Early Entry at Magic Kingdom begins at 7:30 am on most days when the park closes early for particular occasions, which gives considerably decrease crowds & wait instances at a trio of Walt Disney World’s hottest rides. Throughout this further early opening time, I knocked out Tiana’s Bayou Journey, Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and TRON Lightcycle Run a number of instances–and extra! Right here’s the step-by-step outcomes, morning photographs, and Occasion Season plan of assault.
There are a variety of dates all year long when Magic Kingdom closes to day company at 6 pm and strikes ahead official park opening to eight am in consequence. This primarily happens throughout Occasion Season, which is when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion (MNSSHP) and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion (MVMCP) are held on a number of dates per week from August by means of December.
As lined within the Finest & Worst Dates at Magic Kingdom in 2025, we extremely suggest doing MK on a day when the park is closing at 6 pm. Ideally, one of many 8 am to six pm days after which Park Hopping again on one other night for the ultimate few hours to see Starlight Night time Parade and the Fortunately Ever After fireworks. Occasion Season is an enormous deal at Walt Disney World as a result of it disrupts attendance dynamics and creates a “porcupine sample” of wait instances and crowd ranges.
The rationale for that is that many day company keep away from Magic Kingdom on days when MNSSHP or MVMCP is held at evening as a result of the park closes at 6 pm as a substitute of 10 pm or 11 pm, and Disney Starlight Night time Parade and Fortunately Ever After fireworks will not be proven. This ends in considerably lighter crowds on get together days.
Intuitively, this is sensible–particularly for company who don’t have Park Hoppers. Counterintuitively, our zig after they zag recommendation is taking the shorter hours, throughout which you’ll be capable of get as a lot or extra carried out than a full day because of the large crowd disparity. All with out shopping for Lightning Lanes, that are completely pointless on days when Magic Kingdom closes at 6 pm.
That is nothing new–we’ve been banging the Occasion Season drum the final decade, at the very least. Magic Kingdom crowd patterns throughout Occasion Season are a key dialogue factors of our August by means of December crowd calendars. In a nutshell, each Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion push attendance at Magic Kingdom a lot increased on the dates they’re not occurring and considerably decrease on days of the occasions.
That was the case on this explicit day, which had a 1/10 crowd stage. Each when it comes to ‘seems like’ congestion and wait instances, this was the slowest day I’ve skilled in Magic Kingdom in 2025. (A minimum of, as much as that time.) The least busy day since, unsurprisingly, Occasion Season final yr!
Nevertheless, it was not an outlier–I’ve since been on slower days in 2025. Final yr, it was uncommon for Magic Kingdom to have a crowd stage increased than 1/10 on days when the park closed at 6 pm. There have been a handful of two/10 crowd ranges, principally from mid-October by means of December when general attendance was increased. These had been busier weeks, as a complete, and in addition home windows with fewer non-party nights per week, making them harder to keep away from.
Common wait instances on get together days are sometimes beneath 20 minutes, and typically beneath quarter-hour. This doesn’t imply each experience was a walk-on, however even sights like Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and TRON Lightcycle Run have very manageable wait instances. This has been a constant and predictable sample for the final decade-plus, and is as soon as once more enjoying out in Fall 2025.
This publish isn’t about Occasion Season as a complete, although. It’s about days when Magic Kingdom strikes ahead its official opening time to eight am, which suggests Early Entry at 7:30 am. This doesn’t occur each single day throughout Occasion Season; simply the busier ones.
It’s additionally not the default that you simply’ll see in boilerplate park hours after they’re first printed. The 8 am opening or 7:30 Early Entry happens as extension to park hours, and these are sometimes printed in one-week increments every Friday roughly 2-3 weeks prematurely.
In case your journey dates are a month or extra into the longer term, don’t fret over the shortage of 8 am park openings. Simply verify again a few weeks forward of your journey!
Transferring from a 9 am opening time to eight am might sound important, but it surely’s big. For these of you haven’t adopted our posts about park hours and Early Entry on the different parks, every further hour within the morning is an enormous deal because it shrinks the pool of potential company who’re prepared and capable of stand up early on trip.
When park opening is at 9 am, there are a ton of individuals benefiting from 8:30 am Early Entry as a result of it’s comparatively straightforward to be out the door and to Magic Kingdom by that point. It’s a unique story fully when transferring that ahead by an hour–particularly for the households with young children to whom Magic Kingdom and its Fantasyland headliners most enchantment.
As a common rule, the sooner Early Entry is, the higher it’s. Particularly on much less fascinating days or at much less fascinating parks. (Additionally you, 7:30 am Early Entry at Animal Kingdom!)
This explicit Early Entry runthrough at Magic Kingdom was carried out on a Friday as a result of, proper now, Fridays and Sundays are the one two days of the week when Magic Kingdom park hours are constantly being prolonged with the 8 am opening instances. That ought to change from October by means of December.
I used to be out the door of our room on the Polynesian’s Island Tower by 6:43 am, which was vital because of the commute and unpredictability of transportation. Versus heading over to the boat dock, I opted for the lengthy stroll. It was a pleasant morning, and I favor the predictability of my very own two toes.
The boat beat me, however I nonetheless arrived at Magic Kingdom shortly after 7 am, breezed by means of bag verify, and encountered solely a modest line on the turnstiles. In spite of everything of that, I used to be on Fundamental Road by 7:08 am. This was just a little later than I might’ve appreciated, however not due to Early Entry. I needed daybreak photographs of Cinderella Fortress within the fog. These photos don’t look practically as cool as they may’ve.
When it comes to Early Entry fundamentals, our regular suggestion is to be there roughly half-hour earlier than the beginning of Early Theme Park Entry in case your plan is to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare. Much less time is okay for Peter Pan’s Flight, Area Mountain, or secondary choices.
Arriving earlier additionally offers you time for enjoyable photographs on Fundamental Road with empty backgrounds. As soon as carried out with that, head to the best of the East Plaza Backyard for Early Theme Park Entry. There’s a row of Solid Members stationed to scan MagicBands or room keys to confirm Early Entry eligibility.
Everyone seems to be allowed to enter Magic Kingdom and hang around on Fundamental Road, taking photographs or ready for rope drop over on the Frontierland and Adventureland aspect of the Central Plaza. However you possibly can’t entry Tomorrowland or Fantasyland with out scanning right here. When you’ve carried out that, you’re good to go for the morning.
There’s a row of Solid Members stationed by the East Plaza Gardens to scan MagicBands, MagicMobile, resort room keys, or no matter identification you might need if staying at one of many taking part third get together motels.
You may’t entry Tomorrowland or Fantasyland till you’ve entered by means of right here. When you’ve carried out that, you’re good to go for the morning–not like Prolonged Night Hours, MagicBands or room keys will not be scanned at every particular person attraction. From there, you proceed on to both the Tomorrowland Bridge or Fantasyland Bridge.
It was the case that company had been held on this bridge till roughly the beginning of Early Entry (often a couple of minutes early, however not all the time, and by no means a constant period of time). Consequently, a big crowd would kind that was mainly a big, amorphous blob of humanity. As of 2025, that is now not the way it works.
The brand new process for Early Entry nonetheless entails the bridges to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland as entry factors, however they don’t function holding pens until you arrive absurdly early. I don’t, as I wish to take photographs on Fundamental Road and within the Central Plaza upon arrival.
As soon as the bridges open and company are allowed to proceed to their first vacation spot, meaning they’ll line up for an attraction.
After all, you might simply wander round Tomorrowland or Fantasyland having fun with the ambiance or ready for characters to seem, however in the event you’re getting up on the first light, you’re most likely going to be motivated to move to your first experience of the day.
Notice that the whole lot else about Early Entry is unchanged, together with when the turnstiles open and when sights begin working. The important thing distinction is that you simply’re pre-loading right into a bodily attraction queue versus standing on a bridge.
In our view, this new method to Early Entry is a lot better than the choice. It does have potential pitfalls, however on steadiness, we’re sturdy proponents of pre-loading the traces.
In the event you’re in a queue, you aren’t in an amorphous blob. You aren’t standing in a sea of humanity, anxiously watching as later arrivals squeeze to fill in all “out there” area round you. Arrivals are pulsed organically, which means there isn’t a jockeying for place on the stroll from the bridges to the sights. It’s smoother, extra laid again and fewer disturbing.
This morning, I used to be starting with Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare, satisfied it was one of the simplest ways to begin the day.
That is in line with our Magic Kingdom Rope Drop & Early Entry Technique. It was the case that our zig after they zag or unconventional recommendation was skipping Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare throughout Early Entry because it was the most well-liked experience within the park. However now that TRON Lightcycle Run has dethroned it, beginning at SDMT is sensible most days.
