Your Magic Kingdom day can be the most stressful on your Disney World trip. Magic Kingdom has the most rides, and it can be hard to try to fit them all into a single visit.
One way to get in some extra park time can be with Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours. While Extended Evening Hours is only for select Disney World Resorts, every guest staying at any Disney World Resort gets 30 minutes of extra time before the park opens. Once you scan in, where should you start?
Certain attractions are open during those 30 minutes at Magic Kingdom, including:
- “it’s a small world”
- Astro Orbiter
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Mad Tea Party
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- 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
Well, then why are lots of people heading to TRON Lightcycle / Run if it’s not open during Early Entry?
You’ll probably see crowds heading up that TRON hill as soon as Early Entry starts at 8:30 AM, even when the ride isn’t open. Guests will start lining up as soon as 9 AM hits, and the parks are open to everyone, they can be the first to ride one of Magic Kingdom’s most popular attractions.
Only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are open during Early Entry, so if you want to do this for other popular rides like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, you’ll likely be in a corral of people waiting to get into the land. If you can’t wait in a specific line, those extra 30 minutes might be a waste!
Instead of waiting in line, don’t forget that you can also ride attractions instead of just waiting in line! You might be able to get a bigger attraction like Space Mountain or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train finished in the morning or a few smaller ones, depending on how you play your cards.
If you are heading to Early Entry, don’t forget to get there early! You’ll want to be at the gates ready to scan in at 8:30 AM and not strolling up or hopping on transportation. The best way to take advantage of this extra time is to get the full 30 minutes.
Sometimes, if you’re not ready to go, you might end up scanning in closer to 9 AM, and then you don’t get any of your 30 minutes! Ah! Make sure you’re there early if you want to catch a ride or two in the morning.
Here at Disney Food Blog, we’re giving you all the best tips and tricks to conquer the theme parks! We’re in the parks every day, trying new methods and techniques so you can have the best vacation ever. Make sure you keep following DFB for more.
I’VE TRIED EARLY ENTRY AT ALL FOUR DISNEY WORLD PARKS, AND THESE ARE MY 5 FAVORITE HACKS
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What ride do you always go for during Early Entry? Tell us in the comments.









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