onsite hotel guests and some UO packaged offsite hotels receive early entry to IOA for parry hotter section of the park.
those guests can enter the park one hour prior to official opening.
the general public enters the park at the official time.
most cases it is at 9:00.
there are times that the guests in line for the 9:00 opening are let in 10-5 minutes prior to that.
if the back section of the park is not full, and if the gate line is long, the TM's have allowed peeps to enter prior to the official opening time.
i have also seen peeps allowed in early when they line outside the gate is minimal.
that monday the parks open at 9:00.
if you are in the line to enter the park at 8:15, you would be very close to the head of that wait line.
i see lines getting full outside the gate once it is 8:40.
but, early May generally does not bring in large crowds to the parks.
buy your UO park ticket in advance so you don't have to deal with ticket lines when you arrive at the park.
the only thing that would screw up your schedule is the traveling from the motherland to the darkside.
if you leave at 8:00 and drive, any back up traffic or accident on the road could delay your arrival to the darkside.
i have made it from the motherland to the darkside in 22 minutes before with car service.
if you are driving, you'll be walking from the parking garage to the park.
add some time for that hike.
