Why Disney World’s Muppets Coaster Is Changing the Best Hollywood Studios Rope Drop Plan
A morning closure and shifting waits are changing how Hollywood Studios guests may want to approach Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets.
Disney World’s newest coaster is adding a wrinkle to one of the most familiar park tactics. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, guests heading straight for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets may not always be making the fastest choice anymore.
A new favorite is reshaping the morning rush
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets opened in May 2026, replacing the attraction’s longtime Aerosmith theme with the Muppets after the closure of Muppets Courtyard. For fans of Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang, it quickly became another strong reason to make Sunset Boulevard a first stop.
That popularity is now affecting rope drop strategy at Hollywood Studios. Even when arriving early, guests can still run into a crowd of other visitors aiming for the same ride first. Instead of walking into a light queue, they may find that the park’s newest coaster has already drawn a substantial line.
The bigger complication is that an early arrival only helps if the attraction is actually operating when the park day begins.
What happened on October 26, and who it affects
On October 26, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets was listed as temporarily closed at 9 a.m. and again at 10 a.m. during regular park hours. It reopened by 11 a.m., when the posted standby wait was 35 minutes.
That mattered most for guests who had built their entire morning around riding it first. While the coaster was unavailable, other major attractions posted much shorter waits. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway showed 15 minutes at 9 a.m. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run was also at 15 minutes, and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was at 13 minutes.
Later in the day, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster reached a posted 65-minute wait at noon, then dropped to 40 minutes by 1 p.m. By 5 p.m., it was down to 35 minutes.
The takeaway for Hollywood Studios visitors is not that rope dropping is useless. It is that the best first move may no longer be locking into this coaster every morning. Guests planning a visit now, especially Muppets fans, may want to watch posted waits, be ready to pivot if the ride is down, or use Lightning Lane Multi Pass if return times are available.
