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

[Mrjoshua]

Hi! This is exactly what we are hoping to do after EMM when we go in July. Can you share what time you lined up for Mike and Sully? Did they start earlier than the posted 10am?

Mike & Sully started at 10am per the other people there. We did not arrive until 10:10 am due to eating and bathroom breaks. Get there asap after breakfast, and the wait shouldn't be very long.

 

[rxbeth]

How many trains are usually running for sdd? I find it interesting that there is such a variance in how many times people can get on sdd.

Btw, I did send feedback to Disney about our experience and what I think could work better. They said they would forward the info to the appropriate people and that was that. I figured I would hear back from the "appropriate people" but nope.

 

[JerseyTraveler]

How many trains are usually running for sdd? I find it interesting that there is such a variance in how many times people can get on sdd.

Btw, I did send feedback to Disney about our experience and what I think could work better. They said they would forward the info to the appropriate people and that was that. I figured I would hear back from the "appropriate people" but nope.

There should be four, but during the event I went to on 4/10, there were only three for the first half or more of the event. Once the 4th car was out, the lines went very quickly, but the event was pretty much over.

I also decided to send feedback about the event. I guess they saw I had a few more days left in our trip, so they responded that they appreciated our feedback and are always trying to improve and loaded some extra fastpasses onto our magicbands (doesn’t include avatar or TSL rides). That really made our trip amazing though because we were able to meet some more princesses for my little one and go on a few other rides that we otherwise may not have. So in the end, we’re all happy and having a great time.

 

[rxbeth]

There should be four, but during the event I went to on 4/10, there were only three for the first half or more of the event. Once the 4th car was out, the lines went very quickly, but the event was pretty much over.

I also decided to send feedback about the event. I guess they saw I had a few more days left in our trip, so they responded that they appreciated our feedback and are always trying to improve and loaded some extra fastpasses onto our magicbands (doesn’t include avatar or TSL rides). That really made our trip amazing though because we were able to meet some more princesses for my little one and go on a few other rides that we otherwise may not have. So in the end, we’re all happy and having a great time.

I'm glad they responded to you. My email was after we were back so maybe that's why they didn't quite care to respond. No way did we have 4 trains running our day. I didn't pay too much attention but it seemed like only 2, but likely 3. Never was there a backlog of trains.

 

[Woody412]

I’ve been catching up on this thread and I’ve gathered that families with strollers are directed to the left because of the ramp, but I’ve also noticed some people mention that they parked their strollers inside the entrance. Is this because they’ve made TSL stroller free? Or do people find it’s just easier to navigate the crowds without the stroller?

 

[tamerbelles]

I’ve been catching up on this thread and I’ve gathered that families with strollers are directed to the left because of the ramp, but I’ve also noticed some people mention that they parked their strollers inside the entrance. Is this because they’ve made TSL stroller free? Or do people find it’s just easier to navigate the crowds without the stroller?

You can't take strollers in the ride queues. So most people want to get in and park their stroller quickly so they can go get in line. If you are there just to explore the land, you can definitely walk around with a stroller, but for this event most people want to get on the attractions right away.

There's only one stroller parking area in the land and it's located just past the entrance. Not the best location in relation to the attractions, but at least you can drop it off and go ... then pick up your stroller on the way out.

 

[princessbride6205]

I went on 4/3, and it was pretty smooth.

Between 7:25 and 9am:
- Slinky Dog Dash x 8
- Alien Swirling Saucers x 1
- Toy Story Mania x 1

After 9am:
- breakfast at Backlot Express
- Met Mike & Sully
- Met Edna Mode
- Fastpasses

A few notes... It was more crowded than when we attended in December. This time, castmembers tried to steer us toward breakfast first thing, but we politely declined. Our decision to visit Mike & Sully after breakfast paid off, because there was only a 15 minute wait. By the time we left, the wait was 50 minutes!

I'm sorry to hear about the bad experiences yesterday. During my first After Hours event, Space Mountain and 7 Dwarfs Mine Train were down for most of the evening, which was a bummer.

Wow - your itinerary for that morning is amazing! Do you (or others here) have tips on the best strategy for the event? More specifically, is there a best order to do the rides?

 

[RachaelA]

If SDD ends up 25-40 minutes during our EMM, I will be complaining until I get a refund. Thats our last day and we are only at DHS until 11am-ish.

It’s insane how much it varies per EMM as to wait times.

Our plan is still to just head to roost/Jessie first.

 

[disneyshan]

Okay I’m waiting for the Frozen sing a long to start and part of the issue is that my four year old was not cooperating and that bus from pop didn’t arrive until 6:47am and we didn’t get to TSL due to my kids not cooperating this early. If I ever did this again, I would definitely Uber it to get there at 6:45am or earlier.

By the time we got into TSL at 7:35, the line for SDD was 40 min long. I thought that might be a joke, but the line looked long and was moving very slowly. We opted to go to TSM instead, which was very quick, but it takes time to walk through. We went back to SDD and the wait said 45 min, but we decided to go for it. It was about 25. (Got on like at 7:55, ride at 8:25). Toward the end, they brought another car out and started loading a lot faster.

