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

What is the best time to leave TSL if I am headed to RnRC or ToT after EMM? Will I merge with the regular RD at some point?
 
Sorry! I am starting to worry about our EMM day. We arrive in two weeks. I plan on skipping the pastries at first or just grab something quickly on my way the the holding point. I plan to arrive at HS at 6:45 and be as close to the front of the pack as possible. It will only be DD 18 and me.

Should we:
go directly to SDD X1
A$$ X1
TSM X2
SDD until I have to leave

Head to RnRc at ??
Breakfast
 
Sorry! I am starting to worry about our EMM day. We arrive in two weeks. I plan on skipping the pastries at first or just grab something quickly on my way the the holding point. I plan to arrive at HS at 6:45 and be as close to the front of the pack as possible. It will only be DD 18 and me.

Should we:
go directly to SDD X1
A$$ X1
TSM X2
SDD until I have to leave

Head to RnRc at ??
Breakfast
That’s our plan, but only if we get there early and towards the front of the line.
 


What is the best time to leave TSL if I am headed to RnRC or ToT after EMM? Will I merge with the regular RD at some point?
I would suggest not trying to do ToT (see my previous post on page 180) if they are still running only half of the elevators. We left EMM at 8:50 and that was too late to do ToT and have breakfast.
 
Hi

We did EMM Toy Story Land today, with 2 kids who aren’t big riders and 2 grandparents who get dizzy!

We loved it. We skipped initially breakfast and sat on the wall to the left of the archways. We took the time before the land opened to have quick snack and put on lots of sunscreen!

We were let into the land about 7:25, rode SDD with no wait, rode AS2 (and could have stayed on the entire time of EMM had we wanted), met Jessie, rode TSM with no wait (but long walk to the actual ride), met Buzz, got the photopass picture at the entrance. At that point, it was about 8:25. We debated waiting in the line for Woody and could have done so, but my son really wanted to go sign up for Jedi training, so we casually walked through empty Hollywood Studios to sign up for Jedi training (all spots were still available). Then we rode Star Tours, ate breakfast and met Olaf with no wait.

Not a huge ride total, but we moved slowly, enjoyed the empty park and did every single thing we wanted. I would do it again in a second.
 


I'd love to get Post-EMM strategy from ppl who have been recently. We are a party of 4 Adults, 2 children.

Based on the following attractions: RnR (2 or 3 of the adults) ToT (all adults) Mickey and Minnie, Mike and Sulley, Jedi Trials Signup (for 1 of the kids), Post-EMM breakfast.

We do have some FPs already set up, but those are flexible shows, so I'm not figuring them into the equation right now. I know you almost have to RP ToT, but Mike and Sulley is a long wait if you don't get there first thing at 10. It just seems like a lot of stuff to do early; what and how would you prioritize?
 
Update from Early morning magic on June 17....

6:00 Took first bus from ASM.
6:15 Arrive at secruity
6:35 security opens
6:40 got wristband
6:49 entered the park
6:52 at quick breakfast
7:13 in line at rope drop
7:18 rope drops

Everything was going great until this point. At 7:20 we entered the SDD line, waited about 5 minutes, and it went down. We got out of line and did Saucers and TSM.

7:45 - got back in line for sdd
7:55 - got on sdd...and rode half of it. Had to get escorted off at the go section. Gave us a fast pass that was good for the whole day.
8:00 - 8:30 - Rode TSM and Saucers numerous times...SDD Still closed

At this point, i was getting pretty frustrated. I talked to an employee who told us we could use our wristbands to do fastpass until 10:30.

8:40 ish - we signed my son up for Jedi Training, plenty of spots available. short line.

8:50 - At breakfast. We all thought that the breakfast was very good. We ordered numerous entrees between all of us and felt that the food was very good. I especially enjoyed the shrimp and grits.

9:05 - Was notified by an employee that SDD had just opened.
9:15 - 10:00 - Rode SDD 6 times. Couldve ridden until 10:30 but we had fastpasses for star tours that ended at 10:40.

My takes....

1. It was not super crowded. I was very pleased with the crowds.
2. If SDD Wouldve been open for the entire event, this ticket totally wouldve been worth the price. The employees, breakfast, and experience was top notch.
3. Breakfast was very good and there seems to be something for everyone.
4. Thank God they let us use the wristbands until 10:30, i think there would've been some unhappy people. Including me.
5. If you have the money, do it. That being said, if it came down to doing this or an extra park day, I would chose the extra park day.

we did have an employee tell us we could use the wristbands until 12, but we werent sure at the accuracy of this. We felt getting to ride it 6 times, was getting our money's worth. :)
 
EMM in TSL on 6/24 - it was so much fun and worth the money!

