Early Entry at Magic Kingdom is a blended bag. In principle, the on-site perk offers lodge company a head-start to do headliner sights with shorter strains and decrease wait occasions to beat the crowds. As we’ve lined repeatedly, it doesn’t at all times work this fashion. But the factor is, Early Entry at Magic Kingdom has really improved quite a bit currently, a minimum of if you understand what you’re doing and don’t make a simple mistake.
We’re huge followers of Early Entry, and enthusiastically suggest it in dozens of planning posts. It’s an underrated perk, with many company dismissing it as “only” Half-hour and inferior to the hour-long Extra Magic Hours. While I’d clearly relatively have double the time, Early Entry is quite a bit much less busy than EMH was.
Having the perk in any respect 4 parks each single day makes an enormous distinction, to the purpose I’d argue EE is best than EMH at 3 of the 4 parks. The exception, as common readers are little question conscious, has been Magic Kingdom for a handful of causes we’ll contact upon right here. Honestly, after latest experiences doing Early Entry at Magic Kingdom, I’m now able to say that it’s additionally superior to Extra Magic Hours at MK.
I’ve finished Early Entry at Magic Kingdom nicely over a dozen occasions in the previous couple of years. It’s far and away my least favourite park for Early Entry, however I hold returning for the sake of analysis. Ironically, I’ve most likely come near doing Early Entry at Magic Kingdom greater than the opposite 3 parks mixed, because it appears to be essentially the most “interesting” to readers. (I additionally do EE usually at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for comparable causes, however that one can also be numerous enjoyable for me, personally.)
There are a few causes for my change of coronary heart this vacation season. For one factor, it’s the time of the 12 months. As we’ve stated numerous occasions, Early Entry at Magic Kingdom throughout Party Season is nice. This is the one time of 12 months once I actually get pleasure from Early Entry and have finished it for enjoyable.
Early Entry is nice throughout Party Season from August by way of December (plus just a few different dates) as a result of Magic Kingdom opens to most of the people at 8 am and is usually much less busy. See this submit about why 7:30 am Early Entry at Magic Kingdom is a recreation changer. We extremely suggest it on Halloween or Christmas Party dates.
It all comes all the way down to timing. Few company have the required need and willpower to be out their lodge room door by ~6:30 am, which is just about what’s essential to arrive at Magic Kingdom in time for the beginning of seven:30 am Early Entry. By distinction, tons of individuals could make it for 8:30 am Early Entry, which is the principle cause why Magic Kingdom is often the worst park for Early Entry.
While I’ve lamented the shortage of midnight closings at Magic Kingdom, the flip facet is that the park has been excellent about 8 am openings–together with on many days that aren’t celebration shortened. In reality, since September, I’ve not finished a 9 am opening at Magic Kingdom–it’s all been 8 am openings. Part of that is luck and timing of my visits, as they undoubtedly have occurred.
In any case, this isn’t a brand new factor. It’s additionally not a everlasting factor. As quickly because the calendar rolls over into 2025, it’s protected to count on extra frequent 9 am opening occasions, which means 8:30 am Early Entry at Magic Kingdom. So this isn’t the explanation for my change of coronary heart this vacation season in the case of Early Entry at Magic Kingdom.
The actual cause, as you would possibly’ve guessed, is TRON Lightcycle Run.
In case you missed it, Walt Disney World launched a standby queue at TRON Lightcycle Run, retiring the digital queue in the course of the early fall low season. It’s now been over just a few months because the standby line debuted and we now have been in a position to conduct in depth on-the-ground subject testing. Early Entry has been a giant a part of this.
I plan on doing a full submit on the when to do and keep away from TRON Lightcycle Run, however needed to start out with Early Entry as a standalone entry due to the way it defied expectations in just a few ways in which struck me as value overlaying on their very own. And as a result of it’s value overlaying the affect on the alternate options throughout Early Entry and twine drop, which isn’t fairly as relevant to different occasions of day.
Also as a result of I’ve spent dozens of hours “working” on this (and actually, I don’t even like TRON that a lot), so I needed to get a couple of submit out of it. For now, it’s value consulting How TRON Lightcycle Run’s Standby Line is a Gamechanger for Magic Kingdom Touring Strategy. Just be suggested that isn’t 100% correct–and even 85% correct.
In phrases of Early Entry fundamentals, our regular advice is to be there roughly Half-hour earlier than the beginning of Early Theme Park Entry. If your plan is to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, you need to arrive 30+ minutes upfront. Less time is ok for Peter Pan’s Flight, Space Mountain, or the opposite choices.