There are particular instances when skipping SDMT nonetheless is the most effective–or best–plan of action. That is very true in the event you’re visiting on a busier day or need to knock out a number of ‘singles & doubles’ versus one of many headliner sights. However this wasn’t going to be a busy day, and I had the 7:30 am begin time working to my benefit. So SMDT was the logical #1 precedence.
As you possibly can see, the road for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare is spilling out into the walkway once I arrive.
Nevertheless, that’s as a result of the entrance entrance to the attraction had simply opened, so company had been solely simply beginning to filter into the queue.
I lined up at 7:21 am and was on the experience by 7:33 am, for an precise wait time of 12 minutes. In digging by means of the info within the DTB Archives (e.g. the Notes app on my cellphone) for previous 7:30 am Early Entry run-throughs, 8-14 minutes is my typical vary for precise waits on SDMT as the primary cease. Not unhealthy!
My wait simply may’ve been decrease–most likely beneath 10 minutes–had I made a beeline to Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and never taken so many photographs on Fundamental Road. However then what would you take a look at whereas skimming over the phrases on this publish? Can’t think about lots of you might be right here for my razor sharp wit.
Irrespective of the way you slice issues, a wait time of beneath quarter-hour is nice for SDMT. It additionally helps that the solar was nonetheless low within the sky, so the outside queue was bearable. All in all, extremely endorse beginning at Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare on these 7:30 am Early Entry mornings. Additionally remember that at nobody was I ready round for Early Entry to begin. That 12 minute wait was my ‘all-in’ time on SDMT, which I view as improbable.
Once I exited, the road for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare nonetheless appeared manageable. It was now not exterior the marquee, and even filling up the outside queue.
Subsequent up was Peter Pan’s Flight, the place I entered the road at 7:42 am.
In between the 2 sights, I ended for photographs with free roaming characters that had been out for spontaneous encounters. This has technically ended, however my wager is that these appearances proceed as a ‘shock & delight’ providing. (See Walt Disney World Is Lastly Beginning to Get Character Experiences Proper.)
The precise wait time for Peter Pan’s Flight was 5 minutes, exactly as posed. I used to be on by 7:47 am and off at 7:50 am.
Right here’s the place I believed issues would possibly get dicey.
Exiting Peter Pan’s Flight at 7:50 am is sufficient time for nearly anybody to make it over to TRON Lightcycle Run earlier than the common rope drop rush. It’s really greater than 10 minutes, as a result of rope drop happens at 8 am, and people company are ranging from the hub and now have to stroll to the attraction.
Nonetheless, the dilemma I had was whether or not I ought to knock out extra of Fantasyland first, then hit Frontierland and Adventureland, and save TRON Lightcycle Run for a mid-morning lull.
On a busier day, that is what I might’ve carried out, involved that I’d be behind the backlog of Early Entry company at TRON.
I used to be additionally very tempted by the 15 minute posted wait time for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare. The road didn’t seem lengthy, suggesting this wait time was correct. It’s potential I may’ve carried out SDMT thrice throughout Early Entry.
As a substitute, I made a decision to gamble on low crowds and head to Tomorrowland. Worst case state of affairs, I may bail on TRON and knock out Area Mountain. However I doubted it’d come to that.
This technique was absolutely vindicated. It wasn’t simply a sensible choice, it was an excellent one–to the purpose that it could’ve been a mistake to waste this worthwhile time on tier two sights in Fantasyland.
As I approached Tomorrowland, I may already see TRON Lightcycle Run biking. This alone was an enormous win. Generally it opens forward of the printed rope drop time; typically it doesn’t. There’s not a lot consistency or predictability to it.
I made it into the road for TRON Lightcycle Run at 7:55 am and it was a walk-on. The door to the transient pre-show impact was open as a result of the road was so brief.
I picked up my bag from the locker at 8:07 am (didn’t preserve my cellphone to notice once I was on the attraction).
My largest blunder right here was selecting up my bag within the first place. I had assumed because it was after 8 am that I used to be going to exit into the rope drop rush. However there was no rush.
I acquired into line a second time at 8:08 am, and the experience was much more of a walk-on (and by that, I imply that I used to be capable of stroll sooner by means of the principally empty queue because of fewer folks in entrance of me shuffling slowly alongside) than my first ride-through.
After this was carried out, I went a 3rd go-round at 8:19 am. I used to be off the third time at 8:31 am. On common, that’s 12 minutes for TRON Lightcycle Run from begin to end–not simply the wait, the entire course of from coming into the queue to strolling by means of to placing my stuff in a locker to driving to exiting, rinse and repeat.
I didn’t even know this low of a complete time dedication for TRON was potential.
That’s three rides in TRON Lightcycle Run in ~36 minutes, which I’ve by no means carried out earlier than. Sadly, none of my PhotoPass on-ride photographs synced, so that you’re simply going to need to take my phrase that I really completed this.
Frankly, I didn’t even know this was potential and type of want I had stored looping TRON simply to see what number of instances I may’ve knocked it out. I do know a fourth time with a <20 minute wait would’ve been possible, as there was nonetheless no line out the door at 8:31 am.
Doing the identical experience repeatedly won’t be an excellent attention-grabbing Early Entry report, so I headed to Area Mountain subsequent with massive plans to loop that.
Sadly, it was down (making the shortage of line for TRON much more shocking; Buzz Lightyear’s Area Ranger Spin was additionally closed for reimagining, so TRON was mainly it for high-profile Tomorrowland sights).
Following that, I lower by means of the hub and headed again to the Wild West, which was a veritable ghost city. Becoming.
It wasn’t actually shocking that Tiana’s Bayou Journey was nonetheless biking empty logs at 8:39 am. Posted wait time was 10 minutes; precise wait time was walk-on.
I might’ve had my very own log for TBA, as there was nobody else within the load space once I arrived. The folks in mine had really looped it with out getting off.
Subsequent up would’ve been Huge Thunder Mountain Railroad, but it surely’s down for refurbishment till 2026.
After that, I ought to’ve carried out Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion. I didn’t do any of those sights, as I needed to get again to the Island Tower to ship out the DTB e-newsletter at an affordable hour.
I can say with full certainty that I may’ve completed all of them as walk-ons earlier than 10 am. If I had extra time and the inclination, I might’ve switched gears and carried out character meet & greets; these are inclined to have elevated wait instances on 6 pm closing days throughout Occasion Season. Simply mentioning all of this in case you’re attempting to formulate technique from this photograph report.
This could’ve set me up for a really laid again day in Magic Kingdom. Once I returned round midday, the park was noticeably busier, however nonetheless not even remotely busy in absolute phrases.
All advised, right here’s what I completed between 7:30 am and ~9 am by way of Early Entry and cord drop at Magic Kingdom:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- TRON Lightcycle Run (x3)
- Tiana’s Bayou Journey
Going by common year-to-date wait time information, these sights ought to’ve taken me 322 minutes in complete. When you account for posted wait time inflation, the quantity might be really extra like 222 minutes. That’s a ton of time-savings, particularly on condition that I had zero minutes of ‘sunk’ time ready for Early Entry to begin, as would usually be the case. On the contrary, my sunk time was decrease than it could’ve been had I arrived later and needed to take care of a backlog at safety and the turnstiles.
There’s additionally the truth that I may’ve most likely padded my stats additional by not selecting up my digital camera bag after my TRON Lightcycle Run ride-throughs, and realistically may’ve carried out it a fourth time as a walk-on. And if Area Mountain didn’t have a dreaded delayed opening, I may’ve conceivably looped that and nonetheless hit TBA as a walk-on.
Finally, we extremely suggest benefiting from Early Entry at Magic Kingdom on days when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion, or different occasions are being held. For one factor, that is going to be the one solution to effectively expertise Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare or TRON Lightcycle Run on these days, since leaping in line on the finish of the evening isn’t a risk these dates.
For an additional factor, the 7:30 am begin time coupled with the decrease crowd ranges at Magic Kingdom in the course of the daytime hours of get together nights makes Early Entry and cord drop much more advantageous than regular. In the event you use savvy technique for Fantasyland and Tomorrowland throughout Early Entry and follow-up with a fairly environment friendly run of Frontierland and Adventureland, you possibly can have a strong begin to your morning at Magic Kingdom. Even with the 6 pm closing, it’s potential to perform a full day’s price of Magic Kingdom sights with out shopping for Lightning Lanes.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on Early Entry at Magic Kingdom with the 7:30 am begin time? Have you ever skilled this 30 minute jumpstart to the day previous to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion? What’s your most popular method to Early Entry and conventional park opening/rope drop at Magic Kingdom? How would you’ve carried out issues otherwise? Agree or disagree with our recommendation or method? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
Early Entry at Magic Kingdom begins at 7:30 am on most days when the park closes early for particular occasions, which gives considerably decrease crowds & wait instances at a trio of Walt Disney World’s hottest rides. Throughout this further early opening time, I knocked out Tiana’s Bayou Journey, Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and TRON Lightcycle Run a number of instances–and extra! Right here’s the step-by-step outcomes, morning photographs, and Occasion Season plan of assault.
