Disney doesn't open until 10:00???(march trip)

[addysmom03]

I'm planning my March trip and I just assumed disney opened at 8:00! Oh my, I checked the website for some reason and the whole time we are there it doesn't open until 10:00!!
My whole plan was to beat the crowds by being in line by 7:30.
Will there be less people there? Is that why the hours are later?
I'm kind of crushed right now. My 3 and 6 are early risers, we are on an army schedule because my husband is up at the crack of dawn. What am I going to do with these kids all morning!!
Oh my, I thought I had it figured out.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Suz

 

[becky1960]

I just checked and it shows 9:00 am all days and some with early entry. The schedule is on thi site..

 

[addysmom03]

I'm sorry I didn't get the site....
OK here is my second question....how do I get EE? I'm confused about that too...
THANKS!!!
SUZ

 

[addysmom03]

Oh I'm sorry...you meant on this site. It is weird though the disney site says 10 but here it says 9 and 8 on different days.
I still don't understand how to get EE. We are buying military tickets and I've asked if they are included in them and they are not....
Thanks
Suz

 

[karylrocks]

The schedule is only out through March 7 on the Disneyland site. Those are the official hours so I would go by that. But they might change as the time gets closer, they often do that if the crowd predictions change so keep your plans flexible until closer to your trip. 10:00 opening on weekdays is typical during off-season weeks which will be until later in March when spring breaks start. If you dont have EE with your tickets, you can only get it if you are staying at one of the on-site hotels.

 

[samkj]

Oh I'm sorry...you meant on this site. It is weird though the disney site says 10 but here it says 9 and 8 on different days.
I still don't understand how to get EE. We are buying military tickets and I've asked if they are included in them and they are not....
Thanks
Suz

I would go with the Disney site. The only way to get EE (or MM) if they are not included on your tickets is to stay at the Disney hotels. Usually with the late opennings, Main Street will open early, so you can do some shopping. We are going to Minnie and Friends an hour before park openning(park opens at 9, first seating is 8:10) for our trip, so character meals (if they are in the budget) are another option. Finally times are subject to change. Disney only has the first week up, but usually the second week begins the spring break season, so the hours usually start a bit earlier.

Good luck!

 

[mamaofthree]

I know how you feel. My kids get up at 6, and we just went a few weeks ago. It was actually kind of nice to get up and take our time getting ready, and still get there to be first in line for opening. We stayed at HoJo, and brought our own breakfast food. So the kids got up and ate at the little table and watched Disney channel. We had also brought some of ds's toys, and the girls had books, dolls and coloring stuff. It was very relaxing, but by 9:00 we were all staring at each other and had to get out of the hotel, lol. During our summer trip we stayed at FFI, which didn't have any kids tv channels. You had to pay for cartoon movies in 30 min episodes. Lame.

 

[DLR29]

Oh I'm sorry...you meant on this site. It is weird though the disney site says 10 but here it says 9 and 8 on different days.
I still don't understand how to get EE. We are buying military tickets and I've asked if they are included in them and they are not....
Thanks
Suz

Here is my Magic Morning (EE) superthread:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1675403

Who? There are two ways of gaining the opportunity of using MM.
1) Buying ANY ticket of 3 or more days. This will entitle the ticket holder to one MM admission. There are some exceptions such as Gay Day tickets and convention tickets, but most big name ticket sellers have MM eligible tickets (Disney, AAA, Costco, So. Cal City Pass, most online sources such as ARES Travel)

2) Staying at one of the 3 onsite hotels (Grand Californian (including the new VGC DVC places), Disneyland Hotel, or Paradise Pier Hotel). This will entitle the hotel guests MM admission every day that it is offered during their stay (including arrival (yes, possibly before your room is ready) and departure days) regardless of where you buy your tickets from. For example, if a family was staying at one of the onsite hotels for a long weekend (visiting the parks Saturday, Sunday, and Monday). They would be allowed to use MM on both Saturday and Sunday; however, a guest staying offsite would have to pick one or the other.