Arrived just after 7am on a bus from CBR - no issues! Walked right in and was herded over to the breakfast area by 7:15. I would have been fine just going to wait to get into TSL but DH insisted on COFFEE. DS shoved 6 pastries down his throat and off we went. They had already opened so we headed to SDD and waited about 10 minutes. Rode Aliens, another SDD (less than 10 minutes) and then went to TSM. After that, it was a 2 minute wait for SDD. We loved it! Kids were not interested in character meet and greets - so we didn't spend any time on that. We could have squeezed our 5th ride on SDD but kids were hungry so we walked out of TSL just as rope droppers were coming in. Stopped for a photo in front of the TSL sign and then went to breakfast which really needs to be talked about - it was delicious.

The hot food choices were delicious! Shrimp and grits...yum! I was really impressed. I loved this just as much as EMM in FL - different experiences but wonderful. One of the best parts of our trip!
 
We did early morning magic this morning and the advice that I got was invaluable so I thought I would share my two cents!

We took a Lyft to Hollywood studios as I kept looking for a bus from the contemporary and one never showed available. I had never checked at the front desk to see what the best time was and for us a lyft just worked easier considering we left a little later than we expected.

We walked right through security and got our bands by 7 AM.

By 7:05, we were over where they hold you before walking into Toy story land. My husband walked over to get a few pastries to hold the kids over and said it was an absolute zoo waiting for food at that hour.

We were close to the front of the line to walk in and stayed to the right. They walked us in at 7:20 and we were on the third dog. We were off the ride by 7:27. My husband and I did rider switch as my daughter did not want to ride so my son was able to ride with my husband and I.

We happened to be walking over to alien swirling saucers and saw a photographer. I asked her what picture she was taking and she mentioned she was waiting for Jessie. Low and behold we turned around and there was Jessie. So we were the first ones to get our picture taken with her this morning.

At this point, we walked right on alien swirling saucers. We then walked on toy story mania. I know there have been some complaints about having to walk through the entire standby queue but perhaps they have changed that as our walk was pretty quick to the ride. It was not through the fast pass lane but it only took 2 to 3 minutes to get on the ride.

After this my son and I went back on slinky dog Dash three more times waiting no more than 7 to 8 minutes each time.

My husband and daughter walked on the alien swirling saucers and toy story mania again.

At this point I said to my husband I will take the kids on toy story mania and you go ride slinky dog Dash. As he was a solo rider they fed him into a separate queue and that separate queue loaded much faster than the regular queue. I noticed that when we were standing in line as well, they put odd numbers and single riders in the right hand lane and for some reason they like to keep that lane cleared out and would put passengers from that lane on first. As a result my husband rode slinky dog Dash four times in 15 minutes. It didn’t really extend our time in line to much but I thought it was interesting to note.

The lines for the characters were long the majority of the morning. We did not wait in any of them including Buzz on the way out who had a very long line as well.

We walked over to breakfast at 9 o’clock and there was already an hour long wait for slinky dog Dash. We loved the breakfast!

It was amazing to see the crowds rush in to Toy story land. The crowds this morning did not come in before nine so I think our group had a few extra minutes to play.

It was hot but the crowds were low and in my opinion was some of the best money we spent this week.

After breakfast we walked onto star Tours with a 10 minute wait.
 
We did early morning magic this morning and the advice that I got was invaluable so I thought I would share my two cents!

We took a Lyft to Hollywood studios as I kept looking for a bus from the contemporary and one never showed available. I had never checked at the front desk to see what the best time was and for us a lyft just worked easier considering we left a little later than we expected.

We walked right through security and got our bands by 7 AM.

By 7:05, we were over where they hold you before walking into Toy story land. My husband walked over to get a few pastries to hold the kids over and said it was an absolute zoo waiting for food at that hour.

We were close to the front of the line to walk in and stayed to the right. They walked us in at 7:20 and we were on the third dog. We were off the ride by 7:27. My husband and I did rider switch as my daughter did not want to ride so my son was able to ride with my husband and I.

We happened to be walking over to alien swirling saucers and saw a photographer. I asked her what picture she was taking and she mentioned she was waiting for Jessie. Low and behold we turned around and there was Jessie. So we were the first ones to get our picture taken with her this morning.

At this point, we walked right on alien swirling saucers. We then walked on toy story mania. I know there have been some complaints about having to walk through the entire standby queue but perhaps they have changed that as our walk was pretty quick to the ride. It was not through the fast pass lane but it only took 2 to 3 minutes to get on the ride.

After this my son and I went back on slinky dog Dash three more times waiting no more than 7 to 8 minutes each time.

My husband and daughter walked on the alien swirling saucers and toy story mania again.

At this point I said to my husband I will take the kids on toy story mania and you go ride slinky dog Dash. As he was a solo rider they fed him into a separate queue and that separate queue loaded much faster than the regular queue. I noticed that when we were standing in line as well, they put odd numbers and single riders in the right hand lane and for some reason they like to keep that lane cleared out and would put passengers from that lane on first. As a result my husband rode slinky dog Dash four times in 15 minutes. It didn’t really extend our time in line to much but I thought it was interesting to note.

The lines for the characters were long the majority of the morning. We did not wait in any of them including Buzz on the way out who had a very long line as well.

