Early Admission (MM/EMH/APEE) Super Thread

[Hawleys]

Just wanted to share my Magic Morning experience from Sunday August 9th. Thanks to all of you for your good advice on what time to arrive at security. There were minimal lines for the whole hour and I was so glad that we made the effort to get up.

I left the Hojo around 6:15am and was second in line at security and first in line an the entrance. Wife and nephew joined me around 6:45am and we shared some granola bars and looked at the park map to pass the time until opening. We were all jazzed up to go in and had fun counting down. Then we booked it through the left side of the tunnel and off to Peter Pan. The we in the previous sentence is DW and I. After about 40 seconds of walking we realized that we had already way out paced our nephew. Poor nephew is not the type who enjoys getting up early or "walking with purpose" so there was some coaxing involved to get him up to a reasonable speed. At one point, I even offered to be Chewbacca to his C-3PO but the offer was declined. It felt like forever but we finally got to Peter Pan. I believe we were the second family to get on the ride. DN loved it which made me feel like less of a bad auntie for dragging him out of bed and making him walk so fast!

After PP we were off to the Matterhorn. First we rode the right side, then the left both with about a 3 minute wait. The plan had been to ride the Teacups next but there was no one in line and DW thought it would be more fun to ride with a group so we went on Alice (no line) instead. Then came out and rode the Teacups (no line but there were a few other people). Staggered off the Teacups and immediately hopped onto Mr. Toad.

By this time it was close to 7:40am so we decided to head over to Buzz. Went the wrong way and wasted valuable time exploring Pixie Hollow (dead end). Rode Buzz and got creamed by DW despite cheating on the internet to find the hidden high value targets. Then over to Space at 7:57 where we waited until the FP machine turned on to grab a FP and then walked on the ride.

It was an awesome start to our day.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Just wanted to share my Magic Morning experience from Sunday August 9th. Thanks to all of you for your good advice on what time to arrive at security. There were minimal lines for the whole hour and I was so glad that we made the effort to get up.

I left the Hojo around 6:15am and was second in line at security and first in line an the entrance. Wife and nephew joined me around 6:45am and we shared some granola bars and looked at the park map to pass the time until opening. We were all jazzed up to go in and had fun counting down. Then we booked it through the left side of the tunnel and off to Peter Pan. The we in the previous sentence is DW and I. After about 40 seconds of walking we realized that we had already way out paced our nephew. Poor nephew is not the type who enjoys getting up early or "walking with purpose" so there was some coaxing involved to get him up to a reasonable speed. At one point, I even offered to be Chewbacca to his C-3PO but the offer was declined. It felt like forever but we finally got to Peter Pan. I believe we were the second family to get on the ride. DN loved it which made me feel like less of a bad auntie for dragging him out of bed and making him walk so fast!

After PP we were off to the Matterhorn. First we rode the right side, then the left both with about a 3 minute wait. The plan had been to ride the Teacups next but there was no one in line and DW thought it would be more fun to ride with a group so we went on Alice (no line) instead. Then came out and rode the Teacups (no line but there were a few other people). Staggered off the Teacups and immediately hopped onto Mr. Toad.

By this time it was close to 7:40am so we decided to head over to Buzz. Went the wrong way and wasted valuable time exploring Pixie Hollow (dead end). Rode Buzz and got creamed by DW despite cheating on the internet to find the hidden high value targets. Then over to Space at 7:57 where we waited until the FP machine turned on to grab a FP and then walked on the ride.

It was an awesome start to our day.

Love it, sounds like a great time. We we be there next Tuesday for MM.

Jack

 

[Hound 109]

Just wanted to share my Magic Morning experience from Sunday August 9th. Thanks to all of you for your good advice on what time to arrive at security. There were minimal lines for the whole hour and I was so glad that we made the effort to get up.

I left the Hojo around 6:15am and was second in line at security and first in line an the entrance. Wife and nephew joined me around 6:45am and we shared some granola bars and looked at the park map to pass the time until opening. We were all jazzed up to go in and had fun counting down. Then we booked it through the left side of the tunnel and off to Peter Pan. The we in the previous sentence is DW and I. After about 40 seconds of walking we realized that we had already way out paced our nephew. Poor nephew is not the type who enjoys getting up early or "walking with purpose" so there was some coaxing involved to get him up to a reasonable speed. At one point, I even offered to be Chewbacca to his C-3PO but the offer was declined. It felt like forever but we finally got to Peter Pan. I believe we were the second family to get on the ride. DN loved it which made me feel like less of a bad auntie for dragging him out of bed and making him walk so fast!

