Everything Early Theme Park Entry (ETPE) - Please Read Post 1

[scrappinginontario]

Thank you to all who have shared their experiences and are helping to build Post 1. Some questions I still have are:

1. What time are the earliest guests being allowed to enter MK?
2. At official park opening is there a welcome show at the castle?
3. Are non-ETPE guests at DHS being held outside the entrance or allowed inside? Answered and post 1 updated.
4. Where are the various holding points inside the parks and are these for only ETPE guests or are non-ETPE guests being allowed in but held in a different location?
5. In Epcot, where are ETPE guests entering the front gate being held until rope drop?
6. In Epcot, are non-ETPE guests held inside or outside the park until posted park opening time?
7. *NEW* What time does water transportation (e.g. Ferry boats from Fort Wilderness) start running?

Thanks for your help!!

 

[mommamouseca]

The following does not answer your question. But I thought I'd share my experience anyway. Your experience may be different. I wasn't sure how crowded the walkway entrance would be. But it worked out great for us. In June, before ETPE of course, we used the walkway on two mornings. There were just a few others on the walkway. We arrived at security some 25 minutes prior to it opening. Even at the time security opened, very few families had arrived. As we approached the tap point, the masses from the regular entrance were pouring in. The walkway was a great way to start the day. We enjoyed taking the boat back to GF when we left.

Did you find the walkway to be faster than the Monorail in the morning?

 

[aeasterling]

I’m not an expert on this, but I’m staying at a Hilton partner hotel and it can be added to my MDE account. I did that by entering my Hilton reservation # directly in the MDE app. I would believed Swan/Dolphin would be the same.
Then when they scan your ticket card (since you have no MB) it would show up.

Yes, I've put my hotel res in MDE. No hard ticket or card, but hopefully the app will also work.

 

[ucfknight]

3. Are non-ETPE guests at DHS being held outside the entrance or allowed inside?

Was at DHS this past Sunday.
non-ETPE guests were held outside the tapstyles until precisely 9:00 AM. The line right before 9:00 was a solid mass of humanity stretched out nearly to the security checkpoint area closest to the lake.

Resort guests with ETPE were being checked using handheld scanners by several cast members just to the left of the ticket booths and then allowed to proceed to the left-most tapstyles to enter the park.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thanks - will update post 1 and the question thread. Appreciate your help!

 

[rblesley]

Thank you for doing this. I'll do my best to help get accurate info. I'm an eligible guest for Early Entry. No offense, but writing EE makes me think of Expedition Everest.....not that I have a better abbreviation.

We are doing MK (Oct 13) and HS (Oct 14).

For Oct 13 at MK: We plan to arrive via private driver at TTC, close to 7:45am.
Posted park hours are 9am-9pm with EarlyE at 8:30am.

For Oct 14 at HS: We plan to arrive via private driver close to 7:45am.
Posted park hours are 9am-9pm with EarlyE at 8:30am.

We are also staying at a Hilton property (Signia Bonnet Creek) starting this Sunday. We were hoping to use their first bus out (I believe 7:30 for MK and HS). Why did you choose not to use? We definitely want to be there for rope drop so willing to drive our own car or get private driver if necessary! Thanks for any insight

 

[Mome Rath]

5. In Epcot, where are ETPE guests entering the front gate being held until rope drop?

This answer is given based on our experience on October 2nd at EPCOT at the front entrance. After tapping in the front gate, there were signs for Early Entry pointing to the right hand side of Spaceship Earth, like you are heading toward The Land. We were stopped while still in the walls blocking construction, just past the restrooms.

ETA: just for everyone's information, we also saw a bunch of people heading left toward the Creations shop, but I have no idea how far they got, as that day was one of the days everyone was after October 1st merch.

 

[mickey916]

Thank you for starting this thread. Already a lot of good info!

 

[suzy_q]

The following does not answer your question. But I thought I'd share my experience anyway. Your experience may be different. I wasn't sure how crowded the walkway entrance would be. But it worked out great for us. In June, before ETPE of course, we used the walkway on two mornings. There were just a few others on the walkway. We arrived at security some 25 minutes prior to it opening. Even at the time security opened, very few families had arrived. As we approached the tap point, the masses from the regular entrance were pouring in. The walkway was a great way to start the day. We enjoyed taking the boat back to GF when we left.