Arriving earlier additionally offers you time for enjoyable images on Main Street with empty backgrounds. Once finished with that, head to the suitable of the East Plaza Garden for Early Theme Park Entry. There’s a row of Cast Members stationed to scan MagicBands or room keys to confirm Early Entry eligibility.
Everyone is allowed to enter Magic Kingdom and hang around on Main Street, taking images or ready for rope drop over on the Frontierland and Adventureland facet of the Central Plaza. But you possibly can’t entry Tomorrowland or Fantasyland with out scanning right here. Once you’ve finished that, you’re good to go for the morning.
From there, you proceed on to both the Tomorrowland Bridge or Fantasyland Bridge.
My first “prediction” that was improper within the aforementioned ‘TRON Gamechanger’ submit is that Early Entry could be a few 50/50 break up between these two bridges. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s extra like 60/40 in favor of Tomorrowland. Maybe even two-thirds to 75% of company on the Tomorrowland Bridge.
It’s actually robust to eyeball these things, however the backside line is that there’s a enormous distinction as contrasted with earlier than, when most company went to the Fantasyland facet. One factor to remember right here, although, is that I’ve solely finished Early Entry within the final couple of months on 8 am park opening days. I strongly suspect events with youthful youngsters who skew in the direction of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train are much less seemingly than TRON-skewing company to make it to the park in time for 7:30 am Early Entry. Things might look very totally different on 8:30 am days.
In the previous, the gang on the Fantasyland facet has been exponentially bigger, with about ten occasions as many individuals.
Of that a lot bigger quantity, roughly 90% of these company are planning on doing Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. That’s why we way back coined the time period the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Shuffle. Guests are revving up their double-wide strollers, making ready to do some severe injury to the ankles of anybody strolling too gingerly. The slow-sprint-slash-shuffle to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is a excessive stakes, eat-or-be-eaten recreation.
I’ve made no secret of my hatred for the SDMT Shuffle through the years. Not solely is the expertise itself disagreeable (and it truly is!), but it surely affords little upside. On regular mornings, the one folks breezing on and off Seven Dwarfs Mine Train stress-free have been these on the entrance of the pack. And the one technique to get on the entrance of the pack was to reach actually early…and wait.
One method or one other, company have been ready for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
If they rolled up in mid-afternoon and located a 60-90 minut wait time, their time dedication was extra simple: it was no matter they really waited in line. Early Entry is deceiving, although, as a result of it’s not simply the posted wait (or extra precisely, precise wait as soon as in line). It’s on a regular basis earlier than that, standing round ready for Early Entry to start, too. Consequently, the “all-in” complete for company on the entrance of the pack would possibly’ve been ~75 minutes.
Not solely that, however there’s the chance value. Instead of an disagreeable shuffle to an above-average look forward to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, they might’ve pleasantly breezed by way of Tomorrowland and knocked out 2-3 rides with below-average waits. Or they might’ve slept in and easily finished SDMT on the finish of the evening (when it’s extra nice). You get the concept.
Well, I hope you get the concept. Because I’ve been harping on this for some time, and the title of this was nonetheless nearly “Magic Kingdom Early Entry Report: It’s All About Opportunity Costs.” But Google has prompt I begin making extra “catchy” titles, and I assume folks don’t know what ‘opportunity cost’ means, so right here we’re.
Anyway, as you’ve most likely additionally guessed by now, the titular attraction will not be Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. There wouldn’t be a lot of some extent if it have been, as we’ve finished that subject to demise over the previous couple of years.
Also, there’s a cause why the above is generally previous tense–that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was a poor possibility throughout Early Entry and the SDMT Shuffle was disagreeable. Because a brand new experience has taken its place. Spoiler alert: it’s not the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover.
It’s TRON Lightcycle Run. A experience that isn’t even open throughout Early Entry!
My expectation earlier than doing any field-testing was that Tomorrowland’s Early Entry crowd would enhance, and together with that, so too would the road for Space Mountain. This is as a result of it’s doable to be out and in of Space Mountain in below Half-hour throughout Early Entry (our common is about quarter-hour–it takes a bit to stroll the queue), which places you on the entrance to TRON forward of the rope drop crowd.
We additionally anticipated that “a lot” of company wouldn’t do something throughout Early Entry. Paradoxically, they’d race to Tomorrowland to do nothing however rope drop TRON Lightcycle Run. (“Hurry up and wait” as my military-man father likes to say.) I’m quoting my very own “a lot” there as a result of I didn’t supply a exact prediction, however I’ll admit this now: the variety of company doing that is method increased than I ever anticipated.
By distinction, the variety of company doing Space Mountain–or actually the rest in Tomorrowland–is method, method decrease than I anticipated. (Above is the whole crowd for Space Mountain in the beginning of EE earlier than the road had opened. This is nothing in comparison with what it was once.)
