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Guests walking along Main Street toward Cinderella Castle at dusk

Park-Day Playbooks
Walt Disney World

What to ride first with Early Entry, at opening or arriving later, for each park.

Pick your park
Live waits

Pick your park

Each play reorders figures from that park's guide. They describe typical posted waits on past days, not a plan for your party or date.

Magic Kingdom · Playbook

Magic Kingdom: three ways to start the day

Pick the play that matches when you'll be at the gate. Each one comes from the Magic Kingdom guide's posted-wait history through Oct 25, 2026.

If you have Early Entry

Use the first 30 minutes here

  1. Space Mountain10 min in Early Entry vs 28 min two to four hours after opening. A 10+ min head start on 8 in 10 days.
  2. Peter Pan's Flight22 min in Early Entry vs 37 min two to four hours after opening. A 10+ min head start on 9 in 10 days.

Hit or miss: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The gap swings from day to day, so check live waits.

Then pick up the opening play, skipping anything you've already ridden.

Guests at Disney Resort hotels and select other hotels can enter 30 minutes before opening. Eligibility and the ride list are set by Disney and can change.

Typical posted waits, Sep 26, 2026 to Oct 25, 2026. See the evidence

If you arrive at opening

Ride these before the lines build

  1. Tiana's Bayou Adventure10 min in the opening hour, 39 min two hours in.
  2. Haunted Mansion14 min in the opening hour, 35 min two hours in.
  3. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad17 min in the opening hour, 37 min two hours in.
  4. Space Mountain29 min in the opening hour, 48 min two hours in.

Can wait: Pirates of the Caribbean and Peter Pan's Flight rise but stay short.

Long from the start: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON Lightcycle / Run. Plan them for a later window instead.

Typical posted waits, Mar 13, 2023 to Oct 25, 2026. See the evidence

If you arrive later

Short rides first, headliners after the peak

Headliner waits build until midday, dip to 35 min around 2 PM, then climb back.

While waits are high: Pirates of the Caribbean stays under 30 min.

After the peak:

  1. Space Mountain43 min about 6 hours after opening, down from 50 min at its peak.
  2. Tiana's Bayou Adventure46 min about 10 hours after opening, down from 52 min at its peak.
  3. Jungle Cruise41 min about 10 hours after opening, down from 47 min at its peak.

Typical posted waits, Sep 26, 2026 to Oct 25, 2026 and Mar 13, 2023 to Oct 25, 2026. See the evidence

EPCOT · Playbook

EPCOT: three ways to start the day

Pick the play that matches when you'll be at the gate. Each one comes from the EPCOT guide's posted-wait history through Oct 25, 2026.

If you have Early Entry

Use the first 30 minutes here

  1. Test Track30 min in Early Entry vs 67 min two to four hours after opening. A 10+ min head start on 10 in 10 days.
  2. Frozen Ever After22 min in Early Entry vs 54 min two to four hours after opening. A 10+ min head start on 10 in 10 days.
  3. Soarin'5 min in Early Entry vs 35 min two to four hours after opening. A 10+ min head start on 10 in 10 days.

Hit or miss: Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. The gap swings from day to day, so check live waits.

Then pick up the opening play, skipping anything you've already ridden.

Guests at Disney Resort hotels and select other hotels can enter 30 minutes before opening. Eligibility and the ride list are set by Disney and can change.

Typical posted waits, Sep 26, 2026 to Oct 25, 2026. See the evidence

If you arrive at opening

Ride these before the lines build

  1. Soarin'14 min in the opening hour, 41 min two hours in.

Long from the start: Test Track, Frozen Ever After, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Plan them for a later window instead.

Typical posted waits, Mar 13, 2023 to Oct 25, 2026. See the evidence

If you arrive later

Save the headliners for after the peak

Headliner waits peak near 64 min around 3:30 PM and hold into the evening.

After the peak:

  1. Soarin'26 min about 9 hours after opening, down from 41 min at its peak.
  2. Test Track63 min about 9 hours after opening, down from 73 min at its peak.
  3. Remy's Ratatouille Adventure59 min about 9 hours after opening, down from 64 min at its peak.
  4. Frozen Ever After58 min about 9 hours after opening, down from 63 min at its peak.