There are a variety of dates all year long when Magic Kingdom closes to day company at 6 pm and strikes ahead official park opening to eight am in consequence. This primarily happens throughout Occasion Season, which is when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion (MNSSHP) and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion (MVMCP) are held on a number of dates per week from August by means of December.
As lined within the Finest & Worst Dates at Magic Kingdom in 2025, we extremely suggest doing MK on a day when the park is closing at 6 pm. Ideally, one of many 8 am to six pm days after which Park Hopping again on one other night for the ultimate few hours to see Starlight Night time Parade and the Fortunately Ever After fireworks. Occasion Season is an enormous deal at Walt Disney World as a result of it disrupts attendance dynamics and creates a “porcupine sample” of wait instances and crowd ranges.
The rationale for that is that many day company keep away from Magic Kingdom on days when MNSSHP or MVMCP is held at evening as a result of the park closes at 6 pm as a substitute of 10 pm or 11 pm, and Disney Starlight Night time Parade and Fortunately Ever After fireworks will not be proven. This ends in considerably lighter crowds on get together days.
Intuitively, this is sensible–particularly for company who don’t have Park Hoppers. Counterintuitively, our zig after they zag recommendation is taking the shorter hours, throughout which you’ll be capable of get as a lot or extra carried out than a full day because of the large crowd disparity. All with out shopping for Lightning Lanes, that are completely pointless on days when Magic Kingdom closes at 6 pm.
That is nothing new–we’ve been banging the Occasion Season drum the final decade, at the very least. Magic Kingdom crowd patterns throughout Occasion Season are a key dialogue factors of our August by means of December crowd calendars. In a nutshell, each Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion push attendance at Magic Kingdom a lot increased on the dates they’re not occurring and considerably decrease on days of the occasions.
That was the case on this explicit day, which had a 1/10 crowd stage. Each when it comes to ‘seems like’ congestion and wait instances, this was the slowest day I’ve skilled in Magic Kingdom in 2025. (A minimum of, as much as that time.) The least busy day since, unsurprisingly, Occasion Season final yr!
Nevertheless, it was not an outlier–I’ve since been on slower days in 2025. Final yr, it was uncommon for Magic Kingdom to have a crowd stage increased than 1/10 on days when the park closed at 6 pm. There have been a handful of two/10 crowd ranges, principally from mid-October by means of December when general attendance was increased. These had been busier weeks, as a complete, and in addition home windows with fewer non-party nights per week, making them harder to keep away from.
Common wait instances on get together days are sometimes beneath 20 minutes, and typically beneath quarter-hour. This doesn’t imply each experience was a walk-on, however even sights like Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and TRON Lightcycle Run have very manageable wait instances. This has been a constant and predictable sample for the final decade-plus, and is as soon as once more enjoying out in Fall 2025.
This publish isn’t about Occasion Season as a complete, although. It’s about days when Magic Kingdom strikes ahead its official opening time to eight am, which suggests Early Entry at 7:30 am. This doesn’t occur each single day throughout Occasion Season; simply the busier ones.
It’s additionally not the default that you simply’ll see in boilerplate park hours after they’re first printed. The 8 am opening or 7:30 Early Entry happens as extension to park hours, and these are sometimes printed in one-week increments every Friday roughly 2-3 weeks prematurely.
In case your journey dates are a month or extra into the longer term, don’t fret over the shortage of 8 am park openings. Simply verify again a few weeks forward of your journey!
Transferring from a 9 am opening time to eight am might sound important, but it surely’s big. For these of you haven’t adopted our posts about park hours and Early Entry on the different parks, every further hour within the morning is an enormous deal because it shrinks the pool of potential company who’re prepared and capable of stand up early on trip.
When park opening is at 9 am, there are a ton of individuals benefiting from 8:30 am Early Entry as a result of it’s comparatively straightforward to be out the door and to Magic Kingdom by that point. It’s a unique story fully when transferring that ahead by an hour–particularly for the households with young children to whom Magic Kingdom and its Fantasyland headliners most enchantment.
As a common rule, the sooner Early Entry is, the higher it’s. Particularly on much less fascinating days or at much less fascinating parks. (Additionally you, 7:30 am Early Entry at Animal Kingdom!)
This explicit Early Entry runthrough at Magic Kingdom was carried out on a Friday as a result of, proper now, Fridays and Sundays are the one two days of the week when Magic Kingdom park hours are constantly being prolonged with the 8 am opening instances. That ought to change from October by means of December.
I used to be out the door of our room on the Polynesian’s Island Tower by 6:43 am, which was vital because of the commute and unpredictability of transportation. Versus heading over to the boat dock, I opted for the lengthy stroll. It was a pleasant morning, and I favor the predictability of my very own two toes.
The boat beat me, however I nonetheless arrived at Magic Kingdom shortly after 7 am, breezed by means of bag verify, and encountered solely a modest line on the turnstiles. In spite of everything of that, I used to be on Fundamental Road by 7:08 am. This was just a little later than I might’ve appreciated, however not due to Early Entry. I needed daybreak photographs of Cinderella Fortress within the fog. These photos don’t look practically as cool as they may’ve.
When it comes to Early Entry fundamentals, our regular suggestion is to be there roughly half-hour earlier than the beginning of Early Theme Park Entry in case your plan is to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare. Much less time is okay for Peter Pan’s Flight, Area Mountain, or secondary choices.
Arriving earlier additionally offers you time for enjoyable photographs on Fundamental Road with empty backgrounds. As soon as carried out with that, head to the best of the East Plaza Backyard for Early Theme Park Entry. There’s a row of Solid Members stationed to scan MagicBands or room keys to confirm Early Entry eligibility.
Everyone seems to be allowed to enter Magic Kingdom and hang around on Fundamental Road, taking photographs or ready for rope drop over on the Frontierland and Adventureland aspect of the Central Plaza. However you possibly can’t entry Tomorrowland or Fantasyland with out scanning right here. When you’ve carried out that, you’re good to go for the morning.
There’s a row of Solid Members stationed by the East Plaza Gardens to scan MagicBands, MagicMobile, resort room keys, or no matter identification you might need if staying at one of many taking part third get together motels.
You may’t entry Tomorrowland or Fantasyland till you’ve entered by means of right here. When you’ve carried out that, you’re good to go for the morning–not like Prolonged Night Hours, MagicBands or room keys will not be scanned at every particular person attraction. From there, you proceed on to both the Tomorrowland Bridge or Fantasyland Bridge.
It was the case that company had been held on this bridge till roughly the beginning of Early Entry (often a couple of minutes early, however not all the time, and by no means a constant period of time). Consequently, a big crowd would kind that was mainly a big, amorphous blob of humanity. As of 2025, that is now not the way it works.
The brand new process for Early Entry nonetheless entails the bridges to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland as entry factors, however they don’t function holding pens until you arrive absurdly early. I don’t, as I wish to take photographs on Fundamental Road and within the Central Plaza upon arrival.
As soon as the bridges open and company are allowed to proceed to their first vacation spot, meaning they’ll line up for an attraction.
After all, you might simply wander round Tomorrowland or Fantasyland having fun with the ambiance or ready for characters to seem, however in the event you’re getting up on the first light, you’re most likely going to be motivated to move to your first experience of the day.
Notice that the whole lot else about Early Entry is unchanged, together with when the turnstiles open and when sights begin working. The important thing distinction is that you simply’re pre-loading right into a bodily attraction queue versus standing on a bridge.
In our view, this new method to Early Entry is a lot better than the choice. It does have potential pitfalls, however on steadiness, we’re sturdy proponents of pre-loading the traces.
In the event you’re in a queue, you aren’t in an amorphous blob. You aren’t standing in a sea of humanity, anxiously watching as later arrivals squeeze to fill in all “out there” area round you. Arrivals are pulsed organically, which means there isn’t a jockeying for place on the stroll from the bridges to the sights. It’s smoother, extra laid again and fewer disturbing.
This morning, I used to be starting with Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare, satisfied it was one of the simplest ways to begin the day.
That is in line with our Magic Kingdom Rope Drop & Early Entry Technique. It was the case that our zig after they zag or unconventional recommendation was skipping Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare throughout Early Entry because it was the most well-liked experience within the park. However now that TRON Lightcycle Run has dethroned it, beginning at SDMT is sensible most days.
