8:00 Openings

[Jedi Mouse]

We're headed to DLR next weekend and both days have 8:00am openings. There will be EMH each day and we plan on visiting each park on the day without EMH. We want to get to the park ASAP in the morning so I wanted to make sure I knew what time things start to open in the morning.

What time will bag check open? Does the park still open 30min early for rope drop or do they open the main gates at 8:00? When will people realistically begin lining up.

 

[figment_jii]

On non-EMH/MM mornings, the ticket gates will open about 30 minutes before the park opens (so, in your case, about 7:30 am). Guests will be able to enter the park and do some early shopping and get something to eat, but you won't be able to access the entire park at that point. Over at DLR, Main Street will be open, but you won't be able to get past the hub until the park opens for the day. At DCA, Buena Vista Street will be open, but you won't be able to get much further into the park.

I think the parking lots (and bag check also) open about 90 minutes before the park opens.
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/parking/

 

[thatgrljme]

Just an FYI Disneyland did not open 30 min prior to actual park opening today. They let us in about 5 min prior to rope drop. Perhaps this was because of Mother's Day. I can report back tomorrow.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

On non-EMH/MM mornings, the ticket gates will open about 30 minutes before the park opens (so, in your case, about 7:30 am).

This has not been our consistent experience. We have been going to 8 AM openings at DL for 7 or 8 years now and at DCA since they started offering them. Never have I been let into DL at 7:30 AM on a non-EMH/MM day. My vague recollection from 7 or 8 years ago is that they wouldn't let people start walking through those gates until 2-5 minutes before 8 AM at the earliest. In more recent years, we have noticed that they start letting people in as early as 7:45 or 7:50, but I have also been there on days when they didn't start letting people in until 7:55 or later.

After DCA's grand re-opening and with the madhouse demand of RSR every morning, we noticed that DCA regularly opened the gates for non-EMH/MM guests at 7:30 AM on days with an 8 AM opening. What we noticed about our last two visits to the parks though is that this was no longer happening. Even with a 9 AM opening in March, they didn't start letting people in until 8:50.

 

[Blue32]

This has not been our consistent experience. We have been going to 8 AM openings at DL for 7 or 8 years now and at DCA since they started offering them. Never have I been let into DL at 7:30 AM on a non-EMH/MM day. My vague recollection from 7 or 8 years ago is that they wouldn't let people start walking through those gates until 2-5 minutes before 8 AM at the earliest. In more recent years, we have noticed that they start letting people in as early as 7:45 or 7:50, but I have also been there on days when they didn't start letting people in until 7:55 or later.

After DCA's grand re-opening and with the madhouse demand of RSR every morning, we noticed that DCA regularly opened the gates for non-EMH/MM guests at 7:30 AM on days with an 8 AM opening. What we noticed about our last two visits to the parks though is that this was no longer happening. Even with a 9 AM opening in March, they didn't start letting people in until 8:50.

I am curious about this as I haven't been to an 8:00 opening yet. They really let people in 5-10 minutes early and then do a Rope Drop? Why not just open the whole park if they are going to do it that late?

 

[agamble]

When we went last May (the week leading up to Memorial Day), they let us into the parks about 10-15 minutes before official opening each day. As to the question of why? I think it does help disperse the crowds if you allow entry a few minutes early. People can line up next to the area they plan to enter. We lined up to go to Fantasyland, others lined up to head to Tomorrow and Adventure lands. Also, they have a whole opening spiel which helps set the tone to a welcoming morning. We've also experienced rope drop when entering the park on a MM day without having MM. They simply hold guests back at the end of main street instead of holding them back at different sections. That doesn't spread the guests out as well though, but it does get them further into the park. PLUS, I think guests do not like waiting. I think that letting people into the park before opening makes guests happy. Then they feel like they are in the open park when it opens. No need for unhappy guests waiting in line to enter the park after it's open.

 

[Mary484]

We only go to the park that doesn't have early entry and without fail have been let in 30 min before rope drop.

 

[figment_jii]

This has not been our consistent experience...In more recent years, we have noticed that they start letting people in as early as 7:45 or 7:50, but I have also been there on days when they didn't start letting people in until 7:55 or later.

After DCA's grand re-opening and with the madhouse demand of RSR every morning, we noticed that DCA regularly opened the gates for non-EMH/MM guests at 7:30 AM on days with an 8 AM opening. What we noticed about our last two visits to the parks though is that this was no longer happening. Even with a 9 AM opening in March, they didn't start letting people in until 8:50.

Interesting and good to know that things can be so variable. The last time I was at DLR (late February/early March) the parks were not opening at 8:00 am, but guests were being allowed in at least 15 minutes before the parks opened (that's when I arrived and the gates were already open, so I don't know when they started letting folks in) at both DCA and DL on the non-EMH mornings.

 

[disneymum58]

What time will bag check open?

I have experienced bag check/security lines opening up at 6:30, when there is a park that opens for MM or EMH at 7.

 

[Kristina4109]

I have experienced bag check/security lines opening up at 6:30, when there is a park that opens for MM or EMH at 7.

I've had exactly the same experience, the last 3 times we've used EMH.