Opening ceremonies at MK and AK?

[pperfectmom]

I am in the middle of reading "The Unofficial Guide.."and haven't found where they tell you about the ceremonies before the park opens each day. They seem more interested in getting you to Space Mt. as quickly as possible. Is it worth getting there early to see? Where exactly do they do it? Is it every day or is there a schedule?Do they do it at all the parks or just AK and MK? Thanks guys!

 

[pperfectmom]

Anyone?????

 

[debbi801]

We really enjoyed them.

The MK opening was right where you'd walk in before the train tracks....There are people singing nd dancing, Mickey, etc. comes on the train, the family of the day tosses pixie dust, the park opens. AK is inside the turnstiles--Minnie and Goofy come on a safari jeep, they talk about what you need for the day, Mickey makes a surprise appearance, and the CM drops the rope for you to continue on your way.

 

[RyMickey]

We saw the MK one for the first time this year. If I remember correctly, I think it officially starts 12 minutes before official opening time. It was definitely fun to see, but I wouldn't make it a necessary item to catch on our trip. It was nice that we were there early enough at the extra magic hours to see it and since it was during the EMH, it wasn't crowded at all.

 

[The Sweetness]

I'd LOVE to have a chance to be the family of the day What do we do to increase chances? DD14 got to open USF one morn a few years ago. She waas THRILLLLLLLLLLLED

 

[rlovew]

Get to the park really early and ask about it. Many times they have already set it up but sometimes you can get lucky or the family won't make it in time (when I say really early I mean a few hours before the park opens for MK. At AK we were a little early and they asked were asking around til they found a family that hadn't been to the park before and asked them to do it but it was after we entered the Oasis area.

 

[brer rabbit 28]

I saw both openings last week and loved them both.I found it a bit sad how some parents were practically dragging their kids away at MK whilst Mickey was still doing the countdown to opening-what price that first ride then?

 

[rlrx]

The opening at MK was one of our favorite parts of the day. When we went there our first morning of our trip and they started singing, I actually started crying because I felt like an excited little kid. I would say it is definitely worth seeing.

 

[Corryn]

We've never done it. Thank you for letting us know, it's something I want to see, especially when rlrx said she started crying....I'd probably start crying, too!

 

[emma'smom]

We were there around 8:15 (for a 9:00 opening) last week and a CM came out and picked a family standing near us to open the park- so it wasn't really very early that they did the picking. The family had what looked to be a 8 or 9 year old and about a 5 year old. The CM was carrying a big bag of pixie dust and took the family off into the train station. They rode out on the train with Mickey and tossed the pixie dust to open the park. It seems like they make a point of picking families with kids young enough to really get into it, but old enough to follow directions and understand what to do.

 

[pperfectmom]

What time do we actually need to be at the gate to be able to see it all? Are there huge crowds of people waiting? Yes, I will be one of those teary-eyed Moms!

 

[RyMickey]

What time do we actually need to be at the gate to be able to see it all? Are there huge crowds of people waiting? Yes, I will be one of those teary-eyed Moms!

We saw the opening ceremony at MK on an EMH morning. We arrived and were through the security/gates at 7:40. We were at the bus stop at POFQ by 7:15 and we were fine.

 

[pperfectmom]

Thanks for the info. I'm so excited. One last question-where do I find the most accurate opening time info? Are the times on the official website on target?