There are particular instances when skipping SDMT nonetheless is the most effective–or best–plan of action. That is very true in the event you’re visiting on a busier day or need to knock out a number of ‘singles & doubles’ versus one of many headliner sights. However this wasn’t going to be a busy day, and I had the 7:30 am begin time working to my benefit. So SMDT was the logical #1 precedence.
As you possibly can see, the road for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare is spilling out into the walkway once I arrive.
Nevertheless, that’s as a result of the entrance entrance to the attraction had simply opened, so company had been solely simply beginning to filter into the queue.
I lined up at 7:21 am and was on the experience by 7:33 am, for an precise wait time of 12 minutes. In digging by means of the info within the DTB Archives (e.g. the Notes app on my cellphone) for previous 7:30 am Early Entry run-throughs, 8-14 minutes is my typical vary for precise waits on SDMT as the primary cease. Not unhealthy!
My wait simply may’ve been decrease–most likely beneath 10 minutes–had I made a beeline to Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and never taken so many photographs on Fundamental Road. However then what would you take a look at whereas skimming over the phrases on this publish? Can’t think about lots of you might be right here for my razor sharp wit.
Irrespective of the way you slice issues, a wait time of beneath quarter-hour is nice for SDMT. It additionally helps that the solar was nonetheless low within the sky, so the outside queue was bearable. All in all, extremely endorse beginning at Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare on these 7:30 am Early Entry mornings. Additionally remember that at nobody was I ready round for Early Entry to begin. That 12 minute wait was my ‘all-in’ time on SDMT, which I view as improbable.
Once I exited, the road for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare nonetheless appeared manageable. It was now not exterior the marquee, and even filling up the outside queue.
Subsequent up was Peter Pan’s Flight, the place I entered the road at 7:42 am.
In between the 2 sights, I ended for photographs with free roaming characters that had been out for spontaneous encounters. This has technically ended, however my wager is that these appearances proceed as a ‘shock & delight’ providing. (See Walt Disney World Is Lastly Beginning to Get Character Experiences Proper.)
The precise wait time for Peter Pan’s Flight was 5 minutes, exactly as posed. I used to be on by 7:47 am and off at 7:50 am.
Right here’s the place I believed issues would possibly get dicey.
Exiting Peter Pan’s Flight at 7:50 am is sufficient time for nearly anybody to make it over to TRON Lightcycle Run earlier than the common rope drop rush. It’s really greater than 10 minutes, as a result of rope drop happens at 8 am, and people company are ranging from the hub and now have to stroll to the attraction.
Nonetheless, the dilemma I had was whether or not I ought to knock out extra of Fantasyland first, then hit Frontierland and Adventureland, and save TRON Lightcycle Run for a mid-morning lull.
On a busier day, that is what I might’ve carried out, involved that I’d be behind the backlog of Early Entry company at TRON.
I used to be additionally very tempted by the 15 minute posted wait time for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare. The road didn’t seem lengthy, suggesting this wait time was correct. It’s potential I may’ve carried out SDMT thrice throughout Early Entry.
As a substitute, I made a decision to gamble on low crowds and head to Tomorrowland. Worst case state of affairs, I may bail on TRON and knock out Area Mountain. However I doubted it’d come to that.
This technique was absolutely vindicated. It wasn’t simply a sensible choice, it was an excellent one–to the purpose that it could’ve been a mistake to waste this worthwhile time on tier two sights in Fantasyland.
As I approached Tomorrowland, I may already see TRON Lightcycle Run biking. This alone was an enormous win. Generally it opens forward of the printed rope drop time; typically it doesn’t. There’s not a lot consistency or predictability to it.
I made it into the road for TRON Lightcycle Run at 7:55 am and it was a walk-on. The door to the transient pre-show impact was open as a result of the road was so brief.
I picked up my bag from the locker at 8:07 am (didn’t preserve my cellphone to notice once I was on the attraction).
My largest blunder right here was selecting up my bag within the first place. I had assumed because it was after 8 am that I used to be going to exit into the rope drop rush. However there was no rush.
I acquired into line a second time at 8:08 am, and the experience was much more of a walk-on (and by that, I imply that I used to be capable of stroll sooner by means of the principally empty queue because of fewer folks in entrance of me shuffling slowly alongside) than my first ride-through.
After this was carried out, I went a 3rd go-round at 8:19 am. I used to be off the third time at 8:31 am. On common, that’s 12 minutes for TRON Lightcycle Run from begin to end–not simply the wait, the entire course of from coming into the queue to strolling by means of to placing my stuff in a locker to driving to exiting, rinse and repeat.
I didn’t even know this low of a complete time dedication for TRON was potential.
That’s three rides in TRON Lightcycle Run in ~36 minutes, which I’ve by no means carried out earlier than. Sadly, none of my PhotoPass on-ride photographs synced, so that you’re simply going to need to take my phrase that I really completed this.
Frankly, I didn’t even know this was potential and type of want I had stored looping TRON simply to see what number of instances I may’ve knocked it out. I do know a fourth time with a <20 minute wait would’ve been possible, as there was nonetheless no line out the door at 8:31 am.
Doing the identical experience repeatedly won’t be an excellent attention-grabbing Early Entry report, so I headed to Area Mountain subsequent with massive plans to loop that.
Sadly, it was down (making the shortage of line for TRON much more shocking; Buzz Lightyear’s Area Ranger Spin was additionally closed for reimagining, so TRON was mainly it for high-profile Tomorrowland sights).
Following that, I lower by means of the hub and headed again to the Wild West, which was a veritable ghost city. Becoming.
It wasn’t actually shocking that Tiana’s Bayou Journey was nonetheless biking empty logs at 8:39 am. Posted wait time was 10 minutes; precise wait time was walk-on.
I might’ve had my very own log for TBA, as there was nobody else within the load space once I arrived. The folks in mine had really looped it with out getting off.
Subsequent up would’ve been Huge Thunder Mountain Railroad, but it surely’s down for refurbishment till 2026.
After that, I ought to’ve carried out Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion. I didn’t do any of those sights, as I needed to get again to the Island Tower to ship out the DTB e-newsletter at an affordable hour.
I can say with full certainty that I may’ve completed all of them as walk-ons earlier than 10 am. If I had extra time and the inclination, I might’ve switched gears and carried out character meet & greets; these are inclined to have elevated wait instances on 6 pm closing days throughout Occasion Season. Simply mentioning all of this in case you’re attempting to formulate technique from this photograph report.
This could’ve set me up for a really laid again day in Magic Kingdom. Once I returned round midday, the park was noticeably busier, however nonetheless not even remotely busy in absolute phrases.
All advised, right here’s what I completed between 7:30 am and ~9 am by way of Early Entry and cord drop at Magic Kingdom:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- TRON Lightcycle Run (x3)
- Tiana’s Bayou Journey
Going by common year-to-date wait time information, these sights ought to’ve taken me 322 minutes in complete. When you account for posted wait time inflation, the quantity might be really extra like 222 minutes. That’s a ton of time-savings, particularly on condition that I had zero minutes of ‘sunk’ time ready for Early Entry to begin, as would usually be the case. On the contrary, my sunk time was decrease than it could’ve been had I arrived later and needed to take care of a backlog at safety and the turnstiles.
There’s additionally the truth that I may’ve most likely padded my stats additional by not selecting up my digital camera bag after my TRON Lightcycle Run ride-throughs, and realistically may’ve carried out it a fourth time as a walk-on. And if Area Mountain didn’t have a dreaded delayed opening, I may’ve conceivably looped that and nonetheless hit TBA as a walk-on.
Finally, we extremely suggest benefiting from Early Entry at Magic Kingdom on days when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion, or different occasions are being held. For one factor, that is going to be the one solution to effectively expertise Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare or TRON Lightcycle Run on these days, since leaping in line on the finish of the evening isn’t a risk these dates.
For an additional factor, the 7:30 am begin time coupled with the decrease crowd ranges at Magic Kingdom in the course of the daytime hours of get together nights makes Early Entry and cord drop much more advantageous than regular. In the event you use savvy technique for Fantasyland and Tomorrowland throughout Early Entry and follow-up with a fairly environment friendly run of Frontierland and Adventureland, you possibly can have a strong begin to your morning at Magic Kingdom. Even with the 6 pm closing, it’s potential to perform a full day’s price of Magic Kingdom sights with out shopping for Lightning Lanes.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about motels on our Walt Disney World Lodges Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys publish takes a novel take a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for the whole lot it is advisable know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on Early Entry at Magic Kingdom with the 7:30 am begin time? Have you ever skilled this 30 minute jumpstart to the day previous to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion? What’s your most popular method to Early Entry and conventional park opening/rope drop at Magic Kingdom? How would you’ve carried out issues otherwise? Agree or disagree with our recommendation or method? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
Early Entry at Magic Kingdom begins at 7:30 am on most days when the park closes early for particular occasions, which gives considerably decrease crowds & wait instances at a trio of Walt Disney World’s hottest rides. Throughout this further early opening time, I knocked out Tiana’s Bayou Journey, Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and TRON Lightcycle Run a number of instances–and extra! Right here’s the step-by-step outcomes, morning photographs, and Occasion Season plan of assault.
