We’ve now updated RideMax to show an 8:45am opening time for Disney’s Hollywood Studios on days when DHS isn’t hosting morning Extra Magic Hours.
Although the “official” park opening time remains 9:00am, for all practical purposes the “real” opening time is typically 8:45am now. By reflecting this more accurately in RideMax, I’m hoping it will help with the overall planning process.
Note that Toy Story Midway Mania may be the ONLY attraction that actually opens early, but this extra 15 minutes is huge, especially since the lines for TSMM can build so quickly.
With the new opening procedure guests are allowed all the way into the attraction areas of the park as soon as the turnstiles open at 8:45am, with no more pre-opening ceremony or “rope drop” to hold everyone back. The new procedure causes guests to gradually filter into the park through the turnstiles, rather than forcing everyone into a crazy, crowd-packed mobbed heading over to TSMM.
Although I much prefer the new opening procedure, in order to take full advantage of it you’ll still need to arrive early in order to help ensure a position near the front of the turnstiles.
For our Disney World RideMax subscribers, I hope you’ll find this update helpful.
Happy planning!
