MK/Fantasyland “Early Morning Magic” (EMM) FAQ & Discussion

I feel like our experience with EMM last Sunday wasn’t the norm, so I’m curious what others have experienced. We have done EMM in the past when it was just the three rides and breakfast at PVH. This was our first experience with the new format. It was extremely chaotic when we arrived at MK shortly after 7. In the past, I find arriving between 7:10 to 7:25 to be ample time. Any earlier, and I listen to my DD complain about how I woke her up early just to stand outside the MK. :sad2: This trip, we were doing EMM on our check-out morning, so we had been awake for a while packing and getting our luggage checked in. When a bus arrived to MK at 6:40-ish, we decided just to go. I warned DD we would have a bit of a wait once we got there, but I wanted to take that particular bus since it was there and we didn’t know when the next one would come along.

In the past, we have experienced that EMM is considered a “dining reservation,” and any CM with a tablet had the ability to scan our MB and send us over for wristbands. We got to a CM with a tablet and were told no, that was strictly dining reservations; EMM was a separate line. She pointed to a gigantic mass of people backed up towards the monorail. I had assumed the large group was there because they had gotten off the monorail and didn’t realize there were different lines.

We joined the back of the line. It creeped along very slowly. We discovered there were only two CMs checking in for EMM, and their tablets weren’t working so they were using clipboards instead. It was craziness. It was 7:42 by the time we had out wristbands and had tapped our MBs. Usually my DD complains that I have gotten us to the MK waaaayyyyy too early and will sit down on the ground, which she did automatically this time. I told her not to as we would be let in any minute (a line she hears from me often at Disney...), but she did it anyway. It was less than a minute later that they let us into the MK.

We are accustomed to being routed to the left of the castle upon being let in. We automatically went that way, but when we got to a CM, we were told EMM had to go around the castle the opposite way. We had to show our wristbands as we went past the CMs standing there. There were a few more CMs with clipboards and extra wristbands for anyone who didn’t have them.

It was lucky we arrived at MK as early as we did! We literally didn’t have a minute to spare before they let us in. Even with our mistake heading around the castle the wrong way, we were able to do all of the rides (we did SDMT twice) and had a very, very fun morning. I love the new format. It felt so nice that we were essentially done (other than meeting Ariel and ETWB) with Fantasyland once the park opened. We grabbed a pastry for DD from the breakfast at about 9:30, otherwise we skipped it entirely.

So I have a few questions from our experience for others who have done this. We have plans to do EMM again in July, and I would appreciate feedback from others who have done this.
1. Is EMM now a separate check-in line from dining reservations? If so, how many CMs are usually checking in? (Two did not feel adequate, although maybe it is faster when the tablets are functioning.)
2. Which way are people being routed around the castle for EMM?

We were there on the same day, but I can report slightly different circumstances when we arrived around 8:00. I know, we lost part of the time we paid for, but we just weren't able to get our rears in gear any earlier. Anyway, at that time all the EMMers and PPO-diners were pouring through the main gates together and simply tapping Magic Bands. I asked about the wristband and was told to head to the Tomorrowland bridge (i.e. in front of the castle and to the right). Here there were, I think, two CMs with functioning tablets to scan you and another two or three to hand out the wristbands after scanning.