There are a variety of dates all year long when Magic Kingdom closes to day company at 6 pm and strikes ahead official park opening to eight am in consequence. This primarily happens throughout Occasion Season, which is when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion (MNSSHP) and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion (MVMCP) are held on a number of dates per week from August by means of December.
As lined within the Finest & Worst Dates at Magic Kingdom in 2025, we extremely suggest doing MK on a day when the park is closing at 6 pm. Ideally, one of many 8 am to six pm days after which Park Hopping again on one other night for the ultimate few hours to see Starlight Night time Parade and the Fortunately Ever After fireworks. Occasion Season is an enormous deal at Walt Disney World as a result of it disrupts attendance dynamics and creates a “porcupine sample” of wait instances and crowd ranges.
The rationale for that is that many day company keep away from Magic Kingdom on days when MNSSHP or MVMCP is held at evening as a result of the park closes at 6 pm as a substitute of 10 pm or 11 pm, and Disney Starlight Night time Parade and Fortunately Ever After fireworks will not be proven. This ends in considerably lighter crowds on get together days.
Intuitively, this is sensible–particularly for company who don’t have Park Hoppers. Counterintuitively, our zig after they zag recommendation is taking the shorter hours, throughout which you’ll be capable of get as a lot or extra carried out than a full day because of the large crowd disparity. All with out shopping for Lightning Lanes, that are completely pointless on days when Magic Kingdom closes at 6 pm.
That is nothing new–we’ve been banging the Occasion Season drum the final decade, at the very least. Magic Kingdom crowd patterns throughout Occasion Season are a key dialogue factors of our August by means of December crowd calendars. In a nutshell, each Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion push attendance at Magic Kingdom a lot increased on the dates they’re not occurring and considerably decrease on days of the occasions.
That was the case on this explicit day, which had a 1/10 crowd stage. Each when it comes to ‘seems like’ congestion and wait instances, this was the slowest day I’ve skilled in Magic Kingdom in 2025. (A minimum of, as much as that time.) The least busy day since, unsurprisingly, Occasion Season final yr!
Nevertheless, it was not an outlier–I’ve since been on slower days in 2025. Final yr, it was uncommon for Magic Kingdom to have a crowd stage increased than 1/10 on days when the park closed at 6 pm. There have been a handful of two/10 crowd ranges, principally from mid-October by means of December when general attendance was increased. These had been busier weeks, as a complete, and in addition home windows with fewer non-party nights per week, making them harder to keep away from.
Common wait instances on get together days are sometimes beneath 20 minutes, and typically beneath quarter-hour. This doesn’t imply each experience was a walk-on, however even sights like Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and TRON Lightcycle Run have very manageable wait instances. This has been a constant and predictable sample for the final decade-plus, and is as soon as once more enjoying out in Fall 2025.
This publish isn’t about Occasion Season as a complete, although. It’s about days when Magic Kingdom strikes ahead its official opening time to eight am, which suggests Early Entry at 7:30 am. This doesn’t occur each single day throughout Occasion Season; simply the busier ones.
It’s additionally not the default that you simply’ll see in boilerplate park hours after they’re first printed. The 8 am opening or 7:30 Early Entry happens as extension to park hours, and these are sometimes printed in one-week increments every Friday roughly 2-3 weeks prematurely.
In case your journey dates are a month or extra into the longer term, don’t fret over the shortage of 8 am park openings. Simply verify again a few weeks forward of your journey!
Transferring from a 9 am opening time to eight am might sound important, but it surely’s big. For these of you haven’t adopted our posts about park hours and Early Entry on the different parks, every further hour within the morning is an enormous deal because it shrinks the pool of potential company who’re prepared and capable of stand up early on trip.
When park opening is at 9 am, there are a ton of individuals benefiting from 8:30 am Early Entry as a result of it’s comparatively straightforward to be out the door and to Magic Kingdom by that point. It’s a unique story fully when transferring that ahead by an hour–particularly for the households with young children to whom Magic Kingdom and its Fantasyland headliners most enchantment.
As a common rule, the sooner Early Entry is, the higher it’s. Particularly on much less fascinating days or at much less fascinating parks. (Additionally you, 7:30 am Early Entry at Animal Kingdom!)
This explicit Early Entry runthrough at Magic Kingdom was carried out on a Friday as a result of, proper now, Fridays and Sundays are the one two days of the week when Magic Kingdom park hours are constantly being prolonged with the 8 am opening instances. That ought to change from October by means of December.
I used to be out the door of our room on the Polynesian’s Island Tower by 6:43 am, which was vital because of the commute and unpredictability of transportation. Versus heading over to the boat dock, I opted for the lengthy stroll. It was a pleasant morning, and I favor the predictability of my very own two toes.
The boat beat me, however I nonetheless arrived at Magic Kingdom shortly after 7 am, breezed by means of bag verify, and encountered solely a modest line on the turnstiles. In spite of everything of that, I used to be on Fundamental Road by 7:08 am. This was just a little later than I might’ve appreciated, however not due to Early Entry. I needed daybreak photographs of Cinderella Fortress within the fog. These photos don’t look practically as cool as they may’ve.
When it comes to Early Entry fundamentals, our regular suggestion is to be there roughly half-hour earlier than the beginning of Early Theme Park Entry in case your plan is to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare. Much less time is okay for Peter Pan’s Flight, Area Mountain, or secondary choices.
Arriving earlier additionally offers you time for enjoyable photographs on Fundamental Road with empty backgrounds. As soon as carried out with that, head to the best of the East Plaza Backyard for Early Theme Park Entry. There’s a row of Solid Members stationed to scan MagicBands or room keys to confirm Early Entry eligibility.
Everyone seems to be allowed to enter Magic Kingdom and hang around on Fundamental Road, taking photographs or ready for rope drop over on the Frontierland and Adventureland aspect of the Central Plaza. However you possibly can’t entry Tomorrowland or Fantasyland with out scanning right here. When you’ve carried out that, you’re good to go for the morning.
There’s a row of Solid Members stationed by the East Plaza Gardens to scan MagicBands, MagicMobile, resort room keys, or no matter identification you might need if staying at one of many taking part third get together motels.
You may’t entry Tomorrowland or Fantasyland till you’ve entered by means of right here. When you’ve carried out that, you’re good to go for the morning–not like Prolonged Night Hours, MagicBands or room keys will not be scanned at every particular person attraction. From there, you proceed on to both the Tomorrowland Bridge or Fantasyland Bridge.
It was the case that company had been held on this bridge till roughly the beginning of Early Entry (often a couple of minutes early, however not all the time, and by no means a constant period of time). Consequently, a big crowd would kind that was mainly a big, amorphous blob of humanity. As of 2025, that is now not the way it works.
The brand new process for Early Entry nonetheless entails the bridges to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland as entry factors, however they don’t function holding pens until you arrive absurdly early. I don’t, as I wish to take photographs on Fundamental Road and within the Central Plaza upon arrival.
As soon as the bridges open and company are allowed to proceed to their first vacation spot, meaning they’ll line up for an attraction.
After all, you might simply wander round Tomorrowland or Fantasyland having fun with the ambiance or ready for characters to seem, however in the event you’re getting up on the first light, you’re most likely going to be motivated to move to your first experience of the day.
Notice that the whole lot else about Early Entry is unchanged, together with when the turnstiles open and when sights begin working. The important thing distinction is that you simply’re pre-loading right into a bodily attraction queue versus standing on a bridge.
In our view, this new method to Early Entry is a lot better than the choice. It does have potential pitfalls, however on steadiness, we’re sturdy proponents of pre-loading the traces.
In the event you’re in a queue, you aren’t in an amorphous blob. You aren’t standing in a sea of humanity, anxiously watching as later arrivals squeeze to fill in all “out there” area round you. Arrivals are pulsed organically, which means there isn’t a jockeying for place on the stroll from the bridges to the sights. It’s smoother, extra laid again and fewer disturbing.
This morning, I used to be starting with Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare, satisfied it was one of the simplest ways to begin the day.
That is in line with our Magic Kingdom Rope Drop & Early Entry Technique. It was the case that our zig after they zag or unconventional recommendation was skipping Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare throughout Early Entry because it was the most well-liked experience within the park. However now that TRON Lightcycle Run has dethroned it, beginning at SDMT is sensible most days.
