Come on, 'fess up: You don't get to the parks at opening either.

[PamNC]

On our first full day, we always arrive at the MK at park opening. In fact, we're outside about 15 minutes prior to see the opening day celebration. During the rest of the trip, it varies. And, we take advantage of EE mornings too - for instance, if it's EE for Epcot we usually go because we want to hit Soarin' before it gets crazy. Now, with Expedition Everest I'll bet we'll hit AK early too. So, in conclusion I'll say that he probably do get there before or at park opening a few days of our trip. For the other days, we just go with the flow. I couldn't get up and go that early every single day - that doesn't feel like a vacation to me.

Sometimes we don't even go to a park until the afternoon. We do other things...

PamNC

 

[nliedel]

What I need to confess here is while I am up ultra early and make it to the park early I have never once seen Wishes or any other closing ritual because I am in my room passed out from exhaustion by then!

 

[nluvwithmickey]

I am ALWAYS the first one up when I'm at home so it doesn't change when we go to WDW. I have plenty of time to get ready, get a coffee and some bfast for the family before I wake them up to get to the parks before the official opening.


Most of the times we close the place. We don't park hop so we tend to try to see pretty much everything we want during our visiting days.

We do however take a break mid-week to relax and sleep in (Nope, not me).

 

[Disney Ella]

We get to MK at opening. Other ones, we get there about 30 - 45 minutes afer opening. It's a compromise I make for DH. (It's a vacation! I should get to sleep in!)

 

[tkldisney]

Nope, I have some sleepers here. I'm the only real Disney addict in my household so I get up, have my , get ready then push everyone else to get ready. We get to the parks around 10ish, so that's not to late.
I do however, get to close the parks

 

[patsal]

We are up and in the parks at opening. It isn't difficult since when we are home and working/going to school we get up at 5:30--when we go on vacation during a February break or immediately after the last day of school we have no difficulty getting up by 5:30, heck 7:30 is sleeping in for us.

 

[Marseeya]

We're generally there within an hour of opening. For our next trip, I'd like to actually BE there for at least one opening "show."

Since we'll only crawl out of bed for one, which park opening do you think we should see?

For me, it has to be a toss up between MK and AK. I don't even remember the openings for Epcot and MGM, so they must not have been very memorable! The opening at AK is a lot of fun and really cute. The one at MK is good too, though.

 

[JillinNC1964]

Never been there at opening.. maybe one of these days..

 

[CheshireVal]

Are you kidding? Not only am I there at opening, but I've often been there an hour before.

We are always the first ones waiting at the turnstyles.

 

[eliza61]

We're late nighters so we usually close a place down as oppose to being there when the place opens. I can't get my crowd up before 8:00AM. I think this year I'll try a cattle prod!

08/23-09/01/06 Villas at Wilderness Lodge

 

[twinkles]

Very early risers here. However, the commando style of Disney is a thing of the past. The kids are grown (one actually works at Disney) and me and hubby enjoy our mornings strolling the hotels grounds, drinking our coffee and enjoying the peacefulness of Disney. There is so much to enjoy at Disney...just need to slow down and take a look around!

 

[Dallas_Lady]

My first trip to Disney we didn't even get to MK until 11am. We didn't know any better and still had a blast!

I think all the "rules" many of us have probably scare the newbies. If you don't make it to park opening, you will wait longer, but you can still have a great vacation.

 

[KarenB]

When our kids were young, we actually slept in more often, took longer to get everyone ready, and got to the parks later. Now that they are teenagers it is SO easy for us to get up, get ready and be in the parks by opening. We also stay at DVC resorts so breakfast is in the kitchen for those that want it. We (4 of us)have actually been up, showered, ate breakfast and ready to go out the door in 45 minutes! Yes, we have it orchestrated quite well from traveling experience. We really enjoy getting there before the crowds come, then have the afternoon to relax when the parks are the busiest!
Karen

 

[perdidobay]

our commando days are over!
We are lucky to see the inside of a park before 11am.

 

[princess pooh]

I used to wake up early to try and get to the park openings but those days are long gone. Sometimes I get there 30 minutes after opening and sometimes I don't get there untill noon. I'd much rather take it slow and relax than hit all the rides. Now I come home refreshed instead of feeling like I need another vacation to recover from my vacation! Comando touring just isn't for me

 

[krismom]

We slept in every day of our last trip in February. The sleep was just too good & even my kids slept in . We had plenty of time to enjoy the parks without dragging our butts out of bed too early. We usually arrived within an hour of park opening & we NEVER made morning EMH!!

I soooo agree! I practically got booted off the TGM board for suggesting that!

 

[Mickeyistheman]

Sleep is good and I am on vacation.

My lil Dis Sis (15) hates to get up too early. We like to have a few character breakfasts but I never have one before 9am. Then we make our way over to the Parks.

We even did that in August and still had an amazing time. I don't know if I would like to be there for the rope drop off, I think that would be too crowded and too much stress.

 

[mittelst]

One of my fondest memories of WDW is from our first family trip in Febrary of 2000. It was early in the month (when that time of the year was still "low" season), and we went to the MK for "early entry". We were there just after 7am, so the park had already opened. Main Street and the train station area was empty, and the streets and sidewalks were still freshly wet from the pre-opening cleaning. There were characters milling about with no lines, and it was quite peaceful. I have a giant 360 degree photo (made up of multiple photos "stitched" together with computer software) of that morning posted in my office, which always makes me long for my next WDW trip. It also makes me long for the days when my DD was an agreeable toddler and not the tween-queen she's morphed into now .

I have never experienced that same situation in subsequent trips, but I still subscribe to the "earlier is better" theory.

 

[TSM1993]

Get there when the parks open and stay all day. We usually stay off property when we are there normally so we dont want to run the risk of not being able to enter the park incase they reach capacity. So we are their when they open. But this time down maybe different because this last time down in Dec we signed up for DVC. So we will be on property and dont have to leave early.

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

With a two-year-old, everything is a production now. I don't see how you moms and dads with more than one do it! You guys are awesome!

We try to get a first PS for breakfast...seems to get us in the mood, and a full belly starts the day off right and usually keeps us going until dinner –– with a turkey leg thrown in in the middle.