Walt Disney World guests have a jam-packed summer of new and reimagined experiences to look forward to, including Bluey debuting at Animal Kingdom and many kid-focused activations as part of Cool KIDS’ SUMMER. As Disney rolls out attractions, the lineup of rides offered for the parks’ skip-the-line Lightning Lane service will evolve in late May. This follows another Lightning Lane change taking effect a few weeks earlier.
With the upcoming transformation of a favorite Disney World roller coaster, the Lightning Lane selections at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will change. We have details on what’s changing and how to plan for this as you visit the parks. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including 50% savings on Disney Cruise Line trips and a free Lightning Lane option ending at Disney World.
READ MORE – Disney World Dates to Avoid If You Hate Crowds! – 2026 WORST Times to Visit
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Transformation Incoming
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 26, 2026. This new version of the ride officially replaces Aerosmith with Jim Henson’s puppet creations and celebrity musician guest-stars. The Aerosmith version of the ride permanently closed on March 2, 2026. See all the details about the changes coming to the reimagined ride here.
Disney World updated its website with information about the Lightning Lane availability of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets. The attraction is offered as part of Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which allows up to three reservations before visiting the park.
Disney World Ride Closure ALERTS, Major Park Changes, Secrets Revealed
Get alerts on closures, park changes, exclusive discounts, and free printables. Trusted by 100,000+ Disney fans & planners.
READ MORE – 5 Best Easy-to-Book Disney World Restaurants That Actually Have Good Food
Disney’s Hollywood Studios attractions eligible for Lightning Lane Multi Pass are sorted into two groups by Disney. In the first group, guests can only select one attraction at a time. In the second group, guests can select up to three attractions at once. See our guide to Lightning Lane Multi Pass for complete explanations of the ins and outs of the service.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will be part of the first, more limited Lightning Lane tier when it opens. This was also the case for the Aerosmith version of the ride.
Here’s the full list of Lightning Lane groups for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as of May 26, 2026, when Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets opens.
Choose up to one experience from this group:
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets
- Slinky Dog Dash
Choose your other two experiences—or all three—from this group:
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
- The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- Toy Story Mania!
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Disney’s Hollywood Studios offers Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance as part of Lightning Lane Single Pass.
Being in the first Lightning Lane tier at Hollywood Studios, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will take some of the demand away from the other attractions in the same group: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and Slinky Dog Dash.
The first guests who will be able to reserve a Lightning Lane selection for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets for its opening day of May 26 will be Disney World hotel guests checking in on May 12, with Lightning Lane reservations opening up on May 5 at 7 AM ET. If you’re staying at a Disney hotel, visiting Hollywood Studios on May 26, and checking in to your hotel between May 12 and 26, calculate your Lightning Lane reservation window here.
For off-site guests, Lightning Lane reservations for the opening date will start on May 23 at 7 AM ET.
Riding Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Rope Drop, During Early Entry, or with Single-Rider Line
Even beyond Lightning Lane reservations, the opening of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will affect the rest of Hollywood Studios in a few key ways and may influence how guests plan their day.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will operate during Early Theme Park Entry, the 30 minutes of exclusive ride time for Disney hotel guests before the park opens to the general public. Early Theme Park Entry happens daily at all four Disney World theme parks. See our strategy recommendations for Early Theme Park Entry at Hollywood Studios here.
For both Early Theme Park Entry and the official park opening time, having one more attraction open should help distribute crowd flow more evenly across high-demand rides. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets being open will take some rope-drop pressure off of both The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Slinky Dog Dash, making those attractions easier to access for those starting their day there. It is common for many guests to start their day at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster since the attractions are right next to each other, so this will be a nice return to that popular morning rope drop method.
The Aerosmith version of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster offered a single-rider line for parties of one guest, or for parties who didn’t mind splitting up their group to ride solo. It remains to be seen if Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will retain this feature.
In our experience, the single-rider line for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith was among the slowest-moving single-rider lines at an Orlando theme park, and wasn’t as much of a time-saving hack as other attractions that offer a single-rider line, such as Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom.
Don’t Miss the Latest Disney News
Don’t miss the latest Disneyland and Disney World news from Mickey Visit. Join the FREE Mickey Visit newsletter that over 100k readers receive every single week. Mickey Visit is here to help you save money and experience more during your Disney and Universal vacation. See the Mickey Visit guide to Disneyland and the Mickey Visit guide to Disney World for tips.