If I had to return and elaborate on my prior prediction, it could’ve been that TRON Lightcycle Run would’ve made Tomorrowland a much bigger draw for the sake of proximity to the attraction. Sure, many company would ‘hurry up and wait,’ however simply as many others–if no more–would make the most of Early Entry in Tomorrowland by doing one other attraction or two, after which lining up for TRON Lightcycle Run.
This was my expectation primarily based on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland, Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure, and to a a lot lesser extent, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom. For essentially the most half, company do issues after which attempt to be entrance of the pack and beat the rope drop crowd to these sights.
Not so with TRON Lightcycle Run.
I might estimate that on the a number of mornings I’ve finished Early Entry at Magic Kingdom, 95% of the company beginning on the Tomorrowland facet are instantly racing to TRON Lightcycle Run. Maybe I shouldn’t have been, however I used to be shocked by this.
Keep in thoughts, this makes their complete time dedication their precise wait time as soon as the park formally opens + Half-hour + nevertheless lengthy they stood round earlier than Early Entry even started. Given the wait occasions we’ve been seeing for TRON Lightcycle Run, this can be a very questionable use of time (to place it charitably).
The huge winner right here is individuals who wish to loop Space Mountain.
Contrary to my expectations, the true consequence is that strains for Space Mountain have turn into non-existent. On each single morning of my testing so far, Space Mountain has been a digital walk-on. It begins with a little bit of a backup, however that’s much less about excessive demand and extra it taking a little bit of time for company to make their method by way of the lengthy queue.
Even with that prolonged queue (and exit), I’ve been in a position to do Space Mountain roughly 3 occasions throughout Early Entry this Party Season. To be sincere, I by no means tried looping Space Mountain earlier than, so I can’t converse to what was doable previously, however I’m fairly assured that this was not. As a giant fan of Space Mountain, I view this as an enormous win. It’s additionally nice for anybody making an attempt to maximise their effectivity.
Had I needed, I might’ve finished Space Mountain 2-3x on these mornings and nonetheless overwhelmed the rope drop crowd to TRON Lightcycle Run.
I didn’t need this, because it nonetheless would’ve put me behind all the Early Entry pack that had simply been standing there, rising barely in measurement (albeit extra slowly) since 7:30 am. That occurred, I’d remind you, because the attraction didn’t course of a single visitor…because it was not operational.
Here are some images displaying the rising line at TRON Lightcycle Run throughout this half-hour:
The second two images have been taken because the rope drop crowd arrived at TRON Lightcycle Run.
At this level, we’ve been seeing TRON Lightcycle Run submit a wait time of fifty to 75 minutes instantly upon opening for the day. At least, on the mornings we’ve finished testing, all of which have been 8 am park openings. I’d count on that to be increased on 9 am mornings, assuming a minimum of reasonable crowd ranges.
Suffice to say, TRON Lightcycle Run can also be a foul possibility at rope drop. It’s barely much less dangerous, although, as a result of a minimum of the experience turns into operational. But there’s nonetheless that line in entrance of you and, equally as necessary, the chance value of not having the ability to rope drop Adventureland or Frontierland.
So what is a superb possibility throughout Early Entry at Magic Kingdom–except for Space Mountain?
I’m cautiously optimistic about Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
This was a unbelievable different on the mornings I did Early Entry, however once more, these have been all 7:30 am dates. Even previously, I’ve had good luck with SDMT on these mornings as long as I used to be close to the entrance of the pack.
Because I used to be making an attempt to simulate outcomes for future Early Entry dates when the schedule would shift to eight:30 am (and likewise as a result of I wanted to race round getting images), I made some extent of doing Seven Dwarfs Mine Train after the preliminary rush.
Although the posted wait time was 35 minutes once I did it, my precise wait was below 20 minutes.
The line moved easily all the time, and a superb chunk of the wait was simply strolling by way of the prolonged queue.
Another extra apparent possibility is Peter Pan’s Flight.
I used to be in a position to do that after Seven Dwarfs Mine Train when the posted wait was Half-hour. My precise wait was lower than 10 minutes. I wasn’t finished by common rope drop, however that didn’t actually matter. Big Thunder, Jungle Cruise, and many others., all nonetheless have brief strains at 8:10 or 8:20 am. Arguably shorter ones, because the preliminary rush is over. (This solely applies to eight am park opening–not 9 am.)
Peter Pan’s Flight has at all times been a unbelievable possibility throughout Early Entry–particularly as contrasted with later within the day when the road can transfer slowly–but it surely’s even higher now. My guess is that TRON is pulling folks from SDMT, which in flip is pulling folks from PPF. Trickle down wait occasions, or one thing to that impact.
