Summer 2026 might be the best time to be in Disney World! Hotel guests can get access to the water parks for free, and popular characters are headed to Magic Kingdom.
These additions for Cool Kid Summer are just scratching the surface of what you can expect once the heat turns up in the parks. If you’re a Disney hotel guest, Early Entry is going to get even better in Summer 2026.
If you don’t know, Early Entry gives Disney World resort guests an extra 30 minutes in the park before it even opens! This allows resort guests to ride some of the most popular rides without the long lines that you can expect later in the day. Starting on May 26th, special surprises are in store for Early Entry guests!
This summer, characters will be available across all four theme parks during early entry! Characters, especially popular ones, can see super long lines during the busy season, so this is a huge hotel perk. This perk was around last year, and we were big fans.
Disney hasn’t confirmed which characters will appear or where, but you can be sure we’ll give you an update when we know. Last year, some character meet and greets just opened earlier, and other characters were roaming the parks, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled. In Magic Kingdom, Disney also confirmed the new Jessie’s Roundup at Magic Kingdom’s Diamond Horseshoe! You can meet Jessie, Woody, and more Toy Story friends at the restaurant in Frontierland.
If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!
We can’t wait for Cool Kid Summer to kick off on May 26th. It will keep the parks lively until September 8th, 2026. Be sure to keep following AllEars for more theme park news and updates.
DATES ANNOUNCED For The Return Of A Popular Disney World Hotel Perk
Tell us your favorite time to go to Disney World in the comments!
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