Disney's Hollywood Studios Early Entry is a weird little sprint because the best rides sit in different corners of a compact park. Toy Story Land pulls families. Galaxy's Edge pulls Star Wars diehards. Sunset Boulevard can suddenly look tempting when the coaster is hot and the app is already ugly.
Early Theme Park Entry currently includes Alien Swirling Saucers, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, Slinky Dog Dash, Star Tours, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Tower of Terror, and Toy Story Mania. That is almost the whole ride lineup, which makes the first decision matter more.
The three starts that make sense
Choose Slinky Dog Dash if your group is near the front of the resort-guest crowd. CrowdLevels 90-day data had Slinky averaging 62.2 minutes in the 8 a.m. hour and 74.0 minutes in the 9 a.m. hour. The Lightning Lane pressure is even louder: Slinky averaged an 8:35 a.m. actionable sellout across 29 tracked days from May 5 through June 3.
Choose Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance if Galaxy's Edge is the reason you bought the ticket. It averaged 40.1 minutes in the 8 a.m. hour, then 68.3 at 9 a.m. and 72.1 at 10 a.m. The warning is reliability. Rise led the 7-day CrowdLevels downtime board with 11 hours 26 minutes across four days from May 29 through June 4.
Choose Toy Story Mania! if you want a smoother morning and still want to use Toy Story Land well. It averaged 19.4 minutes in the 8 a.m. hour, while Alien Swirling Saucers averaged 7.2. That pairing will not feel as victorious as Slinky, but it can be cleaner with kids, grandparents, or anyone already sick of the rope-drop shuffle.
Data note: CrowdLevels pulled Hollywood Studios current rows, 90-day attraction summaries, 90-day hourly waits, 7-day downtime leaders, and 30-day Lightning Lane sellout rankings on June 4, 2026. The hourly numbers use operating wait samples only.
Slinky Dog is the obvious pick when you are early enough
Slinky Dog Dash is the default Hollywood Studios Early Entry target because the ride checks too many boxes at once: family coaster, Toy Story Land anchor, outdoor capacity limits, and a Lightning Lane slot that can vanish before a slow breakfast is over.
CrowdLevels had Slinky at a 71.6-minute 90-day average. It also ranked second on the recent downtime board with 5 hours 56 minutes across four days in the 7-day window. The first few minutes matter. If it is operating and you are close to the front, go. If it is down or the outdoor queue is already swollen, do not stand there conducting a family meeting in the middle of Toy Story Land.
The Slinky start works best for groups that can move without drama. Strollers parked. Bathroom handled. Coffee problem solved. If you are still passing granola bars around while the crowd moves, the ride may already be turning into the same wait you were trying to avoid.
Rise is a great start with a bad backup problem
Rise of the Resistance is the better first ride when your group cares more about Star Wars than Toy Story Land. The wait jump is real: 40.1 minutes in the 8 a.m. hour, 68.3 at 9 a.m., and 72.1 at 10 a.m. If Rise is running cleanly, Early Entry can save a chunk of the day.
The problem is the walk and the downtime. CrowdLevels recorded 1,565.4 downtime minutes for Rise across the 90-day profile, with 20 days that had downtime. In the most recent 7-day dashboard window, it led Hollywood Studios with 11 hours 26 minutes of downtime across four days. Build a backup before your first 30 minutes depend on one ride.
If Rise is delayed at open, pivot to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run only if your group wants Galaxy's Edge anyway. Smugglers averaged 22.3 minutes in the 8 a.m. hour and had only 65.6 downtime minutes across the 90-day profile. Useful save. Smaller prize.
Toy Story Mania is the calmer plan
Toy Story Mania is the better first target for groups that want to leave Early Entry with completed rides instead of one sweaty gamble. The 8 a.m. average was 19.4 minutes, then 36.6 minutes at 9 a.m. and 49.9 at 10 a.m. Its Lightning Lane pressure is real later, but it buys you more room in the first half hour.
