How early to arrive?

[mommyof2boys1girl]

We want to be there to open the parks each day. We're going in early May, so the weekday park hours are 10-8. We are staying at the Camelot. If we leave the hotel by 9am, will we still be nearer the front of the line for entrance? Will this timing also work for the weekends, when the parks are open from 9-12 (Fri) and 8-12(Sat and Sun)? Or should we try to be there even earlier (ie - more than 1 hour before opening) on these days?
And my Ultimate Guide says we need to line up at Gate 13 - is this something we should do? Why gate 13? (I don't remember the Guide actually explaining why...)

 

[VillianGeorge]

is this something we should do?

I've never heard anything specifically about Gate 13, but I've shown up early a few times and I'll be happy to share a few of my personal pointers...

(most importantly) Don't stress over anything. Just relax. The morning lines to get in will probably be longer than you expected. It's ok. Your line might not move as fast as you think it should. That's ok too. The line two lines over from your might open up an additional turnstile and everyone in that line suddenly moves up 20 feet. That's just fine.

Seriously, don't stress. This is supposed to be fun and relaxing. You'll all make it in eventually, and out of the 12 or 13 hours that DL is going to be open that day, an extra 10 minutes is no big deal.

Some lines feed into one turnstile area, and other lines seem to feed into two. Some turnstile areas have both turnstiles working, and sometimes there are those that only have one. If you're really worried about which line is shortest and/or going the fastest, then take 60 seconds and scout out all the lines before you actually jump into one.

I see lots of people break their party up into two lines, and right at the end the half in the slower line rejoins the faster half. But each time I've seen this done (or done it myself) I wonder if saving those extra 2 minutes was really worth it.

Strike up a friendly conversation with the people around you. Sometimes I'm enjoying the chat so much, I seriously don't even notice the time at all.

And remember that DL holds a *lot* of people. It'll seem crazy-crowded while you're in the line to get in. But once you've actually made it past the gate and worked your way back into the park, it'll be nice and un-crowded (for the first few hours anyway).

 

[Monkey Monkey]

I tried the Gate 13 rule last time I went, but at the time, that section of gates was only for Magic Morning/Early Entry.

I didn't notice any established line moving any faster than any other line once the gates were opened. I think it just depends on who is in front of you. If there are several people with DCA tickets in the DL line, it's going to take longer because the CM has to explain to them and turn them away.

Then there are always people in line who like to ask the ticket taker questions, which slows down the line.

On weekdays in May, getting there at opening, I don't think you should have a problem getting on all the rides you want to go on.

 

[DLR29]

We want to be there to open the parks each day. We're going in early May, so the weekday park hours are 10-8. We are staying at the Camelot. If we leave the hotel by 9am, will we still be nearer the front of the line for entrance? Will this timing also work for the weekends, when the parks are open from 9-12 (Fri) and 8-12(Sat and Sun)? Or should we try to be there even earlier (ie - more than 1 hour before opening) on these days?

Well depends on when (or if) you will be using Magic Mornings any of those days. Assuming you have 1 MM, you can use it at 9AM on Tuesday or Thursday or you can use it at 7AM on Saturday or Sunday. Depending on if you are early or late risers, I would recommend doing MM the earliest possible day of your trip (before you get really tired).

Keeping that in mind, on your MM day, I'd arrive 30 min before MM (so 8:30 on T/Th or 6:30 on Sa/Su). Then on your other days 30 minutes earlier than normal park opening (so 9:30 on weekdays, 7:30 on weekends) a good time to arrive. Early May isn't that crowded.

 

[slruud]

This is the way I understand it relative to MM (EE) and gate 13 or whichever gate is used. Even though it is used for MM, you can still wait there until openning. Most people who aren't doing MM will move on to the other gates, but you can be right up front at gate 13 as you watch people enter early. It's worth a shot.

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

Well depends on when (or if) you will be using Magic Mornings any of those days. Assuming you have 1 MM, you can use it at 9AM on Tuesday or Thursday or you can use it at 7AM on Saturday or Sunday. Depending on if you are early or late risers, I would recommend doing MM the earliest possible day of your trip (before you get really tired).

Thanks! We are planning to do MM on Thurs (our second day at the park). I hoped it would be less busy than Sunday, and though we are early risers, having all 3 kids up, dressed,fed and in line by 6:30 may have been a challenge! )

So 30 mins before opening then - good to know. No point waiting longer than necessary with 3 impatient little ones!

Thanks for the advice everyone!