There are particular instances when skipping SDMT nonetheless is the most effective–or best–plan of action. That is very true in the event you’re visiting on a busier day or need to knock out a number of ‘singles & doubles’ versus one of many headliner sights. However this wasn’t going to be a busy day, and I had the 7:30 am begin time working to my benefit. So SMDT was the logical #1 precedence.
As you possibly can see, the road for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare is spilling out into the walkway once I arrive.
Nevertheless, that’s as a result of the entrance entrance to the attraction had simply opened, so company had been solely simply beginning to filter into the queue.
I lined up at 7:21 am and was on the experience by 7:33 am, for an precise wait time of 12 minutes. In digging by means of the info within the DTB Archives (e.g. the Notes app on my cellphone) for previous 7:30 am Early Entry run-throughs, 8-14 minutes is my typical vary for precise waits on SDMT as the primary cease. Not unhealthy!
My wait simply may’ve been decrease–most likely beneath 10 minutes–had I made a beeline to Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and never taken so many photographs on Fundamental Road. However then what would you take a look at whereas skimming over the phrases on this publish? Can’t think about lots of you might be right here for my razor sharp wit.
Irrespective of the way you slice issues, a wait time of beneath quarter-hour is nice for SDMT. It additionally helps that the solar was nonetheless low within the sky, so the outside queue was bearable. All in all, extremely endorse beginning at Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare on these 7:30 am Early Entry mornings. Additionally remember that at nobody was I ready round for Early Entry to begin. That 12 minute wait was my ‘all-in’ time on SDMT, which I view as improbable.
Once I exited, the road for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare nonetheless appeared manageable. It was now not exterior the marquee, and even filling up the outside queue.
Subsequent up was Peter Pan’s Flight, the place I entered the road at 7:42 am.
In between the 2 sights, I ended for photographs with free roaming characters that had been out for spontaneous encounters. This has technically ended, however my wager is that these appearances proceed as a ‘shock & delight’ providing. (See Walt Disney World Is Lastly Beginning to Get Character Experiences Proper.)
The precise wait time for Peter Pan’s Flight was 5 minutes, exactly as posed. I used to be on by 7:47 am and off at 7:50 am.
Right here’s the place I believed issues would possibly get dicey.
Exiting Peter Pan’s Flight at 7:50 am is sufficient time for nearly anybody to make it over to TRON Lightcycle Run earlier than the common rope drop rush. It’s really greater than 10 minutes, as a result of rope drop happens at 8 am, and people company are ranging from the hub and now have to stroll to the attraction.
Nonetheless, the dilemma I had was whether or not I ought to knock out extra of Fantasyland first, then hit Frontierland and Adventureland, and save TRON Lightcycle Run for a mid-morning lull.
On a busier day, that is what I might’ve carried out, involved that I’d be behind the backlog of Early Entry company at TRON.
I used to be additionally very tempted by the 15 minute posted wait time for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare. The road didn’t seem lengthy, suggesting this wait time was correct. It’s potential I may’ve carried out SDMT thrice throughout Early Entry.
As a substitute, I made a decision to gamble on low crowds and head to Tomorrowland. Worst case state of affairs, I may bail on TRON and knock out Area Mountain. However I doubted it’d come to that.
This technique was absolutely vindicated. It wasn’t simply a sensible choice, it was an excellent one–to the purpose that it could’ve been a mistake to waste this worthwhile time on tier two sights in Fantasyland.
As I approached Tomorrowland, I may already see TRON Lightcycle Run biking. This alone was an enormous win. Generally it opens forward of the printed rope drop time; typically it doesn’t. There’s not a lot consistency or predictability to it.
I made it into the road for TRON Lightcycle Run at 7:55 am and it was a walk-on. The door to the transient pre-show impact was open as a result of the road was so brief.
I picked up my bag from the locker at 8:07 am (didn’t preserve my cellphone to notice once I was on the attraction).
My largest blunder right here was selecting up my bag within the first place. I had assumed because it was after 8 am that I used to be going to exit into the rope drop rush. However there was no rush.
I acquired into line a second time at 8:08 am, and the experience was much more of a walk-on (and by that, I imply that I used to be capable of stroll sooner by means of the principally empty queue because of fewer folks in entrance of me shuffling slowly alongside) than my first ride-through.
After this was carried out, I went a 3rd go-round at 8:19 am. I used to be off the third time at 8:31 am. On common, that’s 12 minutes for TRON Lightcycle Run from begin to end–not simply the wait, the entire course of from coming into the queue to strolling by means of to placing my stuff in a locker to driving to exiting, rinse and repeat.
I didn’t even know this low of a complete time dedication for TRON was potential.
That’s three rides in TRON Lightcycle Run in ~36 minutes, which I’ve by no means carried out earlier than. Sadly, none of my PhotoPass on-ride photographs synced, so that you’re simply going to need to take my phrase that I really completed this.
Frankly, I didn’t even know this was potential and type of want I had stored looping TRON simply to see what number of instances I may’ve knocked it out. I do know a fourth time with a <20 minute wait would’ve been possible, as there was nonetheless no line out the door at 8:31 am.
Doing the identical experience repeatedly won’t be an excellent attention-grabbing Early Entry report, so I headed to Area Mountain subsequent with massive plans to loop that.
Sadly, it was down (making the shortage of line for TRON much more shocking; Buzz Lightyear’s Area Ranger Spin was additionally closed for reimagining, so TRON was mainly it for high-profile Tomorrowland sights).
Following that, I lower by means of the hub and headed again to the Wild West, which was a veritable ghost city. Becoming.
It wasn’t actually shocking that Tiana’s Bayou Journey was nonetheless biking empty logs at 8:39 am. Posted wait time was 10 minutes; precise wait time was walk-on.
I might’ve had my very own log for TBA, as there was nobody else within the load space once I arrived. The folks in mine had really looped it with out getting off.
Subsequent up would’ve been Huge Thunder Mountain Railroad, but it surely’s down for refurbishment till 2026.
After that, I ought to’ve carried out Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion. I didn’t do any of those sights, as I needed to get again to the Island Tower to ship out the DTB e-newsletter at an affordable hour.
I can say with full certainty that I may’ve completed all of them as walk-ons earlier than 10 am. If I had extra time and the inclination, I might’ve switched gears and carried out character meet & greets; these are inclined to have elevated wait instances on 6 pm closing days throughout Occasion Season. Simply mentioning all of this in case you’re attempting to formulate technique from this photograph report.
This could’ve set me up for a really laid again day in Magic Kingdom. Once I returned round midday, the park was noticeably busier, however nonetheless not even remotely busy in absolute phrases.
All advised, right here’s what I completed between 7:30 am and ~9 am by way of Early Entry and cord drop at Magic Kingdom:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- TRON Lightcycle Run (x3)
- Tiana’s Bayou Journey
Going by common year-to-date wait time information, these sights ought to’ve taken me 322 minutes in complete. When you account for posted wait time inflation, the quantity might be really extra like 222 minutes. That’s a ton of time-savings, particularly on condition that I had zero minutes of ‘sunk’ time ready for Early Entry to begin, as would usually be the case. On the contrary, my sunk time was decrease than it could’ve been had I arrived later and needed to take care of a backlog at safety and the turnstiles.
There’s additionally the truth that I may’ve most likely padded my stats additional by not selecting up my digital camera bag after my TRON Lightcycle Run ride-throughs, and realistically may’ve carried out it a fourth time as a walk-on. And if Area Mountain didn’t have a dreaded delayed opening, I may’ve conceivably looped that and nonetheless hit TBA as a walk-on.
Finally, we extremely suggest benefiting from Early Entry at Magic Kingdom on days when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion, or different occasions are being held. For one factor, that is going to be the one solution to effectively expertise Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare or TRON Lightcycle Run on these days, since leaping in line on the finish of the evening isn’t a risk these dates.
For an additional factor, the 7:30 am begin time coupled with the decrease crowd ranges at Magic Kingdom in the course of the daytime hours of get together nights makes Early Entry and cord drop much more advantageous than regular. In the event you use savvy technique for Fantasyland and Tomorrowland throughout Early Entry and follow-up with a fairly environment friendly run of Frontierland and Adventureland, you possibly can have a strong begin to your morning at Magic Kingdom. Even with the 6 pm closing, it’s potential to perform a full day’s price of Magic Kingdom sights with out shopping for Lightning Lanes.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about motels on our Walt Disney World Lodges Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys publish takes a novel take a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for the whole lot it is advisable know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on Early Entry at Magic Kingdom with the 7:30 am begin time? Have you ever skilled this 30 minute jumpstart to the day previous to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion? What’s your most popular method to Early Entry and conventional park opening/rope drop at Magic Kingdom? How would you’ve carried out issues otherwise? Agree or disagree with our recommendation or method? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
Early Entry at Magic Kingdom begins at 7:30 am on most days when the park closes early for particular occasions, which gives considerably decrease crowds & wait instances at a trio of Walt Disney World’s hottest rides. Throughout this further early opening time, I knocked out Tiana’s Bayou Journey, Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and TRON Lightcycle Run a number of instances–and extra! Right here’s the step-by-step outcomes, morning photographs, and Occasion Season plan of assault.