Pair Toy Story Mania with Alien Swirling Saucers when you want the gentler Toy Story Land loop. Alien Swirling averaged 7.2 minutes in the 8 a.m. hour and 22.3 at 9 a.m. That is a good fit for families with smaller kids, groups skipping Slinky, or anyone who would rather bank two rides than gamble on one outdoor coaster.
This route also keeps you physically close to Slinky. If Slinky posts something sane after Toy Story Mania, you can still check it. If it looks rough, you are already holding a useful morning instead of walking across the park empty-handed.
Backups that keep the morning alive
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway is the most useful central backup. It averaged 31.6 minutes in the 8 a.m. hour and 41.6 at 9 a.m. The recent downtime picture is not perfect, with 3 hours 30 minutes across three days in the 7-day window, but the location helps when both Toy Story Land and Galaxy's Edge are giving you bad news.
Tower of Terror is a good Sunset Boulevard start for thrill groups, especially if Rock 'n' Roller Coaster is already cooked. Tower averaged 13.2 minutes in the 8 a.m. hour and 32.0 at 9 a.m. It is also a better emotional fit for people who do not want to spend the first 30 minutes inside Toy Story Land.
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets is hot right now, and the data shows it. Across its current 8-day Lightning Lane window, the ride averaged a 10:09 a.m. actionable sellout. Its 8 a.m. hourly average was 52.6 minutes, which makes it less forgiving as a first stop unless your group specifically wants the Muppets coaster.
Star Tours is the easy backup, not the main event. It averaged 4.5 minutes in the 8 a.m. hour and 6.5 at 9 a.m. Use it when you are nearby, when Rise is down, or when the group needs a quick win before the rest of the park gets loud.
Lightning Lane changes the first ride
Slinky Dog Dash is the first Lightning Lane problem. CrowdLevels had it selling out actionable availability on all 29 tracked days with Lightning Lane data from May 5 through June 3, with an 8:35 a.m. average actionable sellout. If you can book Slinky, you can use Early Entry for Rise, Toy Story Mania, or Runaway Railway without carrying the same Toy Story Land pressure.
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets is the next pressure point in the current data, but its window is shorter because the rethemed ride is newer. It had actionable sellouts on all eight tracked Lightning Lane days and averaged 10:09 a.m. Toy Story Mania ranked third with an average actionable sellout of 1:24 p.m. across 25 actionable sellout days in a 30-day data window.
That makes the cleanest split pretty simple. Book Slinky if you can. Start with Rise if Star Wars is the priority and the app looks stable. Start with Toy Story Mania if your group wants the calmer Toy Story Land loop. If Slinky is not booked and you are far back in the morning crowd, do not pretend Early Entry will magically fix it.
Three usable morning plans
The Toy Story Land payoff plan: Slinky Dog first, then Toy Story Mania if the posted wait still looks reasonable. Add Alien Swirling Saucers if you have smaller kids or if Toy Story Mania is already moving badly.
The Star Wars gamble: Rise of the Resistance first, then Smugglers Run. If Rise is down before you commit to the long walk, go to Runaway Railway or Toy Story Mania instead. Do not burn the head start waiting for a reopening with no clear return.
The lower-drama plan: Toy Story Mania, Alien Swirling Saucers, then Runaway Railway. It skips the biggest bragging-rights ride, but it can leave you with three completed attractions while the Slinky and Rise crowds are still sorting themselves out.
Hollywood Studios Early Entry FAQ
What rides are open for Hollywood Studios Early Entry?
Disney's current Hollywood Studios Early Entry list includes Alien Swirling Saucers, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, Slinky Dog Dash, Star Tours, Rise of the Resistance, Tower of Terror, and Toy Story Mania. Attraction availability can change.
Is Slinky Dog Dash worth rope dropping during Early Entry?
Yes, if you are close to the front of the resort-guest crowd. Slinky had the earliest Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane pressure in the CrowdLevels 30-day dashboard window, with an 8:35 a.m. average actionable sellout across 29 tracked days.
Is Rise of the Resistance better than Slinky Dog Dash first?
It depends on your group. Rise is better for Star Wars-first groups and averaged a lower 8 a.m. wait than Slinky, but its recent downtime risk is higher. Slinky is the safer first pick when it is operating and you are early enough.