Hello Michelle!
Welcome back again to planDisney! We love seeing old friends return for some more planning help as we live for this. Now, Michelle,
Early Theme Park Entry is one of my favorite perks when staying at a
Walt Disney World Resort Hotel. I am in recovery mode as I type this out as I just returned from a big trip to Walt Disney World Resort where we enjoyed Early Theme Park Entry quite a bit.
Magic Kingdom Park's Early Theme Park Entry is a bit different from the other Parks as this park will let all guests with valid theme park tickets enter the Park even earlier than the posted Early Theme Park Entry time. I have seen guests allowed to enter up to 45 minutes before even Early Theme Park Entry. This can change based on the day and is not guaranteed but usually, for crowd control purposes guests are funneled to spread out on Main Street, U.S.A., and begin a day of magic. However, all of these guests are held on Main Street U.S.A., and the area in front of Cinderella Castle. Those eligible to enjoy attractions due to their stay at a participating hotel should head their way to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland where they can enjoy these areas when
Early Theme Park Entry time starts. You will be held at a spot by Cast Members until it is Early Theme Park Entry time and then walked into these lands in a controlled manner to prevent running. You may be waiting for a bit in a large crowd in the sun so plan for this wait with a fan, snacks, sunscreen, and sunglasses. If you have little ones consider entertainment solutions like Disney trivia and jokes. (The cornier the joke the faster time moves, it's a dad fact as per my husband.) Resort guests will have to tap their MagicBands+ or ticket cards to enter these roped-off areas while the rest of the guests can roam the shops, take pictures in front of Cinderella Castle, and order some coffee from
Main Street Bakery.
Now, there are quite a few attractions in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland that will be operating for guests to enjoy during Early Theme Park Entry but it's not guaranteed. On my trip last week, we found that almost half of the attractions in Fantasyland were not operating during Early Theme Park Entry for unknown reasons and stayed non-operational until well after the regular Park opening time. This is very unusual and it made us change our plans quite a bit. We kept an eye on the
My Disney Experience Mobile App to see wait times and made last-minute decisions about what to do next. We were lucky to sometimes get on an attraction right as it opened up for the day and experienced no wait. Keep refreshing, be prepared, and enjoy every minute!
Happy Planning!
-Nimmy