Magic Morning Question

[dedife]

I didn't see this in the "Magic Morning Super Thread."

Are all the gates open for Magic Morning, or just certain gates? The Unofficial guide recommends Gate 13 (for doing Nemo first thing on a Magic Morning). Will Gate 13 be open?

Thanks!

 

[avalon451]

I'd be interested in anybody else's insight into this. When we went, some of the gates were clearly marked above and said, "Magic Morning." We stood in the closest one we reached; I forgot to try the gate 13 thing although I knew about it. I have read other places saying that it's usually even or odd gates only. I have read still others saying that they will all open at the last minute. Somebody else said they did gate 13 for MM and it worked great.

So I guess I would go to gate 13 and see if it's marked with the "Magic Morning" sign above, and if so, stand there.

 

[Dukland]

Dang, I'm trying to remember. We did our MM, but went a little bit late. So there were a bunch of people waiting for the real park opening, and we had to find the gate that was letting in the MM people. I am pretty sure there was one that was marked at the top, and it was in the middle of all the gates. We just kept going until we saw the one that was marked, then could see the other MM people going into the gate.

We didn't bother with Nemo. I'm claustraphobic, and we didnt' want to wait in line. I took the kids in the "observation deck" part of the ride, and that was enough for us.

 

[DangerMouse]

It varies. Each time I go for MM, I try to be first at the gates and I always ask a CM if they are using odd or even (because they switch it up). They answer which ones, and then people line up accordingly. Obviously, if you aren't first there, you can see where people area already lined up and just join in the existing lines.

 

[Queenbillabong]

When we were there, certain gates had a sign up "Magic Morning Entry" - so not all gates were open yet.

 

[S. S. Columbia]

Like PPs have posted, on some mornings only the even-numbered lines will be open.

Here’s my 2 cents:

If I planned to go to Nemo during MM, I would arrive at the entrance 45 minutes early, and I would wait at the security tables.

From the MM Super Thread:

...
What time should I arrive for MM?
... if you want to be one of the first ones on Nemo, plan on arriving 45+ before MM time (so 1 hour and 45 min before [DL’s regular opening time]). ...
...
When does security open on a MM day?
According to one board member, the security lines have opened at 6:25-6:30 on a day when the park opens at 8AM and MM is at 7AM.

Where should I wait in line?
The best bet to secure your front of the line spot, is to just wait by the security tables, even if the esplanade is open. The guests in the esplanade will be forced to backtrack and go through security when Cast Members show up.

If I get to the turnstiles too early, will I lose my well earned place at the front of the line?
Yes. Prior to the official opening of the security lines, all guests must leave the esplanade to get in line at the security tables. Instead of being at the turnstiles, at the front of the line, you will be behind all of the guests who lined up at the security tables.

The UG recommends waiting at Gate 13 because there’s a tree blocking most of the line for Gate 14. The line for Gate 13 will move faster if it gets split between Gates 13 and 14. I think there’s a tree blocking Gate 19, so the UG recommends lining up at Gate 20 for the same reason. But I think this only saves you time if you’re waiting behind one of the trees. If you arrive 45 minutes early, then you will be one of the first guests lined up at the security tables. After going through security, you will be one of the first guests lined up at the gates. You will be so close to the gates that waiting at Gate 13 or Gate 20 wouldn’t make a difference.

Here’s a wikimapia view of DL’s entrance area. The “East Security Guest Bag Check” and “West Security Guest Bag Check” areas are clearly marked.
http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=33.8093684&lon=-117.9188079&z=19&l=0&m=a&v=2


A couple of months ago there was a thread about Gate 13. Here are a couple of posts from that thread:

Post #23:

“Just back from a week at Disney and wanted to let everyone know that the "Gate 13 and 20" theory is true. For a regular opening we ended up in line for Gate 20 with a tree in the middle of where the line would be. When people began being admitted, our line shot forward as both 19 and 20 opened and people split between the two.

On the Magic Morning we lined up at 13, with the same tree obstacle in front of us. When the gates opened, the line moved very quickly.” –lawyergirl22

Post #25

“On our Magical Morning (Sunday) we used gate 13. Our MM started at 7, so we were there about 6:40. About 10th in line? About 10 minutes after we got there and before they opened the park to us the lines were VERY long so it's true to get there early. As soon as the gates opened I jumped into the new as of yet unformed line at 14, we were first in and through it, we raced to Nemo and got on the first sub (A shout out to Molly who told us to go for it, I'm so glad we did it on our MM day and not on Monday with regular 10 a.m. park opening with so many more people to battle--Nemo didn't get going until about 7:20 but better to wait 20 minutes and know you are on the first sub)...

Monday morning we got there about 9:15 for 10 a.m. opening. The lines were all already really long. So, we were going to get in line at 13, when I thought, you know, why are we all lemmings? If there are two numbers and two lines under each "entrance" sign, why not just get in line at 14 from the get-go? So we made our own line at 14, and sure enough, that turnstile opened at the same time as the turnstile for 13. We didn't cut in front of anyone, because there IS a turnstile there and a CM running that turnstile. I don't understand why just one line forms before the park opens and then it's two lines as soon as the gates open. I really don't get this. There is no sign anywhere saying "form one line, it WILL become two eventually"...? No CMs came over and told us to beat it. No patrons gave us dirty looks or said anything.

Because of this, we were AT the rope...and the first ones through the castle...and the first ones on Peter Pan that day. And because a line DOES form there once the gate opens, with its own CM, it really is a line that just hadn't formed yet and you aren't cheating anyone in my opinion, just being smart about queueing.

So, my suggestion to you all is be smart and be the starter of your own line! (Of course, I suppose there is a chance that they won't man all the turnstiles, but it was a risk I was absolutely willing to take.)” –noryglory

HTH

 

[Mr.Bubbles]

We visited a few weeks ago and I remembered to use Gate 13. We arrived at the gates at about 6:40 a.m. for a 7 a.m. openning. By that time all of the gates had fairly long lines that were about the same length. We went to Gate 13 and got in line. I also notinced that none of them said "Magic Morning" except for two gates at the far left which CMs were blocking and not having people stop there.

After a few minutes a CM came up to our line and announced that there was a problem with the gate so he would be moving the line IN ORDER and to just follow single file to a new gate. He moved our whole line (starting with the people who were in the front) around to the left side at the "Magic Morning" gate and then proceeded to break the line up into three separate lines so now we were almost to the front!

The Gate 13 strategy worked, but not for the resons it should have!