Arriving at Parks Early

[clonetothebone]

Arriving at Parks Early
When the guides say arrive at parks early does this mean that the attractions are open early or just that they sometimes will let you through the turnstile and get ticketed early? I was trying to plan my activities and as I was doing this I thought, maybe I could slip in one or two more attractions per day if we arrived before park opening.

What do you experts that have been a billion times know about this?

 

[abaldacci]

they sometimes do open the parks early but not at slow times of the year and I promise if do arrive early you will get in more during the day.

 

[Robo]

Arriving at Parks Early
When the guides say arrive at parks early does this mean that the attractions are open early or just that they sometimes will let you through the turnstile and get ticketed early? I was trying to plan my activities and as I was doing this I thought, maybe I could slip in one or two more attractions per day if we arrived before park opening.

abaldacci has it right.

The idea of going early is not really about the RIDES OPENING early (they MIGHT, but its not likely).

What it DOES do is put you into the park (when they do open the gates) well ahead of MOST guests who simply will NOT "get up early" while on vacation.

If you do arrive at the gate early (20-30 minutes before sched. open time), when they do open the gates, you can take your pick of any open attraction, ride it several times or easily go from one attraction to the next with very short waits (if any) all during the first hour (or two).

If you are an ON-SITE WDW Resort guest, the above holds true whether the park has a morning EMH or not.

If you're an OFF-SITE guest, I suggest you NOT go to the park(s) with the morning EMH (on-site guests are already in the park by the time you are allowed in), but arrive early (20-30 minutes before sched. open time) at a park WITHOUT a Morning EMH that day.

 

[clonetothebone]

Thank you Robo and abaldacci. This is just the help I needed.

 

[abner1776]

At MK if the scheduled opening time is 9am, then Disney will open the turnstyles at 8:45 and the hold the crowd under the train station until 9am. This gets people thru the turnstyles and avoids the crush. At AK, Disney would open the turnstyles at 8:45 and then hold the crowd up in front of the tree of life until 9am. At 9am the crowd splits into the Safari riders to the left and the Everest riders to the right, but Disney has the crowds follow the guides at a walking pace to insure no running. At Epcot the same procedure follows...8:45 and 9am but the guides will hold the crowd further up inside Epcot as people are heading right to Soarin or left to test track. In any case, if you want to be first in line, plan on being at the turnstyles by 8:15 for a 9am opening or earlier during the busier seasons.
If you are going off season, I would recommend sleeping in and getting to the park just after it opens, like 9:15 for a 9am opening. In that way, the crowds have disbursed, you can leisurely enter the park and there still will not be any lines, if on the other hand you are going high season, then the earlier the better.

 

[Robo]

If you are going off season, I would recommend sleeping in and getting to the park just after it opens, like 9:15 for a 9am opening. In that way, the crowds have disbursed,

Ah, but that's ME... an "early disburser".

I get to go around twice or more before the sleepy-heads get to the first queue.

 

[wdwlvr629]

Ah, but that's ME... an "early disburser".

I get to go around twice or more before the sleepy-heads get to the first queue.

DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

I have never seen rides operating before park opening but I guess it can happen. We always arrive at all the parks before opening. Some will let you through the turnstiles up to a rope. At the MK you are held outside the train station for the opening ceremonies, which is a great show.
The best thing is you will always be able to ride with little to no waits early in the day (EMH or regular). The really big crowds don't arrive until later in the morning. Last June my DS and I got into the first showing of Mickey's Philharmagic in the MK and there were only about eight of us in the whole place. There is no waiting for Splash or Big Thunder early in the day. You can also get on Space Mountain and Buzz a couple of times but Tomorrowland get busy faster than the other side of the park.

 

[golden1]

Why would you arrive 20-30 minutes BEFORE park opening - just so that you are at the front of the crowd? Why not arrive 5-10 minutes before park opening?

 

[Robo]

Why would you arrive 20-30 minutes BEFORE park opening - just so that you are at the front of the crowd? Why not arrive 5-10 minutes before park opening?

That's easy.

MK and DAK have "productions" that welcome guests into the park.
These "rope-drop ceremonies" take place inside the parks (some quite deep into the parks).
Guests are allowed through the front gates early (tickets and finger-scans take time) to congregate for these events.
The areas where these take place are somewhat narrow and if you wait until much closer to "open time" you can miss the rope-drop ceremony entirely or be so far back in the "crowd" that you can't see or hear it clearly.

After the rope is dropped, (at certain parks) CM's escort guests to the more popular attractions.
Even if there are not "formal ceremonies" rope-drop happens at Epcot and MGM as well. (Some report there is a "sort-of" ceremony -with Mickey- now sometimes at Epcot.)

But, bottom-line:

Many of us here have been to WDW many times over the years.
We've actually done the things we suggest, many times over.

Fact is, we are taking a RISK that we will reduce OUR OWN enjoyment by giving out our "secrets" on a public forum and causing more folks to "fill up the parks".
But we want people to have as much fun as WE do... its GREAT.

OTOH, as I said to another poster who wanted to "sleep-in" on vacation...
If that's why you came to WDW, I don't understand it but, please do!

If you want to sleep on vacation there are literally millions of places to do that (HOME is one of them.)
When I come to WDW, the earlier I arrive, the more magic I can find.

How's that?

 

[justplaingoofy]

In the past arriving early at MK, they would let us into the hub area.

Sept. 06
Nov. 05
Sept. 05

They had everyone waiting outside the turnstiles until official opening.
Anyone know if they are still doing this or if it is something they do that time of year??

 

[keishashadow]

We usually do the early EMH's but....

have never been left into park early otherwise (and we're usually there 1/2 hr early, to my family's great dismay LOL).

Typically go in June, Dec. or Feb. I've read this hint in the guidebooks too, just keep waiting to experience it. Always get the hairy eye-ball from my sleepy-heads who figure I'm full of it.

It was sort of scary one year @ MK when we were @ FOL & the crowd started to slowly push forward. We were squished into the rope, started to worry about getting trampled (lots of anxious pushy people). Glad they eliminated the "running of the bulls".

 

[Robo]

In the past arriving early at MK, they would let us into the hub area...
Anyone know if they are still doing this or if it is something they do that time of year??

That was back before they started performing the rather elaborately-staged "rope-drop ceremony" up front.

Now they hold guests in the area (in front of the famous "Mickey face" made of flowers) BEFORE you go under the train tracks to Main Street.

The WELCOME-WELCOME ceremony takes place up on the train platform above the guests congregating in the area below.

 

[justplaingoofy]

OOps I typed that incorrectly... What I meant to say was:

We were there Sept. 04, Nov. 04, Sept. 05 (wrong years) and it was then that we had to wait outside the turnstiles at MK.

When we went to Disney years before, they let us into the hub.

Sorry for any confusion!