I promised @Tiggerlover91 a report on the food: no, for Kosher purposes, I don't see any food that was prepared offsite and packaged. (On the other hand, I didn't ask about Kosher.) I don't have the "old EMM" experience at Pinocchio to compare to, but my overall takeaway of the food is "okay"; not great, eggs were definitely powdered. The high point for me was the cheese and salami; there was indeed a little nice gouda. But hey, we all know we're not in this for the breakfast. What there was was plentiful and possibly better than BoG (though that's not saying much). Here are some pics:
sYkcz7C0iZzYLleLtANEj4psxa9nsKHkQdx-ZR0Vd3rou5nYtgiTxSA5n_QKyjKzeyqC_ztp1Rufvu0pcXSv9Ark0VTFodEx4XlmPY-2avSCfg2rr9CB2USYnZ9M4LGGB-aQXueuXLyx2pQ-9yEjQJfqdLJuQ3lvAlc5Go3QIbHlMfggODtLSbK753HUTdpYLmfMLj5xJxouH6lIROSc-0sNyqV0PpAtPO8O3YoIoDc4k0BKcQAb0hZmOMtYEnKn-YukBnjpcS06Mg7S1UYrDAI8MzJZP9Yao6nSts52_nb4o0GfxO4fFyd8QlexVuGAbzgEcRd4lxaON0LkAJDRCc8F69dVPg6MbTwiYDQhtLrXi-pkniP1Dk4syrKbYyqsPB_UGmgHVM0qajl_EvAXpnw_jzkwHnmYdnbcDXAsZME8o8Z7JaWURBqgNb67YG8r5W5PyxGnu2Ozq_3t90Ly3X0T78qws7z--9vnRHKp88xwXaxBGFmcYkmXxERb4JZeDF4WiI8aIGOU57yQff9ct49GrLJ523kZccyWiW8wRtQI06Kg9AKNepaTQV71usDykBZt82O0TpmW9u1vKiX0crNI4TOQuqcJknQqImmetYU_Pkfyh_4BvxzwMXU-ipVrnmfh_PdLQl7e_4x8FKKDWDOUuX1ilOKbeMAsB5mPUEp2y_oIFpJAqGZC4UdBrcv7uQhlHq5TSTICPYAVUNTe16Fi=w2798-h2098-no
6I9PciKaAAGmzYrGiGZKQo8Sas8T5a8D5PvtX2s9Usbi9cVjfpSz-fbieuSx97Uhc3ZfSc4yi85cBjb_1U9JlsAHGlSjbvQSOVk8z9stCesOSBG0ogDBY2mwJy4af7J2xg9uU48XIyNmEoOt3ePAG953q376wrvyEpkxmTaxqkYcEBPlGFlHIU1RgJpi0VaOwABKRx-TOD6GOTqiz7gZQMuW1gfYPoSNzdxtc1O5HX0Q7JRM6g_7UEQPn799MXC_557aXcRwjilg_Wd7UQybMZTqn-NV__10WbLFV41BlfjlNEqDiWzQn9AmwfRIF156Jf-FE3QNhgup8k6ERJUn6U1JsrrK0J5sd_sKJMQ92JcVyhSyvHWha5XdXhZGXBBtzBq3SWsCqY5gpAHbr4EBOhMFSwJuFlmsX5B_M5DP-xs_1fP3aLnKzFPnhEiQN5SpxLcDzwrglTXiDPIA-kYHSkzSsz3WLOXZpV1W2ia0_DXsBNv-l4mzk1h3ceIcXSKVPZy38iyMAB8FZLpAdz0MHizUUgCrBQlOOdW2L6sXLS3S69AKgwMXJGD_0amzUWWHt_JCrzcHgSuUi8dSUWPuAAfeKwoZ35PMUxV02FpYYl9Lz0RDBtp-jO-w7IOzSDz_JVpE27K7IX554vqY304ru5h1UzFSuzDmy9msCwDZFZPHXmwruY727w17zIr1Vv_ds_Dh6AOu8U5n8XBEH4Kvg5uE=w2798-h2098-no


I can also speak to my overall perception of EMM. The short answer is "would do again." 3/24/19 was definitely a high-traffic day at WDW, and we did not get the "walk on to 7DMT seven times in a row" experience I'd dreamed of. 7DMT was at least a 10 minute wait, going through the standby queue (I saw them use the FP queue sometimes too, and saw the wait fluctuate). We wound up doing it twice. I have no idea whether all the cars were operational. I also don't know how much we were at a disadvantage for not "rope dropping EMM" and showing up 15 minutes after start. We also did Peter Pan, Pooh, and Small World as walk-ons or near-walk-on, and as @DisneyAuntie12 pointed out above, it was a good thing, because they got long wait times throughout the rest of the day.

So has EMM declined from its glory days? Maybe; I can't speak from experience. But was it worth it for us? Heck yeah. We got to ride 7DMT twice in half an hour instead of once in 3 hours and didn't have to burn a FP on it. As a result I was able to FP Space Mtn twice in our two MK days, which my oldest decided was her favorite ride at WDW. We didn't have to either leave WDW without having ridden It's a Small World (just imagine!), or spend an hour on it (no offense, but that would be distinctly unmagical). (Ditto PP and Pooh.) We got to amble around a Fantasyland that, while not deserted, didn't require full body armor to walk through. In other words, we got at least three rope-drops worth of experience without experiencing the hell that is rope drop. It was great to give a relaxed tone to our first minutes in the MK.
 
If l am staying AKL-Kidani, what time would I need to leave to make EMM at MK? Best mode of transportation. Two adults/two children. I am willing to Uber vs bus if this is more reliable.

We left our room a few minutes before 7:00 and ended up missing the bus that was departing at 7:02 (according to the app). We waited about 5-10 minutes for next bus info and ended up taking an Uber, which picked us up at 7:20 and dropped us at the Contemporary at about 7:35. We briskly walked/jogged and checked in at 7:42. Stressful morning! Wish we had called for Uber sooner...
 
