No MM. Be there at Opening?

[heather_sue_98]

We will be going for a short two day vacay to the parks Thursday, April 15th and Friday, April 16th. Our first day is a MM, but we will not have MM since we are only doing two days. I have a few questions:

We will need to redeem our Give a Day vouchers at the Ticket Booths. How long before opening do the ticket booths open? Or would they open at the opening time of the MM for the day?

If we are in the park as quickly as we can be, after waiting at ticket booths and turnstyles, will there still be characters in town square? How long do they stay there in the mornings?

Would it still be worth it to head straight to Fantasyland? Or not since many of the MMers will be there? If we don't head to Fantasyland, what other rides would you suggest for getting there close to opening, but after MMers have already been there an hour?

One more. Are there always characters at Sunshine Plaza in California Adventure at opening for the day? How long do they stay there after opening?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Flitterific]

I believe the ticket booths open at least half an hour prior to rope drop. I always get to the parks at opening (never had a MM pass since I'm a PAP holder) but I always head straight to Fantasyland first anyway. I didn't notice much of a difference between MM and non-MM days (but perhaps I'm wrong).

Characters are not always in Town Square first thing in the morning. When I went during the summer, they weren't out until 9something, 10ish. However, when I was there for Christmas, a lot of characters seemed to be there at opening. Perhaps it depends on how crowded they anticipate the parks to be? Best thing would be to check with City Hall when you get there that day. They will be able to tell you when/where to find specific characters (but you have to ask specifically for those characters).

I've never been to DCA at rope drop but the schedule always seem to say that the characters are at Hollywood Backlot from 10am to 5pm on days when DCA is open from 10am-10pm. I believe the characters at Sunshine Plaza are usually out during that time as well but characters aren't always out so you might have to wait for them while they take breaks. You should be able to ask a CM with the "Ask Me About Characters" button when you get there for more specific times about when the characters will show up.

 

[ttds17]

I believe ticket booths open an hour before the park. We usually arrive at the gates 1/2 hour prior to opening and they are always already open at that time.

Characters are there periodically throughout the day. It really depends on when they open the gates. Sometimes the gates open early and they do a rope drop on Main Street. Whenever we have done the rope drop, there have not been characters out at that time. They seem to wander out shortly after the chaos of the rope drop. I don't know that that's an official thing or just our experience. Others here may have more details.

We always head straight to FL at opening and we rarely have MM. It is totally worth it. In fact, it's the only time we go to FL. I've never found MM to be terribly overwhelming where crowds are concerned. Many of them line up at Nemo because there is no fast pass. The other rides move very smoothly at opening. I would suggest doing anything that does not offer a fast pass as soon as you get there. You can easily do 3-4 rides before hitting any kind of line. And even then you could probably do 3-4 more with short wait times while grabbing a fast pass in between. It really depends on the ages of your children as well. Obviously little ones would prefer to be in FL and I can see why you might want to spend more time there.

DCA usually opens the gates 1/2 hour early as well. They then have several rope drops throughout the park. I have never seen characters out at this time. We usually do DL first, since it opens first. We hit several rides like I suggested above, then hop over to DCA 1/2 hour before they open. The first thing we do in DCA is TSMM. We go to the rope drop closest to GC (near the Grizzly River Run) and wait. Then we RUN to TSMM. We are usually first or second in line. It's totally worth it. By the time we get off the ride, there is a 30+ minute wait and it stays that way throughout the day.

Have fun!!
Allyson

 

[bumbershoot]

I would be there at opening no matter what.

For the non-MM day, I would be there nicely in advance, and do Fantasyland and Tomorrowland along with the other people who get there nice and early.

On the MM day, I wouldn't touch FL with a ten foot pole. Instead, choose the part of the park you really love, and be *there* asap after normal park opening. The MM people will be stuck in lines in FL and TL, and you can, for instance, get on Indy really fast.

 

[DLR29]

Even though you won't have MM, there are some useful reads in my MM super thread:

What time do the ticket booths open on MM days?
The time that the ticket booths open on any given day is subject to change, but an email from the park states that they open 30 minutes before Magic Morning begins on MM days.

