Hollywood Studios Early Entry Guide- Available Rides, Best Strategies

Hollywood Studios is the most action-packed theme park you can find at Disney World, combining entertainment with thrilling attractions based on popular franchises including Star Wars and Toy Story. However, since this park is home to some of the best attractions, unfortunately that also means the lines can be long and take up a large part of your park day.

Who Has Access to Early Entry at Hollywood Studios?

Gaining Early Entry at Hollywood Studios is a great way to start your day ahead of the crowds and maximize your time at the park. Early Entry is a special perk offered to guests staying at Disney Resort hotels and select other hotels, such as the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels and Shades of Green. This benefit allows eligible guests to enter any of the four Disney World theme parks during their stay, including Hollywood Studios, 30 minutes before the park opens to the general public. To take advantage of this, you’ll need to have a valid theme park admission ticket for Hollywood Studios on the day you plan to visit.

Which Hollywood Studios Attractions are Open During Early Entry?

Guests with Early Entry at Hollywood Studios can enjoy all of the popular attractions this amazing theme park has to offer. The following attractions are open during Early Entry for guests to enjoy:

Hollywood Studios Early Entry Strategies and Tips

As previously mentioned, make sure you arrive to the gates of Hollywood Studios at least 30 minutes prior to the start of Early Entry. Lots of other Disney World hotel guests will be taking advantage of this perk, and therefore you’ll want to arrive early in order to be one of the first inside the park. Also be sure that everyone in your party stays together at all times, because after you scan in with your park ticket, your party will need to check in with a Cast Member who will verify your Disney resort reservation along with the total number of people in your travel party. As long as everyone is listed on the hotel reservation, the Cast Member can scan one person’s magic band or ticket to confirm the reservation and party size before entering the park.

Lightning Lane and Early Entry at Hollywood Studios

Depending on how busy the park is and what attractions and shows you want to prioritize, you may wish to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass in addition to taking advantage of Early Entry. Guests can purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass in order to book return time windows for popular attractions where they will enter a much shorter line than the standby queue. Typically, Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Hollywood Studios costs between $26 and $35 per person, or more if you choose to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass for multiple parks on the same day.

When booking Lightning Lane Multi Pass reservations, guests can choose one experience from the following group of attractions:

• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash

Guests can choose their other two experiences (or all three) from the following group of attractions:

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
• Disney Junior Play & Dance!
• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
• Muppet*Vision 3D – closing permanently on June 7, 2025
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Toy Story Mania!

Therefore, if you aren’t going to ride Rise of the Resistance during Early Entry, I recommend choosing an attraction in the first group of attractions, and booking a Lightning Lane reservation for another. If you don’t want to purchase Lightning Lane, then I would still recommend heading directly for Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash, or any other priority attraction in the top tier Lightning Lane group.

Once guests redeem a Lightning Lane reservation, they can choose another multi pass experience from either group (subject to availability). All Lightning Lane reservations can be booked 7 days in advance of a Disney hotel reservation or date-based ticket, or 3 days in advance for non-date based tickets (such as annual passes) without a hotel reservation. If you’re looking to get the most out of your day, I almost always recommend purchasing Lightning Lane, which can truly maximize your park day especially when combined with Early Entry.

Guests also have the option to make a separate purchase of a Lightning Lane Single Pass, which is used for Disney World’s most in-demand attractions. Guests can purchase up to two Lightning Lane Single Passes per day, but they must be used on different attractions. The Lightning Lane Single Pass can be purchased for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance for about $25 per person.  Whether or not you choose to purchase a Lightning Lane, you can at a minimum, avoid having to pay for a Lightning Lane Single Pass for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and still have a shorter wait during Early Entry.

For more tips on maximizing your day at Hollywood Studios, check out our top 10 time-saving tips and rope drop strategies for Hollywood Studios!

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.