There are a variety of dates all year long when Magic Kingdom closes to day company at 6 pm and strikes ahead official park opening to eight am in consequence. This primarily happens throughout Occasion Season, which is when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion (MNSSHP) and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion (MVMCP) are held on a number of dates per week from August by means of December.
As lined within the Finest & Worst Dates at Magic Kingdom in 2025, we extremely suggest doing MK on a day when the park is closing at 6 pm. Ideally, one of many 8 am to six pm days after which Park Hopping again on one other night for the ultimate few hours to see Starlight Night time Parade and the Fortunately Ever After fireworks. Occasion Season is an enormous deal at Walt Disney World as a result of it disrupts attendance dynamics and creates a “porcupine sample” of wait instances and crowd ranges.
The rationale for that is that many day company keep away from Magic Kingdom on days when MNSSHP or MVMCP is held at evening as a result of the park closes at 6 pm as a substitute of 10 pm or 11 pm, and Disney Starlight Night time Parade and Fortunately Ever After fireworks will not be proven. This ends in considerably lighter crowds on get together days.
Intuitively, this is sensible–particularly for company who don’t have Park Hoppers. Counterintuitively, our zig after they zag recommendation is taking the shorter hours, throughout which you’ll be capable of get as a lot or extra carried out than a full day because of the large crowd disparity. All with out shopping for Lightning Lanes, that are completely pointless on days when Magic Kingdom closes at 6 pm.
That is nothing new–we’ve been banging the Occasion Season drum the final decade, at the very least. Magic Kingdom crowd patterns throughout Occasion Season are a key dialogue factors of our August by means of December crowd calendars. In a nutshell, each Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion push attendance at Magic Kingdom a lot increased on the dates they’re not occurring and considerably decrease on days of the occasions.
That was the case on this explicit day, which had a 1/10 crowd stage. Each when it comes to ‘seems like’ congestion and wait instances, this was the slowest day I’ve skilled in Magic Kingdom in 2025. (A minimum of, as much as that time.) The least busy day since, unsurprisingly, Occasion Season final yr!
Nevertheless, it was not an outlier–I’ve since been on slower days in 2025. Final yr, it was uncommon for Magic Kingdom to have a crowd stage increased than 1/10 on days when the park closed at 6 pm. There have been a handful of two/10 crowd ranges, principally from mid-October by means of December when general attendance was increased. These had been busier weeks, as a complete, and in addition home windows with fewer non-party nights per week, making them harder to keep away from.
Common wait instances on get together days are sometimes beneath 20 minutes, and typically beneath quarter-hour. This doesn’t imply each experience was a walk-on, however even sights like Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and TRON Lightcycle Run have very manageable wait instances. This has been a constant and predictable sample for the final decade-plus, and is as soon as once more enjoying out in Fall 2025.
This publish isn’t about Occasion Season as a complete, although. It’s about days when Magic Kingdom strikes ahead its official opening time to eight am, which suggests Early Entry at 7:30 am. This doesn’t occur each single day throughout Occasion Season; simply the busier ones.
It’s additionally not the default that you simply’ll see in boilerplate park hours after they’re first printed. The 8 am opening or 7:30 Early Entry happens as extension to park hours, and these are sometimes printed in one-week increments every Friday roughly 2-3 weeks prematurely.
In case your journey dates are a month or extra into the longer term, don’t fret over the shortage of 8 am park openings. Simply verify again a few weeks forward of your journey!
Transferring from a 9 am opening time to eight am might sound important, but it surely’s big. For these of you haven’t adopted our posts about park hours and Early Entry on the different parks, every further hour within the morning is an enormous deal because it shrinks the pool of potential company who’re prepared and capable of stand up early on trip.
When park opening is at 9 am, there are a ton of individuals benefiting from 8:30 am Early Entry as a result of it’s comparatively straightforward to be out the door and to Magic Kingdom by that point. It’s a unique story fully when transferring that ahead by an hour–particularly for the households with young children to whom Magic Kingdom and its Fantasyland headliners most enchantment.
As a common rule, the sooner Early Entry is, the higher it’s. Particularly on much less fascinating days or at much less fascinating parks. (Additionally you, 7:30 am Early Entry at Animal Kingdom!)
This explicit Early Entry runthrough at Magic Kingdom was carried out on a Friday as a result of, proper now, Fridays and Sundays are the one two days of the week when Magic Kingdom park hours are constantly being prolonged with the 8 am opening instances. That ought to change from October by means of December.
I used to be out the door of our room on the Polynesian’s Island Tower by 6:43 am, which was vital because of the commute and unpredictability of transportation. Versus heading over to the boat dock, I opted for the lengthy stroll. It was a pleasant morning, and I favor the predictability of my very own two toes.
The boat beat me, however I nonetheless arrived at Magic Kingdom shortly after 7 am, breezed by means of bag verify, and encountered solely a modest line on the turnstiles. In spite of everything of that, I used to be on Fundamental Road by 7:08 am. This was just a little later than I might’ve appreciated, however not due to Early Entry. I needed daybreak photographs of Cinderella Fortress within the fog. These photos don’t look practically as cool as they may’ve.
When it comes to Early Entry fundamentals, our regular suggestion is to be there roughly half-hour earlier than the beginning of Early Theme Park Entry in case your plan is to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare. Much less time is okay for Peter Pan’s Flight, Area Mountain, or secondary choices.
Arriving earlier additionally offers you time for enjoyable photographs on Fundamental Road with empty backgrounds. As soon as carried out with that, head to the best of the East Plaza Backyard for Early Theme Park Entry. There’s a row of Solid Members stationed to scan MagicBands or room keys to confirm Early Entry eligibility.
Everyone seems to be allowed to enter Magic Kingdom and hang around on Fundamental Road, taking photographs or ready for rope drop over on the Frontierland and Adventureland aspect of the Central Plaza. However you possibly can’t entry Tomorrowland or Fantasyland with out scanning right here. When you’ve carried out that, you’re good to go for the morning.
There’s a row of Solid Members stationed by the East Plaza Gardens to scan MagicBands, MagicMobile, resort room keys, or no matter identification you might need if staying at one of many taking part third get together motels.
You may’t entry Tomorrowland or Fantasyland till you’ve entered by means of right here. When you’ve carried out that, you’re good to go for the morning–not like Prolonged Night Hours, MagicBands or room keys will not be scanned at every particular person attraction. From there, you proceed on to both the Tomorrowland Bridge or Fantasyland Bridge.
It was the case that company had been held on this bridge till roughly the beginning of Early Entry (often a couple of minutes early, however not all the time, and by no means a constant period of time). Consequently, a big crowd would kind that was mainly a big, amorphous blob of humanity. As of 2025, that is now not the way it works.
The brand new process for Early Entry nonetheless entails the bridges to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland as entry factors, however they don’t function holding pens until you arrive absurdly early. I don’t, as I wish to take photographs on Fundamental Road and within the Central Plaza upon arrival.
As soon as the bridges open and company are allowed to proceed to their first vacation spot, meaning they’ll line up for an attraction.
After all, you might simply wander round Tomorrowland or Fantasyland having fun with the ambiance or ready for characters to seem, however in the event you’re getting up on the first light, you’re most likely going to be motivated to move to your first experience of the day.
Notice that the whole lot else about Early Entry is unchanged, together with when the turnstiles open and when sights begin working. The important thing distinction is that you simply’re pre-loading right into a bodily attraction queue versus standing on a bridge.
In our view, this new method to Early Entry is a lot better than the choice. It does have potential pitfalls, however on steadiness, we’re sturdy proponents of pre-loading the traces.
In the event you’re in a queue, you aren’t in an amorphous blob. You aren’t standing in a sea of humanity, anxiously watching as later arrivals squeeze to fill in all “out there” area round you. Arrivals are pulsed organically, which means there isn’t a jockeying for place on the stroll from the bridges to the sights. It’s smoother, extra laid again and fewer disturbing.
This morning, I used to be starting with Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare, satisfied it was one of the simplest ways to begin the day.
That is in line with our Magic Kingdom Rope Drop & Early Entry Technique. It was the case that our zig after they zag or unconventional recommendation was skipping Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare throughout Early Entry because it was the most well-liked experience within the park. However now that TRON Lightcycle Run has dethroned it, beginning at SDMT is sensible most days.
