PPO breakfast vs mid-morning breakfast

[nkereina]

When you do a breakfast ADR, particularly a character breakfast, is your preference to do a pre-park opening ADR with the intention of finishing up before rope drop? Or do you prefer to arrive for rope drop, do some rides, and then head to breakfast mid-morning?

We are traveling as a group of 9 in August. If we do a pre-park opening ADR, I'm concerned with finishing in time to take advantage of rope drop/early morning in the park. But if we do mid-morning, I'd be concerned with how much we'd actually get done before breakfast.

What's your preference and why?

 

[GillianP1301]

We prefer PPO, although finishing before rope drop is not a priority for us so I never feel rushed. We would be pretty grumpy campers if we didn't start our day with a decent breakfast and it's for that reason I don't do mid morning breakfast ADRs. If you don't think you'll suffer with too much hangriness in your party, then mid morning is a good option. Give your self an hour or two in the park before you eat and you'll accomplish a lot. It also means you are probably okay with just 2 meals a day instead of 3, which could be a money saver.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I normally like to do PPO ADR. For example at Crystal Palace I usually get an 805 or 810am ADR. I make it a point to be done before rope drop. I've been there many times, so i don't need to see all the characters. I ask for the bill rather quickly too, it helps. I've always been done well before rope drop....one time i even had an 815am ADR and i still made it out on time. Mind you, its always just me and another person (either my DS or a friend). Never a group of 9 like yours.

For big groups such as yours, i feel that wrapping it up before rope drop might not work out very well....things tend to move slowly with big groups....some arent ready to settle the bill, some are still eating, going to the bathroom, etc. Plus if they want to see ALL of the characters, then a PPO ADR might not work...you'd be better off with a late morning/brunch ADR around 1030-1045am or so. I've done both ways and both work fine. The plus side to the later ADR is that you wont feel rushed, you'll get a chance to see all the characters, plus a brunch is always nice. You can just grab a snack if you get hungry mid-afternoon.

 

[lpizzuro123]

We prefer a later morning breakfast buffet - also this way they usually start putting out lunch items - so you get two meals for one - and don't feel rushed.

Linda

 

[ZoZo]

I actually prefer a mid-to-late-morning breakfast. I don't have to get up nearly as early, and can get lots done before 10:45 or so. Then I can treat it as "brunch" and have an early dinner, having two messages instead of three that day. I try to get one of the last seatingseveral for breakfast.

I'mean definitely not an early riser by nature, so being able to sleep in a little helps. You have to get up pretty early for a PPO ADR, so every bit of extra sleep helps!

 

[slford00]

My vote is for ADR later in the morning -- the cost of these meals is so high, why would I want to stress and rush through everything as fast as possible in order to make it to the rides at park open?

 

[ChasingLeslie]

We have younger kids and prefer early mornings to late nights, so we do PPO breakfast.

 

[VillainFavs]

I like the PPO at BOG because it's quick to get in and out without feeling rushed at all. I don't think I'd want to do a buffet, especially if meeting the characters is important. Just feel like I'd be watching the clock the whole time and stressing out that we're not done in time. But I do love the very late morning breakfasts! I try to make them as late as possible, 10:30-11:00 (depending on when they stop serving breakfast). You still get over an hour of quiet time in the park beforehand. This is then our brunch and we're good until dinner time, with just a snack sometime in the afternoon. We just have something quick in the room/on the way to park to hold us over until that late morning ADR. I'd never make it otherwise!

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

We do PPO or as early as possible, but not because we care about beating any type of crowd. We simply like to have the earlier breakfast time.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

Normally, we do the PPO at Crystal Palace at MK. This trip we are going to try a 10:30 breakfast at CP, hoping it will be more of a brunch. I'm hoping that we will be able to get some things done before breakfast.

 

[GeraldineW]

We prefer the latest mid-morning usually but it will depend on the dining location. The character interaction particularly at Crystal Palace is much better at the end of the breakfast seating and before the lunch seating as there are fewer tables and the characters will come around and just hang around and goof off with you. We have found prepark opening breakfasts to be very rushed and we have had to choose between leaving without seeing all the characters or staying and missing rope drop. I would be very concerned with a group of 9 trying to do anything quick as that is a lot of people to keep coordinated and very hard to do. Big groups just tend to move slow.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I normally like to do PPO ADR. For example at Crystal Palace I usually get an 805 or 810am ADR. I make it a point to be done before rope drop. I've been there many times, so i don't need to see all the characters. I ask for the bill rather quickly too, it helps. I've always been done well before rope drop....one time i even had an 815am ADR and i still made it out on time. Mind you, its always just me and another person (either my DS or a friend). Never a group of 9 like yours.

