Magic Kingdom 7:30am Early Entry on Thanksgiving Day

We tested an 8:30am Early Entry day in the Magic Kingdom last week with a Crowd Level 2 – you can read that post here. It made sense to test the opposite, a 7:30am Early Entry day in the Magic Kingdom on Thanksgiving day with a predicted Crowd Level 8.

The table above shows actual timestamps from recent testing. While we haven’t observed much shift in parking, security, and main gate opening times for 8:30am Early Entry over the last year, we have noted that 7:30am Early Entry has a wider swing. You’ll see security opening times for the 7:30am days has the least predictability. From our many days in line, it appears the 8:30am EE flow is smoother.

Posted waits were not available during our 8:30am Early Entry last week, but they were functioning during our Thanksgiving day EE testing. You’ll see from the shot above that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had a posted wait of 55 minutes 7 minutes before EE actually began.

The important thing to note is the amount of “head start” time Early Entry guests get during the different opening times. Our park testers have observed that official park opening is always 5 to 6 minutes prior to the actual opening time on Disney’s app and website. For example, if a 9:00am opening is posted, the welcome show and fireworks announcing all lands are open to all guests usually ends between 8:54am and 8:55am. Because it’s always early, we use 8:54am as the unofficial end to Early Entry on a 9:00am day. The timeline is the same for 7:30am EE days. Count on day guests without EE to filter in at 7:54am. Below is a breakdown of how much actual EE time you have for each opening based on our testing:

7:30am Early Entry – Early Entry guests average 31 minutes of actual ride time before day guests enter.

8:30am Early Entry – Early Entry guests average 39 minutes of actual ride time before day guests enter.

Thanksgiving day ended up as an actual crowd level 6. You can find Early Entry times, Lightning Lane Single, Multi, and Premier Pass prices and a whole host of other info on our rolling 12-month Crowd Calendar.

Stay tuned for more Early Entry testing. Up next: Hollywood Studios.