Hiya Sue,
Welcome to planDisney! We are so happy that you are here and that we get the opportunity to help you today!
I love the way you think, Sue. From the moment I step off the plane, I am all about making every second count. It is the Most Magical Place on Earth, so I want to make sure I’m filling every moment with as much magic as possible. The great news, Sue, is that you do not need to wait until you check in to
Disney's Art of Animation to start visiting the theme parks. As long as you have valid theme park tickets (and theme park reservations if needed), you can enter
Hollywood Studios as soon as it opens to Resort Guests. Speaking of which, as a Resort Guest, you can take advantage of
Early Entry and enjoy additional time in the theme parks before they open to non-Resort Guests. My family and I just took advantage of this during our recent trip and were able to ride
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway before Hollywood Studios opened for the day! Just make sure your theme park tickets are linked to your
My Disney Experience account (and your resort hotel reservation, if you are doing Early Entry), and you should be good to go.
I hope this was helpful, Sue. Before I let you go, have you heard about
Online Check-In? With Online Check-In, you can bypass the front desk at Art of Animation and head straight to your resort hotel room when it is ready. If we plan to start our day at the theme park, we always do so to make the most of our time there. Once our room is ready, we get a text and/or an email letting us know and providing our room number. Then, when we are ready, we head to the resort (a quick trip through the skies on the
Disney Skyliner from Hollywood Studios to Art of Animation)! I hope that your vacation is incredible, and please come back and see us. We would love to help you with this vacation and any future ones you have planned.
Happy Planning,
Ashley F.