After PP we were off to the Matterhorn. First we rode the right side, then the left both with about a 3 minute wait. The plan had been to ride the Teacups next but there was no one in line and DW thought it would be more fun to ride with a group so we went on Alice (no line) instead. Then came out and rode the Teacups (no line but there were a few other people). Staggered off the Teacups and immediately hopped onto Mr. Toad.

By this time it was close to 7:40am so we decided to head over to Buzz. Went the wrong way and wasted valuable time exploring Pixie Hollow (dead end). Rode Buzz and got creamed by DW despite cheating on the internet to find the hidden high value targets. Then over to Space at 7:57 where we waited until the FP machine turned on to grab a FP and then walked on the ride.

It was an awesome start to our day.

Excellent.

Did you walk by PP later in the hour....had a line formed?

& I guess you couldn't get DN to ride Dumbo either.

 

[Hawleys]

Excellent.

Did you walk by PP later in the hour....had a line formed?

& I guess you couldn't get DN to ride Dumbo either.

You know, I didn't notice but DW says that there definitely was a line later in the hour.

Dumbo was a no go but the Storybook Land Canal Boats were a favorite and Small World was specially requested. Our nephew was just the right age to enjoy the thrill rides and the more sedate rides too.

 

[keptwoman]

Ignore me. Just found it.

 

[Mazzy]

Wow, thanks so much for this very detailed thread - we can't afford to stay onsite next year - stayed at Grand californian first time in 2007 - so it's great to know that we'll still get one Magic Morning with the 3 day passes.

 

[DisneyDork1969]

I was looking at historial opening times for DL and saw that for the whole Thanksgiving weekend (Fri-Sat-Sun) the park opens at 8am...so does this mean that MM opening is 7am?...for this weekend is it that important to take advantage of MM?...if I was goin solo on this trip, I would have no problem with a early start...by my SO, not soo much...LOL...plus on this trip we are NOT trying see everything at the parks, just main favs...plus if we're at the parks from 8am to after the fireworks, shouldn't we be able to ride alot of rides??...I plan on using RIDEMAX for the two days...I figure we can do most of DL on Fri, some of DCA on Sat morning and more of DL on Sat afternoon/night...what do people of this plan??

Jon C / DisneyDork69 on TWITTER

 

[DLR29]

I was looking at historial opening times for DL and saw that for the whole Thanksgiving weekend (Fri-Sat-Sun) the park opens at 8am...so does this mean that MM opening is 7am?...for this weekend is it that important to take advantage of MM?...if I was goin solo on this trip, I would have no problem with a early start...by my SO, not soo much...LOL...plus on this trip we are NOT trying see everything at the parks, just main favs...plus if we're at the parks from 8am to after the fireworks, shouldn't we be able to ride alot of rides??...I plan on using RIDEMAX for the two days...I figure we can do most of DL on Fri, some of DCA on Sat morning and more of DL on Sat afternoon/night...what do people of this plan??

Jon C / DisneyDork69 on TWITTER

Yes, MM would be at 7. That weekend will be very crowded, but if you aren't looking to do "everything" then it might not be as important. If you are looking to do the Fantasyland rides, I'd do them on Friday morning at 8. On Saturday/Sunday when there is FL, you can head over to the left side of the park (Adventureland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square) and that part should be pretty empty from about 8-10AM.

 

[DLR29]

Bump

 

[keptwoman]

A big thanks from me also.
We used the plan, I was 2nd in line at the gate, but the CM wanted to process my paper tickets, so the people in front let us in front of them and I was at the turnstile for the countdown. Absolute first on Peter Pan, 2nd load on Dumbo and walked on to pretty much everything. Great plan, thanks so much!!

 

[DLR29]

Bump

 

[LVdisneyChick]

Ok so my plan is to be at security by 6:30. We are going to beeline to PP. I am hopeing that we will be able to get through FL by 8:15.

 

[monicatb]

I've read throughout the whole thread, and I still have a couple of questions. I'm a WDW vet but have never been to DLR before. MM will be at 7 am during our travel dates (Easter ) and I plan to be there at 6:30 am at the latest.

