Early Entry- When should I get to theme park gate?

[HopingforAMiracle]

Hi!
I'll be going to Disneyworld in November and staying at POR. The week I'm going, all parks are open officially at 9am.

We plan on taking advantage of all of the Early Opening days. So, they would open at 8am, instead of 9am, right?

Should we plan on being at the front gate of the Early Opening theme park (whether it's MK, Epcot, AK, MGM) by 8am? Or...should we arrive 30 minutes before it's listed Early Opening, which would actually be at 7:30?

Thanks!

Also...if anyone knows...what time should we plan on catching the bus at our resort- POR?

I'd appreciate any feedback you can give us!

Thanks again,
Danielle

 

[gigi1313]

i would aim to be out at the bus stop around 7:15-7:30 for 8am EMH... we were at epcot about 20 mins before opening and enjoyed chatting w/the cm's, doing a little pin trading, etc... the only time i would get there earlier is if it's a super-busy season (i.e. christmas, winter recess, etc) and then i'd be out at the bus stop by 7...

of course, if you are hoping to be selected as the family that "opens" the park at magic kingdom, then be there super-early, chat up the cm's, dress very "disney" etc to have a better chance

 

[ChairborneRangr]

If you are taking advantage of EMH, you will want to be at the gate 15 min or so ahead of time (7:45). Disney monitors traffic, crowds etc. They open gates depending on how they need to manage traffic flows. This means you can get in a little extra early and knock out some of the top rides quickly.

That and the early morning crew are usually pretty fun and excited. Very different from the crew leaving the parks at the end of the day hot, sweaty and tired

 

[CamColt]

We usually arrive about 15 minutes early whether its EE or regular opening time. We have found theres not much of an advantage to gettting there any earlier.

 

[2ofUs]

Don't forget to allow time for the 'boat ride' over to MK - my favorite way to start the day! Nothing like the anticipation that builds while watching the castle get closer & closer - and I am in my late 50's!!!

Make sure you have a plan to follow once that rope drops - which way you plan to head. Most people go to either Tomorrowland for Space Mountain, or Frontierland for Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. These are the early morning bottle neckers. Sometimes the best way to use your EMH is to criss-cross from one land to the other and hit the big ones, then double back for others. USE FASTPASSES and get them early. They only issue so many per day and some run out by 1pm (entry time for the ride being around 9!)

Also remember NOT ALL RIDES are open the first hour, so check the park schedule before you go.

 

[HopingforAMiracle]

Originally posted by 2ofUs
Don't forget to allow time for the 'boat ride' over to MK - my favorite way to start the day! Nothing like the anticipation that builds while watching the castle get closer & closer - and I am in my late 50's!!!

Also remember NOT ALL RIDES are open the first hour, so check the park schedule before you go.

Do you ride the boat when you're staying on site? We're staying at Port Orleans, and know there's only the disney transportation bus traveling to MK from there.

When we went for the day (from my aunt's house, she live in Palm Coast), we had to go from the parking lot (TTC?) to the main entrance. We had the choice then to take either a boat or the monorail. I thought disney transportation leaves you directly at the front gate, but don't know for sure.

Thanks, everyone, for your recommendations! They're great! I just love these message boards! Where else could I get such wonderful feedback to my questions- within just a few days.

I'm planning on being out at the bus stop just about 7:15am each day. Shouldn't be a problem for us since, when we're home, we leave for work at 6:45am. At Disney, we'll be able to sleep in late

...my son will still wake us up at 5:30, though

Danielle

 

[CamColt]

Originally posted by HopingforAMiracle
Do you ride the boat when you're staying on site? We're staying at Port Orleans, and know there's only the disney transportation bus traveling to MK from there.

You will be able to take a bus right from PO to the MK. You just need to go through security checks(usually takes no more than a couple minutes) then right up to the entrance.

 

[julfre]

AT POR there are several bus stops so you may spend a few minutes going around the resort depending on which stop you use. I think 7:15 is a good time. You should be able to get to the parks and through security and have a few minutes before the park opens, but not a long wait.