hour is a smart strategy for Hollywood Studios. 

After Early Entry

After early entry, both the front and back of the park will begin to get crowded. You've probably already ticked off 2-3 attractions off your list, so now you can take a break with some breakfast or a show.  Or, you can hop in line for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, which is in the center of the park. 

Early Entry Strategies for Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom has three lands open during early entry. Of course, Main Street will be open to welcome guests as they enter the park. Here, you can shop around for souvenirs, grab breakfast at Starbucks, or stay to watch the cute morning show at the castle. You can even get some crowd-less castle selfies. But if you're reading this article, then it's probably safe to assume that you do not want to rope drop a caramel macchiato. So instead, head down Main Street and take a right at the hub. You will be going into either Tomorrowland or Fantasyland. 

To enter Tomorrowland, you'll want to go to the Tomorrowland bridge, underneath the white sign. Here, a cast member will put up a rope to line up at, and "drop" it when early entry officially begins. 

To enter Fantasyland, you'll be going towards the bridge closest to the castle, near where the teacups are. Once the rope is dropped, cast members will walk and escort you right into the lines of whichever rides you want to go on. 

Strategy 1: Fantasyland - 7DMT/ Peter Pan

This is the most popular early entry strategy for Magic Kingdom. Both the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan's Flight have wait times that are at least an hour, consistently throughout the day. One of the best ways to reduce that wait time is by trying to make a mad dash first thing in the morning. Sometimes this works very well.

You may even be able to do the one-two punch of 7DMT and then Peter Pan in half an hour or under. 

However, since this is the most popular tip for early entry,  sometimes there's just too many people bottlenecking at 7DMT for this to work. If the park is especially crowded, like during spring break or Christmas, then you might want to avoid this strategy. To ensure success for this strategy, you need to arrive very early. At least half an hour early is recommended. The closer you can get to the front of the crowd, the better your chances.  Should you run late or the crowds be bigger than expected, you may want to stay flexible and chose a different strategy. 

Strategy 2: Tomorrowland - Space Mountain

Space Mountain is a classic Disney ride that can have high wait times throughout the day, so many chose to use this as their first ride during early entry. Tomorrowland is usually less crowded than Fantasyland for early entry, so you will have a bigger chance to complete Space Montanan (and maybe a few more Tomorrowland rides) before the half hour is up. 

Strategy 3: Tomorrowland - Buzz Lightyear

This is a tip I came across, and I think it's brilliant. If you or anyone in your travel party loves Buzz Lightyear, then it might be worth it for you to do this during early entry. Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin is a shooter-style ride where you can earn points by defeating space aliens. Buzz has a high re-rideability factor because you will always want to beat your high score. Unfortunately, most guests only get to ride Buzz once throughout their Walt Disney World vacation. Rope dropping Buzz Lightyear is not nearly as popular of a strategy as 7DMT or Space Mountain is, so that means less people will be lining up to ride it. And that means that it may be a walk-on for you.  You might be able to ride it multiple times in a row with no wait! 

Strategy 4: Fantasyland - Teacups/ Dumbo/ The Little Mermaid/ Winnie the Pooh/ The Carrousel/ It's A Small World

Strategy 4 is the exact opposite of 1 and 2. Instead of trying to knock out one big ride with a long wait time, try knocking out a bunch of rides all at once. These rides do not draw much of a crowd during early entry, so they should be walk-ons. This means that you may be able to squeeze in 4-6 rides before early entry is officially over! Meanwhile, everyone else is still in line for Peter Pan. Once you have a lot of rides ticked off your to do list early in the day, it might be easier to wait longer for other rides. That hour-long wait for 7DMT seems way more worth it once you have already done every other ride in the park. 

This strategy is also great for families with very young children who are too short for 7DMT (38 in, 97 cm height requirement) or Space Mountain (44 in, 112 cm height requirement). 

After Early Entry

The park officially opens to the rest of the public half an hour after early entry starts. With a bit more planning, you can get even more accomplished during this time. 

If you started early entry in Fantasyland, then you can rope drop the rest of the park. Just like with Fantasyland, Cast Members will put up a rope just before Liberty Square. If you get off your rides before the park opens, then you can wait in line at this rope and be the first on several other rides. Most people will try to rope drop either the Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square or Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland. It is not recommended to rope drop anything in Adventureland like the Jungle Cruise or Pirates of the Caribbean. Adventureland is closer to the front of the park than the back, and everyone else who didn't get in for early entry will be lined up at the front of the park. Instead of trying to compete with those crowds, just head further back into the park to stay ahead of everybody else. 

Alternatively, you can continue to stay in Fantasyland and grab some breakfast. Gaston's Tavern is a popular breakfast spot as it has the best Disney cinnamon rolls that can be split between the whole family. Friar Nook's has to-go breakfast items like sandwiches, mini donuts, and their signature tater tots. Both places serve coffee for your morning caffeine fix. It's so nice to sit and relax with a delicious treat knowing that you've already knocked off your biggest priorities of the day. 

If you started in Tomorrowland, then it may be tricker for you to get all the way over to the other side of the park to rope drop Liberty Square or Frontierland. Instead, stay in Tomorrowland for a leisurely ride on the People Mover. Or, you can head towards the back of Fantasyland. There is a pathway back by Tron that connects Tomorrowland to the Storybook Circus area. Since the early entry Fantasyland crowds will be mostly at 7DMT or Peter Pan, rides like Dumbo, the Barnstormer, or The Little Mermaid will have lower wait times. You can continue to knock out some more rides with shorter wait times before the morning is up. 

Your Opinions

What early entry strategy has worked the best for you? Leave a comment down below!