Early Morning Magic worthwhile if we're only in MK 1 day?

[minoh]

We're excited to be heading to WDW for March Break this year. It was a gift from grandparents who will be there for a meeting and wanted their grandkids (plus us parents of said kids) to have the opportunity to go. It just so happens that the day we've planned to be in MK is also an Early Morning Magic Day. We had already made ADR at CP that morning for when the park opens (our planning started just a week ago and had to take a crash course in speed ADRs), and now we're wondering about the EMM.

Would others recommend EMM? Is it worth the cost and the cancellation of our CP meal to go? My kids would love the rides that come with it but I'm not sure it's worth paying so much.

It's already such an expensive trip, especially given the poor Canadian $ at the moment. If we do the EMM we'd probably have to skip the HDDR, which we were going to make a reservation for at the end of our week.

I'd love to hear others' thoughts on this dilemma! TIA!

 

[Alesia]

I would probably do EMM, especially since you only have one day. But, if you think you would prefer HDDR, then do that.

What I would not do is have an ADR right at park opening. The first couple of hours are the least crowded of the day - don't waste them sitting in a restaurant. Every once in a while we'll have an 8:00 breakfast when the park opens at 9:00, but otherwise I never never book an ADR before 11:00.

 

[minoh]

Thanks, Alesia, that's very helpful advice. My son really wanted to go to CP but I was worried about wasting our time sitting in the restaurant when we could be seeing attractions, so it's good to have your feedback on that point.

We thought HDDR would be fun but I really don't know how much my kids would like it. My son is not too keen on the food, though my daughters are excited. Not sure if the entertainment would be up their alley or not.

I hadn't noticed the EMM options until last night and now I'm really torn...

 

[IrishNYC]

If I only had one day in MK, I would probably choose EMM over CP.

 

[minoh]

Thanks for your feedback, IrishNYC! Do you think you'd choose it over CP and HDDR, if we could only choose one of those pricier ticket choices?

 

[aspen10]

How old are your kids, and are you morning people? Is your ADR for 9 a.m. when you say it's for "when the park opens"? I've done both EMM and Crystal Palace. My kids were 2.5, 4 and 7. We're not necessarily morning people, so getting to the park super early for EMM was rough. For others, it's not a big deal. My kids loved the Crystal Palace lunch buffet. I like buffets because I find them to be easier with small kids than meals where you have to order and wait for food, and the characters are entertaining without having to wait in line (we never wait in character lines). If you're an early morning person, I would try for an 8 a.m. ADR or sign for EMM. If not, I would aim for a lunch ADR instead. Good luck!

 

[IrishNYC]

You're welcome! I've never done HDDR, so I can't use the experience to compare , but I would consider the age of your kids, whether they'd appreciate the experience of EMM, whether they would enjoy the food and show at HDDR, and travel time to/from HDDR and what that takes you away from.

I know my DD (currently 7) would choose EMM because she'd get to ride 7DMT over and over again. That's her dream.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I would do EMM in a second if it's offered when we go and we are NOT rope drop people.

 

[networkpro]

What a choice! HDDR takes you a while to get there (boat from MK is the quickest, busses longer) and back. EMM does give you a breakfast buffet, better than most. Pooh and 7D are right there so you can get your fill, then over to Peter Pan and by the time you're tired of them its time to hit breakfast.

 

[junebug]

We're excited to be heading to WDW for March Break this year. It was a gift from grandparents who will be there for a meeting and wanted their grandkids (plus us parents of said kids) to have the opportunity to go. It just so happens that the day we've planned to be in MK is also an Early Morning Magic Day. We had already made ADR at CP that morning for when the park opens (our planning started just a week ago and had to take a crash course in speed ADRs), and now we're wondering about the EMM.

Would others recommend EMM? Is it worth the cost and the cancellation of our CP meal to go? My kids would love the rides that come with it but I'm not sure it's worth paying so much.

It's already such an expensive trip, especially given the poor Canadian $ at the moment. If we do the EMM we'd probably have to skip the HDDR, which we were going to make a reservation for at the end of our week.

I'd love to hear others' thoughts on this dilemma! TIA!