Unfortunately, the "exceptions" talked about in #1 also include military tickets. However, if you are staying onsite, you'll still be fine.

BUT:

What if I don't have MM. Should I still go to DL on a MM day? Will it be already extremely crowded when I enter?
Definitely start at DL on a MM day even if you don't have MM. Only Fantasyland and some Tomorrowland rides are open, so you can still get an equal rope drop for the Adventureland/Frontierland side of the park. Then later in the day, hop over to DCA if you want. If you are only going for 1 day, try to avoid MM days; however, multiple day visitors should not.

If I don't have MM, how can I use MM for my advantage?
On MM days, DL has specific gates designated for MM and others that say "Entrance". Those who have MM can enter through the MM gates all the way up until official park opening. Those without MM usually line up at the gates marked "Entrance". HOWEVER, if you arrive early enough and wait by the gates marked "MM", oftentimes some of those MM gates will turn into Entrance gates as the time approaches official park opening. If you do it right, when a MM gate turns into an Entrance gate, you can actually be one of the first ones in line at a gate.

 

[ryleeranger]

I KNOW! We are going March 2-4 and every day it opens at 10. We will have MM on one morning but still, my daughter gets up early so we'll have to kill time before heading over. I figure we'll enjoy a nice breakfast but I think it will be hard to keep her entertained. I can only hope this means the crowds won't be too bad!

 

[HydroGuy]

Here is info on Magic Morning:

"Magic Morning (Early Entry) Super Thread" by DLR29 www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1675403

Disney's site is the most trustworthy for hours. If you know that Disney's site has your dates you must be going the first week of March. If so, then it is well known that weekdays open at 10AM. Here is some info on that:

"Historical DLR Park Hours, Entertainment and Refurbs" - www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2291124

Just so you know, you will also likely have reduced entertainment on weekdays. See

"What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

"HydroGuy's High Season/Off Season Tradeoff Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199852

Hope you have a great trip otherwise.

 

[Dizneydaz]

And yes, if DLR doesn't open until 10 then you can expect smaller crowds.

As a local I actually like the days they open at 10. Then I know that we'll have the parks more to ourselves. When they open at 8 I know it'll be more crowded. Plus I don't have to leave the house so early to get there at opening. I can miss the rush hour traffic and still get to Mickey & Friends about 9:30.

On the days you don't get EE (MM) you can walk around DTD a little. Might help. Have fun!

(They do open at 8 a.m. on F/S/S though)

 

[MAH4546]

When Disneyland opens at 10am, there are no crowds to "beat," so enjoy a very empty park that day.

 

[Califgirl]

If Disneyland opens at 10 am, perhaps you can budget for a special character breakfast, like Lilo & Stitch at Paradise Pier. They have a ton of characters there, all dressed in Hawaiian gear, and there is lots of interaction with the guests. There is also a character breakfast at StoryTellers Cafe in the GCH, and Goofy's at the DLH.

Have a magical trip

 

[samkj]

Lilo and Stitch is now Mickey and Friends.

 

[DangerMouse]

If Disneyland opens at 10 am, perhaps you can budget for a special character breakfast, like Lilo & Stitch at Paradise Pier. They have a ton of characters there, all dressed in Hawaiian gear, and there is lots of interaction with the guests. There is also a character breakfast at StoryTellers Cafe in the GCH, and Goofy's at the DLH.

Have a magical trip

Hey Chris!

Did you know that the Lilo & Stitch breakfast is no longer? It has been replaced by the Surf's Up with Mickey & Friends breakfast. From what I understand Stitch can still be found there, but no more Lilo. There is also a new buffet menu, and no more a la carte ordering.

 

[Califgirl]

*cry* Lilo & Stitch was always a highlight for me. I loved ordering ala carte from the menu. *cry*

 

[Buttercup26]

I too 'cried' at this change. We loved the Lilo & Stich breakfast - the ala carte ordering was a big plus. Don't always want the buffet! I'm so sad no more Lilo!