Opinions: Is MM still worth using?

[Blue32]

This question I realize may get some different opinions depending on which day you go and what time of year you go, but I'd like your thoughts.

Is using your MM at DL still a benefit?

It seems people have reported that since CL has opened and On-Site hotel guests now have access to both parks early and it is being advertised this way now, that the MM has lost some value.

Are people able to acheive as much during their MM as they used to?

Or with the morning crowds being larger at the park with EE/MM, should this park be avoided that morning altogether like some advise at WDW?

Let me know YOUR thoughts...

 

[Geemo]

I plan on using MM when we are there in Jan/Feb. In the past when we have stayed on-site and had EE, we used it every day it was an option.

I think we'll be able ride a few attractions before the crowd volume increases in the morning.

Geemo

 

[momtotwolittleones]

Even before carsland opened, I didn't think MM was all that great. We still always waited at least 20-30 minutes for Peter Pan every morning. We get there early, but I guess we're not willing to get there early enough to be the first ones through the gate.

 

[cmwade77]

From what I have heard from those that work the parks in the mornings, on days that both DL and DCA have MM, go to DL. Apparently it is virtually empty when this happens.

 

[Geemo]

From what I have heard from those that work the parks in the mornings, on days that both DL and DCA have MM, go to DL. Apparently it is virtually empty when this happens.

What day(s) of the week do both have MM? I'd like to know, so I can use this technique.


Geemo

 

[scrapshappen]

I thought they ended both parks on the same days a month or more ago, but maybe I missed something.

My understanding is that DCA is open Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday early for Resort Guests only. And DL is open Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday for Resort guests and others who have MM.

 

[Eeee-va]

Magic Morning at DL worked fine for us on Thursday, 11/1, getting us on Peter Pan Flight in about 7 minutes after rope drop. In fairness, this was before they were ID checking everyone (they were only checking 4-5 day passholders, and we had 2-day passes). Also, it was before the Christmas parade filming, so the whole front of the castle was blocked off, and we had to walk around the right side of the castle to reach Fantasyland. That gave us a bit of an advantage over people who may not have known what to do, plus we had more room to maneuver (and more time to get past people who might have been more tired than we were).

After Peter Pan Flight, we rode Dumbo (just had to wait for the ride to cycle). For some reason Mr. Toad and Alice were down, so we tried the Teacups (had to wait for the ride to cycle), then back to Alice, then Toad, then Snow White, then Pinocchio, and finally a trip on Space Mountain before the park opened to everyone at 10. In short, we managed to do about as much as I've always done during a MM. (After that we hopped to DCA, which allowed us to get a FP for RSR, so I can't speak for DL crowds after the MM. I can't imagine they were much different than usual.)

DCA was a bit more of a mixed bag for us...we got in line before the gates opened for Early Entry (but not early enough!). By the time we got to RSR--no later than 8:15; probably closer to 8:10--there was a 60-minute wait! So our plan was to ride Luigi's that morning, but that wasn't open yet! At a bit of a loss, we went to Tower of Terror, which had a bit of a wait time, oddly, BECAUSE there was no one there. We ended up waiting for 2 other guests to join us, and then some other folks who I think had gone through some sort of other area and were waiting for one other member of their party by the elevator. Kind of weird. Anyway, once we were off ToT, we went back to Cars Land and Luigi's was open so we rode that with no problem. Then it was 8:40 and we figured it was time to head back to get in line for a FP for RSR, but we met Mater first.

I don't think Early Entry was a waste for DCA by any means, but if you're not near the front of the entrance line, you might have trouble getting onto RSR, and it might be helpful to have a couple backup plans in case your second choice ride isn't open either! I don't know if there's a perfect order to doing Cars Land, or if I was just too inexperienced.

If RSR is your priority, I currently would NOT avoid DCA on an Early Entry day. This hasn't been proven, but it looks to me like RSR may be more likely to be down for maintenance on non-Early Entry mornings than on Early Entry mornings. IF that is true (big if), you might actually have a better chance of getting a good Fastpass if you visited DCA on an Early Entry day, since if the ride opens at (for instance) noon, Fastpasses will be distributed with the first return time being noon instead of the park's opening time.

