Early Entry/Magic Mornings-What Time to Head to Park?

[jsmla]

I'm a huge fan of the morning Extra Magic Hour at WDW and would like to make the most of early admission at DLR. What time do you recommend we leave the hotel in order to get through bag check and be near the front of the turnstiles at early open? We're staying at the Disneyland Hotel. Also, is there a separate security check for those without bags?

Thanks!

 

[darcie2000]

There is no separate bag check, everyone goes through the same lines When we do early entry, we make sure we are at security 45 min before early entry starts. Sometimes even earlier.

 

[jsmla]

Thanks!

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

If it is a 7am EMH, you don't need as much lead time as an 8am EMH. Forty five minutes is generally our rule of thumb as well. If it is 7am, I would be ok with anywhere from 15-30 minutes before, depending on time of year and if there are any special events.

 

[msr709]

Thanks for asking this. We are also staying at DLH but in July. Have a great trip,

 

[Nevada Jen]

And on DCA days where EE starts at 7 am, you really only need to be there 15 minutes before, as long as you don't mind not being the first in the doors. Since it is only hotel guests, early entry is just not as crowded.

 

[amyg1975]

Is security bad at this time of morning?

 

[SgtTibbs]

I'd assume you already know this, but don't take the Monorail from DTD first thing in the morning. Unless things have changed it puts you well behind the people entering from the main gate.

 

[Nevada Jen]

We always arrive later than everyone recommends for EE (about the 15 to 20 minutes before EE starts) because being first just isn't important to us. We really don't mind if we get in 20 minutes after the park opens for EE (which has never happened) We have ended up anywhere from 2nd to the 20th group of people in line at the turnstyles. The only time security from the downtown Disney side has been slow enough to be worth mentioning is when EE was at DL at 9 am.

 

[Chemist]

We usually arrived at bag check 20 minutes before and were fine with it.
There was never a line at bag check. Even the first day when we had to get pictures, we were through the line pretty quickly.
I remember we were waiting in line for the turnstiles to open the first day, and they opened 15 minutes before rope drop. We were perfectly happy with how that worked out.
(I don't need to be the first person on the ride, waiting an extra 4 minutes for the Matterhorn doesn't bother me as much as waiting for 40 minutes for the park to open would.)

 

[jsmla]

Thanks so much for all of the advice! I'm just so conditioned by WDW to be among the first through the turnstiles that it's hard to wrap my head around any other way. My experience there has been that arriving at least 30 minutes early saves us waaaaay more than half an hour in queueing over the course of the day. We're both early risers (I'm like dairy farmer early, was up at 4:30 this morning.) and will have that two hour time difference in our favor so I'm guessing we'll be up and at 'em pretty early at least that first day.

What with Dapper Day and Food and Wine I was thinking an early start would be a good idea at the weekend. We do plan on a decent rest back at the room each day. DH doesn't do well with open to close in a theme park!

 

[robin2588]

I think it also depends on the person. I enjoy arriving to security about 35-45 minutes before EMH/MM because DTD is so quiet, and nice to see without all the hustle and bustle. I also enjoy being out in the esplanade with hardly anyone around for a bit. I agree i'm still waiting in line, but I don't mind it.

 

[GeneralTso]

We left 30 minutes before park opening and it was fine. Unless you want to be first in line.

 

[realrellim]

There's definitely more wiggle room with a 7 am EMH/MM, and even more if it's at DCA (though use the main entrance). However, the day that DL opened at 9 am, we were in line by 8:30 (just to have our tickets scanned; we'd already done security because we wanted to do a couple of quick rides at DCA during EMH that morning) and the line was already huge by then.

 

[Sith]

If it's a 7am MM/ EMH, I recommend being through security and at the gate in line no later than 6:40am. Security line on DTD side will be minimal at that time. Just figure out how long it will take you to walk there from DLH. And, don't take the monorail from DTD on the Disneyland MM days. Sometimes it gets you into the park at the start of MM, and sometimes you don't even get to board until a few minutes after it starts.

If it is a 9am MM/ EMH, get there even earlier. There will be a lot more people. Many people have a hard time getting the family up and to the gate for the 7am opening, but everybody can get there for the 9am opening.

 

[jsmla]

How quickly do lines build at DLR? I guess my frame of reference would be rides like Toy Story or Mine a Train at WDW where being at the front can make the difference between no wait and one that is over an hour. When the time comes probably won't be able to help myself and we'll be early.

Planning on:
Thursday-8:00 AM at Disneyland
Friday-7:00 AM at California Adventure
Saturday-7:00 AM at Disneyland

I am guessing it will take us 15 minutes or so to walk to the parks. Does that sound about right?

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

In DL-Peter Pan will have the longest line the earliest, but if you get in at 7, you should be able to ride it twice in 30 minutes and then do all of Fantasyland, likely twice, in the next 30 minutes. Tomorrowland rides will be walk on to 10 minute waits the first hour.

In CA-Radiator Springs Racers and Toy Story will build lines quickly-but again, if in at 7 you can ride both of these twice within the first hour. Screamin will be a walk on for most of the first hour.

 

[jsmla]

In DL-Peter Pan will have the longest line the earliest, but if you get in at 7, you should be able to ride it twice in 30 minutes and then do all of Fantasyland, likely twice, in the next 30 minutes. Tomorrowland rides will be walk on to 10 minute waits the first hour.

In CA-Radiator Springs Racers and Toy Story will build lines quickly-but again, if in at 7 you can ride both of these twice within the first hour. Screamin will be a walk on for most of the first hour.

Thanks for this! I've made lavish promises to my husband about not over scheduling every second and, to be perfectly honest, it's been hard! We (well, I) are looking forward to Fantasyland since there are so many attractions there that you don't find at WDW.

Does Screamin' have single rider? DH can't do coasters. He might ride Hyperspace Mt because of the Star Wars theming but anything else that spins or drops or is faster than Haunted Mansion is probably a no-go.

 

[choomTOP]

Yes, Screamin' has single rider. You'll go in the blue exit gate (further up from the main entrance along the "boardwalk" curve leading to the Cove Bar/Ariel's Grotto area) and the cast member will give you the SR card. You'll go up the elevator, across the walkway, and then back down the elevator to the loading area. It goes pretty fast since there's often an odd-numbered party where they need to fill a seat.

Although if you're doing Screamin' during EE you probably won't need SR since it would likely be just as fast to go through the main queue (plus then you could request a row -- I'm a fan of the front!).

 

[Nevada Jen]

It should take you about 7 minutes to walk to the parks from your hotel once you are at the starting point. The real issue will be how long it takes to get from your room to the edge of the hotel (what I think of as the starting point). You can test that out the night before though.

You husband might be able to do BTMRR. It is smooth at Disneyland and the drops don't bug me. It is a pretty cool ride. Also the Indiana Jones line is pretty cool of he is an outdoorsy person.