New Magic Kingdom Welcome Show & Main Street Opening UPDATE: Page 15 - Post #281

[mikedoyleblogger]

This is how they've done it at Disneyland for years, except there's no welcome show. Guests are allowed onto Main Street and the CMs with the ropes are at the hub. It's actually really nice because instead of running up main street like cattle, you get half an hour to browse, grab a cup of coffee or a muffin, etc. Honestly, it really beats standing in a big crowd outside the archways, especially if the weather is iffy. It also makes it easier to ride the main street vehicles, because they don't have to fight off a gigantic initial crowd surge.

 

[Gina Starr]

I get why they are having to do this. More folks can fit on Main St than in the entrance area. At least I assume they can. As with so many things, word spreading on the Internet has made things more popular than ever before. I'm sure it's gotten to the point where they had to make the change. I think it will significantly impact PPO folks. I mean, they'll still get in to go eat but it will be a very different environment.

Exactly! We had to make our reservations 6 months ago and specifically chose a ppo reservation for CRT so my nieces and nephews can experience the park with not many other people there. Our reservation is for 9 people and there is no way I will be able to change it 2 weeks out. This new show opens 2 days before our adr and I'm honestly pretty upset. I got my whole family, who with 5 kids won't be able to afford to come back anytime soon, excited for the idea of awesome pictures with very few people around. I understand why things change at Disney, I just wish we would get more of a notice.
Edit: we picked CRT to eat with the princesses, not to get in early. I meant picked the time specifically to get in a little early. They will still love getting to meet the princesses.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

This is making me think of Disneyland when they have the early entry for the hotel guests but the rest of the guests are held at the entrances to all the lands and the rope drop happens there. I think there are some good and bad about this:

Good
-no more arriving before rope drop but getting stuck behind the people who don't know how to use the finger prints at the entry and slow down the lines
-for those who like the early morning Starbucks this will be nice, I'm sure that will be open
-it will be nice to have some time to mill around on Main Street and not feel like you need to rush to the headliner attractions

Bad
-no more train welcome show. who knows what the new welcome show will be. could be some very low key cheap show, or could be nice. Hard to judge now.
-this is something very small, but I took the Keys to the Kingdom tour before and it was really fun being on main street and viewing the welcome show from behind. As soon as it was over, all the characters practically race down the stairs of the train station and sprint for the backstage so that they get backstage before the guests enter.


I'm really not too concerned about the pre park opening main street pictures. I've had a few pre park opening breakfasts and I could never get pictures of the castle that were clear of other people, all the other breakfast guests are also milling around in front of the castle getting pictures. I've found it is easier to get pictures with no other guests in them in front of the castle at nighttime anyway at park closing.

Honestly, if you want the empty park pictures I'd book that early morning paid for hour. Probably costs less than a family breakfast at Crystal Palace.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Hmmm...does this mean that now instead of the crowd entering and dispersing through the park like they do now, they will have the hoard entrance and pack into Main Street??

I wonder then will the welcome show still be out front of the train station or will it be moved to the hub/castle?

In answer to the question, using the way it works at Disneyland as the model I am sure they are adopting here, yes. But people will not all be doing the same thing, unlike now where everybody just stands and waits. Some people will be browsing the shops, some people will be grabbing coffee, some people will be having breakfast. And the people who are most concerned about being the first to the rides will be massed close to the hub.

I bet this is a George Kalogridis initiative. It seems to me, he having been president of Disneyland Resort and now president of Walt Disney World, he keeps bringing over elements from the way the Anaheim parks operate. The AP dining discounts for the 45th anniversary are in the same vein.

 

[yulilin3]

I don't want to stir the pot or create an argument or anything like that, for all of you that have known me, either personally or on here know that I am not about that. But a pre park opening meal reservation gives you a meal, a seat at the table of the different restaurants. It is not and was never sold as a way to get fairly empty pictures of the park. I understand the frustration, I really do, but you should never expect anything more than what is being sold.

 

[WEDWDW]

This could also mean the end of getting to ride the Main Street USA Vehicles down to the Castle at Park Open.

 

[WEDWDW]

Honestly, if you want the empty park pictures I'd book that early morning paid for hour. Probably costs less than a family breakfast at Crystal Palace.

But aren't EMM Guests let into MK at the same time as Early ADR Guests-7:45 AM?

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

This could also mean the end of getting to ride the Main Street USA Vehicles down to the Castle at Park Open.

Not at all. Stacking the rope drop crowd on main street at Disneyland has no impeding effect at all on the main street vehicles at rope drop. In fact, it makes it better. Because instead of a giant initial herd of people thundering through Town Square, it will be a giant thundering herd of people thundering from the north end of Main Street and immediately dispersing throughout the park. That means the main street vehicles in Town Square, from the moment of rope drop, will only have to deal with the people who are trickling in at a regular pace from the tap styles.

 

[yulilin3]

This could also mean the end of getting to ride the Main Street USA Vehicles down to the Castle at Park Open.

It will be the same amount of crowds, I don't think that would end

 

[jpeden]

I don't want to stir the pot or create an argument or anything like that, for all of you that have known me, either personally or on here know that I am not about that. But a pre park opening meal reservation gives you a meal, a seat at the table of the different restaurants. It is not and was never sold as a way to get fairly empty pictures of the park. I understand the frustration, I really do, but you should never expect anything more than what is being sold.

This is a fair point and I understand what you're saying. I would be less upset if Disney didn't know this is why people did this. For example - $24 a person at BOG for breakfast? They're basically charging you an extra $10 a person to get in the park early. How many people actually have breakfast at BOG between 9-10:30?

I am much more concerned about the effect this will have on extra magic hours in the morning.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

But aren't EMM Guests let into MK at the same time as Early ADR Guests-7:45 AM?

