Best 8:00am Breakfast MK for castle photos

[justme0729]

What pre-park opening breakfast would be best to book to get mostly empty main street castle photos? We're thinking we want to do CRT at 8:00am or would it be better to do BOG 8:00am because it might be faster and more time for photos?

 

[Nancyg56]

You will not get a "mostly empty" Main Street, no matter which ADR you choose. Choose your meal based on preference for the meal if you are booking it for breakfast. If you are booking simply for photo opportunities, choose BOG. You are better able to dawdle while waiting for people who are all heading in the same direction clear a space for the pictures.

I also think that if park hours change, and they often do, you will feel easier letting the BOG ADR go than you will if you book CRT and start looking forward to that meal.

Be aware that no matter which ADR you choose, at 8 AM just about eveyone whose ADR is before 8:45 in all of those MK breakfast locations are allowed entry, so while you will not be walking with RD crowds, you will not be as isolated as when the only two restaurants open at that time were CRT and CP. BOG is a massive restaurant and is CS, so the number of people heading there is high, and I think that it at least doubles, if not triples the numbe of early entrance guests.

 

[maxiesmom]

When are you going? It is fairly common for Disney to switch park opening to 8 am. If your main reason for the ADR is to see the park empty-ish, book BoG for 8 am, but keep your eyes on the park hours.

 

[Betty_Baylor99]

It doesn't matter which restaurant you choose- it matters how early you show up to line up with pre park opening diners on the day of. The earlier you show up in line, the better chance you have to have an "emptier" Main Street. This is only applicable if MK maintains a 9 o'clock opening and doesn't switch their hours to an 8 o'clock start. Also, be aware that they will let all pre-park opening reservations (so someone with an 8:30am ADR can go in at the same time as you) line up together so you won't necessarily have an advantage of being "ahead" of someone with a later PPO ADR

 

[Colgal77]

When are you going? It is fairly common for Disney to switch park opening to 8 am. If your main reason for the ADR is to see the park empty-ish, book BoG for 8 am, but keep your eyes on the park hours.

Is there a certain time frame they switch opening hours? Or can it be completely random? Have an 815 at BOG late August... But am thinking we should be ok bc they have the paid morning hours that day as well.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Is there a certain time frame they switch opening hours? Or can it be completely random? Have an 815 at BOG late August... But am thinking we should be ok bc they have the paid morning hours that day as well.

It can be anywhere from months to days in advance. A few weeks ago they were changing hours same-week.

 

[minnie mum]

Is there a certain time frame they switch opening hours? Or can it be completely random? Have an 815 at BOG late August... But am thinking we should be ok bc they have the paid morning hours that day as well.

If EMM is scheduled for the day of your ADR, it will guarantee that they won't move park opening to 8:00.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

You will not get a "mostly empty" Main Street, no matter which ADR you choose.

This is not necessarily true (but it depends on luck and crowds). We had a 8am BOG ADR three weeks ago. We arrived at MK at 7:30am, were a good ways into the line of people, and were let in around 7:45am. We walked past the first two or three photopass photographers and found a less-busy one closer to the castle. Our Main Street photo is nearly empty (you have to zoom in to see people) and our castle walkway picture IS empty!

 

[DWeav]

Are we able to access these locations on an EMM morning for good empty park photos?

 

[Nancyg56]

This is not necessarily true (but it depends on luck and crowds). We had a 8am BOG ADR three weeks ago. We arrived at MK at 7:30am, were a good ways into the line of people, and were let in around 7:45am. We walked past the first two or three photopass photographers and found a less-busy one closer to the castle. Our Main Street photo is nearly empty (you have to zoom in to see people) and our castle walkway picture IS empty!

Your photos are lovely! I have not ever seen Main Street that clear in event years. I love that it worked out so well for you, but I am not sure that this is the norm. It woudl be awesome if it was though!

 

[ChasingLeslie]

Thank you, @Nancyg56

I agree with you that's it's probably not the norm (I did say it would likely depend on crowds and some luck)...but this was mid-summer, which one would expect to be a busy time.

 

[tee11]

In regards to switching park hours - even same week!! -
If a park like MK is already having extra evening hours (open until 11pm) that day, and currently shows a 9am opening - do I have to prepare myself that they still may switch hours to an 8am opening? While keeping the 11pm closing?
Or that they might take the evening hours away?? Or both?

 

[minnie mum]

I've never seen them take away hours away, especially EMH hours, close to a date. But, yes, they can open at 8 instead of 9 if they think the crowds warrant it. (unless they've scheduled an EMM.)

 

[momdisfan]

So glad I found this thread as I have been pondering the same thing. My main reason for scheduling a PPO breakfast at MK is to get pictures in front of the castle with very few people. We have an 805 CP breakfast scheduled and then Disney went and changed park opening from 9 to 8am. ughhh I am hoping to get another PPO breakfast on a different day. So far the only luck I have had is getting a reservation at 835am. Just not sure what to do. i think what I am reading is an 835 breakfast and a 805 breakfast are sort of the same thing when it comes to photo opportunities. With either time I can get in early around 745am? What would you guys do?

 

[ChasingLeslie]

@momdisfan - I think they let anyone with an ADR before 8:45 in at "ADR open" (7:45). If you can get an earlier time, do it just in case...but generally it doesn't make a difference.

 

[soniam]

Are we able to access these locations on an EMM morning for good empty park photos?

I have been told that you can go back to Main Street. Supposedly, they sometimes hold people at BOG, but they may let them go to Main Street. When we did BOG PPO on 7/24, it was an EMM day. They let us wonder around some of Fantasyland. We couldn't go near 7DMT or past Pinocchio Village Haus until park opening/RD. However, 7DMT was partly down, so the EMM guests were being allowed to ride other rides in Fantasyland. I didn't ask to go back to Main Street. I got my photos on the way in. So YMMV. I am pretty sure they won't let you into Tomorrowland, Frontierland, or Adventureland.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We have actually found that ADRs closer to 8:30am are better for getting people-free castle shots. So many people try to check in as early as possible to their meals, even if they don't have the 8am slot. It's like everyone gets in at 7:45, tries for that perfect shot at the castle, and then runs to their respective restaurants so they're checking in by 8am to be seated ASAP so they're not burning too much park time. Our best castle pics have been taken between 8:05-8:20am b/c of this.

Ex. This is about 8:10am from back in 2014

As for people-free main street...we've done pre-park opening in MK around 10x and I've never seen an entirely people free Main Street.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

You will not get a "mostly empty" Main Street, no matter which ADR you choose.

1) With so many early-opening eateries, there are few "empty street" opportunities.
2) Lots of folks have the same idea.
3) People are better off just buying a post card.

 

[mousehockey37]

Hm... Interesting read here... Booking breakfast so family portraits can be done on an "empty" Main St....

Wonder how long before they don't let the Photopass people out to help you with that... You're there for breakfast, hence the ADR... not a photoshoot. The caveat to that is, you may see people who are doing wedding photos. They are paying for the empty park/Main St./castle shots... not breakfast.

 

[laura_<3]

We did Crystal Palace one morning and we've done BOG twice. We got great empty Main St. photos each time.