DHS/Toy Story Land "Early Morning Magic" (EMM) FAQ & Discussion

[Tigger in a kilt]

Any idea what the buffet is like for gluten free eaters?

I can report back on Monday, as one of our party is GF.

 

[MIAMouseketeer]

Any idea what the buffet is like for gluten free eaters?

Not going to this one until 12/12, but at the Magic Kingdom EMM, they brought me out some pastries from the Erin McKenna bakery which are amazing. One time we were there after 10am and they brought me 2 plates and a to go box so I could take one with us. I would assume it will be similar here. Disney always goes above and beyond to make sure I'm taken care of

 

[DisneyToddlers]

Just reserved a mears taxi for 645a.m. ...GF to HS for $9....this will make the early morning much easier with my crew and not having the bus schedule variable....great tip from OP!

Great idea....How do you reserve a Mears Taxi?

 

[barb969]

Great review Staceys.

Does anyone know if the friendship boats from the Boardwalk area are running for EMM? We are going in January.

 

[MIAMouseketeer]

Great review Staceys.

Does anyone know if the friendship boats from the Boardwalk area are running for EMM? We are going in January.

Not that early. They start 1 hr before park opening

 

[KrazeeK120]

Great review Staceys.

Does anyone know if the friendship boats from the Boardwalk area are running for EMM? We are going in January.

No, but the walking path is always open.

 

[VTHappyGirl]

Great idea....How do you reserve a Mears Taxi?

Mears has a website and app..

I used the website and could set time/day and pick taxi, sedan, can, etc. Online payment.

 

[kristennn]

Maybe silly question, but since the ABC opens at 7 and toy story land opens at 730 - i am wondering if we can stop at the commissary and grab something small like a pastrie or croissant - and then come back at 930 or so and eat our full breakfast. I dont want to eat a lot before going on a bunch of rides, but I think it would be nice to grab something small, esp being that we have the time.

 

[FCDub]

Maybe silly question, but since the ABC opens at 7 and toy story land opens at 730 - i am wondering if we can stop at the commissary and grab something small like a pastrie or croissant - and then come back at 930 or so and eat our full breakfast. I dont want to eat a lot before going on a bunch of rides, but I think it would be nice to grab something small, esp being that we have the time.

I believe past reviews have said that's totally fine!

 

[Barbara C]

Maybe silly question, but since the ABC opens at 7 and toy story land opens at 730 - i am wondering if we can stop at the commissary and grab something small like a pastrie or croissant - and then come back at 930 or so and eat our full breakfast. I dont want to eat a lot before going on a bunch of rides, but I think it would be nice to grab something small, esp being that we have the time.

I did it last week - no problems! Have fun!!

 

[pangyal]

Okey-dokey, I have a glowing review to write, and gladly too, after the horrifically poor experience at MNSSHP last night!

We had originally booked 7:30, then switched to 7am when that became available. I am gluten-free and will add my experience for sure to this review.

We were coming from Bay Lake Towers (Contemporary). At check-in the day before, I asked when the bus to DHS would start running and was told 7am. I mentioned that we were attending EMM the next morning, and the CM said that in that case, there would be buses running by 6:30.

I used the MDE app in the morning to check the bus times, and saw that one was scheduled to depart at 6:46, which would be perfect. However, I also know Disney transportation can be less than reliable, so we hoofed it to the stop by 6:35. Lo and behold, the bus left at 6:39, so that was a smart decision. We had the bus to ourselves.

We went on the never ending tour of the bus loop to the entrance and arrived at 7:02. The CM at the front checked us in on the iPad, we received our wristbands, and off we went.

We asked about signups for Jedi Training and were told that nobody would be stationed until PPO breakfast time started (8am). We decided not to leave toy story land just to sign up when we had such little time there anyway.

We nipped into ABC Commissary to grab a croissant for DS and a coffee for me. There were no gluten-free options on the continental breakfast buffet except for Frosted Flakes (I may have sampled those).

We headed to TSL and saw that SDD had begun testing, and at 7:25, they started letting people on. It was a walk-on. We were allowed to choose our seats and were able to get off, run around and get right back on with no wait.

I’m not positive, but I believe that the characters appeared around 7:45am. The lines looked sort of long, so we decided to wait since DS was doing Pixar Play Zone this trip anyway.

We did SDD two more times, both walk-on, then headed to AS2. After that, we headed back to SDD. Interestingly, at this point, there was a little backlog of people (no more than, say, twenty people in line) and I wonder if the people who don’t read DisBoards and booked for 7:30 had just arrived and started riding. We headed to TSMM, then yet again back to SDD with the goal of reaching ten rides on it (we succeeded).

At 8:42, we could have ridden it maybe two more times before the crowds arrived, but decided to jump in line for Buzz and head to breakfast. I would say the rope drop crowd arrived around 8:50 and it looked insane. Or maybe it just seemed that way to us since it had been so empty for quite a while before that!

Unlike the MK EMM, they did not have a separate, dedicated allergy menu for this event. Instead, they would get a chef to come out and talk to you about what they could modify. The only option I was left with was the shrimp and grits without the cheese, since I have dairy issues too. The eggs were also an option, but I am just not a fan of eggs in general; this would still definitely be a GF option for people who do eat eggs, though.

We left the Commisary around 9:45 and felt that the value was definitely there for this event. Personally, I think that it is even more so than for the MK version (which we also do regularly) since there are fewer options for non-thrill riders at DHS, and this gets you over and done with for the Tier One rides by 9am, at which point you can either catch a show, jump on Star Tours, or simply leave to use your FP at another park for the day.

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

We were allowed to choose our seats...

How cool is that?! Thank you for the great review.

 

[dachsie]

I just booked this for the day I leave in Dec. I had so much fun at the Passholder playtime I thought why not? I couldn't get a FP for SDD so now I can ride it multiple times.

 

[Allison Evans Payment]

Great review Staceys.

Does anyone know if the friendship boats from the Boardwalk area are running for EMM? We are going in January.

How is your groups mobility? We always walk to both HS and Epcot while staying in this area. We beat the boat every time.

 

[OKC Disney Fan]

The dates for Feb are highlighted now but all are showing unavailable. I would assume they would open up shortly?

 

[TISHLOVESDISNEY]

March too, now just waiting...

 

[SaintsManiac]

March too, now just waiting...

We are in it together!!

 

[Allison Evans Payment]

We are in it together!!

YAY!! Checking every hour for the last few weeks has paid off!! LOL!!

 

[SaintsManiac]

MARCH DATES HAVE TURNED BLUE

ETA:
Lol I was too excited and didn't realize everyone was saying they were loaded in. I need more coffee.

Hoping we can book tomorrow!

 

[maiapapaya]

We are in it together!!

Same here - March 11. This was super exciting news to wake up to!! I was literally just giving the sales pitch to my husband, then read that our dates are now blue.