There are particular instances when skipping SDMT nonetheless is the most effective–or best–plan of action. That is very true in the event you’re visiting on a busier day or need to knock out a number of ‘singles & doubles’ versus one of many headliner sights. However this wasn’t going to be a busy day, and I had the 7:30 am begin time working to my benefit. So SMDT was the logical #1 precedence.
As you possibly can see, the road for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare is spilling out into the walkway once I arrive.
Nevertheless, that’s as a result of the entrance entrance to the attraction had simply opened, so company had been solely simply beginning to filter into the queue.
I lined up at 7:21 am and was on the experience by 7:33 am, for an precise wait time of 12 minutes. In digging by means of the info within the DTB Archives (e.g. the Notes app on my cellphone) for previous 7:30 am Early Entry run-throughs, 8-14 minutes is my typical vary for precise waits on SDMT as the primary cease. Not unhealthy!
My wait simply may’ve been decrease–most likely beneath 10 minutes–had I made a beeline to Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and never taken so many photographs on Fundamental Road. However then what would you take a look at whereas skimming over the phrases on this publish? Can’t think about lots of you might be right here for my razor sharp wit.
Irrespective of the way you slice issues, a wait time of beneath quarter-hour is nice for SDMT. It additionally helps that the solar was nonetheless low within the sky, so the outside queue was bearable. All in all, extremely endorse beginning at Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare on these 7:30 am Early Entry mornings. Additionally remember that at nobody was I ready round for Early Entry to begin. That 12 minute wait was my ‘all-in’ time on SDMT, which I view as improbable.
Once I exited, the road for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare nonetheless appeared manageable. It was now not exterior the marquee, and even filling up the outside queue.
Subsequent up was Peter Pan’s Flight, the place I entered the road at 7:42 am.
In between the 2 sights, I ended for photographs with free roaming characters that had been out for spontaneous encounters. This has technically ended, however my wager is that these appearances proceed as a ‘shock & delight’ providing. (See Walt Disney World Is Lastly Beginning to Get Character Experiences Proper.)
The precise wait time for Peter Pan’s Flight was 5 minutes, exactly as posed. I used to be on by 7:47 am and off at 7:50 am.
Right here’s the place I believed issues would possibly get dicey.
Exiting Peter Pan’s Flight at 7:50 am is sufficient time for nearly anybody to make it over to TRON Lightcycle Run earlier than the common rope drop rush. It’s really greater than 10 minutes, as a result of rope drop happens at 8 am, and people company are ranging from the hub and now have to stroll to the attraction.
Nonetheless, the dilemma I had was whether or not I ought to knock out extra of Fantasyland first, then hit Frontierland and Adventureland, and save TRON Lightcycle Run for a mid-morning lull.
On a busier day, that is what I might’ve carried out, involved that I’d be behind the backlog of Early Entry company at TRON.
I used to be additionally very tempted by the 15 minute posted wait time for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare. The road didn’t seem lengthy, suggesting this wait time was correct. It’s potential I may’ve carried out SDMT thrice throughout Early Entry.
As a substitute, I made a decision to gamble on low crowds and head to Tomorrowland. Worst case state of affairs, I may bail on TRON and knock out Area Mountain. However I doubted it’d come to that.
This technique was absolutely vindicated. It wasn’t simply a sensible choice, it was an excellent one–to the purpose that it could’ve been a mistake to waste this worthwhile time on tier two sights in Fantasyland.
As I approached Tomorrowland, I may already see TRON Lightcycle Run biking. This alone was an enormous win. Generally it opens forward of the printed rope drop time; typically it doesn’t. There’s not a lot consistency or predictability to it.
I made it into the road for TRON Lightcycle Run at 7:55 am and it was a walk-on. The door to the transient pre-show impact was open as a result of the road was so brief.
I picked up my bag from the locker at 8:07 am (didn’t preserve my cellphone to notice once I was on the attraction).
My largest blunder right here was selecting up my bag within the first place. I had assumed because it was after 8 am that I used to be going to exit into the rope drop rush. However there was no rush.
I acquired into line a second time at 8:08 am, and the experience was much more of a walk-on (and by that, I imply that I used to be capable of stroll sooner by means of the principally empty queue because of fewer folks in entrance of me shuffling slowly alongside) than my first ride-through.
After this was carried out, I went a 3rd go-round at 8:19 am. I used to be off the third time at 8:31 am. On common, that’s 12 minutes for TRON Lightcycle Run from begin to end–not simply the wait, the entire course of from coming into the queue to strolling by means of to placing my stuff in a locker to driving to exiting, rinse and repeat.
I didn’t even know this low of a complete time dedication for TRON was potential.
That’s three rides in TRON Lightcycle Run in ~36 minutes, which I’ve by no means carried out earlier than. Sadly, none of my PhotoPass on-ride photographs synced, so that you’re simply going to need to take my phrase that I really completed this.
Frankly, I didn’t even know this was potential and type of want I had stored looping TRON simply to see what number of instances I may’ve knocked it out. I do know a fourth time with a <20 minute wait would’ve been possible, as there was nonetheless no line out the door at 8:31 am.
Doing the identical experience repeatedly won’t be an excellent attention-grabbing Early Entry report, so I headed to Area Mountain subsequent with massive plans to loop that.
Sadly, it was down (making the shortage of line for TRON much more shocking; Buzz Lightyear’s Area Ranger Spin was additionally closed for reimagining, so TRON was mainly it for high-profile Tomorrowland sights).
Following that, I lower by means of the hub and headed again to the Wild West, which was a veritable ghost city. Becoming.
It wasn’t actually shocking that Tiana’s Bayou Journey was nonetheless biking empty logs at 8:39 am. Posted wait time was 10 minutes; precise wait time was walk-on.
I might’ve had my very own log for TBA, as there was nobody else within the load space once I arrived. The folks in mine had really looped it with out getting off.
Subsequent up would’ve been Huge Thunder Mountain Railroad, but it surely’s down for refurbishment till 2026.
After that, I ought to’ve carried out Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion. I didn’t do any of those sights, as I needed to get again to the Island Tower to ship out the DTB e-newsletter at an affordable hour.
I can say with full certainty that I may’ve completed all of them as walk-ons earlier than 10 am. If I had extra time and the inclination, I might’ve switched gears and carried out character meet & greets; these are inclined to have elevated wait instances on 6 pm closing days throughout Occasion Season. Simply mentioning all of this in case you’re attempting to formulate technique from this photograph report.
This could’ve set me up for a really laid again day in Magic Kingdom. Once I returned round midday, the park was noticeably busier, however nonetheless not even remotely busy in absolute phrases.
All advised, right here’s what I completed between 7:30 am and ~9 am by way of Early Entry and cord drop at Magic Kingdom:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- TRON Lightcycle Run (x3)
- Tiana’s Bayou Journey
Going by common year-to-date wait time information, these sights ought to’ve taken me 322 minutes in complete. When you account for posted wait time inflation, the quantity might be really extra like 222 minutes. That’s a ton of time-savings, particularly on condition that I had zero minutes of ‘sunk’ time ready for Early Entry to begin, as would usually be the case. On the contrary, my sunk time was decrease than it could’ve been had I arrived later and needed to take care of a backlog at safety and the turnstiles.
There’s additionally the truth that I may’ve most likely padded my stats additional by not selecting up my digital camera bag after my TRON Lightcycle Run ride-throughs, and realistically may’ve carried out it a fourth time as a walk-on. And if Area Mountain didn’t have a dreaded delayed opening, I may’ve conceivably looped that and nonetheless hit TBA as a walk-on.
Finally, we extremely suggest benefiting from Early Entry at Magic Kingdom on days when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion, or different occasions are being held. For one factor, that is going to be the one solution to effectively expertise Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare or TRON Lightcycle Run on these days, since leaping in line on the finish of the evening isn’t a risk these dates.
For an additional factor, the 7:30 am begin time coupled with the decrease crowd ranges at Magic Kingdom in the course of the daytime hours of get together nights makes Early Entry and cord drop much more advantageous than regular. In the event you use savvy technique for Fantasyland and Tomorrowland throughout Early Entry and follow-up with a fairly environment friendly run of Frontierland and Adventureland, you possibly can have a strong begin to your morning at Magic Kingdom. Even with the 6 pm closing, it’s potential to perform a full day’s price of Magic Kingdom sights with out shopping for Lightning Lanes.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on Early Entry at Magic Kingdom with the 7:30 am begin time? Have you ever skilled this 30 minute jumpstart to the day previous to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion? What’s your most popular method to Early Entry and conventional park opening/rope drop at Magic Kingdom? How would you’ve carried out issues otherwise? Agree or disagree with our recommendation or method? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
