ADR 25 minutes after park opening -- allowed in early?

[MommytoaSweetie]

We're looking at doing a breakfast at Liberty Tree Tavern since Crystal Palace will be closed then (which means it'll be characters with a family-style sort of breakfast, but no one knows what yet, right?). I now know you can get into the park early if your ADR is before the park opens, but is there any chance of getting into the park at like 8:55 (MK opens at 9 that day), just before the rush of people, if our ADR is 9:25?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I very much doubt it. But normally they will open the gates 15-30 minutes early and hold people on Main Street until 9:00, so you will actually be in the park and will have been able to go to stroller rental if needed. Since they want people there 5 minutes bvefore the reservation, this gives you 20 minutes from rope drop to get to the restaurant.

 

[Hootch]

I very much doubt it. But normally they will open the gates 15-30 minutes early and hold people on Main Street until 9:00, so you will actually be in the park and will have been able to go to stroller rental if needed. Since they want people there 5 minutes bvefore the reservation, this gives you 20 minutes from rope drop to get to the restaurant.

in all my trips (which no where near rivals yours) we have only gotten into the front area on the parking lot side of the train station. The tunnels under the train station was the stopping point. I have been inside the park at the three other parks but not the MK.

 

[MommytoaSweetie]

I very much doubt it.

Yeah, that's what we figured. Thre is an 8:20 slot available, but that's pretty early for our family... the idea of getting into the park before others and seeing Main Street uncrowded is pretty appealing, though, so we may just go with it.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yeah, that's what we figured. Thre is an 8:20 slot available, but that's pretty early for our family... the idea of getting into the park before others and seeing Main Street uncrowded is pretty appealing, though, so we may just go with it.

DO IT! It's SO worth it!!!!

 

[MommytoaSweetie]

DO IT! It's SO worth it!!!!

Okay, that was enough to convince me It's a late EMH day, and we may be too tired to stay long (or may try to take a nap in the middle of the day, which we don't normally do because our girls will fall asleep on the way, but we'll see. Either way, it will be awesome to walk out in the parks before crowds have arrived!! Is there a special place to go to say that we need to enter early for our ADR? And if our reservation is 8:20, do we really need to arrive 20 minutes early like they suggest?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

You normally are allowed into the park 15-min before ADR.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I have an 8:05 Crystal Palace ADR for breakfast... does that mean they will let us into the park about 7:50? Do I need to push ahead of the crowd to be let in?

 

[mom2rtk]

I have an 8:05 Crystal Palace ADR for breakfast... does that mean they will let us into the park about 7:50? Do I need to push ahead of the crowd to be let in?

That's about right. And there will be an initial rush of people. It might be worth letting the initial crowd pass, and getting some photos on Main Street with a smaller crowd. Of course, then it will take longer to get seated, but the photos are worth it!

 

[Wazowski31]

I would definitely suggest taking the earlier ADR, my sister and I were down in the world earlier this month and we had a character breakfast at AK and did the KTTK tour at MK so had the opportunity to enter two parks early! The photos we got were amazing, Main Street was empty! When you get to the turnstiles there is a separate sign for early breakfasts and they just check your name on a list, both times it was on the extreme right, facing the turnstiles.
The feeling of being there when its practically empty is well worth that early wake up call!

 

[acpalmer]

I have an 8:05 Crystal Palace ADR for breakfast... does that mean they will let us into the park about 7:50? Do I need to push ahead of the crowd to be let in?

We have a reservation for this same time in June, do the busses run this early? We will be coming from Boardwalk...

 

[mom2rtk]

We have a reservation for this same time in June, do the busses run this early? We will be coming from Boardwalk...

The buses all run in time for the early ADR's. Each park will then have a separate entrance for the early breakfast folks. They usually let the first batch in around 7:50, but it can vary. Just get there and wait. It's SO worth it!

 

[Berkshires96]

During our trip we had two breakfast ADR's in Magic Kingdom (Crystal Palace @ 8:10 and Castle @ 8:25. Both times we lined up in the ADR line and were let in at 8 or a few mins before. No one asked what time or where we were going, just if we had breakfast ADR's. It was WONDERFUL going in early and we have some great pics of our DD's in front of the castle with NO ONE in the background. Hope you have a GREAT time.