For big groups such as yours, i feel that wrapping it up before rope drop might not work out very well....things tend to move slowly with big groups....some arent ready to settle the bill, some are still eating, going to the bathroom, etc. Plus if they want to see ALL of the characters, then a PPO ADR might not work...you'd be better off with a late morning/brunch ADR around 1030-1045am or so. I've done both ways and both work fine. The plus side to the later ADR is that you wont feel rushed, you'll get a chance to see all the characters, plus a brunch is always nice. You can just grab a snack if you get hungry mid-afternoon.

have you done this at Crystal Palace since the opening of the park changes and everyone is allowed into the castle at 8 for a 9park opening?

 

[Nancyg56]

If you are talking MK, I am not sure I would rush for a PPO meal anymore unless my party liked early morning breakfasts. My family always booked a PPO breakfast one day in the MK and one day in Epcot or DAK< But given the early entry to Main Street I would just have coffee and a pastry, hit as many attractions as possible before a mid morning brunch, and then skip lunch. Our travel group is alwasy at least 5 and more often 9, so meals are kind of important to us. We like to enjoy that time together because we do not stick together on all the attractions. A PPO meal does have some pressure to finish up and get moving.

 

[goofyintoronto]

have you done this at Crystal Palace since the opening of the park changes and everyone is allowed into the castle at 8 for a 9park opening?

YIKES! Excellent point. I totally forgot about the changes (the opening show being at the castle instead of the train station). That changes things doesn't it??? In that case, i'd probably just schedule a brunch to be honest. If you time it right, you can be there for the switch over and eat both breakfast and lunch.

 

[goofyintoronto]

If you are talking MK, I am not sure I would rush for a PPO meal anymore unless my party liked early morning breakfasts. My family always booked a PPO breakfast one day in the MK and one day in Epcot or DAK< But given the early entry to Main Street I would just have coffee and a pastry, hit as many attractions as possible before a mid morning brunch, and then skip lunch. Our travel group is alwasy at least 5 and more often 9, so meals are kind of important to us. We like to enjoy that time together because we do not stick together on all the attractions. A PPO meal does have some pressure to finish up and get moving.

I totally agree with this! When i originally posted, I totally forgot about the changes. I agree that a brunch would be best (then skip lunch). This would also save you a bit of money.

 

[nkereina]

Thanks all. I'm debating this issue with Akershus breakfast at Epcot and Hollywood & Vine breakfast at DHS.

For Akershus at Epcot, a PPO breakfast would mean we'd be in a good position for Frozen Ever After IF we finish eating on time, which means we could use a Tier 1 FP for Soarin or TT. But I think there's a good chance we wouldn't finish in time, because I know the kids will want to catch all the princesses.

For Hollywood & Vine breakfast, I have no qualms with moving it to mid-morning but we have a Sci Fi lunch reservation that half the group is excited for. Moving the breakfast would mean cancelling the lunch. But keeping a PPO breakfast means we probably will miss the rope drop advantage at DHS and we are only spending half a day there.

Ohhh the things we have to consider when Disney planning! LOL!

 

[Nancyg56]

Thanks all. I'm debating this issue with Akershus breakfast at Epcot and Hollywood & Vine breakfast at DHS.

For Akershus at Epcot, a PPO breakfast would mean we'd be in a good position for Frozen Ever After IF we finish eating on time, which means we could use a Tier 1 FP for Soarin or TT. But I think there's a good chance we wouldn't finish in time, because I know the kids will want to catch all the princesses.

For Hollywood & Vine breakfast, I have no qualms with moving it to mid-morning but we have a Sci Fi lunch reservation that half the group is excited for. Moving the breakfast would mean cancelling the lunch. But keeping a PPO breakfast means we probably will miss the rope drop advantage at DHS and we are only spending half a day there.

Ohhh the things we have to consider when Disney planning! LOL!

For Epcot, there is something pretty special about walking through Epcot early in the morning. The walkways are freshly washed, and everything is pristine. I also believe that teh logistics are different with a PPO meal there and one at the MK because of the changes in morning entry procedures.

 

[Kkb0517]

I prefer pre park because I like to eat 3 meals a day at regular time intervals. I get migraines if I skip a meal or eat off a schedule. So for me personally pre park works better.

 

[Tattylou]

We tried to do ppo at crystal palace....we didn't get there in time and ended up going in just after rope drop. We apparently can't get our crap together to get there for ppo....so later morning adr works better for us and on our most recent trip we did breakfasts a bit later and it worked out well for us.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

They were doing Early morning magic on selected mornings which included a breakfast. I don't know if these match or dates or if they are still running.