Crystal palace pre opening reservation

[Pbeh]

So I've heard people mention this. You get a breakfast reservation before the park opens. What happens when you finish eating and park is not open yet? Do they make you wait somewhere? Let you walk around? Send you back to the gate? I have a 7:05 am reservation on a day the park isn't scheduled to open until 9. Please let me know, thanks!

 

[beck00]

If you don't mind me asking, is this reservation near Thanksgiving or in December? Many report that it's common for MK hours to go to 8 a.m. starting one week before and through week of Thanksgiving and through parts of Dec. I've just seen this a lot as I research and plan for our Nov. trip.

 

[Pbeh]

Yes, it is the week between Christmas and new years

 

[Dug720]

Yes, it is the week between Christmas and new years

I would fully expect that opening will be moved up to 8 during that week. Possibly even morning EMH going on as well as a moved up opening.

 

[Pbeh]

Ok, if it opens at 8, and we had 7:05, is it possible to finish early to take advantage of being before others? I probably won't do it that early if it doesn't have any benefits

 

[TheRustyScupper]

is it possible to finish early to take advantage of being before others?

DO NOT RUSH YOUR MEAL,
1) If finished prior to a park opening, you just "mill around" outside.
. . . no waiting areas inside the eatery
. . . no waiting areas outside the eatery
. . . no seating areas in the park, other maybe at Casey's
2) You can take some picture of Main Street or The Hub.
. . . you cannot enter any of the "Lands"
. . . you cannot go into any shops that have not yet opened

 

[Nancyg56]

Ok, if it opens at 8, and we had 7:05, is it possible to finish early to take advantage of being before others? I probably won't do it that early if it doesn't have any benefits

The benefit is that you are already inside the park dining while others are still waiting to enter. Ony you can determine if this is a value for your family.

WE generally schedule one Pre park opening breakfast so we can walk dow main Street in relative quiet. But, we do not rush the meal to beat feet out. CP is an expensive breakfast, so if the only reason you are booking it is to gain early entrance to the park, I would rethink it. We go when it is not the busy season, so we have finished our meal and then got to Tom Sawyers Island to wait in line there. I know, we aim high! LOL!

 

[Pbeh]

Thank you

 

[Carnator]

We had early reservation at CP this past Tuesday. We were the 1st guest seated that morning. We finished eating before the main gate opened. We were not allowed to go into any "lands". We had to wait for the main park guest to be escorted into the area we were waiting. We didn't make reservation to beat the crowds it just worked out that way. We got our pictures made with the characters and didn't rush through breakfast.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Yes, it is the week between Christmas and new years

This past year MK opened at 7am every day between Christmas and New Years; we were there. (Regular opening at 8am, the 7am was an EMH)

 

[Pbeh]

So MK has emh morning hours each day?

 

[SmallWorld71]

So MK has emh morning hours each day?

They have for at least the last 2 years; not sure how far back it goes.
I have no idea if they will end up doing it this year or not. But, I would say there's a decent chance. They didn't announce them until fairly close to the dates.

 

[Pbeh]

Are all the parks like that? We are staying offsite, so we try to avoid morning emh parks. It would really stink if we'd always be an hour behind

 

[SmallWorld71]

Are all the parks like that? We are staying offsite, so we try to avoid morning emh parks. It would really stink if we'd always be an hour behind

I wasn't sure, so I checked wdwmagic.com's calendar for last December. MK had an EMH at 7am every day from Dec. 21st-31st. Animal Kingdom had a 7am EMH every day from Dec. 26th-Dec. 31st. DHS and Epcot only had one morning EMH during the week. But, regular opening was at 8am at DHS from the 24th-31st and from the 25th-31st at Epcot. (I did not check January)

It looks like Disney extended a bunch of hours on November 17th.

 

[ericstac]

Are all the parks like that? We are staying offsite, so we try to avoid morning emh parks. It would really stink if we'd always be an hour behind

Yup but it usually doesn't get buys til later in the mornings. We used to do preopen breakfast but it bit us a couple times so we tried doing a late breakfast and that worked really well.. Actually prefer it..

So go to park at open and enjoy the low crowds then have a Ressie around 10:30 then have FP after noon.. Works well.