The wait for official Annual Passholder preview details for Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets is over, and Disney just dropped everything Passholders need to know to maximize their chances of getting on the reimagined Hollywood Studios coaster before the general public arrives on May 26. The preview dates are confirmed, the virtual queue structure is more nuanced than most Passholder events have used before, and there is a free perk attached to the preview window that disappears the moment the general opening begins. Here is everything you need to know before May 21.
The Preview Dates
Annual Passholder previews for Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets run on May 21, 22, and 23 at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The attraction officially opens to all guests on May 26, giving Passholders a three-day exclusive window before the general public gets access. Unlike some previous Passholder preview events that have used registration systems or timed entry windows, this preview is built around a virtual queue with tiered access based on park reservation status.
How the Virtual Queue Actually Works
This is the part that requires attention because the access structure is more layered than a standard preview event, and getting the timing right could be the difference between riding during the preview window and waiting until after opening day.
On each preview day, the virtual queue opens in three waves. At 7 a.m. Passholders who have a park reservation specifically for Disney's Hollywood Studios on that day can join. This is the earliest window and the most competitive. Having a Hollywood Studios reservation on any of the three preview dates puts you in the best possible position to secure a boarding group before everyone else.
At 11 a.m., the virtual queue opens to Passholders with a park reservation for any Walt Disney World theme park that day. An EPCOT reservation, a Magic Kingdom reservation, or any park reservation qualifies at this point.
At 3 p.m., the virtual queue opens to all Annual Passholders, regardless of whether they have any park reservations. Disney confirmed that guests do not need to have physically entered a theme park to join the virtual queue, which means you can request a boarding group from home, from your hotel, or from anywhere within range of the app.
A virtual queue is not planned for the May 26 general opening, making the preview window genuinely different in terms of how access will be managed.
The Free On-Ride Disney Photo
During the May 21 through 23 preview window, Passholders who ride Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will receive a complimentary download of their on-ride photo. That perk is exclusive to the preview period. Once the general opening begins on May 26, the free photo download will no longer be available. For a ride that launches at high speed into a dark environment surrounded by Muppets theming, the on-ride photo is the kind of keepsake worth having, and getting it included in the preview experience is a genuine added value on top of the early access itself.
What The Ride Actually Is
Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets keeps the G-Force Records setting now owned by Scooter's uncle, J.P. Grosse, preserves the storyline of a band racing across town to make a show, and delivers the same physical ride experience that Hollywood Studios guests have been experiencing since 1999. The launch, the inversions, and the speed are unchanged. What is entirely new is the Muppets world built around all of it. The Electric Mayhem performs rock covers throughout the attraction, and the queue features Muppet props spanning the franchise's history, along with Electric Mayhem band posters and celebrity cameos woven into the pre-show environment.
The Simple Disney Advice
If you want to ride Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets before May 26 and get a free on-ride photo in the process, the three-day preview window is your opportunity. Secure a Hollywood Studios reservation for one of the preview dates if you can to access the 7 a.m. virtual queue. If you cannot get a Hollywood Studios reservation, any park reservation gets you in at 11 a.m., and no reservation at all still gets you access at 3 p.m. without requiring you to be inside a theme park.
May 21, 22, and 23 are the dates. May 26 is when the general public arrives. The free photo ends when the preview window closes.
