6 Game-Changing Updates for Disney World Early Entry in 2026

Early Entry — the 30-minute period each morning when guests of Disney resorts and other select hotels can access each of the theme parks prior to the general public — has been one of Disney World’s most popular perks for years, and 2026 is bringing some big changes!

Early entry sign!

From character appearances to reopening rides, crowd patterns during Early Entry are going to change several times this year, which may impact how YOU plan your morning at Walt Disney World.

Characters!

During the Cool Kids Summer promotion, which runs from May 26th to September 8th, hotel guests eligible for Early Entry will be able to meet a rotating cast of Disney characters at each park before they park opens to the general public. Meaning that, at least some guests who usually rush to rides will instead try to knock out character meet & greets in the early morning.

Captain Hook

Big Thunder Mountain and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin Reopen

2026 will see two massive reopenings in the form of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Both of these attractions have undergone extensive refurbishments that will see new tracks and a Rainbow Caverns sequence added to the former, while a new opening sequence, ride vehicles, and blasters will be added to the latter.

©Disney

Both rides are scheduled to return sometime in the spring or summer of 2026, and given the popularity of both — and especially the legendary status of Big Thunder — combined with Disney fans’ love of anything “new”, these rides will likely draw plenty of early morning guests, especially early on.

©Disney

Dinosaur’s Extinction

The February 2nd closure of DINOSAUR — the opening day Animal attraction shuttering to be transformed into an Indiana Jones attraction — will mark a massive change for Animal Kingdom. The closure will leave the park with only a handful of operating rides until Tropical Americas opens in the next few years, meaning that morning crowds will be even more likely to rush to Avatar: Flight of Passage and Kilimanjaro Safaris during early entry.

DINOSAUR

“For the First Time in Forever…”

During the early months of 2026, EPCOT’s Frozen Ever After is undergoing a refurbishment to see the addition of new Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff animatronics. These new animatronics will be replacing the ones that have been present since the attraction opened, which used projection instead of traditional sculpting for the figures’ faces. While some liked this look, seeing it as true to the original animation, others felt the approach was very uncanny valley, giving them a “creepy” bulb-headed look.

©Disney Frozen Ever After Hong Kong Disneyland

Frozen Ever After is already one of EPCOT’s busiest rides, and that’s sure to only go up — at least temporarily — once the new animatronics debut, as fans have been desperate for them for a while.

Crowds Will Change After Aerosmith’s Final Encore…

The original version of the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster is set to close permanently on March 2nd, and that’s gonna change crowd-flow patterns at Hollywood Studios for a few months. Now, it’s common for some guests to head into the park, swing the left off of Hollywood Boulevard, and walk down Sunset Boulevard to hit the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster and its neighbor, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, first thing in the morning.

However, for the duration of the coaster’s closure, it’s probably unwise to head straight down Sunset Boulevard at rope drop as the only draw will be Tower of Terror. And while we still love the marvel of Disney Imagineering that is the tower, realistically, there are better early rope drop options like Rise of the Resistance to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, when considering how the park’s wait times usually shake out.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster area entrance on Sunset Boulevard

However, things will likely change AGAIN a few months later.

… Until the Muppets Arrive

The new, Muppet-ized version of the coaster is set to debut in the summer and will surely bring with it a great demand. Therefore, it’s likely draw larger Early Entry crowds back down Sunset Boulevard… unless Disney implements a virtual queue system initially.

©Disney

If you’re planning on taking advantage of Walt Disney World’s Early Entry offerings this year, be aware of these big changes! Stay tuned to DFB for more on Disney World’s big 2026.

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