1) Is there a MM rope drop inside the park, or do they keep you by the turnstiles until MM opening? If so, where do they keep you?
2) At MM opening, we plan to go straight to PP. Which is the fastest route: through the castle (is it open?) or through one of the 2 paths (which one?) that I see on a map that are on the right side of the castle?
3) I already have the SoCal Citypass. The 2010 Citypass comes as a credit card vs the old paper vouchers. Do I still need to exchange these for park tickets? At guest services or at the turnstiles? Can I do it at 6:30 am? If I arrive around 8 pm to Anaheim the day before, where can I do the exchange to be ready on our first day, which is our MM day (Thurs)? Can it be done at Downtown Disney or only at the park gates?
4) We will have a car but want to walk to the parks to avoid the parking hassle and payment. We'll be staying at the Quality Inn & Suites near HoJo. Is it safe to walk to the parks at 6:15 am or so? I figure it will still be pretty dark during the 1st week of April.
5) During MM we plan to do (in order): PP, Matterhorn (2 sides??), Alice, Mr. Toad, Tea Cups, Pinocchio, Snow White and maaaybe the Carousel (no Dumbo this time). Is this doable during MM?
6) After FL we will go to the left side of the park, since TL will already be crowded. I understand the 1st FP should be for Splash, so I figure I could be the FPV and go to Splash while others start getting in line for BTMRR and wait for me to ride together stand by (will get a FP later in the day for a 2nd ride). So, my question here is, after FL, where should we wait for rope drop? Is there a rope drop for Frontierland on the FL side? Should we all wait here or will it be faster for me (FPV) to wait for rope drop at Adventureland?

Thanks in advance. This thread has been really helpful.

 

[DLR29]

I've read throughout the whole thread, and I still have a couple of questions. I'm a WDW vet but have never been to DLR before. MM will be at 7 am during our travel dates (Easter ) and I plan to be there at 6:30 am at the latest.

1) Is there a MM rope drop inside the park, or do they keep you by the turnstiles until MM opening? If so, where do they keep you?
2) At MM opening, we plan to go straight to PP. Which is the fastest route: through the castle (is it open?) or through one of the 2 paths (which one?) that I see on a map that are on the right side of the castle?
3) I already have the SoCal Citypass. The 2010 Citypass comes as a credit card vs the old paper vouchers. Do I still need to exchange these for park tickets? At guest services or at the turnstiles? Can I do it at 6:30 am? If I arrive around 8 pm to Anaheim the day before, where can I do the exchange to be ready on our first day, which is our MM day (Thurs)? Can it be done at Downtown Disney or only at the park gates?
4) We will have a car but want to walk to the parks to avoid the parking hassle and payment. We'll be staying at the Quality Inn & Suites near HoJo. Is it safe to walk to the parks at 6:15 am or so? I figure it will still be pretty dark during the 1st week of April.
5) During MM we plan to do (in order): PP, Matterhorn (2 sides??), Alice, Mr. Toad, Tea Cups, Pinocchio, Snow White and maaaybe the Carousel (no Dumbo this time). Is this doable during MM?
6) After FL we will go to the left side of the park, since TL will already be crowded. I understand the 1st FP should be for Splash, so I figure I could be the FPV and go to Splash while others start getting in line for BTMRR and wait for me to ride together stand by (will get a FP later in the day for a 2nd ride). So, my question here is, after FL, where should we wait for rope drop? Is there a rope drop for Frontierland on the FL side? Should we all wait here or will it be faster for me (FPV) to wait for rope drop at Adventureland?

Thanks in advance. This thread has been really helpful.

1. At a MM that starts at 7, there will not be a rope drop at 7. Everyone will be waiting outside of the turnstyles. There will be turnstyles marked "Magic Morning". Those turnstyles will have lines with people. Those lines will start entering the park at 7AM. Other turnstyles marked "Entrance" will start entering the park at 8AM, so definitely join a line marked "Magic Morning"

2. Straight through the castle. Yes, it's open and by far the quickest way.

3. Those plastic credit cards will be your actual tickets. No need to exchange. I'm pretty sure. I know for a fact the plastic credit card type tickets sold at supermarkets are the actual tickets. Unless it specifically says "This is NOT your ticket" or "You need to exchange these at....", I believe those are real tickets, and yes, they will work at FP machines just as a normal paper ticket would.