Also, my daughter has numerous food allergies. Do you think they would be able to do anything for her at Cosmic Rays? I’m not looking for anything crazy but maybe some fresh cut fruit. I’m also bring in a full breakfast and lunch for her just in case. TIA

Hi! I don't have experience with the new food location, but Disney is great with all types of food allergies. My DD has celiac and there are always delicious options for her. Just plan on the food taking a bit longer, maybe an additional 15 minutes? Disney takes cross contamination very seriously and would prepare her meals in a separate area. So of course takes a bit longer. :)

We are excited to try the new format in July!
 
I feel like our experience with EMM last Sunday wasn’t the norm, so I’m curious what others have experienced. We have done EMM in the past when it was just the three rides and breakfast at PVH. This was our first experience with the new format. It was extremely chaotic when we arrived at MK shortly after 7. In the past, I find arriving between 7:10 to 7:25 to be ample time. Any earlier, and I listen to my DD complain about how I woke her up early just to stand outside the MK. :sad2: This trip, we were doing EMM on our check-out morning, so we had been awake for a while packing and getting our luggage checked in. When a bus arrived to MK at 6:40-ish, we decided just to go. I warned DD we would have a bit of a wait once we got there, but I wanted to take that particular bus since it was there and we didn’t know when the next one would come along.

In the past, we have experienced that EMM is considered a “dining reservation,” and any CM with a tablet had the ability to scan our MB and send us over for wristbands. We got to a CM with a tablet and were told no, that was strictly dining reservations; EMM was a separate line. She pointed to a gigantic mass of people backed up towards the monorail. I had assumed the large group was there because they had gotten off the monorail and didn’t realize there were different lines.

I guess the good news is it sounds like they are being more careful with checking for an actual reservation before giving a wristband? It may be less chaotic when the pads are working properly.
 


We were there on the same day, but I can report slightly different circumstances when we arrived around 8:00. I know, we lost part of the time we paid for, but we just weren't able to get our rears in gear any earlier. Anyway, at that time all the EMMers and PPO-diners were pouring through the main gates together and simply tapping Magic Bands. I asked about the wristband and was told to head to the Tomorrowland bridge (i.e. in front of the castle and to the right). Here there were, I think, two CMs with functioning tablets to scan you and another two or three to hand out the wristbands after scanning.

I promised @Tiggerlover91 a report on the food: no, for Kosher purposes, I don't see any food that was prepared offsite and packaged. (On the other hand, I didn't ask about Kosher.) I don't have the "old EMM" experience at Pinocchio to compare to, but my overall takeaway of the food is "okay"; not great, eggs were definitely powdered. The high point for me was the cheese and salami; there was indeed a little nice gouda. But hey, we all know we're not in this for the breakfast. What there was was plentiful and possibly better than BoG (though that's not saying much). Here are some pics:
sYkcz7C0iZzYLleLtANEj4psxa9nsKHkQdx-ZR0Vd3rou5nYtgiTxSA5n_QKyjKzeyqC_ztp1Rufvu0pcXSv9Ark0VTFodEx4XlmPY-2avSCfg2rr9CB2USYnZ9M4LGGB-aQXueuXLyx2pQ-9yEjQJfqdLJuQ3lvAlc5Go3QIbHlMfggODtLSbK753HUTdpYLmfMLj5xJxouH6lIROSc-0sNyqV0PpAtPO8O3YoIoDc4k0BKcQAb0hZmOMtYEnKn-YukBnjpcS06Mg7S1UYrDAI8MzJZP9Yao6nSts52_nb4o0GfxO4fFyd8QlexVuGAbzgEcRd4lxaON0LkAJDRCc8F69dVPg6MbTwiYDQhtLrXi-pkniP1Dk4syrKbYyqsPB_UGmgHVM0qajl_EvAXpnw_jzkwHnmYdnbcDXAsZME8o8Z7JaWURBqgNb67YG8r5W5PyxGnu2Ozq_3t90Ly3X0T78qws7z--9vnRHKp88xwXaxBGFmcYkmXxERb4JZeDF4WiI8aIGOU57yQff9ct49GrLJ523kZccyWiW8wRtQI06Kg9AKNepaTQV71usDykBZt82O0TpmW9u1vKiX0crNI4TOQuqcJknQqImmetYU_Pkfyh_4BvxzwMXU-ipVrnmfh_PdLQl7e_4x8FKKDWDOUuX1ilOKbeMAsB5mPUEp2y_oIFpJAqGZC4UdBrcv7uQhlHq5TSTICPYAVUNTe16Fi=w2798-h2098-no
6I9PciKaAAGmzYrGiGZKQo8Sas8T5a8D5PvtX2s9Usbi9cVjfpSz-fbieuSx97Uhc3ZfSc4yi85cBjb_1U9JlsAHGlSjbvQSOVk8z9stCesOSBG0ogDBY2mwJy4af7J2xg9uU48XIyNmEoOt3ePAG953q376wrvyEpkxmTaxqkYcEBPlGFlHIU1RgJpi0VaOwABKRx-TOD6GOTqiz7gZQMuW1gfYPoSNzdxtc1O5HX0Q7JRM6g_7UEQPn799MXC_557aXcRwjilg_Wd7UQybMZTqn-NV__10WbLFV41BlfjlNEqDiWzQn9AmwfRIF156Jf-FE3QNhgup8k6ERJUn6U1JsrrK0J5sd_sKJMQ92JcVyhSyvHWha5XdXhZGXBBtzBq3SWsCqY5gpAHbr4EBOhMFSwJuFlmsX5B_M5DP-xs_1fP3aLnKzFPnhEiQN5SpxLcDzwrglTXiDPIA-kYHSkzSsz3WLOXZpV1W2ia0_DXsBNv-l4mzk1h3ceIcXSKVPZy38iyMAB8FZLpAdz0MHizUUgCrBQlOOdW2L6sXLS3S69AKgwMXJGD_0amzUWWHt_JCrzcHgSuUi8dSUWPuAAfeKwoZ35PMUxV02FpYYl9Lz0RDBtp-jO-w7IOzSDz_JVpE27K7IX554vqY304ru5h1UzFSuzDmy9msCwDZFZPHXmwruY727w17zIr1Vv_ds_Dh6AOu8U5n8XBEH4Kvg5uE=w2798-h2098-no