Typical posted waits, Sep 26, 2026 to Oct 25, 2026 and Mar 13, 2023 to Oct 25, 2026. See the evidence

Hollywood Studios · Playbook

Hollywood Studios: three ways to start the day

Pick the play that matches when you'll be at the gate. Each one comes from the Hollywood Studios guide's posted-wait history through Oct 25, 2026.

If you have Early Entry

Use the first 30 minutes here

  1. Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets15 min in Early Entry vs 52 min two to four hours after opening. A 10+ min head start on 10 in 10 days.
  2. Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway17 min in Early Entry vs 46 min two to four hours after opening. A 10+ min head start on 9 in 10 days.
  3. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run11 min in Early Entry vs 40 min two to four hours after opening. A 10+ min head start on 8 in 10 days.

Then pick up the opening play, skipping anything you've already ridden.

Guests at Disney Resort hotels and select other hotels can enter 30 minutes before opening. Eligibility and the ride list are set by Disney and can change.

Typical posted waits, Sep 27, 2026 to Oct 25, 2026. See the evidence

If you arrive at opening

Ride these before the lines build

  1. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run29 min in the opening hour, 58 min two hours in.
  2. Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets38 min in the opening hour, 56 min two hours in.
  3. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror31 min in the opening hour, 48 min two hours in.
  4. Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway38 min in the opening hour, 53 min two hours in.

Long from the start: Slinky Dog Dash and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Plan them for a later window instead.

Typical posted waits, Mar 13, 2023 to Oct 25, 2026. See the evidence

If you arrive later

Save the headliners for after the peak

Headliner waits peak near 54 min around midday, then ease to 44 min by 4:30 PM.

After the peak:

  1. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run33 min about 9 hours after opening, down from 58 min at its peak.
  2. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance55 min about 9 hours after opening, down from 67 min at its peak.
  3. Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway44 min about 9 hours after opening, down from 53 min at its peak.
  4. Slinky Dog Dash69 min about 7 hours after opening, down from 77 min at its peak.

Typical posted waits, Sep 26, 2026 to Oct 25, 2026 and Mar 13, 2023 to Oct 25, 2026. See the evidence

Animal Kingdom · Playbook

Animal Kingdom: three ways to start the day

Pick the play that matches when you'll be at the gate. Each one comes from the Animal Kingdom guide's posted-wait history through Oct 25, 2026.

If you have Early Entry

Use the first 30 minutes here

  1. Na'vi River Journey10 min in Early Entry vs 42 min two to four hours after opening. A 10+ min head start on 10 in 10 days.
  2. Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain5 min in Early Entry vs 30 min two to four hours after opening. A 10+ min head start on 9 in 10 days.
  3. Avatar Flight of Passage41 min in Early Entry vs 58 min two to four hours after opening. A 10+ min head start on 7 in 10 days.

Then pick up the opening play, skipping anything you've already ridden.

Guests at Disney Resort hotels and select other hotels can enter 30 minutes before opening. Eligibility and the ride list are set by Disney and can change.

Typical posted waits, Sep 26, 2026 to Oct 25, 2026. See the evidence

If you arrive at opening

Ride these before the lines build

  1. Na'vi River Journey25 min in the opening hour, 57 min two hours in.
  2. Kilimanjaro Safaris22 min in the opening hour, 53 min two hours in.
  3. Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain8 min in the opening hour, 32 min two hours in.

Long from the start: Avatar Flight of Passage. Plan it for a later window instead.

Typical posted waits, Mar 13, 2023 to Oct 25, 2026. See the evidence

If you arrive later

Save the headliners for after the peak

Headliner waits peak near 52 min around 11 AM, then ease to 26 min by 4:30 PM.

After the peak:

  1. Kilimanjaro Safaris13 min about 7 hours after opening, down from 53 min at its peak.
  2. Avatar Flight of Passage64 min about 7 hours after opening, down from 82 min at its peak.
  3. Na'vi River Journey52 min about 7 hours after opening, down from 61 min at its peak.
  4. Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain31 min about 7 hours after opening, down from 40 min at its peak.

Typical posted waits, Sep 26, 2026 to Oct 25, 2026 and Mar 13, 2023 to Oct 25, 2026. See the evidence

Attraction names are used only to identify the experiences discussed. Rope Drop Hero is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Walt Disney Company.

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