Early Entry???

[Fooboy]

Hello People,
I am going to Disneyworld on Dec. 26-Jan 1st. I know I know, its the WORST time to go and we won't have any fun. But it's the only time that we can go. =( So in preparation, i purchased some of the travel guides (the UnOfficial and Birnhaum's) and read through them both extensively. But the Early Entry times for the parks are different than those online. Which ones do i follow???

thnx
foobs

 

[Geoff_M]

I'd go with the on-line data. Those guides books are very helpful, but the required publication lead-times, plus the desire to be the first "next year's" book on the market (they're getting as bad as automobile model years) often makes the data contained in the books around 6 month old before the "year" starts. So by the middle of 2004, the data contained in the "2004" books will be about one year old. That's a lot of time for schedules to change at WDW.

The old "Early Entry" was a prime example. If I'm not mistaken, the original "EE" was discontinued a few months after 9/11 when attendance nose-dived. But the various guidebooks had already been published for 2002, and they all mentioned EE.

My advice is that two web sites that agree on information trumps a printed guidebook.

 

[jdads2]

Welcome to the DIS!

Remember the printed guides are printed months in advance and even the online data could change.

Yes you will be going during the busiest time of the year but remember you're still going! I give this advice to everyone who asks me (or doesn't ask me) for advice....Take your time, relax and have fun!

 

[muguet27]

As the previous poster suggested, I'd go with the online data. I was at Disney World your exact dates in 2000, and had a great time. It was the first trip I had stayed on-site, and the first trip I had taken since the internet took off, so I had a lot more information and tips & tricks than I had ever had. You are going about it the right way, gathering all the information you can before your trip. It is definately a very busy time to go, but with the extended park hours and strategic use of fast pass it's possible to see a lot in a day. And, in my opinion, the cooler temperatures of the Florida "winter" kept me from becoming fatigued as quickly (this is coming from a girl in Michigan where anything over 80 is too hot for me).

Hope you have a fantastic trip!

-kristi

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

The schedule of which park has early entry stays the same doesn't it?
My understanding of the park hours is that the parks are open 1 hour before on the EE day( unless they set it earlier than that due to crowds) but that sometimes they let you in 30 minutes earlier than what they post.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

sorry...I have a correction to my above post. It should read 1 1/2 hours early.

Also I think they did change the EE park days to include the AK. Does anyone know the schedule? Thanks

 

[owensamo]

Early Entry - which used to be called "Surprise Mornings" - is now called the "Extra Magic Hour", and when we were there in late July, that's exactly what it was - one hour. Gates opened to resort guests 1 hour before published opening time, which at that point was 9 am. They didn't let anyone past the turnstyles before 8am at any of the parks we went to while we were there.

I don't think the days have changed since they reinstituted EE as EMH. They open early two days a week at MK, AK and D/MGM and one day (Wednesday) at Epcot (Future World only).

Mur!

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

I checked our schedule from March 2003 and EE was on Sunday and Thursday at the Magic Kingdom, Monday and Friday at the Animal Kingdom, Tuesday and Saturday at MGM and Wednesday at Epcot.

 

[lentesta]

Hey foobs,

For your specific trip (the week after Christmas), the Magic Kingdom may open prior to 7 a.m., but probably not before 6:45 a.m. During the week after Christmas, you can expect the MK to open at 8 a.m. on non-EE days, and 7 a.m. on EE days. Perhaps slightly before, depending on the mood everyone's in that day.

I don't think we've observed the park opening more than 15 minutes prior to the expected opening since September 11, 2001.

Finally, the EE days for the AK are Monday and Friday. Hope this helps!

Len

 

[Mouse Ears]

Confirming Boardwalk Tigger's EMH schedule:

Mon AK
Tue Studios
Wed Epcot
Thu MK
Fri AK
Sat Studios
Sun MK

Even if they open the gates more than an hour early, our experience has been that they only let you inside the entry plaza to wait for a rope drop at the scheduled opening time.

 

[smt218]

Hi,
A little confused, Early Entry allows you to enter the park an hour only, but only just to wait for the official opening? I was under the impression, there were rides open then.

Sorry if I read the above post wrong, just a little confused.

Thanks

 

[Geoff_M]

smt218,

They open rides for EMH. In MK it's Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. For Epcot it's Future World. And for MGM I THINK it's the whole park.

 

[jaysue]

EMH attractions from Deb's site:

Early Entry Stuff:

Magic Kingdom:
Astro Orbiter
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Cinderella's Golden Carrousel
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
"it's a small world"
Mad Tea Party
Main Street Vehicles
Peter Pan's Flight
Snow White's Scary Adventures
Space Mountain
ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter
Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Tomorrowland Indy Speedway
Tomorrowland Transit Authority

Epcot:
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
Universe of Energy
Mission Space

Disney-MGM Studios:
Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3-D
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Star Tours
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Disney's Animal Kingdom:
Discovery Island Trails
It's Tough to be a Bug!
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
The Tree of Life

 

[staylor]

Just because you are going at a busy time doesn't mean you won't have fun. Go ahead and tell your self it will be crowded. Now that you expect the crowds, it won't be too bad. At least that works for me. I can deal w/ crowds as long as I know in advance they'll be there. If I get there expecting no crowds and get the opposite, it frustrates me. Remember, you don't have to do everything in one vacation. Read and copy the tips on the boards. Schedule your meals. Take time to really enjoy the magic that Disney has to offer. Whatever you do HAVE FUN!