For the rest of Cars Land, Luigi's wait times are reported to be better than they were this summer, and Mater's wait time is usually reported as no more than 20 minutes (and if you like the music, it's a pretty fun queue anyway...I now realize a 20-minute wait was actually enjoyable!). I doubt Early Entry substantially affects much of anything else in DCA besides Cars Land and Toy Story Midway Mania. As Early Entry guests we found all the rest of Paradise Pier (except TSMM) to be walk-ons an hour after the park opened to all guests.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think MM has changed at all (minus no longer having Sunday at DL). Onsite guests have always had access to MM at DL, so the crowds will be the same there. And yes, IMO, it is completely worth it. We do get there before the gates open, walk on PP and do the rest of FL in under 30-45 minutes. We have time to head over to Tomorrowland at that point.

What has changed is that on-site guests now get the EMH to DCA, giving them a head start on certain days. So maybe I misread your question and you are asking is MM worth it, or more worth it, in order to skip having equal footing at DCA on the same days? And that I can't answer. Depending on how long your trip is, I would use your MM at Disneyland and starting at DCA on a non-EMH another - for example Sat MM at DL, Sun which ever you wanted and Mon at DCA. But that is what would work for my family. I love that hour in Fantasyland.

 

[sweethannah]

I'm far from expert but I think MM works best if you use it to avoid most of the Fantasyland rides (if this isn't your main reason for using the MM of course ) and focus on other areas that are open and to just enjoy a more leisurely pace. Snag some FPs once they come available and it sets up your day nicely imo. Like another person posted, go on days that the other park has early entry.

 

[bumbershoot]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think MM has changed at all (minus no longer having Sunday at DL). Onsite guests have always had access to MM at DL, so the crowds will be the same there. And yes, IMO, it is completely worth it.

I agree.


This summer onsite guests got to choose where to go, but that's been done since the end of September. Onsite guests and those with tickets with MM get to go to Disneyland on MM days *just like they have for years*. Onsite guests get to take part in EMH at DCA, which are on opposite days as MM.

MM is still a good experience IF you want to ride the rides that are open. If you do not want to visit Fantasyland (or, if you are like my family, you're kind of FL'd out most of the time) or hit Tomorrowland, then plan to be first at the other lands. If you have MM anyway, go on into the park and shop or eat or something, and then be right there in line for Adventureland or Frontierland. The MM people will still be stuck in that last line, and you will beat them onto whatever else.

Or if you don't have MM, just go on the DCA-EMH days (aka non-MM days at DL) at the normal time, and go to whatever DL rides you want to go on!

 

[perlster]

deleted

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

I plan on using MM when we are there in Jan/Feb. In the past when we have stayed on-site and had EE, we used it every day it was an option.

I think we'll be able ride a few attractions before the crowd volume increases in the morning.

Geemo

I find that to be a realistic expectation for MM. It is not "magic" in the sense that everything is a walk-on, especially not Peter Pan or Dumbo, or that the average family will ride a dozen rides in the hour, but it is still better than when that many more people arrive at the regular rope drop. It also gave us an opportunity for "only" a 15-minute wait for Finding Nemo instead of the hour-long wait time we regularly saw Oct 30-Nov 13.
I can imagine a type of vacationer who
a) is there when the parks are open until 11pm or later,
b) is not a young child who needs a decent bedtime, and/or
c) is not terribly interested in the rides available for MM
for whom it could be better to sleep in and stay until the park closes, especially if you're willing to ride during things like F! or fireworks. We loved shutting the parks down and found that final hour, ESP in DCA, to be as quiet or quieter than the early entry times at either park.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I feel a little bit different about this. If we start with PP during our MM, everything is walk on for us during that hour. Granted we go when the hours are longer. Our last trip in Oct we walked on PP, Dumbo, Alice, Tea Cups, Carousel, Snow White, Pinocchio and then walked on Finding Nemo.