After that ride, we went to AS which was quick. It was around 8:40am at this point and my 7 year old wanted to go to RnR. So we left TSL having only gone on each ride once. We took a quick pic with Buzz and the TSL sign. We get to Hollywood Blvd and see the rope drop crowd. The CM tell us both ToT and RnR coaster are not open. It would have been nice if the CM who asked us where we were going and directed us to those rides to let us know that, but whatever.

So we went back to TSL and went on SDD, it took about 5 mins this time since they had more cars and were loading much faster. This is what I would have expected in the first place.

While we were on the RD crowd arrived so we tried going back to RnR but it was close. My kids didn’t want to to ToT, but that would have been a 5-10 min wait. RnR still wasn’t open around 9:25am, so we decided to go by the Disney Jr characters since my 4 y/o wanted to do that. We met Vampirina and Sofia then went to breakfast by 9:45am. The food was pretty good and they do let you order as much as you want.

After breakfast, around 10:15am, we headed to the Frozen sing along and that’s where I am now.

We were there that day as well. My two boys and I were on the first SDD train of the day, but never got to ride again due to HUGE lines! I was not super impressed... but we did ride the other two rides alot.

 

[ninafeliz]

We were there that day as well. My two boys and I were on the first SDD train of the day, but never got to ride again due to HUGE lines! I was not super impressed... but we did ride the other two rides alot.

So what happened this day? We did this twice, once Jan 2, and lines were under 10 min the entire time AFAIK. I would be unhappy with the morning you guys describe.

 

[BWVPam]

We did this on the first day of our trip on April 8. It was a little crowded but great compared to rope drop lines. I would definitely do it again. It was the first day of our trip and were still trying to adjust to the 2 hour time change. Dummy me didn't realize that the entrance had changed to Disney Studios and we were staying at Beach Club. Had to drive around to figure out where to go. we got the the gates at about 6:55 a.m. We went straight back to the theater and got in line. We were fairly close to the front when they started walking us back at about 7:25 a.m. We got on Slinky Dog at 7:35 a.m for the first time, got off and got back in line. Lots more people this time, so it was 7:55 am when we got on it for the second time We rode it again for a third time before we went on the saucers and then TSM. Stopped for a bathroom break and got water and granola bars they had set out and then went back for two more times on Slinky Dog. By this time, they were walking the rope drop people back to get in line. we could have rode Slinky Dog one more time, but we wanted to try one more on TSM. we walked up and it was 3 minutes till 9 and they let us walk through the Fast Pass entrance. We then walked over for breakfast. They let us order multiple hot food items and then several items on the buffet. we loved it and hope they continue to do more of these. Going back in November but don't think they will be offered then.

 

[jhoannam]

We did this on the first day of our trip on April 8. It was a little crowded but great compared to rope drop lines. I would definitely do it again. It was the first day of our trip and were still trying to adjust to the 2 hour time change. Dummy me didn't realize that the entrance had changed to Disney Studios and we were staying at Beach Club. Had to drive around to figure out where to go. we got the the gates at about 6:55 a.m. We went straight back to the theater and got in line. We were fairly close to the front when they started walking us back at about 7:25 a.m. We got on Slinky Dog at 7:35 a.m for the first time, got off and got back in line. Lots more people this time, so it was 7:55 am when we got on it for the second time We rode it again for a third time before we went on the saucers and then TSM. Stopped for a bathroom break and got water and granola bars they had set out and then went back for two more times on Slinky Dog. By this time, they were walking the rope drop people back to get in line. we could have rode Slinky Dog one more time, but we wanted to try one more on TSM. we walked up and it was 3 minutes till 9 and they let us walk through the Fast Pass entrance. We then walked over for breakfast. They let us order multiple hot food items and then several items on the buffet. we loved it and hope they continue to do more of these. Going back in November but don't think they will be offered then.

That's a great experience! Thanks for reporting back.

 

[anl]

Are people having luck with more slots coming open even after the 7:00 is opened and full?

 

[Katrina Y]

Are people having luck with more slots coming open even after the 7:00 is opened and full?

I was only able to book when the 7:00 time slot opened up. Once the 7:00 time is full, it is way more difficult to get a reservation. People could possibly still cancel, so just keep checking.

 

[Hezzy04]

Does anyone think after my family gets done with EMM, we can rush to RNR and still get to the Frozen sing along for the 9:30 show?

What time does the rope drop crowd usually get in?

 

[Mrjoshua]

Wow - your itinerary for that morning is amazing! Do you (or others here) have tips on the best strategy for the event? More specifically, is there a best order to do the rides?

It really depends what you want to do...

Slinky Dog Dash is a priority for us, and we try to get as many rides as possible. Mania and Swirling Saucers are less of a priority, and MUCH easier to get fastpasses for. So we skip the early breakfast, line up for ASAP entry into Toy Story Land, and ride Slink until the rope drop crowd arrives... like an unstoppable rebel force. After basically boarding Slink a few times with little or no wait, we exit to suddenly discover a 65 minute wait at the entry. This happens around 8:50am, and marks the official end of our rides on SDD.