I can also speak to my overall perception of EMM. The short answer is "would do again." 3/24/19 was definitely a high-traffic day at WDW, and we did not get the "walk on to 7DMT seven times in a row" experience I'd dreamed of. 7DMT was at least a 10 minute wait, going through the standby queue (I saw them use the FP queue sometimes too, and saw the wait fluctuate). We wound up doing it twice. I have no idea whether all the cars were operational. I also don't know how much we were at a disadvantage for not "rope dropping EMM" and showing up 15 minutes after start. We also did Peter Pan, Pooh, and Small World as walk-ons or near-walk-on, and as @DisneyAuntie12 pointed out above, it was a good thing, because they got long wait times throughout the rest of the day.

So has EMM declined from its glory days? Maybe; I can't speak from experience. But was it worth it for us? Heck yeah. We got to ride 7DMT twice in half an hour instead of once in 3 hours and didn't have to burn a FP on it. As a result I was able to FP Space Mtn twice in our two MK days, which my oldest decided was her favorite ride at WDW. We didn't have to either leave WDW without having ridden It's a Small World (just imagine!), or spend an hour on it (no offense, but that would be distinctly unmagical). (Ditto PP and Pooh.) We got to amble around a Fantasyland that, while not deserted, didn't require full body armor to walk through. In other words, we got at least three rope-drops worth of experience without experiencing the hell that is rope drop. It was great to give a relaxed tone to our first minutes in the MK.


Thank you SO much for at least trying to check for me! You don't know how much I appreciate it! I think if my son and I do it on our next visit, we might just do the yogurt and fruit and the juices. I might let us "cheat" and grab one of the pastries as those tend to be for the most part okay to eat without a kosher symbol. We would definitely grab what we bring for breakfast in our room before leaving and perhaps use the breakfast they offer as a "snack" for my son should he get hungry while we're doing EMM. :D But there was no cold cereal, correct?
 
I'm planning to do this on my August trip, so excited! I have the option to go on either a Sunday or a Tuesday. Which should I pick? I'm thinking that Tuesday is less crowded, but maybe then I could do EMH at another park then.
 
I'm planning to do this on my August trip, so excited! I have the option to go on either a Sunday or a Tuesday. Which should I pick? I'm thinking that Tuesday is less crowded, but maybe then I could do EMH at another park then.
I’m in the same boat. Going in August and can’t decide on Sunday (currently planned non park day) or Tuesday (our check out day). Hmmmm
 


Question for those who’ve done it. We’re thinking about booking FL EMM but want to make sure we can get back to the front of the castle to see the open show? My son loves Mickey and I’d love for him to see it. I know we won’t be close, but I just want to make sure we can exit and get back to Main Street so we can see it.

