Hot take: Magic Mornings are overrated

[theluckyrabbit]

I have found you bring your experience with you when you arrive at the park - if you are expecting it to be crowded and that you are going to have an awful time then guess what - you probably will.

If you show up with managed expectations that you are going to have fun and just manage what comes your way with patience then you will have a blast!!

Adding to this: if you show up with unrealistic expectations and no back up plan and a growing chip on the shoulder, then get ready to have a very unmagical day.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I can believe that this is true for the hours that are later in the day.

For my upcoming trip, we are going to use ours on a Saturday so it will start at 7 am. I think this will be a good one, though Space is going to be down during my trip...so that kind of hurts it.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

I tend to overreact lol and second guess everything no matter what it is HAHA

Sounds just like me! I try to get all my crazy out during Disney planning so I just relax more in the moment but I'm still in full on freak out what if I've made the wrong decisions and everyone has a crappy time mode.

 

[mfleeting]

POTC is my favorite ride, and I know what you are saying, but the ride lasts 16 minutes. So three rides would take a minimum of 48 minutes. I have never done that myself but it sounds like fun!

I should have probably worded it better I meant more like it’s such a continuous walk on you can do it many times with barely waiting in line. My husband and son normally do it twice while waiting for my daughter to single ride Matterhorn then we all join them for the 3rd time (if we don’t get over there faster to join for their second time). Normally by that time the line has built up enough as people have finally given up on Tomorrowland and Fantasyland and made their way over and we’re ready for a snack. We love POTC but refuse to wait longer than 20 minutes in line so we try to get out of the way in the early mornings

 

[Indiana Scott]

I totally agree with the OP and in fact during our last trip we never used our MM.
To us, the best parts of DL are closed during that time.

 

[NicholeB630]

Adding to this: if you show up with unrealistic expectations and no back up plan and a growing chip on the shoulder, then get ready to have a very unmagical day.

I agree too and I think with our last DW trip and the crowds being so much worse then we expected I'll have a much more open mind and know how to deal. I had so much planned out at DW and it was supposed to be the lowest times and it ended up not being at all so a lot was thrown off and then add in multiple ride closures everyday which I had never really experienced. It was pretty bad.

I def think with the parks at CA being right next to each other it just makes park hopping so much easier and being able to change our minds on a whim. I am so excited to use MP too and all this advice is great. Although Ive gotten so much and on different threads I need to get a notebook and write it all down HAHA

 

[LizzyS]

Sounds just like me! I try to get all my crazy out during Disney planning so I just relax more in the moment but I'm still in full on freak out what if I've made the wrong decisions and everyone has a crappy time mode.

Me too! I actually have dreams that I'm at Disneyland and I'm unprepared, lol.

 

[Jaina]

Sounds just like me! I try to get all my crazy out during Disney planning so I just relax more in the moment but I'm still in full on freak out what if I've made the wrong decisions and everyone has a crappy time mode.

Yep. Yep. Since I'm the planner, I feel personally at fault if things don't go well. Thankfully, they usually do, but I definitely experienced that during our last trip when I was completely unprepared to navigate the DAS/wheelchair entrance system because I had no idea we would end up needing it on our third day! It was very stresful, and there were some tears involved. (only mine...)

Me too! I actually have dreams that I'm at Disneyland and I'm unprepared, lol.

I'm pretty sure I've had this dream! It takes a lot of planning especially if you have a larger group that you're trying to prepare for!

This thread has been useful to me as I try to decide what we're going to do with our MM. It will be a Tuesday, and I'm guessing (still a guess, but from that date on the last couple years) that it will be a 9 AM park opening with an 8 AM MM. Thinking Alice as a family, then splitting to send the older 3 kids on Matterhorn while DH, DS5, DD2, and I do Dumbo and/or another fun Fantasyland ride, then heading over to Tomorrowland to see if we can get on Space or Star Tours (little one on Buzz or meet a character) possibly with a child switch. Thoughts, MM gurus? Then we'd already be in Tomorrowland, and I would have gotten a FP for the other big Tomorrowland ride for after park opening. When is a good time of day to do Finding Nemo? I don't want to waste early morning hours on it, but I don't want to wait in line when it's warm either... (late April. Could be warm, could be perfect...)

