Preview Dates & Virtual Queue Details for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Muppets!

Walt Disney World has announced Annual Passholder preview dates & virtual queue details for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets! This covers everything you need to know, including predictions about soft openings and more!

As basic background, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will soon embark on a Muppets takeover featuring Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and more of their friends. The Muppets are in the process of moving right along to Sunset Boulevard, teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival.

Walt Disney World has really been pulling the curtain back on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets. We’ve learned about the courtyard, backstory, setlist, post-show, Audio Animatronics, and pre-show stage-setting scene. If you want to know more about the attraction, we cover that deeper in the post.

Walt Disney World previously announced that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will open on May 26, 2026!

Starting May 26, the legendary ride roars back to life with a rock-charged remix that drops guests straight into the middle of The Electric Mayhem’s biggest night yet. With high-speed thrills, a pulse pounding soundtrack, and a VIP list like no other, this reimagined attraction hits all the right notes.

We now know that, ahead of that official debut date on May 26, 2026, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will offer Cast Member and Annual Passholder previews. Let’s dig into the details…

Cast Member Previews

Starting May 6, 2026, eligible Cast Members and Disney Employees will have an opportunity to register for Disney Cast Life Previews taking place during select days in May. Registration will be available on Cast Life Web / App.

Previews will take place on select days in May. Registered Cast Members and up to three Guests are invited to attend #DisneyCastLife Previews. Cast can register for only one preview experience at each attraction with Guests.

These Cast Member Previews provide access to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets during the registered preview window and a park ticket to enjoy each park. Dates have not yet been set for the Cast Member Preview of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets; they typically occur earlier than AP or DVC previews, but have also overlapped in the past from time to time.

Annual Passholder Previews

Passholders are invited to be among the first to experience the newly reimagined Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets before it officially reopens this summer. During V.I.PASSHOLDER Summer Days, Passholders will have an opportunity to participate in special previews.

Annual Passholder previews of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will take place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on the following dates: May 21, 22 and 23, 2026.

How To Experience Previews for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets

First, make a theme park reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios to have an opportunity to request to join the virtual queue at 7:00 AM for that day.
Next, on the day of the preview, it’s time to request to join the virtual queue using the My Disney Experience app. There will be 3 opportunities to join each day of previews at the following distribution times:
- The 7:00 AM virtual queue distribution will be available to Passholders with a theme park reservation to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for that day.
- The 11:00 AM virtual queue distribution will be available to Passholders with a park reservation to any theme park for that day. As a reminder, Passholders must enter the theme park where they have a reservation prior to visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
- The 3:00 PM virtual queue distribution will be available to any Passholder with valid admission. A park reservation to a theme park is not required.
- You do not need to have entered a theme park to join the virtual queue.
- Please see additional important information below.

Please note that a virtual queue for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will only be used during previews. This is unlike the Soarin’ Across America AP previews, which will be standby-only.

A virtual queue is NOT planned for when the attraction officially opens on May 26, 2026. The attraction will use a standby line and Lightning Lane (no word yet on the Single Rider line–we did notice the sign was removed, but that could’ve been for repainting).

A Photo Perk During Passholder Previews

Let Disney PhotoPass Service capture the thrills for you! During Passholder preview dates, Passholders participating in a preview can enjoy complimentary downloads of their Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets attraction photo!

Important Information

Passholders must have a Walt Disney World Annual Pass with valid admission on the preview date and may need a theme park reservation depending on the time of visit. Applicable pass blockout dates apply. Theme park reservations are limited and subject to availability, and reservation requirements are subject to change
Passholders must enter the theme park where they have a reservation prior to visiting another theme park. Or, Passholders may visit a theme park without a reservation after 2:00 PM (except Magic Kingdom Park on Saturdays and Sundays).
For the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets preview, each Passholder can request to join a virtual queue no more than once per day.
Joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to participate in the preview. Boarding groups for a virtual queue are limited, subject to availability, and are not guaranteed. Not all boarding groups may be called to return, based on availability of the attraction. Learn more about virtual queues.
Offering, dates, hours and virtual queue distribution times are subject to change or cancellation without notice or liability.

Soft Openings?

Soft openings are also known as trial operations or technical rehearsals, and are basically an unannounced and controlled test period. They provide an opportunity for theme parks to open an attraction prior to its official opening and conduct operations and Cast Member training in a more forgiving and low stress environment.

A handful of attractions have had soft openings in the last few years, including TRON Lightcycle Run and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom (as well as Starlight Night Parade and Test Track 3.0). Given how the refurbishment has unfolded and its reopening timeline, we would’ve assumed Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets would have soft openings.

At this point, whether that happens really depends on the preview dates for Disney Vacation Club, Golden Oak, and Club 33. If those are before AP previews–and they probably are–that leaves a 2-day window for soft openings of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets. If they’re after, soft openings are unlikely.

Whatever the case, the window for soft openings will be small–basically just May 24-25, 2026 at the most. We wouldn’t necessarily rule that out, but we wouldn’t count on it, either. Another thing to note is that Test Track AP previews ended up turning into de facto soft openings in the evenings, as demand was exhausted. Perhaps that’ll happen here if Walt Disney World is conservative with the virtual queue distribution. We’ll keep you posted!

Ultimately, we’re cautiously optimistic about this ride reimagining, especially after seeing the Song List for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets. It sounds like Imagineering is using the blueprint from Cosmic Rewind, which is great. Here’s hoping the pre-show, Audio Animatronics, Easter Eggs, and everything else are done well.

There are hardcore Muppets fans in Walt Disney Imagineering who fought for this project in the first place, and will likewise work tirelessly to ensure the reimagining is well-done, reusing elements from MuppetVision that would otherwise be discarded, and having as much unique Muppets humor as possible.

We can’t wait to see how Imagineers pull off this ride reimagining, even if it’ll never fully replace MuppetVision. Then again, maybe it won’t have to…if they do such a good job that this leads to a future Muppets Courtyard in this area, we could end up with a windfall and the start of a bona fide Muppet renaissance!

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

Looking forward to AP previews ahead of the official opening of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets? Hoping there are soft openings over the holiday weekend? Thoughts on the ride reimagining? Are you excited for Muppets makeover? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!