I’m sure the answer is yes, as I can’t see them keeping you from leaving the event, but just wanted to make sure.
 
Can anyone tell me if you use the regular line or fastpass line for Pooh? My daughter loves to play with all the little things in the standby line. We wouldn’t need long just a few minutes but she would be sad if she didn’t get to move the bees along the track etc.
 
I'm planning to do this on my August trip, so excited! I have the option to go on either a Sunday or a Tuesday. Which should I pick? I'm thinking that Tuesday is less crowded, but maybe then I could do EMH at another park then.

When in August is this? I ask in case it's late and also MNSSHP days or not, which might impact my opinion.
 
Question for those who’ve done it. We’re thinking about booking FL EMM but want to make sure we can get back to the front of the castle to see the open show? My son loves Mickey and I’d love for him to see it. I know we won’t be close, but I just want to make sure we can exit and get back to Main Street so we can see it.

I’m sure the answer is yes, as I can’t see them keeping you from leaving the event, but just wanted to make sure.

Hmm... in all my times reading this and the prior EMM thread, I'm not sure if this has been asked. :confused3

Most people don't want to give up that precious EMM time, so I'm going to guess very few have done it. Maybe someone who knows for sure will chime in. I'm 'assuming' they'd let you back out front, but I don't know that for sure, and they may not?
 
Hmm... in all my times reading this and the prior EMM thread, I'm not sure if this has been asked. :confused3

Most people don't want to give up that precious EMM time, so I'm going to guess very few have done it. Maybe someone who knows for sure will chime in. I'm 'assuming' they'd let you back out front, but I don't know that for sure, and they may not?

I think the real challenge, beyond getting through the cm's, would be fighting through the crowds waiting for rope drop to get back to where you can see the stage. You'd really be swimming upstream there.
 
Any more buzz on the state of September EMM?
I successfully booked 9/17, but as we all know, Disney has pulled availability for September dates for now. We have considered rescheduling our trip to January, but we really want to do this event, so if we knew we had it (or didn’t), that would factor into our decision! TIA!
 
We were also there last Sunday and I had the same experience with checking in. It was a lot longer and much more chaotic than our last time in December and we didn’t make it until 7:45 to scan in our bands. We ended up going on the left side of the castle and I have no idea if that was correct or not!
Interesting that you were able to go to the left. Maybe timing had something to do with it. Maybe I encountered a misinformed CM. I find Disney is full of these inconsistencies, lol.
 
Can anyone tell me if you use the regular line or fastpass line for Pooh? My daughter loves to play with all the little things in the standby line. We wouldn’t need long just a few minutes but she would be sad if she didn’t get to move the bees along the track etc.
Pooh is the one ride we always skip as it scares my DD ( :confused3 She has no trouble with Haunted Mansion or Space Mountain, yet she won’t do the Pooh ride, lol). So I can’t answer for that ride specifically. Hopefully someone else can. Peter Pan had the FP line open, but I observed one family inquire if they could walk through the standby queue and the CM said it was fine. So even if it’s the FP line that’s being used, it’s definitely worth asking if you can go through the standby one.
 
Thank you SO much for at least trying to check for me! You don't know how much I appreciate it! I think if my son and I do it on our next visit, we might just do the yogurt and fruit and the juices. I might let us "cheat" and grab one of the pastries as those tend to be for the most part okay to eat without a kosher symbol. We would definitely grab what we bring for breakfast in our room before leaving and perhaps use the breakfast they offer as a "snack" for my son should he get hungry while we're doing EMM. :D But there was no cold cereal, correct?
Only the granola in my picture, and come to think of it I’m not sure there was even milk in quantities greater than for coffee. But frankly I’d still do EMM even if I was planning to just have yogurt, fruit, and pastries—they were some of the best things anyway!
 
Only the granola in my picture, and come to think of it I’m not sure there was even milk in quantities greater than for coffee. But frankly I’d still do EMM even if I was planning to just have yogurt, fruit, and pastries—they were some of the best things anyway!

I think this is probably exactly what we will do on our next trip! As many have said, they aren't at EMM for the breakfast though!
 
Oops, I should have said! We'll be at Disney from Aug 8 to Aug 17, and then from Aug 21 to Aug 22. We plan to do MNSSHP on Aug 20 when we return from Universal.

Ahh, OK - so your Sun/Tues is pre-MNSSHP. I don’t think it really matters all that much, I’d go with whatever works best in your overal touring schedule.

Have fun!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top