Hmm that is a good point, I'm not sure.

Is it EMM 7:45 entry and any dining reservation before 9 (assuming park opening is 9) gets to enter starting at 7:45?

I wonder when the gates would be open for Main Street before park opening. Maybe it will just be an hour before and then everyone will still have 15 minutes for their pictures?

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

This is a fair point and I understand what you're saying. I would be less upset if Disney didn't know this is why people did this. For example - $24 a person at BOG for breakfast? They're basically charging you an extra $10 a person to get in the park early. How many people actually have breakfast at BOG between 9-10:30?

I am much more concerned about the effect this will have on extra magic hours in the morning.

It doesn't have any affect on EMH at Disneyland. I'm not sure what you're worried is going to happen negatively. On-site guests will still be allowed past the ropes, whether the ropes are at the archways or at the hub, and offsite guests will not.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Actually, I would add something else here. The way it stands now, if you rope drop Magic Kingdom, you are essentially giving up main street. Because the moment the rope drops, you are flying to whatever headliner you want to hit first and going on from there. Stacking Main Street, instead, with the ropes at the hub is going to give people a very different morning experience of Main Street. Because now you're actually going to finally get to experience Main Street in the morning if you want to, without giving up rope drop ride time. You won't have to choose one or the other anymore. From my experience as a former Disneyland vet, it can actually make the rope drop experience much more relaxing and less of a giant contest.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I bet this is a George Kalogridis initiative. It seems to me, he having been president of Disneyland Resort and now president of Walt Disney World, he keeps bringing over elements from the way the Anaheim parks operate. The AP dining discounts for the 45th anniversary are in the same vein.

Well here's hoping he brings in how Fast Pass is done at Disneyland.

 

[sharonabe]

It doesn't have any affect on EMH at Disneyland. I'm not sure what you're worried is going to happen negatively. On-site guests will still be allowed past the ropes, whether the ropes are at the archways or at the hub, and offsite guests will not.

But how will they differentiate now? Will they have MB readers at the ropes to check who is onsite? Will they have a separate entrance that takes them somewhere besides Main St? Or will they go back to some kind of wrist band to show who is onsite and eligible for EMH?

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

But how will they differentiate now? Will they have MB readers at the ropes to check who is onsite? Will they have a separate entrance that takes them somewhere besides Main St? Or will they go back to some kind of wrist band to show who is onsite and eligible for EMH?

That's a good question. My guess is, again going by Disneyland, EMH guests will be allowed in an hour early, and then Main Street will be stacked and the ropes situated at the hub half an hour after that. And then at that point, any EMH guests who arrive late or who are still on main street will need to scan their magic bands with a CM at the ropes who has a portable scanner. I think at Disneyland, since they don't have the new technology stuff, you physically have to show a CM (or maybe by now it's let a CM scan the barcode of) your key card at the ropes.

 

[jpeden]

It doesn't have any affect on EMH at Disneyland. I'm not sure what you're worried is going to happen negatively. On-site guests will still be allowed past the ropes, whether the ropes are at the archways or at the hub, and offsite guests will not.

I imagine handling the differences in numbers at WDW vs DL will be much more challenging. The on-site contingent is coming from over 30 hotels vs the three at Disneyland. The offsite contingent is also larger. I don't think it's going to be as easy as "it worked at Disneyland so it should work at WDW." What happens the first time a guest or several have meltdowns because they don't understand they can't go past the ropes.

I feel like "you can't enter the park because you aren't on-site" is a lot easier to understand/deal with than "we've already let you in the park but you can't go past the ropes at the Hub because you're not on-site."

 

[Jennasis]

Actually, I would add something else here. The way it stands now, if you rope drop Magic Kingdom, you are essentially giving up main street. Because the moment the rope drops, you are flying to whatever headliner you want to hit first and going on from there. Stacking Main Street, instead, with the ropes at the hub is going to give people a very different morning experience of Main Street. Because now you're actually going to finally get to experience Main Street in the morning if you want to, without giving up rope drop ride time. You won't have to choose one or the other anymore. From my experience as a former Disneyland vet, it can actually make the rope drop experience much more relaxing and less of a giant contest.

Until the rope drops and all of Main Street/the hub moves en masses towards Fantasyland (except us...sneaking around the side to hit Splash first lol).

Itll just be a different way of doing things. Not necessarily better or worse. Everyone will adjust accordingly and we will all move on.

 

[BigAlsGal]

I love the welcome show. Will definitely make it to the Jan 7th show now as it will probably be my last. I'm sad but hopeful that maybe the new experience will be just as wonderful.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

I imagine handling the differences in numbers at WDW vs DL will be much more challenging. The on-site contingent is coming from over 30 hotels vs the three at Disneyland. The offsite contingent is also larger. I don't think it's going to be as easy as "it worked at Disneyland so it should work at WDW." What happens the first time a guest or several have meltdowns because they don't understand they can't go past the ropes.

I don't see how it would be any more challenging than it is now. Right now it's the same number of people in a smaller space with long lines stretching out towards security. With the new procedure, it will be the same number of people in a much, much larger space, which should help with the crowding a great deal. Guests have meltdowns all the time. Including kids (or, ahem, tour groups) who want to get past the ropes right now at the archways. Again, I just don't see how it would be any different. CM's keep you behind the ropes at the archways until an announcement is made that Magic Kingdom is open, CM's will keep you behind the ropes at the entrance to the hub until an announcement is made that Magic Kingdom is open. The only difference will likely be that there will also be announcements that main street is open in advance of the official park opening time, so people understand that all they can access is Main Street. Those announcements are made in Anaheim, so I assume they would be made in Orlando as well.