I would give up Crystal Palace in a heart beat for EMM. I would not however give up hoop dee doo! It's just too much fun and your kids will have a blast. I would justify that dropping the expense of Crystal Palace would offset the ticket price of EMM enough, once you consider tip at CP and the fact that EMM includes a breakfast buffet.

 

[minoh]

Thanks for all this helpful advice! I hadn't considered that dropping CP would have a large impact but perhaps it's work the little extra expense for EMM. It's basically probably the only Disney trip we'll ever get in while the kids are young (6-11), and I know they would love the early time in the park. I'm definitely NOT a morning person but the WDW timezone is actually an hour behind ours and the kids will be up bright and early anyway....

 

[aspen10]

For 6-11 year olds, I would do EMM over CP for sure! CP was a great experience for us (EMM was a little stressful with my younger ones and 7DMT broke down midway through - bad luck for us) but for 6-11 year olds, my vote is for EMM. I haven't been to HDDR, but we've had reservations and have wound up canceling them because of the travel time involved.

 

[minoh]

For 6-11 year olds, I would do EMM over CP for sure! CP was a great experience for us (EMM was a little stressful with my younger ones and 7DMT broke down midway through - bad luck for us) but for 6-11 year olds, my vote is for EMM. I haven't been to HDDR, but we've had reservations and have wound up canceling them because of the travel time involved.

That's good to know!

I hadn't really considered whether it would be a headache to travel to HDDR. Everything at WDW seems so close on the map but I'm sure when you're actually there, navigating between parks and resorts with 1000s of other people, it's a different story!

 

[Alesia]

That's good to know!

I hadn't really considered whether it would be a headache to travel to HDDR. Everything at WDW seems so close on the map but I'm sure when you're actually there, navigating between parks and resorts with 1000s of other people, it's a different story!

Just for some scale: WDW is twice the size of Manhattan. Things are much farther apart than you think

 

[minoh]

Just for some scale: WDW is twice the size of Manhattan. Things are much farther apart than you think

Oh my! I had no idea!

 

[Alesia]

Oh my! I had no idea!

We stayed at Port Orleans on our first trip. I thought we would be able to walk to Epcot because it's right across the street. I didn't realize that that "street" was a huge highway and walking anywhere from Port Orleans was impossible.

 

[BigredNole]

We stopped doing breakfast ADRs unless the meal would be complete BEFORE park opening. If you like attractions and are eating during the slowest time, then you simply watch the line queues load up. I can eat a bagel for $2. You are better off we late ADRs when the lines are already there. This way you can relax and not worry about it.

 

[FallsChurchDad]

Oh my! I had no idea!

Yes, on top of the sheer size, you also have the crowds, public transit factors, and safety restrictions. People who take a trip to Washington DC would not explore DC parks and museums from 8 am to 11 am, then leave at 11 am to have lunch in Baltimore an hour away, and then come right back to DC. Yet that is essentially how a lot of people plan their Disney World trips.

For kids ages 6-11, the parks are amazing.

If you only have one day in Magic Kingdom and you can make sure to get to the MK gates before EMM starts, I think it would be great for your family. EMM would make it possible to get a ton of rides in early on three of the most fun rides, and then you wouldn't have to use Fastpasses for those three. You could have a quick late breakfast and then probably head over to Big Thunder, Pirates, and Jungle Cruise, using your FPs for Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and maybe a character meet. Pretty much everything else should be do-able anytime or you can probably get 4th, 5th fastpasses, even during spring break. Without EMM, you'd really want an extra day in MK. Even with EMM, two days in MK would be better....

HDDR is fun but I'd easily drop it for one EMM in your situation. And Crystal Palace while the park is open, on the one day you will have in MK with kids at these perfect ages, would be a waste in my view.

 

[minoh]

All this advice is super helpful. I don't think we'll keep the CP morning reservation, maybe will try it for lunch instead. I'm going to see if we can secure EMM tickets, since it's our only day in MK and it would be pretty amazing to get to the park so early, plus it takes care of breakfast. I don't think the kids will be hard to convince!

 

[minoh]

And while HDDR sounds fun, I think we can find other great things to do instead, and ones that don't involve complex travel schedules. That's definitely a daunting aspect of the trip---not knowing just how tricky getting around will be. I think it'll ease stress to just stick to easy-to-access restaurants.