Check the hours if you want to ride!Update: Extra Magic Hours have been moved to evenings at least through the middle of August.
For almost two months, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been opening early. Very early. While 7:00 has been the norm, on extremely busy days such as Christmas the park would open even earlier. That has changed, at least for now. Starting on February 4, the opening time has switched to 8:00am.
As I write this, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is scheduled to open at 8:00 for the rest of the month of February. On March 1, the opening time is pushed back one more hour, to 9:00. Extra Magic Hours remain on Sunday evenings. Even that changes once April rolls around, EMH are currently on the calendar for Sunday mornings, starting on April 5.
The main thing that this means is that if you’re planning to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you need to keep an eye on the hours. While it sounds nice to be able to get two more hours of sleep and still ride Rise of the Resistance, things can and often do change. I’ve seen Disney change the hours the day before, so keep checking. You don’t want to be left out.
Extra Magic Hours can change as well. I’ve heard of people planning an entire day around EMH, only to have Disney move the morning hours to evening, or vice versa. Keep checking, so that you won’t be caught unaware. Don’t plan your day specifically around Extra Magic Hours.
We also don’t know if they are going to continue to use Boarding Groups for Rise of the Resistance. There is a line at the ride’s entrance for FastPass+. We have not heard when (or if) they plan to start using it and also have a standby line. Things could change by April, and they wouldn’t need to open quite as early.
One more thing to keep in mind is that another ride will open soon. We are a month away from the opening of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. That will open to the public on March 4, and that has to figure into the equation somehow.
Mornings have been a bit crazy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the past couple of months. Even though they are not opening Boarding Groups until the official park opening time, some people are still arriving hours early. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Boarding Groups will be phased out soon. Then again, they could continue indefinitely, because it does seem to be a fair way to handle crowd control.
When I hear more, I’ll let you know. Remember, keep checking the Walt Disney World website for the latest hours. I’d recommend checking even the night before. That’s the only way to make sure that you aren’t late; or early.