Hey Howdy Hey Melinda and welcome to planDisney!
Early Theme Park Entry is a huge benefit for those Guests staying in qualifying Disney Resort Collection hotels and select Disney partnered hotels. There is so much you can get done with minimal wait times and a great way to get a jump on your day in the parks. Thank you for your question about hotels that qualify for this benefit as there is a short list of non-Disney resort hotels that do qualify for this perk. Let's review where to find the list.
Several hotels do qualify for the perk of Early Theme Park Entry and many of the ones listed have the Good Neighbor status with them and are listed under the
More Great Accommodations section of the Walt Disney World Resort site. You can
check out the full list of hotels that qualify for this perk that gives you early access to the parks 30 minutes before the park opens to the general public. I would also make sure to inquire with your specific hotel on what time transportation begins. This should give you an approximate time on when to line up for transportation to get you to the parks early.
One tip I have for you when it comes to planning out which attractions to do to maximize your time has to do with how the parks fill up. Typically, as the parks open to the general public, most often many of the attractions in the front of the park will fill up first compared to the ones on the back side of the park. So if you can, plan to experience those attractions towards the front of the parks and work your way towards the back which may give you an edge on the number of attractions experienced in the morning. So if you are in Magic Kingdom, I would recommend starting at either Tomorrowland and working towards Fantasyland or starting in Adventureland and working towards Frontierland. Planning a sit-down meal or grabbing a quick bite around 10 or 11 when the parks are usually at their peak crowd levels is also a great time for a break. This will give you some time to catch your breath, get fueled up and ready for an afternoon of park experiences!
Best of luck as you continue to plan for your upcoming trip later this fall. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out and let us know, we would be happy to help!
Have a Magical Day,
Nick