4. Yes, it is safe to walk that early. It probably won't be as dark as you think though. Harbor is a street that tons of people walk on every day. My guess is that you won't be the only ones walking at that time either.

5. Yes, very very good plan. I personally wouldn't change the order at all, especially w/o doing Dumbo.

6. I believe there is a rope drop into Frontierland from Fantasyland, but that would be very long. It probably doesn't matter which rope drop you (FPV) are at because Adventureland and Frontierland converge pretty quickly. Adventureland might be a bit more congested with lots of people wanting to get on Indy (and the paths are narrower), so maybe you want to be with your family at the Frontierland entrance. Then keep walking along the Rivers of America. Once you get to the rivers, the path to Splash will be completely empty. It's a long trek though, I'm warning you. I've been that FP collector before. But nobody really runs to Splash that early. Here's a pic of that part of the park that early.

But, personally, I would rather get a FP for Indy first thing, then Splash. Just because Indy's lines get longer and Indy's FPs run out quicker. Plus, it's a shorter jaunt in the morning. But, Splash is a close second, especially if it is going to be a warm day. Either way, you'll grab an early FP and beat the crowds to BTMRR (whose line is under 10 min for the first 90 min of the park being open usually).

 

[HydroGuy]

2. Straight through the castle. Yes, it's open and by far the quickest way.

That works great 95-99% of the time. On some days DL has special events in front of the castle and the way through is blocked in the morning. This happened to me a couple years ago. There was some kind of ceremony for educators. If so, the best way into FantasyLand is to circle around the right by the Matterhorn.

 

[monicatb]

That works great 95-99% of the time. On some days DL has special events in front of the castle and the way through is blocked in the morning. This happened to me a couple years ago. There was some kind of ceremony for educators. If so, the best way into FantasyLand is to circle around the right by the Matterhorn.

I've never been to DLR before, and all that I have right now for my planning is a map (maybe an old one) printed from the internet. Just to make sure I don't end up in a dead end, I see two paths on the right side of the castle. I can see the path that goes to the Matterhorn, but there's another path between that one and the castle, which looks like it is closer to Peter. Which one do you use?

 

[monicatb]

6. I believe there is a rope drop into Frontierland from Fantasyland, but that would be very long. It probably doesn't matter which rope drop you (FPV) are at because Adventureland and Frontierland converge pretty quickly. Adventureland might be a bit more congested with lots of people wanting to get on Indy (and the paths are narrower), so maybe you want to be with your family at the Frontierland entrance. Then keep walking along the Rivers of America. Once you get to the rivers, the path to Splash will be completely empty. It's a long trek though, I'm warning you. I've been that FP collector before. But nobody really runs to Splash that early. Here's a pic of that part of the park that early.

I'm always the FPV at WDW, so I know what you mean.

But, personally, I would rather get a FP for Indy first thing, then Splash. Just because Indy's lines get longer and Indy's FPs run out quicker. Plus, it's a shorter jaunt in the morning. But, Splash is a close second, especially if it is going to be a warm day. Either way, you'll grab an early FP and beat the crowds to BTMRR (whose line is under 10 min for the first 90 min of the park being open usually).

That's what I was working on last night, after I posted. First I thought maybe we would all go to Indy, grab a FP and ride standby because I'm sure my kids (14 & 9) will want to ride Indy twice. But since I have a 5 yo who's not tall enough, and I will ask for a parent swap, I may not need to ride standby. So how about:

FP Indy (while others start going to BTMR)
BTMR
Jungle Cruise
Pirates
FP Splash
Haunted Mansion
Railroad from New Orleans to Toontown
Toontown (opening is @ 9 am)
FP Roger Rabbit
Meet Mickey
Gadget's Go Coaster
Anything else in TT


Oh, and thanks DLR29 for the other information.

 

[DLR29]

I've never been to DLR before, and all that I have right now for my planning is a map (maybe an old one) printed from the internet. Just to make sure I don't end up in a dead end, I see two paths on the right side of the castle. I can see the path that goes to the Matterhorn, but there's another path between that one and the castle, which looks like it is closer to Peter. Which one do you use?

