Staying at a Disney World hotel comes with tons of perks! We love the convenient location and transportation, along with access to early booking for Lightning Lanes and dining reservations, and so much more. Of course, just staying in the Disney bubble with gorgeous theming and fantastic service is always an added benefit.

One of our favorite perks is Early Entry, which is where we get extra time in the theme parks, but Disney is making some changes to the program you need to know before you book your hotel.

For Early Entry, guests staying at a Disney World Resort Hotel get access to the theme parks 30 minutes early, before the park opens to the public. This includes your check-in and check-out days and is a great way to catch an extra ride or two with the lower crowds.

You get Early Entry at:

• Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort

• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
• The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort
• The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

• Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
• Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
• Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
• DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
• Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista
• Four Seasons Resort Orlando
• Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
• Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
• Holiday Inn Orlando
• Renaissance Orlando Resort and Spa
• Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort
• Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
• Waldorf Astoria Orlando
• Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista
• Wyndham Lake Buena Vista

May is a big month for Disney World because so many new attractions are opening, which totally changes how we do Early Entry. Let’s take it park by park, so you know which attractions are available.

Magic Kingdom

We don’t yet have the exact opening date, but Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is set to reopen sometime in early May. We expect this ride to return to the Early Entry list, but since it’s been closed for over a year while they replace the entire track and add new Rainbow Caverns, it’s not officially on the list right now.

When Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopens, the ride is going to be popular, so it can be a great choice for Early Entry to get in line before the park officially opens to the public. We also wanted to mention that, even though Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin reopened in April, it is likely to remain a popular choice since it was also closed for a lengthy refurbishment.

Here are all the available rides for Early Entry:

• “it’s a small world”
• Astro Orbiter
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Mad Tea Party
• 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

Hollywood Studios

On May 22nd, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will get new updates, including the addition of the Mandalorian and Grogu! You’ll also be able to choose which adventure you want to take, and the whole ride should feel like a welcome refresh. Smugglers Run is already a part of Early Entry, but keep in mind that this could be a much busier option.

We also wanted to give a quick shoutout to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets, which is set to reopen this summer. Now, we wouldn’t call May a summer month, and it’s likely Disney would have already announced its opening with the other attractions, but it’s a good one to keep your eye on in case it opens early.

Walt Disney Studios, the new area replacing Animation Courtyard, will be opening on May 26th. While we don’t expect this to be part of Early Entry, if you want to spend some time in the area, it might be better to use Early Entry for your top attractions to make sure you get those out of the way so you have more time to enjoy Walt Disney Studios later in the day.

The rides currently available for Early Entry are:

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets — Opening Summer 2026
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Toy Story Mania!

EPCOT

You’ll definitely want to circle May 26th in your calendar because it is a big deal this year! In EPCOT, Soarin’ Across America will open. The current version, Soarin’ Around the World, will close on May 13th, and then the new version will open on the 26th. Since this ride is available during Early Entry, you’ll want to be aware that you can’t go for 14 days, so other attractions may be busier.

Check out all the rides available:

• Frozen Ever After
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Mission: SPACE
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Spaceship Earth
• Test Track
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom is currently undergoing a massive transformation, with many attractions closed as the changes are underway. On May 26th (we told you that date would be important!) Bluey’s Wild World will be opening at the Conservation Station. We are not expecting this to be part of Early Entry (most shows and character experiences are not), but you might want to cross off some bigger rides off your list so you have more time to have fun with Bluey and Bingo.

Here are the Early Entry rides in Animal Kingdom:

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Expedition Everest
• Na’vi River Journey
• Zootopia: Better Zoogether!

The best way to stay on top of all of the changes is to keep an eye on the Disney World app. If there are rides you know you’ll want to go on and you have access to Early Entry, you might want to prioritize them. Sometimes, rides don’t open for Early Entry even if they’re scheduled to, so having a backup isn’t a bad idea, either.

Make sure you keep following Disney Food Blog for more tips and tricks to make your next Disney World trip the best one yet!

FULL LIST OF WHAT’S OPENING IN DISNEY WORLD IN 2026

Do you use Early Entry? Tell us your favorite attraction to ride in the comments.