ADR before opening question

[eXo]

I've read a few threads here where the OP talks about making an 8am ADR for a park like MK, and then talks about eating fast to get out and enjoy the park before the 9am opening. This seems odd to me... Is the park actually open? I thought that when they started letting people in that cast members would "walk briskly" towards various lands, and that those who followed them would basically be the first on whatever rides they were heading towards.

In this scenario, someone apparently stalks the ADR's to get an 8am at CP or CRT (it is amazing how fast the abbreviations take hold of a new person around here), and then talks about eating for 3-45 minutes and getting 15-30 minutes in an empty park..... so are they assuming the park will be open? Are they suggesting they will leave breakfast and then just go stand in front of whatever ride they want until it opens at 9am? Will they even be allowed to leave the main street/castle area and go into the various other areas?

I didn't want to hijack anyone's individual threads, so it seemed best to just make my own here. It is more for curiosity than anything else. While I do hope to score a few 8:05 am ADR's for my kids at MK, I know them well enough to know that I'll be *lucky* if they are done eating by the time the park opens an hour later. But I guess, in the off chance they are being weird that day and finished early, I don't want to assume that we just have to sit at our table until 9am (which is exactly what I would have assumed), if we have other options.

I guess the short of it is, I know ADR's start as early as an hour before the park opens (on days where it is supposed to open at 9am). But is anything else open during that hour? Are rides open? Are shops open? Is Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Frontierland, or Adventureland open? What is the meaning of life? Why did my 4th toe on my left foot grow back after being amputated? Boxers or briefs? Who shot JR?

Ok, now I'm making myself feel old :/ And probably taking my post way off topic too....

 

[mommyof2beauties]

I've read a few threads here where the OP talks about making an 8am ADR for a park like MK, and then talks about eating fast to get out and enjoy the park before the 9am opening. This seems odd to me... Is the park actually open? I thought that when they started letting people in that cast members would "walk briskly" towards various lands, and that those who followed them would basically be the first on whatever rides they were heading towards.

In this scenario, someone apparently stalks the ADR's to get an 8am at CP or CRT (it is amazing how fast the abbreviations take hold of a new person around here), and then talks about eating for 3-45 minutes and getting 15-30 minutes in an empty park..... so are they assuming the park will be open? Are they suggesting they will leave breakfast and then just go stand in front of whatever ride they want until it opens at 9am? Will they even be allowed to leave the main street/castle area and go into the various other areas?

I didn't want to hijack anyone's individual threads, so it seemed best to just make my own here. It is more for curiosity than anything else. While I do hope to score a few 8:05 am ADR's for my kids at MK, I know them well enough to know that I'll be *lucky* if they are done eating by the time the park opens an hour later. But I guess, in the off chance they are being weird that day and finished early, I don't want to assume that we just have to sit at our table until 9am (which is exactly what I would have assumed), if we have other options.

I guess the short of it is, I know ADR's start as early as an hour before the park opens (on days where it is supposed to open at 9am). But is anything else open during that hour? Are rides open? Are shops open? Is Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Frontierland, or Adventureland open? What is the meaning of life? Why did my 4th toe on my left foot grow back after being amputated? Boxers or briefs? Who shot JR?

Ok, now I'm making myself feel old :/ And probably taking my post way off topic too....

I am also wondering the same thing!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

The entire park is not open, but they are allowed into certain areas. There will be roped off areas within the park that they are not allowed into. Attractions/shops are not open but they may have the chance to be closer to the attraction than guests entering from the front gates might be. And there is some kind of intrigue involved in taking pictures on an empty Main Street.

 

[eXo]

the empty main street pics make total sense. I just didn't get some of the specific lines I read, such as being the first to ride a specific ride. I didn't see how an early ADR could guarantee that.

It also ties into people who talk about getting an ADR just to throw it away and go to something else.

I guess this works by using the ADR to get into the park, but then ionstead of going to the ADR, simply lining up as close as possible to whatever attraction they have their heart set on? It doesn't make a lot of sense though, because in the end your still waiting 30-60 minutes for something... your just doing it before the parks open. Where-as if you just enter at RD and head straight to your attraction of choice, it is likely your wait will be less than 30-60 minutes....

So using an ADR just to get into the park early seems like just more waiting.....

I can see how threads like that stress people out. There is this notion of being at everything as early as possible or complete doom occurs. And while there is truth that early means generally shorter lines, there is also a point where people begin to cross the line of cost vs benefit, and start waiting longer times for much less rewards.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I don't know, it's kind of like seeing folks say they are going to cancel their trips if they can't get fastpasses to certain attractions. As if the lack of fastpasses means the attraction is off limits to them.

Oh, and Kristin shot JR.

 

[AngiTN]

the empty main street pics make total sense. I just didn't get some of the specific lines I read, such as being the first to ride a specific ride. I didn't see how an early ADR could guarantee that.

It also ties into people who talk about getting an ADR just to throw it away and go to something else.

I guess this works by using the ADR to get into the park, but then ionstead of going to the ADR, simply lining up as close as possible to whatever attraction they have their heart set on? It doesn't make a lot of sense though, because in the end your still waiting 30-60 minutes for something... your just doing it before the parks open. Where-as if you just enter at RD and head straight to your attraction of choice, it is likely your wait will be less than 30-60 minutes....

So using an ADR just to get into the park early seems like just more waiting.....

I can see how threads like that stress people out. There is this notion of being at everything as early as possible or complete doom occurs. And while there is truth that early means generally shorter lines, there is also a point where people begin to cross the line of cost vs benefit, and start waiting longer times for much less rewards.

Actually, that is not correct for some of the most popular rides, like 7DMT or A&E M&G. The people there at rope drop can indeed find themselves in a 60 min line quite easily. If you can manage to be one of the first in there you are golden. But the way the CM control the crowds going in often you'll be in a long line from the get go.

If you have an early ADR and you can get done about the time the park opens you are that much further in front of the crowds coming in from the main gate. It can cut significant time off your wait for those hard to get rides. Anything that puts you ahead of the curve (crowds) can be beneficial.

I don't really believe there are lots of folks making 8:00 ADR and blowing them off totally and waiting at an internal rope for 60 min.

Plus, don't discount the ability to take photos without large crowds of strangers in your pics

 

[bumbershoot]

People just want to eat then get out and wait as close as possible to where they want to be for when the area is opened.

Oh, and Kristin shot JR.

Omg, spoiler alert!
Bwa ha ha ha.

 

[TXTransplant]

At AK, Tusker House is right near the safari ride. So, if rope drop guests are held back at the Tree of Life (which is what happened the last time we visited), then those leaving Tusker House would have an advantage of being closer to the safari.

The other advantage to the ADR before park opening is so that you don't "waste" park time eating.

I also like to secure the earliest ADR possible because that minimizes wait time at the restaurant. It's not unusual for service at the restaurants to get backed up and guests are not seated until past the reservation time. If you make an 8 or 815 am reservation before the park is even open, your chances are very good of actually being seated at the time of the reservation with little or no wait. The later your reservation, the more likely you are to have to wait past your reservation time before you are seated. I'm not a person who likes to spend a lot of park time on sit-down dining, and I certainly don't want to waste time waiting to be seated for a reservation.

I never made a breakfast ressie for the sole purpose of getting into a park early. Considering the cost, both in money and time spent eating, that just wouldn't be worth it to me. I make reservations at restaurants I truly enjoy. But, when I do make one, my preference is to make it for the earliest possible seating before the park opens.