IF you need to (which I highly doubt, although Hydroguy is correct and it is possible), the path by Snow White's Grotto (the "inbetween" path) would be faster technically. Although I wonder if that path would also be "blocked" if hypothetically the main castle entrance were blocked also. I really wouldn't worry about it too much. If something happens to pop up and block the main path, I'm sure you can just follow everyone else who will be having trouble getting to FL.

I'm always the FPV at WDW, so I know what you mean.



That's what I was working on last night, after I posted. First I thought maybe we would all go to Indy, grab a FP and ride standby because I'm sure my kids (14 & 9) will want to ride Indy twice. But since I have a 5 yo who's not tall enough, and I will ask for a parent swap, I may not need to ride standby. So how about:

FP Indy (while others start going to BTMR)
BTMR
Jungle Cruise
Pirates
FP Splash
Haunted Mansion
Railroad from New Orleans to Toontown
Toontown (opening is @ 9 am)
FP Roger Rabbit
Meet Mickey
Gadget's Go Coaster
Anything else in TT


Oh, and thanks DLR29 for the other information.

Sounds like a pretty good plan. Usually I save rides like JC, Pirates and HM for the afternoon because their lines move extremely quickly. However, I have done a plan very similar to this before and it has worked. Maybe one small suggestion, to skip Jungle Cruise early and ride it when you come back to use your Indy FP. Also go from BTMRR to Pirates to HM before getting Splash FP. That way you can assure short waits at Toontown.

Assuming you get one of the first rounds of Indy FP, your return time would be "8:45-9:45" or something around there. Which means you will be able to get your Splash FP around 8:45-9. After getting an Indy FP, riding BTMRR and Pirates and HM will be about 45min. Then grab Splash FP right before getting on the train. Then you should be at Toontown around 9 or a little later.

You will also be able to get a Roger Rabbit FP immediately because it is disconnected from the "regular" FP system. That just means you can get a FP for Roger even if you just got a FP for something else. It's the only ride in the whole resort that you can do that for. However, by getting to Toontown early, you probably won't need a FP for Roger, unless you plan on coming back later. Roger's line doesn't get long until early afternoon, but then it does stay long almost the rest of the day.

 

[monicatb]

Sounds like a pretty good plan. Usually I save rides like JC, Pirates and HM for the afternoon because their lines move extremely quickly. However, I have done a plan very similar to this before and it has worked. Maybe one small suggestion, to skip Jungle Cruise early and ride it when you come back to use your Indy FP. Also go from BTMRR to Pirates to HM before getting Splash FP. That way you can assure short waits at Toontown.

Assuming you get one of the first rounds of Indy FP, your return time would be "8:45-9:45" or something around there. Which means you will be able to get your Splash FP around 8:45-9. After getting an Indy FP, riding BTMRR and Pirates and HM will be about 45min. Then grab Splash FP right before getting on the train. Then you should be at Toontown around 9 or a little later.

You will also be able to get a Roger Rabbit FP immediately because it is disconnected from the "regular" FP system. That just means you can get a FP for Roger even if you just got a FP for something else. It's the only ride in the whole resort that you can do that for. However, by getting to Toontown early, you probably won't need a FP for Roger, unless you plan on coming back later. Roger's line doesn't get long until early afternoon, but then it does stay long almost the rest of the day.

I like it. I wanted to get to Toontown as close to 9 am as possible, but I didn't know what to take out. Jungle Cruise has a FP at WDW, so it's easier to do, but at DL it doesn't, so I have no idea how long are the lines later in the day. I was thinking that maybe we could hop to DCA after Toontown, maybe around 10:30 am or so (for which I still don't have a plan because that's a VERY different park for me) then take a break around 3 pm or so, since we would be up since 6 am or earlier, and then return in the late afternoon to use fastpasses and see a night parade and fireworks. So how is Jungle Cruise late afternoon???

I will work on my touring plans later and I will be buying Ridemax too, especially for DCA. I will later post them on another thread, and hopefully I can get some help from all you experts.

 

[HydroGuy]

IF you need to (which I highly doubt, although Hydroguy is correct and it is possible), the path by Snow White's Grotto (the "inbetween" path) would be faster technically. Although I wonder if that path would also be "blocked" if hypothetically the main castle entrance were blocked also. I really wouldn't worry about it too much. If something happens to pop up and block the main path, I'm sure you can just follow everyone else who will be having trouble getting to FL.

Yep, that is pretty much it.