What if I don't have MM. Should I still go to DL on a MM day? Will it be already extremely crowded when I enter?
Definitely start at DL on a MM day even if you don't have MM. Only Fantasyland and some Tomorrowland rides are open, so you can still get an equal rope drop for the Adventureland/Frontierland side of the park. Then later in the day, hop over to DCA if you want. If you are only going for 1 day, try to avoid MM days; however, multiple day visitors should not.

If I don't have MM, how can I use MM for my advantage?
On MM days, DL has specific gates designated for MM and others that say "Entrance". Those who have MM can enter through the MM gates all the way up until official park opening. Those without MM usually line up at the gates marked "Entrance". HOWEVER, if you arrive early enough and wait by the gates marked "MM", oftentimes some of those MM gates will turn into Entrance gates as the time approaches official park opening. If you do it right, when a MM gate turns into an Entrance gate, you can actually be one of the first ones in line at a gate.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1675403

If you have 2 mornings, don't go to FL on the MM day. Definitely go to FL on the Friday when you have an equal shot as everybody else. I guarantee you won't want to be standing in a 30 min Peter Pan line as the first thing on your first day! Also, I have sometimes seen characters in Town Square at opening, but I have never seen characters at DCA's opening.

 

[kylieh]

I remember seeing at GAT they have a promotion where 3 days cheaper than 2 days for April (we are there at the same time as you.) So if you wanted to purchase from them, or someone else that may have the same deal, you could buy a 3 day ticket and get the Magic Morning. www.getawaytoday.com

ETA - Du'h moment - I just reread your post and worked out why you had only 2 days. I just go back to my box now.....

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I would be there at opening no matter what.

For the non-MM day, I would be there nicely in advance, and do Fantasyland and Tomorrowland along with the other people who get there nice and early.

On the MM day, I wouldn't touch FL with a ten foot pole. Instead, choose the part of the park you really love, and be *there* asap after normal park opening. The MM people will be stuck in lines in FL and TL, and you can, for instance, get on Indy really fast.

I agree! Save FL for Fri. get there early and have the place pretty much to yourself *hopefully* ~ for Thurs. (again early) head to Indy, Splash, Thunder etc.... Frontier & Adventure Lands.

 

[heather_sue_98]

Thanks so much you guys.

Based on most of your replies, I think we will be at Disneyland at opening, try to do a few rides (or see characters if they're on Main Street), or at the very least get FP's for Space Mountain. Then head over to DCA for it's opening, and hit that hard the first day. I'm thinking with what we want to do in DCA we can have it done by late afternoon, then head back to the hotel for a break, and then head to Disneyland for the rest of the first day and all of the second day.

 

[Mommy26]

I am going to be at Disneyland on Tues.

Im told you can enter MS at 9:30 and wait for rope drop at 10 AM

Should I show up at 9 (30 min before MS entry), or
9:30 (30 min before rope drop)?

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I am going to be at Disneyland on Tues.

Im told you can enter MS at 9:30 and wait for rope drop at 10 AM

Should I show up at 9 (30 min before MS entry), or
9:30 (30 min before rope drop)?

If its a MM day (which tuesday is) and you aren't going to MM, then they won't let you through the gates and onto main street until park opening. Here's the best trick I've seen:

On a MM day (not going to MM) the MM entrance will switch to a regular entrance just prior to park opening. There is not a line! DH didn't believe me and waited in line just next to the MM entrance. But sure enough a few minutes prior to 10 am, it switched over and we were first in line at the gate!!

 

[HydroGuy]

I am going to be at Disneyland on Tues.

Im told you can enter MS at 9:30 and wait for rope drop at 10 AM

Should I show up at 9 (30 min before MS entry), or
9:30 (30 min before rope drop)?

9:30 should be fine. You might not be first but you will be close to the front.

 

[DLR29]

If its a MM day (which tuesday is) and you aren't going to MM, then they won't let you through the gates and onto main street until park opening. Here's the best trick I've seen:

On a MM day (not going to MM) the MM entrance will switch to a regular entrance just prior to park opening. There is not a line! DH didn't believe me and waited in line just next to the MM entrance. But sure enough a few minutes prior to 10 am, it switched over and we were first in line at the gate!!

Yes, I agree with this strategy. It's posted in the MM superthread. 9:30 is a good time to get there.