The great part is that while the rope drop crowd runs to Slinky Dog, Alien Swirling Saucers is largely ignored. We casually walk over to the Saucers, which has less than a 5 minute wait.

It's possible to do both Alien Swirling Saucers AND Toy Story Mania quickly during the rope drop madness, but I'd only plan on 1 of the 2 with almost no wait. Anything more is a bonus.

If you want to do all 3 rides during EMM, I would personally ride Mania first (however many times), Slinky Dog second (however many times), and Saucers last during rope drop.

If you want to meet characters, I would meet Woody and Jessie first thing, or after 1 ride on Toy Story Mania. Earlier is best for meeting them quickly. Buzz is a much shorter wait, so maybe when you're leaving EMM?

I think Toy Story Mania is a waste of EMM time. I love the ride, but we had to walk through a fairly long que (NOT the fastpass entrance) before and after the ride. It really guzzles your limited time. If you decide to ride it, I would recommend doing
it once, either at the beginning or the end of EMM.

If possible, try to avoid going back to rides after you've left to ride something else. Unnecessary walking back and forth across Toy Story Land will cut into your ride time.

The first time we attended EMM (December), we decided to meet the characters also.

- Met Woody and Jessie
- Met Buzz
- Rode Slinky Dog Dash x 9
- Rode Alien Swirling Saucers x 1

If I were to do that morning over again, I would've rode Toy Story Mania first, before meeting the characters. Woody and Jessie meet between Mania and Slink, and we waited (first in line) 10 or 15 minutes before they came out. It proved to be an unnecessary waste of time. Woody and Jessie's line remained very short for a few minutes after we met them.

 

[TammyLynn33]

We went yesterday Apr21..it was amazing I think a highlight of the trip.
They def do try to posh breakfast first we did go used restrooms grabbed pastries a bowl dry fruit loops and drinks .
We were at the front of the stroller line side so we immediately stopped to meet Jessie and woody. We were first while big kids went to Slinky and it was down first few minutes...
In the end we did Slinky x4, met woody and Jessie , Aliens x2, TSM x3 .
We then rope dropped RnR and walked around the huge line headed to TSL..and were so thankful.. big kids walked on to rock 3X while littles and I met Chewy and Olaf and did star tours x1.
Then we all met for breakfast and it was good.kids had chicken and donuts and I had avocado toast.
Imo def worth it and much better than the EMM at fantasyland we did the day before

 

[aebeauregard]

We went yesterday Apr21..it was amazing I think a highlight of the trip.
They def do try to posh breakfast first we did go used restrooms grabbed pastries a bowl dry fruit loops and drinks .
We were at the front of the stroller line side so we immediately stopped to meet Jessie and woody. We were first while big kids went to Slinky and it was down first few minutes...
In the end we did Slinky x4, met woody and Jessie , Aliens x2, TSM x3 .
We then rope dropped RnR and walked around the huge line headed to TSL..and were so thankful.. big kids walked on to rock 3X while littles and I met Chewy and Olaf and did star tours x1.
Then we all met for breakfast and it was good.kids had chicken and donuts and I had avocado toast.
Imo def worth it and much better than the EMM at fantasyland we did the day before

Thanks for the report. We are planning to do both fantasyland and toy story land EMM in a couple weeks back to back also. Did you guys use resort busses to get to both? Any issues there? Also curious how long you had to wait for Jessie and Woody to come out. That’s important to us and I think we will just wait there first. Did you have a bad experience at fantasyland at all or just a better one at toy story land?

 

[TammyLynn33]

They were there when we walking in. Big kids didn’t want to stop but I stopped with the littles.
Fantasyland seemed way more crowded . 25 min waits for 7 dwarfs and Winnie was down for I think the whole time. I just wasn’t as impressed. Breakfast at MK was as good but they def weren’t refreshing things with 15 mins left, I didn’t feel as rushed at HS

Thanks for the report. We are planning to do both fantasyland and toy story land EMM in a couple weeks back to back also. Did you guys use resort busses to get to both? Any issues there? Also curious how long you had to wait for Jessie and Woody to come out. That’s important to us and I think we will just wait there first. Did you have a bad experience at fantasyland at all or just a better one at toy story land?

 

[Hezzy04]

We went yesterday Apr21..it was amazing I think a highlight of the trip.
They def do try to posh breakfast first we did go used restrooms grabbed pastries a bowl dry fruit loops and drinks .
We were at the front of the stroller line side so we immediately stopped to meet Jessie and woody. We were first while big kids went to Slinky and it was down first few minutes...
In the end we did Slinky x4, met woody and Jessie , Aliens x2, TSM x3 .
We then rope dropped RnR and walked around the huge line headed to TSL..and were so thankful.. big kids walked on to rock 3X while littles and I met Chewy and Olaf and did star tours x1.
Then we all met for breakfast and it was good.kids had chicken and donuts and I had avocado toast.
Imo def worth it and much better than the EMM at fantasyland we did the day before

What time did you leave and head over to RNR?