We walked over to breakfast at 9 o’clock and there was already an hour long wait for slinky dog Dash. We loved the breakfast!

It was amazing to see the crowds rush in to Toy story land. The crowds this morning did not come in before nine so I think our group had a few extra minutes to play.

It was hot but the crowds were low and in my opinion was some of the best money we spent this week.

After breakfast we walked onto star Tours with a 10 minute wait.
Thanks for the great report, I hope these continue.
 
We did early morning magic this morning and the advice that I got was invaluable so I thought I would share my two cents!

We took a Lyft to Hollywood studios as I kept looking for a bus from the contemporary and one never showed available. I had never checked at the front desk to see what the best time was and for us a lyft just worked easier considering we left a little later than we expected.

We walked right through security and got our bands by 7 AM.

By 7:05, we were over where they hold you before walking into Toy story land. My husband walked over to get a few pastries to hold the kids over and said it was an absolute zoo waiting for food at that hour.

We were close to the front of the line to walk in and stayed to the right. They walked us in at 7:20 and we were on the third dog. We were off the ride by 7:27. My husband and I did rider switch as my daughter did not want to ride so my son was able to ride with my husband and I.

We happened to be walking over to alien swirling saucers and saw a photographer. I asked her what picture she was taking and she mentioned she was waiting for Jessie. Low and behold we turned around and there was Jessie. So we were the first ones to get our picture taken with her this morning.

At this point, we walked right on alien swirling saucers. We then walked on toy story mania. I know there have been some complaints about having to walk through the entire standby queue but perhaps they have changed that as our walk was pretty quick to the ride. It was not through the fast pass lane but it only took 2 to 3 minutes to get on the ride.

After this my son and I went back on slinky dog Dash three more times waiting no more than 7 to 8 minutes each time.

My husband and daughter walked on the alien swirling saucers and toy story mania again.

At this point I said to my husband I will take the kids on toy story mania and you go ride slinky dog Dash. As he was a solo rider they fed him into a separate queue and that separate queue loaded much faster than the regular queue. I noticed that when we were standing in line as well, they put odd numbers and single riders in the right hand lane and for some reason they like to keep that lane cleared out and would put passengers from that lane on first. As a result my husband rode slinky dog Dash four times in 15 minutes. It didn’t really extend our time in line to much but I thought it was interesting to note.

The lines for the characters were long the majority of the morning. We did not wait in any of them including Buzz on the way out who had a very long line as well.

We walked over to breakfast at 9 o’clock and there was already an hour long wait for slinky dog Dash. We loved the breakfast!

It was amazing to see the crowds rush in to Toy story land. The crowds this morning did not come in before nine so I think our group had a few extra minutes to play.

It was hot but the crowds were low and in my opinion was some of the best money we spent this week.

After breakfast we walked onto star Tours with a 10 minute wait.
Thank you for sharing! Seeing a lot of positive reviews lately, which makes me optimistic for our August visit.
 
We did EMM on July 1 and it was GREAT.

Bus from CBR picked us up very close to 6:30. The bus was NOT listed on the display board, it just showed up. We had gotten to the bus stop before 6:15, so I knew we didn’t miss the first bus.

We were let into HS around 6:45, and went for 1st breakfast (pastries, fruit, and drinks). We left around just before 7:15, and as we were passing by Frozen, I heard the announcement that TSL was open. We entered TSL around 7:20.

We did TSMM first, as I figured we were in the back of the pack anyway. Went through the FP line, not stand by line, which was nice.

Next was SDD, and it was a 10 min wait (longest for us).

Then was AS2. There was a fairly long line for this, and we were the last family to get on the next ride (and there were a lot of people behind us).

We didn’t meet any characters.
Total rides:
SDD: 3 (10 min wait, 5 min, and 1 min)
TSMM: 2 (1 min wait both times)
AS2:1 (5 min wait)

We are a generally slow moving family, so we could have done 1 more ride in that time frame. We also needed a restroom break. We could have also gone on 1 more ride before the crowds arrived, but decided to get going. Maybe another ride, if we had gotten on line to get in TSL by 7:10 or so. So, no complaints there.

Post EMM plan:
We went to Star Tours, and walked through the line right at 9:00, and walked straight to the ride vehicle.

Got off at 9:15, and split up. I took DS and DS to sign up for Jedi training, DW took DD to order breakfast.

No line at all to sign up, and had all show times after 11:30 available. We chose 6:20, hoping it wouldn’t be quite so hot on stage then (and it fit into our plan for the day).

Got back to breakfast before 9:30, and DW had our food waiting. We all loved the food. We could have ordered 2nds, but we were all full.

Buffet was plentiful until 10:00, when it was promptly closed. But, they did not rush us out at all, while we finished our food and drinks. We left at 10:30, and people were still finishing up.
 
The advice on this thread was definitely so helpful! I felt like I walked in knowing exactly what to expect and what to do. I know we had a better time because of it - so thank you everyone!
 

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