Breakfast (park) Strategy Still a Good One?

[slyster]

My last visit to Disney was several years ago. We are planning a trip first week of September. When we last visited, we found that if we got one of the first reservations for breakfast in a park, it would also give us a leg up being in the park a little earlier before others. Is that still the case? I know an EMH day would change that strategy though. I can't recall if EMH was around then. I don't handle crowds as well as I used to. I'm ok when crowds are walking, but not so much standing and crowded together waiting for the park to open.

Also, which site is the best to predict those EMH days or are they always the same day/park?

We enjoyed Tusker House and Crystal Palace the last time we came and it was nice being able to be in the parks earlier and exploring a bit before everyone else came in. Thanks in advance!

 

[sharonabe]

My last visit to Disney was several years ago. We are planning a trip first week of September. When we last visited, we found that if we got one of the first reservations for breakfast in a park, it would also give us a leg up being in the park a little earlier before others. Is that still the case? I know an EMH day would change that strategy though. I can't recall if EMH was around then. I don't handle crowds as well as I used to. I'm ok when crowds are walking, but not so much standing and crowded together waiting for the park to open.

Also, which site is the best to predict those EMH days or are they always the same day/park?

We enjoyed Tusker House and Crystal Palace the last time we came and it was nice being able to be in the parks earlier and exploring a bit before everyone else came in. Thanks in advance!

It is still true for MK and EP (at least for now), but it is not true for AK and HS and some other things have changed as well.

At MK, on a 9:00 a.m. opening, everyone is allowed into the park and onto Main St at 8:00. Breakfast ADRs begin at 8:00, so you may still be in a small crowd waiting to get into MK. Also, the only ones that give you a leg up on attractions once you finish eating are Be Our Guest and CRT, although rushing through CRT seems like a waste to me. So, if you do Crystal Palace and finish before 9:00, you'll be in the crowds on Main St waiting for opening. If you wait and leave CP at 9:15 or so, the crowds will have disbursed, but you'll then have slightly longer lines at attractions.
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Tusker House at AK can still be a good option if you're not wanting to go to the new Pandora area afterward. Pandora will be a madhouse before you finish, but the rest of the park will be relatively empty.

Until all the updates and new stuff is completed at EP, an early ADR at Garden Grill or Akershus gets you into the park ahead of the crowds and gives you an advantage on attractions once you're done, as long as you're done before 9:00 when the park opens.

Studios is still in flux with the Star Wars stuff and probably will be for some time to come. There's no way that I can see to avoid the opening crowds at this one except to not get there until after the park is officially open.

 

[gharter]

would agree with pp.
Also agree about not rushing through the expensive breakfast to try and beat the crowd for a ride, which may or may not work.

 

[slyster]

Thank you both. I sort of had a feeling. I agree with not rushing through breakfast. Thanks for confirming!