Disneyland just made a change to a resort offering that directly impacts how morning rope drop works for all guests. This is a game-changer that puts all guests on equal playing fields when it comes to getting on the most popular attractions with minimal waits.
Keep reading for all the new information on this change at Disneyland and how to use it to maximize your time at the parks. At Mickey Visit, we report on all the news, like the major announcements for summer at Disney World and menu changes at Disneyland. There are now new ride closures at Disneyland.
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Disneyland Ends Early Entry for Hotel Guests
Disneyland just removed a major perk for Disneyland Resort Hotel guests, but in doing so, it has made the morning playing field even for all guests. As we detail below, this opens up more access to top rides for all park guests.
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Early Entry has been a key perk of guests staying at the Disneyland Resort Hotels (Disney’s Grand Californian, Disneyland Hotel, and Pixar Place Hotel), and on January 5, 2026, it was discontinued.
Early Entry allowed hotel guests a 30-minute head start on select attractions, dining, and shopping locations before the parks officially opened to all guests. This perk alternated between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. For Disneyland, those attractions included most rides in Fantasyland. For California Adventure, those attractions included popular hits like Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission: BREAKOUT! and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure.
Now, Early Entry has been retired and replaced by a Lightning Lane perk instead. Guests will receive one Lightning Lane entry for an available Lightning Lane Multi Pass attraction, offered once during their stay. The selection will be all attractions normally included with Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Before the pandemic, a version of Early Entry was available to guests with three-day or longer tickets and provided a full hour of early park access. That version of the perk did not return when the parks reopened in 2021. With Early Entry now eliminated for hotel guests as well, there are currently no ways to enter Disneyland or Disney California Adventure before the official park opening time.
Rope Drop Is Now an Even Playing Field for All Guests
This is bad news for guests who often stay at the Disneyland Resort Hotels because this was a major perk for those high-paying rooms. However, the majority of guests visiting Disneyland do not stay on-site and instead utilize one of the many great local hotels in the surrounding area. This is welcome news for most Disneyland guests, as everyone will now enter the park at the same time with no early advantage given to a limited group of visitors.
Disneyland rope drop is the best way to access attractions with minimal waits, but especially those that do not offer Lightning Lane, like the popular rides in Fantasyland. Peter Pan’s Flight is especially notorious for long, slow-moving lines, largely due to its aging ride system and inefficient loading process. This is one of the best attractions to rope drop at Disneyland if you are at the front of the “herd” of guests in the morning.
How do you get to the front? Arrive at least an hour before park opening so you are present when Disneyland begins letting guests inside, typically 15 to 30 minutes before the official opening time. Access to the lands, including Fantasyland and other major areas of the park, is then held behind ropes.
Hence the name rope drop. When the areas open to all guests, they “drop” the rope. The same applies at Disney California Adventure, where many guests line up early for popular attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: BREAKOUT!.
Be sure to check out our Mickey Visit Disneyland Rope Drop Morning Strategy and Disney California Adventure Rope Drop Morning Strategy.
Now, when guests head to these rides at rope drop, they will no longer encounter queues that have already been filled by resort hotel guests.
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