How does park opening work for breakfast guests already in the park?

[fairy8i8]

I would like to book character breakfasts at each of the theme parks at 8:00am/8:05am. We will be going on days that the parks open at 9:00am, so I am wondering when and how they let you go to visit attractions.

Do they hold you at the restaurant until official opening even if you are done your meal? Do they hold you longer than opening? Do they make you wait for the cast members walking the other guests in for the day?

I figure each restaurant might handle things differently, so let me know if you have experienced this! We are expecting to eat at Cinderella's Royal Table, Crystal Palace, Tusker House, Akershus, and Hollywood and Vine.

Thanks!

 

[Jillpie]

No, they don't hold you at the restaurant. Typically, it takes the hour to eat the breakfast and by the time you're done, you go out and the park has just opened to the public. Or if you somehow finish your breakfast by 8:45, you'll have to wait at the rope drop at the entrance of each part of the park.

 

[Cherlynn25]

We like to do this as well. We found on our last trip it worked better to pay our bill at the beginning so we could get out of there once we were finished eating. We were the first family into tomorrowland when we were at MK. We finished breakfast about 10 minutes before opening and waited at the tomorrowland rope drop.

 

[fairy8i8]

Thanks so much! It's a good idea to pay at the beginning of the meal, especially since the meals are either buffet or family style. So you just go to the rope drop of the specific land? That sounds great!

 

[scrappinginontario]

You may want to give yourself a few extra minutes to take pictures before your reservation. I have the most precious picture of my DN walking down the center of Main St towards the Castle, dressed as Cinderella with Pooh in her hand....and not a soul in site!!! It's one of my fave pics and was taken a number of years ago.

You'll have photo opportunities that only a few do each day.

 

[HuskerFaninIL]

Generally speaking do you guys find that you can meet all the characters before 9 if you have an 8:05 ADR?