 

[coaches24]

I feel a little bit different about this. If we start with PP during our MM, everything is walk on for us during that hour. Granted we go when the hours are longer. Our last trip in Oct we walked on PP, Dumbo, Alice, Tea Cups, Carousel, Snow White, Pinocchio and then walked on Finding Nemo.

this has been our experience as well.

We were always there early enough to be one of the first in however. And usually by the time we have gotten of PP there is a line. Last trip we had an issue with our ticket on our last MM day and missed over half the time before the issue was resolved and we were let in. By the time we got to FL the line for PP was all the way back by BBB (well actually the store right accross from BBB). Most of the other rides were not bad but AIWL wasn't working at that time. And SM broke down before DW got to ride.

 

[Blue32]

I feel a little bit different about this. If we start with PP during our MM, everything is walk on for us during that hour. Granted we go when the hours are longer. Our last trip in Oct we walked on PP, Dumbo, Alice, Tea Cups, Carousel, Snow White, Pinocchio and then walked on Finding Nemo.

And this is what we'd like to attempt... get most if not all of FantasyLand
knocked out. But we are going when the hours are shorter so our MM will begin at 9:00(10am regular opening).

What time should we plan on arriving at Security if we want to be one of the first ones at a turnstile when the hours are later?

 

[coaches24]

And this is what we'd like to attempt... get most if not all of FantasyLand
knocked out. But we are going when the hours are shorter so our MM will begin at 9:00(10am regular opening).

What time should we plan on arriving at Security if we want to be one of the first ones at a turnstile when the hours are later?

we try and get there 90 to 60 min early and get in the security line. Once they open security we walk briskly and usually end up passing a couple of families on the way to the turn stiles. Then we find the shortest line and get in it. Usually we are one of the first 10 in our line this way. Once in we head straight to PP. We don't run but we walk fast and no stops on the way.

 

[Blue32]

we try and get there 90 to 60 min early and get in the security line. Once they open security we walk briskly and usually end up passing a couple of families on the way to the turn stiles. Then we find the shortest line and get in it. Usually we are one of the first 10 in our line this way. Once in we head straight to PP. We don't run but we walk fast and no stops on the way.

Thanks! I was thinking of at least 60 min. early but maybe a bit more now.

 

[figment_jii]

If you plan to use MM I would definitely plan to get to the turnstiles way before the scheduled start time of the MM. My friends didn't really plan for this on Thursday so they arrived for DL's MM about 30 minutes before it started (got in line at 8:30). It was 9:30 am before they got in the gate, so the MM was almost half over by then. Peter Pan was already at a 30 minute wait by this point.

 

[rramstad]

I am one of the folks who posted about having poor MM experiences in July 2012 as opposed to the previous year July 2011.

We used our MM to get into DL on a weekday in July 2012 and found that there were a gazillion people in the park, and it was much worse than just simply arriving at the regular opening time the previous day.

It seemed at that time that because EMH was being so heavily advertised that everyone in the DLR hotels were at the DL MM on the morning it was available.

We personally found that doing the opposite was definitely the way to go... DL on the days DCA had EMH, and DCA on the days DL had EMH. Even to the point where the one day we used MM I wished we hadn't, we spent 40 or so minutes in DL and bailed for DCA opening, as DL was a total mess.

Just MHO, YMMV, etc.

 

[rramstad]

Oh, and yes, my expectation is that if I show up 30+ minutes early for MM that I should be able to do all of Fantasyland plus get over to Indy or Space or Star Tours to grab FP once the park opens.

We were able to do that easily in July 2011 on a weekday MM, but the July 2012 MM was a nightmare by comparison.

(Actually, we had shown up the day before 30+ minutes early for park opening at DL and did everything we'd normally get done in MM in the first 50 minutes or so that the park was open! No crowds at all, everyone at DCA apparently.)