So what about TRON Lightcycle Run?
Not to spoil my very own future article about finest & worst occasions to experience TRON, however what I discovered persistently throughout my subject testing is that there’s a morning lull about an hour after common rope drop. This was true even on reasonably busy days (a few of my testing occurred over a vacation weekend).
Intuitively, this is sensible. TRON’s wait time would spike to round 60-90 minutes shortly after rope drop (~8:15 am) because the Early Entry crowd (none of which was ‘processed’ till common rope drop, keep in mind) plus the rope drop crowd all converged onto the attraction and created a backlog of company ready. Plus the paid Lightning Lane company who opted to indicate up straight away, for no matter cause.
The results of that is that TRON Lightcycle Run’s wait time would generally be nearly double the subsequent highest wait time (Seven Dwarfs Mine Train). It could be a lot, a lot increased than the opposite ‘adult’ thrill rides, Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
This seemingly ends in late-arrivers pulling up the My Disney Experience app (or a tip board), seeing how for much longer of a line TRON has than the rest, and opting to go elsewhere. I used to be actually shocked that the ‘elsewhere’ seemingly doesn’t embody Space Mountain. I assumed certainly it could see a spike as company noticed a too-long line for TRON and did that as a substitute. Nope.
Basically, anybody who positioned a excessive precedence on TRON Lightcycle Run is doing it ASAP–both lining up in the beginning of Early Entry or begin of standard rope drop. Everyone else is balking on the longer line, and choosing alternate options.
Zig after they zag.
If you’re going to do TRON Lightcycle Run within the morning, the most effective time to line up is in the direction of the finish of Early Entry, after you’ve already finished 2-3 Tomorrowland sights however earlier than the common rope drop rush. I don’t love this feature (and even prefer it), however in the event you’re dead-set on doing TRON early for no matter cause, it certain beats the ‘hurry up and wait’ strategy of being on the entrance of the pack.
Better but, give it an hour and let the preliminary two waves of individuals get processed by the attraction, and slip into line for TRON Lightcycle Run an hour after rope drop. This was my strategy, and my most wait was 27 minutes.
Early Entry company would possibly boast that their wait was lower than that–that when the clock struck 8 am (or 7:55, since TRON does generally begin working barely earlier), they breezed by way of the road and walked onto the attraction.
However, there isn’t a conceivable method they waited lower than 27 minutes…as a result of additionally they stood round for nevertheless lengthy earlier than Early Entry began, plus that 25-Half-hour of time throughout which they did nothing previous to common rope drop.
I don’t know what, precisely, their minimal ‘all-in’ time was since I didn’t put myself of their sneakers, however I’m guessing it’d be 60 minutes for a lot of of them. That isn’t all that spectacular–we’ve seen occasions all through the day when TRON has an hour-long wait!
More importantly, it fails to account for the chance value! Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight–and actually each different attraction in Magic Kingdom (besides the Joffrey’s Revive espresso stand and doubtless the Main Street Starbucks)–have far below-average wait occasions throughout Early Entry.
While standing in line for an attraction that was not open, company might’ve been doing any of these rides. That’s why we strongly suggest skipping TRON Lightcycle Run throughout Early Entry and in the beginning of standard rope drop. You might actually decide a time at random to do it later within the day and obtain higher outcomes.
We’ll proceed this testing in 2025 as soon as Early Entry returns to its common 8:30 am begin time and (possibly, hopefully) TRON Lightcycle Run is definitely included within the experience roster for the on-site perk. Regardless of what adjustments, we’re rather more constructive about Early Entry at Magic Kingdom.
TRON Lightcycle Run has displaced Seven Dwarfs Mine Train because the #1 attraction, and although it pains me to retire the oh-so-clever SDMT Shuffle moniker, I’m very happy with how a lot of a game-changer this has been for morning technique. Speaking of which, if you need technique for the opposite three parks, take a look at our Guide to Early Theme Park Entry at Walt Disney World.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you skip Early Entry at Magic Kingdom or make the most of the perk? If you probably did skip it beforehand, will you are taking benefit now that TRON has shifted to standby and eradicated (or mitigated) the SDMT Shuffle? Would you go for the ‘hurry up and wait’ strategy of beginning at TRON Lightcycle Run, or is the chance value of ready for a experience that isn’t open too excessive for you? How would you do issues otherwise to start out the day at MK? Any different suggestions on arriving early to the Walt Disney World theme parks? Agree or disagree with our recommendation or strategy? Any questions we may also help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!