Muppets Drew the Line, Soarin' Popped, and Bluey Became a Virtual Queue Race

The Calendar Was Stacked

Many guests had May 26 circled, and for good reason.

Hollywood Studios opened early for one day, with the Muppets coaster making its public debut and Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! officially opening in Animation Courtyard. Animal Kingdom launched Bluey's Wild World at Conservation Station with virtual queue access at 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. EPCOT had Soarin's original launch date after the surprise May 22 early opening. Cool KIDS' SUMMER added family entertainment at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, the water parks, resorts, and Disney Springs.

That kind of day can make Walt Disney World feel busier than the ride chart says. Some demand turns into posted waits. Some demand turns into virtual queue stress, transportation pressure, food lines, character interest, and parents changing park plans.

Muppets: Busy, But Not a Park-Wide Surge

Muppets was the cleanest posted-wait signal at Hollywood Studios, but not because every ride around it jumped.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets averaged 66 minutes on May 26, the highest average among the major rides we checked at Hollywood Studios.

With a new ride or retheme, one of two things usually happens. The opening pulls more people into the park and nearby waits rise, or the new ride soaks up attention while other waits ease. Muppets landed in that second group.

Slinky Dog Dash averaged 59 minutes, 12 below its own 90-day average. That matters because Slinky is Hollywood Studios' usual coaster draw. Rise of the Resistance averaged 45, 16 below. Smugglers Run averaged 34, 11 below (despite the new mission). Tower of Terror averaged 31, 14 below. Runaway Railway averaged 37, 6 below.

Muppets absorbed the attention while the rest of the park stayed manageable. The chart below is the cleanest version of it.

Soarin': The Official Date Mattered

Soarin' Across America soft-opened to all Walt Disney World guests on May 22, four days before the original launch date. That early weekend was surprisingly calm. May 26 was different.

Soarin' averaged 46 minutes on May 26, compared with a 40-minute 90-day average. That puts the official launch date 6 minutes above normal. The soft-opening days were all below that same 90-day average: 26 minutes on May 22, 21 minutes on May 23, 25 minutes on May 24, and 25 minutes on May 25.

That reads like a real launch-day bump. Some guests knew about the early opening. Plenty probably didn't. The new film also had a clean operational day, which helped keep the wait from turning into a mess.

EPCOT's bigger headliners still carried the park. Guardians averaged 86 minutes, essentially matching its 86-minute 90-day average. Test Track averaged 82 against 79. Remy's Ratatouille Adventure averaged 56 against 54. Frozen Ever After averaged 54 against 56. Soarin' was the fresh story, but Guardians and Test Track still did the heavy lifting.

Bluey: The Pressure Was In The Virtual Queue

Bluey is the oddball here because the usual wait-time lens doesn't really work. All we have to go on is the sellout time of the virtual queue. On opening day, both queues filled up within seconds. Yes, literally seconds.

The question is, did Bluey bring the crowds? Short answer: not really. With the exception of Everest, wait times were below their 90-day average.

Cool KIDS' SUMMER: Not One Big Spike

Cool KIDS' SUMMER started the same day, and it touched a lot of places: Jessie at Magic Kingdom, GoofyCore at EPCOT, Bluey at Animal Kingdom, resort activities, water-park extras, and Disney Springs dates.

The ride data doesn't point to one giant Cool KIDS' SUMMER spike on May 26. The effect is softer and more spread out. It gives families more reasons to choose one park over another, or to build a day around characters, entertainment, shade, water parks, and shorter bursts of activity. Most of the spike can be attributed to the other marquee debuts.

That still matters. A summer event can change where people go without making every headliner jump.

What To Watch Next

Now, we'll have to watch what sticks.

For Muppets, watch whether the coaster keeps leading Hollywood Studios while the rest of the park stays normal. If that pattern holds, the retheme is pulling its own crowd without turning the whole park into a wait-time mess.

For Soarin', watch whether May 26 was the real launch bump or just a one-day correction after a quiet soft opening. If it keeps landing above the 40-minute 90-day average, EPCOT touring plans need to treat it more like a priority again.

For Bluey, the key signal is the virtual queue. A posted standby wait won't tell the story until Disney adds standby access. Until then, Animal Kingdom plans should start with the 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. drop windows, then work the ride plan around whatever boarding group you get.

Use the all-parks dashboard to compare current waits, then check the park pages for Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom before choosing the first ride of the day.

Related Content

GuideComplete Guide to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The MuppetsThe ride story, music, Easter eggs, food, merch, and planning notes. GuideComplete Guide to Bluey's Wild World at Animal KingdomVirtual queue, train access, animals, food, merchandise, and family tips. GuideCool KIDS' SUMMER at Walt Disney World GuideWhere the summer entertainment lands across parks, resorts, water parks, and Disney Springs. NewsMuppets Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Opens With Busy DebutOpening-day coverage from Hollywood Studios. NewsBluey's Wild World Virtual Queue Fills Almost InstantlyThe opening-day virtual queue story at Animal Kingdom. NewsSoarin' Across America Soft-Opens Early at EPCOTThe early opening that made the May 26 data more interesting.