Elsa and Anna meet & greet: how long did you wait in line?

[KelleyK75]

Some posters have questions about how long they will be spending having breakfast at Akershus as they want to be out the door by 8:45. If everything goes well, your 8 am or 8:05 or even 8:15 reservation will work into those plans. I've had two experiences with breakfast ADRs that did not go as planned and I think people need to have a "Plan B", if possible, ready to go in case there are delays.

We ate a late breakfast at Akershus in 2012, arriving at 1015 for a 1030 check in. The line to get our picture taken with Belle was very slow, so by the time we did that and were seated, it was about 1045. We did not have anything scheduled after that, but if I had been trying to make a fast pass window or something, it could have been stess inducing.

Having your reservation first thing in the morning does lessen the chance for backups like we experienced. However, last year we had an 8:05 ADR at Hollywood Studios, and there was some kind of glitch with the check in at the turnstyles. We didn't get in the gate until 8:10 and then waited while they called our name at the front door. We weren't seated until 8:20 and when I watched the first park guests start to walk by at 8:35, yeah, I was a little stressed. It didn't ruin our day, but it did cause some readjustments to our schedule.

From what I have been reading, looks like numerous people will all be trying to leave the resturant by 8:45, all at the same time. My husband and I have a breakfast reservation there at 8 am in mid May, so we might have those Akershus princesses all to ourselves for several minutes while we stay seated to avoid the exodus rush!

Thank you! I am just hoping for the best and if not will have a Plan B.

 

[Becker616]

I just snagged an 8:20 am res at Aukershas on 5/14! What time will they let me in at the gates for an 8:20 res?

 

[erikawolf2004]

We have a 9:30 reservation, will they let us in the gates before 9am/general opening?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

We have a 9:30 reservation, will they let us in the gates before 9am/general opening?

No, they won't let you in before 9 for a 9:30 reservation, since a half hour is plenty of time for you to get to the restaurant.

 

[Sandyt05]

For the Akerhaus breakfast, do you seat yourself? Is there a better place to sit so that you get to see the princesses first? Or is there a certain area that I should request to sit in? Thank you!

 

[mesaboy2]

For the Akerhaus breakfast, do you seat yourself? Is there a better place to sit so that you get to see the princesses first? Or is there a certain area that I should request to sit in? Thank you!

No to all.

 

[ElsasMom]

I'm actually planning a trip to EP just to see E&A. As long as I send a runner to the line as soon as they let us in we'll get to see them right? It's just a matter of whether it's 2, 3, or 5 hours. No one's been turned away before 9:30am right? How early is the line being cut off?

I know I'm crazy to plan a whole trip around E&A, but I'm taking advantage of the discovery days tickets to take my DD4 and my sister for a girl's day.

 

[luckygirl539]

We have a 9:30 reservation, will they let us in the gates before 9am/general opening?

They might. I should have asked the guy with the reservations clipboard when I went in on Wednesday. You don't always get in right away considering going through the line to get in. Plus- they tell you to check in 15-20 min early. So, that's 9:15. If your line takes a long time and you are not a fast walker, they can't expect you to get there by that time.

 

[PurplePolkaDot]

Were the lines again up to 5 hours for people who got in line 20-30 mins after you?

Yes! By 9:30am, it was upwards of a 5 hr wait.

 

[PurplePolkaDot]

Thanks for the little glimmer of hope! This is our plan as well since we don't have dining reservations for breakfast that day. Do you stay on one of the Disney resorts and if so what time did you catch a bus out to Epcot?

No - we stayed at a hotel near Downtown Disney.

 

[Shann50952]

We went a week ago. Got in line around 8:20 for a park opening at 9, when the park opened I ran with my daughter to get in line. We were done meeting them within 45 minutes after the park opening. When I asked when we were leaving how long the wait was it was up to 2.5 hrs already by 9:45.

 

[triana00]

I just snagged an 8:20 am res at Aukershas on 5/14! What time will they let me in at the gates for an 8:20 res?

I was allowed in with everyone else at 740ish with an 825 reservation

 

[Andyman33]

835 will be same?

 

[ks-man]

Assuming that Disney really is trying to rectify this by adding another E&A location, how long before opening it would it likely be announced (either officially or on the rumor sites)?

Would we hear now that there will be a new location say at MK starting next week or would it be more likely that we will hear about it when they are still 3-4 weeks out?

 

[Missyrose]

Assuming that Disney really is trying to rectify this by adding another E&A location, how long before opening it would it likely be announced (either officially or on the rumor sites)? Would we hear now that there will be a new location say at MK starting next week or would it be more likely that we will hear about it when they are still 3-4 weeks out?

The people "in the know" (CMs, Kenny the Pirate, etc.) say there aren't any plans to move them anytime soon. So I wouldn't pin your homes on that.

 

[giasmom]

We have an 8:05 reservation and are staying at the boardwalk. Will they let us in early through the world showcase entrance or do we have to go to the main gate?

 

[MyAnna]

When we went in mid-Jan, we showed up at 11:45, and they told us they were lining up for the 5:50 PM greet. I am wondering if there are any plans to have FP in the future as I too have a daughter who wants to meet Anna, but it isn't much of a vacation for one parent to take two year old twins around a park alone for 5 hours while another parent waits.

 

[Missyrose]

We have an 8:05 reservation and are staying at the boardwalk. Will they let us in early through the world showcase entrance or do we have to go to the main gate?

They should let you in the IG gate around 7:45. The only issue with the IG gate seems to be at park opening. The main gate will sometimes open at 8:45, but they don't always open the IG gate until 9 on the nose. With the early ADR, you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[MermaidMommy]

We were first in line to meet Anna and Elsa today. Had an 8:05 Akershus reservation, and got to Norway around 8:00. (We didn't go to breakfast.) We went over to where the meet and greet sign is, and loitered around there until some other people came up to wait, and formed an informal line until the actual line was formed around 8:30. By the time we were finished at 9:10, the wait was 3 hours.

One thing I did find out from someone else in line is that the reservation list they have at the gates only goes until 9:30, so if your breakfast reservation is after that, they won't let you in early. They were letting everyone with reservations up until 9:30 in early, though.

Also, Norway has Elsa dresses, if anyone is looking for one.

 

[jimandami]

We were first in line to meet Anna and Elsa today. Had an 8:05 Akershus reservation, and got to Norway around 8:00. (We didn't go to breakfast.) We went over to where the meet and greet sign is, and loitered around there until some other people came up to wait, and formed an informal line until the actual line was formed around 8:30. By the time we were finished at 9:10, the wait was 3 hours. One thing I did find out from someone else in line is that the reservation list they have at the gates only goes until 9:30, so if your breakfast reservation is after that, they won't let you in early. They were letting everyone with reservations up until 9:30 in early, though. Also, Norway has Elsa dresses, if anyone is looking for one.

Eek....promised a co-worker I would grab one if I saw it! Hope it's still there at 5ish. Headed to the airport now!