P.S. We stayed at Pop and caught the 1st bus @ 7AM both mornings. They said that there would be another one around 7:20. The 7AM one was very prompt and we even pulled out of the parking lot at 6:58 one morning. We all met up at 6:45 (group of 9) on those mornings so we'd make sure to make the early bus.

 

[acpalmer]

The buses all run in time for the early ADR's. Each park will then have a separate entrance for the early breakfast folks. They usually let the first batch in around 7:50, but it can vary. Just get there and wait. It's SO worth it!

P.S. We stayed at Pop and caught the 1st bus @ 7AM both mornings. They said that there would be another one around 7:20. The 7AM one was very prompt and we even pulled out of the parking lot at 6:58 one morning. We all met up at 6:45 (group of 9) on those mornings so we'd make sure to make the early bus.

Thank you both, I'm glad to know that we can ride the busses and get there on time!

 

[maznorm]

We just got Crystal Palace ADR'S for 8:05am. So do we just walk up, go past the queue and join a special queue or something? I would really love to get piccies in front of the castle without a crowd there. Anything else we should know about early ADR's. Will they ask for a printed confirmation sheet or will the confirmation number be enough? How long can you spend taking pictures in the empty park or do they just haul you in as soon as you walk through the gate? Also, slightly OT, is there a photopass photographer at the breakfast or do you just take your own pictures?

 

[kaytieeldr]

No. It's never necessary (or reasonable) to push past crowds to enter a park. Okay, fine - it's just plain rude.

Go to the turnstile on the far left as you're facing the park. THIS is the entrance for Guests with early dining or tour reservations.

If it's an early EMH day, you of course want to allow more time to arrive, get through the bag check, and get into the park than you would on a 'regular' day. But if the park opens at 9 (normal opening time) there shouldn't be any crowds to push through anyway. Any "crowds" at that turnstile will simply be other Guests with similar early reservations.

 

[Hootch]

We just got Crystal Palace ADR'S for 8:05am. So do we just walk up, go past the queue and join a special queue or something? I would really love to get piccies in front of the castle without a crowd there. Anything else we should know about early ADR's. Will they ask for a printed confirmation sheet or will the confirmation number be enough? How long can you spend taking pictures in the empty park or do they just haul you in as soon as you walk through the gate? Also, slightly OT, is there a photopass photographer at the breakfast or do you just take your own pictures?

are let through the turnstiles into the area in front of the train station prior to rope drop. If this hasn't happened when you arrive there will be a turnstile for people with early ADRs. It's usually on one end. Any CM will be able to point it out to you. If people have been let through hey are usually held at the tunnels under the station. Go to one of those. Have your confirmation number ready.

You can't roam the park but you can take the time to snap a few pictures. The Mickey and Walt statue is especially popular.

CP does not have photopass photographers. (I always hesitate to make definitive statements because things change.) People are generally willing to take pictures for you if you want your whole group in a picture.

 

[fab5friend99]

To the OP and any others - You didn't say when you're going, but just in case you're going to be there marathon weekend (Jan 9 & 10 in 2010) it's highly unlikely that you'll get good pictures without anyone in them because the racers will be going down main street and through the castle. We were going to do Crystal Palace (then LTT when we found out CP would be closed) one of those mornings precisely for that reason until my niece, who is running, reminded us. We opted for the Kona Cafe and tonga toast instead.

 

[mom2rtk]

No. It's never necessary (or reasonable) to push past crowds to enter a park. Okay, fine - it's just plain rude.

Go to the turnstile on the far left as you're facing the park. THIS is the entrance for Guests with early dining or tour reservations.

If it's an early EMH day, you of course want to allow more time to arrive, get through the bag check, and get into the park than you would on a 'regular' day. But if the park opens at 9 (normal opening time) there shouldn't be any crowds to push through anyway. Any "crowds" at that turnstile will simply be other Guests with similar early reservations.

Actually.... at the MK, it's the turnstiles to the right as you face the park. There will be a sign up that clearly points it out.