Disney’s Muppets Coaster Is Already Reshaping Hollywood Studios Crowd Levels
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is suddenly becoming one of the hardest parks to get into at Walt Disney World, and one attraction appears to be driving a huge part of that demand.
Ahead of the official May 26 opening of Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, Annual Passholders have already filled park reservations for two of the three preview dates. Fans hoping to ride early are now discovering that getting access may be much more complicated than they originally expected.
The previews are scheduled for May 21, 22, and 23, but May 21 and May 22 are already fully booked for Disney’s Hollywood Studios reservations. Right now, only May 23 still has reservation availability for Passholders.
That may not sound shocking for a major new Disney attraction, but what makes this situation interesting is that this is not an entirely new ride. This is a reimagining of an attraction that has existed for decades.
Still, Disney fans clearly want to see what the company has done with the Muppets takeover.
The Muppets Are Suddenly One of Disney’s Hottest Tickets
For a long time, Disney fans worried the Muppets were slowly fading away inside the parks. MuppetVision 3D closed, rumors constantly circulated online, and many guests questioned how much Disney still valued the franchise.
Now, things feel very different.
The reaction to Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets has been huge online. Every new detail Disney reveals seems to generate even more excitement. Fans are curious about the new soundtrack, updated story, merchandise, food offerings, and especially the new Muppet Audio-Animatronics Disney has teased.
At the same time, there is also a major nostalgia factor attached to this ride.
Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster has always been one of the signature attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Even guests who are sad to see the Aerosmith version disappear still want to experience what Disney created next.
That combination is creating massive demand.
Hollywood Studios Is About To Get Crowded
The timing of all this is also important.
The Muppets coaster previews are arriving during one of the busiest stretches Disney’s Hollywood Studios has faced in quite some time. On May 22, the park is also debuting the new Mandalorian and Grogu mission on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
That means two major experiences are launching almost simultaneously inside the same park.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios already struggles with heavy wait times during busy seasons. Attractions like Slinky Dog Dash, Tower of Terror, and Rise of the Resistance regularly post some of the highest waits anywhere at Walt Disney World.
Now the park is adding another major crowd draw into the mix.
Some Disney fans are already predicting that Hollywood Studios could become the hardest park to navigate this summer unless guests arrive early and carefully plan their day.
There Is Still a Way To Ride
Even though reservations for May 21 and May 22 are sold out, Passholders still have a few possible options if they want to experience the previews.
Disney will operate a virtual queue system throughout the preview period with multiple opportunities to join each day.
Guests with a Disney’s Hollywood Studios reservation can try at 7 a.m. Guests with reservations at any Walt Disney World park can attempt to join again at 11 a.m. Then Disney will open another opportunity at 3 p.m. for all Passholders, even those without a park reservation.
Park hopping may become extremely important because of that setup.
Some guests may reserve EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, or Animal Kingdom in the morning before hopping over to Hollywood Studios later in the day to attempt one of the later virtual queue drops.
Still, with demand already this intense, nothing is guaranteed.
If reservations are already disappearing before previews even begin, the actual opening week crowds could become one of the biggest stories at Walt Disney World heading into summer.