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I can believe that this is true for the hours that are later in the day.

For my upcoming trip, we are going to use ours on a Saturday so it will start at 7 am. I think this will be a good one, though Space is going to be down during my trip...so that kind of hurts it.

That will be our situation too. Trying to weigh our options on if I think we'll be able to get up real early to make it to a 7am MM.

Aaron is sad about Space Mountain too

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So for a 7am MM what is the recommended time to arrive in the parking garage? Also approximately how long does it take to get to the parks from the parking garage?

Slightly for this thread I know.

 

[NorthernCalMom]

POTC is my favorite ride, and I know what you are saying, but the ride lasts 16 minutes. So three rides would take a minimum of 48 minutes. I have never done that myself but it sounds like fun!

Actually, Pirates isn’t open during MM, but my kids still rave about that one truly magic morning in August (7am) a few years ago, when we took the Monorail into Tomorrowland & rode Star Tours 7 times in a row! There was another year, though, when we waited for the Alice in Wonderland ride for 45 mins & it broke down just before we boarded (we didn’t even get any fancy make-up-pixie-dust fastpass, just a cast member chasing us off...). So, yes, some MMs are better than others...

 

[VandVsmama]

So for a 7am MM what is the recommended time to arrive in the parking garage? Also approximately how long does it take to get to the parks from the parking garage?

Slightly for this thread I know.

The Toy Story lot and Mickey & Friends parking garage open 90 min before regular park opening.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

So for a 7am MM what is the recommended time to arrive in the parking garage? Also approximately how long does it take to get to the parks from the parking garage?

Slightly for this thread I know.

The parking garage won’t open until 6:30am. There will be a line of cars by then, so you want to get there earlier than that. At 6:30, they’ll start letting the first cars in and then you have to get in, park, get through security, get the tram to the entrance... so it’s tricky to actually get to the parks by 7 if you’re having to park.

I’m assuming your outside of walking distance - it’s better to Uber or something if possible.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The Toy Story lot and Mickey & Friends parking garage open 90 min before regular park opening.

Thank you

 

[Jaina]

The Toy Story lot and Mickey & Friends parking garage open 90 min before regular park opening.

Do they both open 90 minutes before? We are just south of the Toy Story lot, so will probably be just walking (or I drop everyone off and then walk over, haha <--mostly likely what will happen if I can have my act together!) but it's nice to know if it's an option to walk into the TS lot and grab a bus over at 6:30...

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The parking garage won’t open until 6:30am. There will be a line of cars by then, so you want to get there earlier than that. At 6:30, they’ll start letting the first cars in and then you have to get in, park, get through security, get the tram to the entrance... so it’s tricky to actually get to the parks by 7 if you’re having to park.

I’m assuming your outside of walking distance - it’s better to Uber or something if possible.

Chances are our hotel will be somewhere near Long Beach or Huntington Beach area because that's where the apartment hunting action is...so def. far enough away that a car would be needed; we haven't booked a hotel yet though so I'm not exactly sure where it will be at we will for sure though have a rental car. Uber may be an option but I'm pretty sure the costs of that would really override the cost to park and at that point it would be just a time-saving thing. I'll def. mention it to my husband though.

I appreciate your info though. Sounds like if we drove while we may not get there at the very beginning of MM we would likely still get in some park time (hopefully) before regular opening if we chose to do MM that morning.

 

[shooting4life]

I like Magic morning as I go to ge opposite park and enjoy much shorter lines.

 

[VandVsmama]

Do they both open 90 minutes before? We are just south of the Toy Story lot, so will probably be just walking (or I drop everyone off and then walk over, haha <--mostly likely what will happen if I can have my act together!) but it's nice to know if it's an option to walk into the TS lot and grab a bus over at 6:30...

According to the DL website this afternoon, both of them open 90 min beforehand but only in MM days.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

That will be our situation too. Trying to weigh our options on if I think we'll be able to get up real early to make it to a 7am MM.

Aaron is sad about Space Mountain too

It might not be too tough, since you're central time you'll have two hours up on them.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It might not be too tough, since you're central time you'll have two hours up on them.

That's a good point. Plus we won't be arriving that day or arriving late the night before (since we're arriving Thursday) so we shouldn't be too too tired. On to see if I can convince Aaron (I may not have success lol)