Thanks—this helps!

 

[AaronRif]

FYI holding in Canada when entering from IG is correct. I arrived at Epcot this morning at 8:20 am and was at the front of the security line. You are basically held at three locations. The first is outside security right past the skyliner. Around 8:45 am, they moved us to the turnstiles. Around 8:55 am, they let us into the park and held us at Canada until 9:30 am.

With it being so crowded right now, I say do Frozen first if that’s on your list and then Test Track.

 

[disneyfan150]

Did you find the walkway to be faster than the Monorail in the morning?

Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to the Monorail. I read somewhere that some GF guests did arrive quickly to MK via the Monorail. I guess I am a control freak. I knew if I walked that I could arrive as early as possible. I have been on the Monorail when it was "holding" for traffic. It makes me so nervous. I just enjoyed knowing that I wasn't reliant on the Monorail.

 

[menotyou21]

We are also staying at a Hilton property (Signia Bonnet Creek) starting this Sunday. We were hoping to use their first bus out (I believe 7:30 for MK and HS). Why did you choose not to use? We definitely want to be there for rope drop so willing to drive our own car or get private driver if necessary! Thanks for any insight

I am at Hilton Buena Vista Palace. I just don’t trust hotel buses. I asked the front desk 3 questions about it and they were “iffy” with the answers. So for my fam….. it’s $20 to get to the park via driver. To me the certainty of that is worth it. The guy I found a while back and continue to use….is always early; drives safely, and is very reasonable in price.

 

[menotyou21]

I did HS today (Oct 14), but I don’t feel I have better info for the first post. We scanned in right under the Disney’s HS sign….near the middle of the entrance area. It was only for ETPE. I didn’t notice others queuing for 9am entry. We started in the ROTR line; line started moving at 8:05, we got to the ride queue inside at 8:29…..but when inside the actual ride; it shut down, this was just before 9am. So it made for a long morning.

 

[mommamouseca]

Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to the Monorail. I read somewhere that some GF guests did arrive quickly to MK via the Monorail. I guess I am a control freak. I knew if I walked that I could arrive as early as possible. I have been on the Monorail when it was "holding" for traffic. It makes me so nervous. I just enjoyed knowing that I wasn't reliant on the Monorail.

Thank you, that helps. As a fellow control freak, it looks like I will also walk.

 

[Pookie9922]

FYI holding in Canada when entering from IG is correct. I arrived at Epcot this morning at 8:20 am and was at the front of the security line. You are basically held at three locations. The first is outside security right past the skyliner. Around 8:45 am, they moved us to the turnstiles. Around 8:55 am, they let us into the park and held us at Canada until 9:30 am.

With it being so crowded right now, I say do Frozen first if that’s on your list and then Test Track.

Is Remy open during ETPE? if they hold you at Canada, do you have to go all the way around to get back to France or can you turn back and go counter-clockwise to France?

 

[Akck]

Is Remy open during ETPE? if they hold you at Canada, do you have to go all the way around to get back to France or can you turn back and go counter-clockwise to France?

I don’t know about Remy, but you’ve always been able to stop at the bridge and wait there. Once they open, you can go counter-clockwise to France.

 

[Marionnette]

Is Remy open during ETPE? if they hold you at Canada, do you have to go all the way around to get back to France or can you turn back and go counter-clockwise to France?

Remi isn't open during ETPE.

 

[Juventus]

If I have a 1 night hotel stay (say a Saturday night), can I get in the parks 30 minutes early on the Saturday ( before check in) and the Sunday?

Thanks!

 

[scrappinginontario]

If I have a 1 night hotel stay (say a Saturday night), can I get in the parks 30 minutes early on the Saturday ( before check in) and the Sunday?

Thanks!

Yes although you may need to show your resort reservation on MDE as there have been some reports of some guests needing to do this on check in and check out day.

 

[uscgrl93]

I see the recommended bus departure on page 1, but I am not too clear on that so wanted to make sure: Should we arrive to the bus stop 90 minutes before park opening or 90 minutes before ETPE (so technically 2 hours before park opening)?