Guests staying at one of the Disney hotels (DLH, PPH, GCH) need to show room keys to gain access to early entry. The only other way to obtain early entry is to use your one early entry granted with admission tickets of 3-days or more.
Guests staying at one of the Disney hotels are also allowed to use the "private" DCA entrance at opening in the morning. Guests who have eaten at one of the restaurants in the Disney hotels but who are not staying there have had success entering DCA through this side entrance as early as 9:30 A.M. the same morning as their meal by showing their restaurant receipt. Perhaps this is what you were thinking of.