2 questions: Matterhorn cushions and Minnie & Friends early admission

[HopLow1968]

So everybody it talking about how the Matterhorn sleds need more padding. Has anybody tried putting down their own cushions? Such as the cushions that the BB Fantasmic Dining pkg gives you?

Second question is how does Plaza Inn handle Minnie and Friends breakfast reservations that are before the park officially opens? Is there a seperate entrace? Do you get let it with the regular pre-rope drop folks?

 

[Geemo]

We have had reservations at the Plaza Inn before the park opens to the general public.
We went to one of the gates way at the end by DTD. The CM had a list of people with reservations. They found our name on the list and let us in even though we didn't have MM tied to our ticket.

I've wondered about a cushion for the Matterhorn ride. I thought someone could carry a small blow-up tube to sit on for the ride. I've seen some on eBay that looked like they'd work.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We use thick, folded up hoodies for our Matterhorn cushions. They do help (and give me an excuse to buy a hoodie!).

 

[figment_jii]

A cushion is an interesting idea; I think it would help with the up-down bumpiness (provide more padding for your tailbone), but you'd also need something for your back and sides because the sleds also seem to have a lot of side-to-side roughness.

 

[HopLow1968]

We have had reservations at the Plaza Inn before the park opens to the general public.
We went to one of the gates way at the end by DTD. The CM had a list of people with reservations. They found our name on the list and let us in even though we didn't have MM tied to our ticket.

.

So youy went on a MM day? I wonder what they do on non-MM days? We plan on being in the park anyway on our MM day. Somebody said something about being able to go in early and how the park is empty and its a great opportunity to take pics on the way to Plaza Inn. Seems like a MM day wouldn't really be empty.

 

[SMD]

I think a cushion that's not attached to the vehicle or the rider (like a sweatshirt tied around the waist) would reduce friction and be kind of dangerous. At the very least I think it would increase your side to side movement and potentially hurt more in other ways. Just holding onto the handles and bracing your feet reduces a lot of bumpiness.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

For me, the cushioning from the hoodie works great (and it usually is tied around my waist). I'm short and can't really brace myself in the new sleds with just my feet. The last time I rode, I was in seat 3 without any cushion and felt like the seatbelt alone was stopping me from bumping right out of the sled. It was brutal. The bar in front is just a tad too far for my hands to have a firm grip. The side handles are just a tad too far back for me to be able to use them to stablilize myself. With the hoodie, I can relax into the cushion and take the bouncing without getting pummeled.

 

[calilou]

Not sure about the cushion thing...

As for an early entry Breakfast with Minnie reservation, yes you go straight to turnstile #1 (closest to the Downtown Disney side) and the CMs will have a reservation list with your name on it. There is also a Character Breakfast sign in front. You enter the park like normal from there. We love doing this to get a head start in the park and bypass any entry lines. We've also been known to sneak in a quick ride before breakfast if it's an EMH morning and depending on our reservation time.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I agree that the Matterhorn is a very uncomfortable ride. When getting off the ride last year, DH and DS overheard another guest say, "That wasn't a roller coaster. It was a 10-round boxing match!" Still, I have to wonder whether putting an additional cushion on your seat would be allowed. A loose article, not attached to the seat or the rider might be viewed as a safety hazard. I realize the rider would be sitting on it, but it could potentially fly out during the ride. It could also change the position of the rider, as they would not be sitting flat on their seat. I could see this not being allowed by the ride CMs, but would be interested to hear if anyone tries it and it ends up being allowed.

 

[jina]

I have not seen reservations for Plaza Inn before park opening on a non-MM day, only on MM days. Main Street does have far fewer people when you are there for MM than regular open/rope drop as all the people with MM are going straight to the lands.

We did get a reservation for a 7:10am Plaza Inn reservation a few days before Christmas on a MM day that had a 7am MM open. We went through the character breakfast entrance a few minutes after 7 and even had time to stop at the Candy place to get a wristband to be able to buy a handmade candy cane before we went to Plaza Inn for our reservation. We were done eating at 7:55am and got to regular rope drop right on time and hit the left side of the park which was empty. Of course, by 10:30am the park was a Christmastime zoo so we headed back to HoJo's.

If you do not have MM and are going on a non-MM day you may want to get the last breakfast reservation time instead so you can take advantage of the early hours as you get so much more done in those first 2 hours than the rest of the day.

 

[seobaina]

What's MM?

 

[AHGB]

What's MM?

Magic Morning.

 

[HopLow1968]

Not that I would...but...what keeps people from making a reservation, getting into the park early, and then just blowing off the reservation and going on rides n stuff instead?

 

[AHGB]

Not that I would...but...what keeps people from making a reservation, getting into the park early, and then just blowing off the reservation and going on rides n stuff instead?

Do you not have to pay for said reservation at the time it is made? Honestly, I don't recall. Even if you don't, if you cancel your reservation on short notice or just simply do not show up, then you will have to pay a penalty for each person in your party. That would make for one very expensive blow off, depending upon the size of your party.

 

[HopLow1968]

Do you not have to pay for said reservation at the time it is made? Honestly, I don't recall. Even if you don't, if you cancel your reservation on short notice or just simply do not show up, then you will have to pay a penalty for each person in your party. That would make for one very expensive blow off, depending upon the size of your party.

Ah, that makes sense then.

 

[Texasmomof3grls]

Today we had a 9:10 reservation that I was worried about making because I didn't expect the lines to be that long at opening. They let us in the character meal line and didn't even ask for my name even though I was prepared to give everything including my confirmation number.

 

[egritz]

Not that I would...but...what keeps people from making a reservation, getting into the park early, and then just blowing off the reservation and going on rides n stuff instead?

You give a credit card when you make the reservation, you can cancel up to 24 hours before with no charges. If you cancel less than 24 hours before or are a no show there is a $10 per person fee charged to your card. So if you are willing to pay an extra $10/person I suppose you could cheat the system.

 

[kailuagirl]

The new matterhorn cars are brutal to me. My tailbone can not handle them at all and I love that ride. The only way I can ride it is to sit on my jacket and kinda make it crooked. I just toss my jacket down and sit on it. No one has said anything, but I never thought about it flying out. I've tried bracing myself with my hands and feet and that just causes pain in my neck. Never had any problems with the old seats. Wish they would do something about the seats. The whole ride I'm groaning, but it is so fun I have to ride it at least once or twice per trip.

 

[seobaina]

Magic Morning.

Thanks!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

The new matterhorn cars are brutal to me. My tailbone can not handle them at all and I love that ride. The only way I can ride it is to sit on my jacket and kinda make it crooked. I just toss my jacket down and sit on it. No one has said anything, but I never thought about it flying out. I've tried bracing myself with my hands and feet and that just causes pain in my neck. Never had any problems with the old seats. Wish they would do something about the seats. The whole ride I'm groaning, but it is so fun I have to ride it at least once or twice per trip.

I feel your pain, literally! If your jacket is tied around your waist, it won't fly out.