Opening the Park

[Motherfletcher]

Have you ever noticed that sometimes at park openings a family is chosen to say where they are from, welcome everyone and officially open the park?
My son and daughter have opened US. With that we received a free photogragh which is kind of nice since there is no one in the background. Then they let you be the first to go to the attractions. By the way they recommend Shrek first!
How do you get picked? They usually notice the first family to show up at the turnstiles. It helps to have younger kids.
My daughter has opened Magic Kingdom which was a big deal for her. They gave her a wand that she waved at the opening countdown. Then the family got to ride to the castle in a very old car.
My son has opened Blizzard Beach which was nice since the kids were both yelling at me for getting them up at 3:30 AM to drive to Orlando. We got there early and Disney noticed us. We didn't join others to queue up or anything, they came to where we were sitting and asked if we were the first to arrive. My son received a nice medal that read "Ski Captain" and he was the first to go down Summit Plummet. They walked us to a shelter with a sign "Ski Captain". We were given a locker which contained the refillable drink cups and towels.
So it pays to arrive early and you might even politely ask an attendant about it. They may arrange for a future opening.

 

[TigerLilly's Mom]

I never knew they did this at Universal - how cool. Sad to say, we are not early risers, so this probably won't happen to us We did go to EE day at Magic Kingdom one day, got there at least 1/2 hour before EE time and there were still a ton of people in front of us! How early do these people get up???

 

[Motherfletcher]

I tell you MK has some fanatics. The earliest you can get there is to stay at the Contemporary and walk over before the monorails start running.

 

[h20jag]

Bringin' the pup-tents now!
(Hope RPR doesn't mind me dragging a mattress over)

Great experiences for ya'll MotherFl, awesome memories for the kids!

 

[SpideyHulk24]

That is too cool!!!! I did not know that either.

Thank you for sharing!

 

[JessicaR]

Great info! Now if we can only get out butts outta bed early enough to try it out!

 

[SpideyHulk24]

Jessica-

LOL!!!!! My thoughts exactly. But it would be worth it, you know?

 

[JessicaR]

It sure would, sounds like great fun! I bet the kids would have that memory forever too!

 

[Flyfly_Eclipse]

I would *so* love to open Universal Studios! I can advertise the Ghostbusters Show to everyone...

"Welcome Ladies, Gentlemen, and kids of all ages to Universal Studios, the theme park where you can ride your favorite movies! I personally recommend Men in Black and Back to the Future, but at all costs, go see the Extreme Ghostbusters Show. That's right. Go see a bunch of hot guys for 12 minutes! But whatever you do, do NOT get there more than 29 minutes early!! I must have my spot! If you get there 30 minutes early or more, you will be sorry!! DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!!!! Have a nice day and enjoy your stay! "

How would that sound?

 

[robvia]

I've been first into many parks.
It's a cool feeling running ahead of everyone else.
At USF it doesn't matter as much for Shrek because they wait for the room to fill up before closing the doors, grrrrr. You'd be better off getting your express pass for Neutron, then going into the Shrek line.
I've been first into IOA many times. This gets you a front seat ride on Hulk, great way to start your morning.
For Disney, many wake up early, and arrive at the EE park before it opens. Recently stayed at the All Star Resorts, and there was a line of people taking the bus to the MK. You'd be surprised how many people wake up early and head to the parks to beat the crowd. If you wanna be near the front of the line, you need to arrive 1 hour before the park opens.

Most of the time, I'm by myself, and run to the major attraction. Some of my highlites.
First train, front row of Hulk with only 1 other person next to me.
Frist trian, front row of Fire only one in the train.
First jeep, front seat of Rhino Rally, last year when it was a big deal.
First train, front row of Kraken at SWF
First train, front row of RnR at MGM
First pod for MS at Epcot
First train, front row of Hypersonic at PKD
First train, front row of Superman at SFOG
Frist ride on Delerium at PKI
First train for MF at Cedar Point, now that's a tuff one to get the front seat on. Little kids can sprint faster than me. I was like 5th in line and got the 3rd train in the front.

Anyway, I get a victory feeling getting on the major ride ahead of the crowd. Plus it usually saves me a 30 minute wait, sometimes longer for the parks up north.

 

[Figment22]

Our family was chosen as the park opening family at Universal Studios back in April. We were the first in line and have two kids, which is a big plus. It was fun, the kids loved it and we got a nice souvenir photo to document our "fame".

Just another of our great memories of Universal Orlando.

 

[JessicaR]

I love reading the posts on this thread! Anyone else have any opening experiences for the parks?

 

[Motherfletcher]

robvia-
Thats a whole other thread. My son likes to run to JP and has been the only one in the boat several times. I had to buy the photo.
Disney has gotten real strict about running and have threatened to kick you out of the park. I whispered to my boy to go ahead and run and I would pay whatever fine there was. He took off and had to juke Captn Hook on Main Street. It was seriously funny.
Before FOTL it was the only way to tour. Arrive early!!