The ONLY Magic Kingdom Attraction You Can Ride Before Rope Drop

There’s only ONE Magic Kingdom ride you can hop on before the park even opens!

Typically, Disney World rides open and close on a very strict schedule. Many rides open with Early Theme Park Entry each day, which is 30 minutes before park opening time. The rest will likely open when the park does. There are only a select few attractions in Disney World that fall outside this timeline…and only ONE opens BEFORE the park does.

If you’ve ever strolled down Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom early in the morning, you’ve likely seen the Main Street Vehicles. These fun turn-of-the-century-inspired vehicles will transport guests from one end of Main Street to the other — starting in Town Square and finishing the route in front of Cinderella Castle.

Main Street Vehicles were an opening day attraction at Disneyland Park AND in Magic Kingdom, so they’ve been around for more than 70 years now…and they’re also the only ride to open before the park does in Disney World! When we recently rope dropped Magic Kingdom, we were able to get on a Main Street Vehicle at 8:40AM, and the park didn’t open until 9!

When we asked the Cast Member driving us how early the vehicles operate, he told us that they come out “as early as they’re able to,” which can sometimes be as early as 8AM on a day the park opens at 9. This means you could hop on a Main Street Vehicle a whole 30 minutes earlier than Early Theme Park Entry starts.

And if we’re honest, what’s a more magical way to make your entrance into the park?! Riding in one of these cars, buses, or trolleys always makes us feel like a little bit of a celebrity.

If the Main Street Vehicles are on your to-do list, you should know that they usually wrap up service around 10AM (that’s usually when the first stage show starts for the day on the Cinderella Castle stage). They may come back out midmorning or in the afternoon on a less-crowded day, and we’ve even seen them run late at night when the crowds aren’t too bad. Operations are heavily dependent on weather and how many people are on Main Street, U.S.A. at the given time.