Pre-opening ADR question

[glvsav37]

Ok, I know this will be an unpopular post, but: let me get the question out of the way first:

If you have an ADR say at Crystal Palace before MK opens, who do you go see to gain entry? And is there a master list of ADRs and number of guests for each?

Here is why...with the A&E craze, would it be possible to make an early ADR for 1 guest --hence only risking $10--but get my kids in with me and making our way to the A&E meet and greet.

So at the front gate, is it listed as "glvsav ADR, party of 1" or just "glvsav37 ADR"?

I know...flame away. But with A&E over in Norway, people were making and ditching ADRs to beat the rush, I don't think I'm the only person to consider it for MK. I guess it's just a matter if it's gonna cost me $10 (ADR for just me) or $40 (party of 4) to do it.

 

[MrsDuck]

Ok, I know this will be an unpopular post, but: let me get the question out of the way first:

If you have an ADR say at Crystal Palace before MK opens, who do you go see to gain entry? And is there a master list of ADRs and number of guests for each?

Here is why...with the A&E craze, would it be possible to make an early ADR for 1 guest --hence only risking $10--but get my kids in with me and making our way to the A&E meet and greet.

So at the front gate, is it listed as "glvsav ADR, party of 1" or just "glvsav37 ADR"?

I know...flame away. But with A&E over in Norway, people were making and ditching ADRs to beat the rush, I don't think I'm the only person to consider it for MK. I guess it's just a matter if it's gonna cost me $10 (ADR for just me) or $40 (party of 4) to do it.

There is typically a CM at one of the entry turnstiles that has a list of reservations. I'm pretty sure it lists the party size otherwise it would allow people to try attempt your plan.

 

[TinkerElsasMom]

$10 is all you shod be charged for the reservation cancelation.


However, you can go enjoy the 8:05 breakfast and get out by 8:50 with plenty of time to get to the meet and greet.

 

[ferd]

Ok, I know this will be an unpopular post, but: let me get the question out of the way first:

If you have an ADR say at Crystal Palace before MK opens, who do you go see to gain entry? And is there a master list of ADRs and number of guests for each?

Here is why...with the A&E craze, would it be possible to make an early ADR for 1 guest --hence only risking $10--but get my kids in with me and making our way to the A&E meet and greet.

So at the front gate, is it listed as "glvsav ADR, party of 1" or just "glvsav37 ADR"?

I know...flame away. But with A&E over in Norway, people were making and ditching ADRs to beat the rush, I don't think I'm the only person to consider it for MK. I guess it's just a matter if it's gonna cost me $10 (ADR for just me) or $40 (party of 4) to do it.

CP is not like Arkeshus because inside the MK there are ropes to prevent anyone from getting to the attractions until the park officially opens. You can get up to the castle but not far beyond that. With an ADR you go to the extreme left at the park's entrance and scan your ticket/band and your reservation will grant you early entrance to the park. You then can proceed down mainstreet and to the CP to eat. But about ten mins before the park opens, everyone is allowed into the park and then everyone spreads out into the lands they wish to visit first. Each land is blocked off with a rope, and then at park's official open time you can proceed on to Fairytale Hall and get into the standby line for A & E. If you are in the park early because of an ADR you can get to the ropes first, though.

In Norway, you can get to the line for A & E literally before everyone else if you are dining (or ditching your ADR) for Arkeshus because the area is not blocked off. But CP will not get you that because of the internal ropes within the MK.

And FWIW, it is very hard to even score an ADR for a party of one.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

We always have an ADR for CP for parking opening. We have been asked for our name and party sized to be checked on the list. And last year we got in the ADR line (which they held until 7:55) and then they just let the whole line in with no questions asked. So it is anyone's guess. I'm glad we already have our ADR for our MK morning and that I don't have little girls in my party.

 

[JimmyV]

CP is not like Arkeshus because inside the MK there are ropes to prevent anyone from getting to the attractions until the park officially opens. You can get up to the castle but not far beyond that. With an ADR you go to the extreme left at the park's entrance and scan your ticket/band and your reservation will grant you early entrance to the park. You then can proceed down mainstreet and to the CP to eat. But about ten mins before the park opens, everyone is allowed into the park and then everyone spreads out into the lands they wish to visit first. Each land is blocked off with a rope, and then at park's official open time you can proceed on to Fairytale Hall and get into the standby line for A & E. If you are in the park early because of an ADR you can get to the ropes first, though.

In Norway, you can get to the line for A & E literally before everyone else if you are dining (or ditching your ADR) for Arkeshus because the area is not blocked off. But CP will not get you that because of the internal ropes within the MK.

And FWIW, it is very hard to even score an ADR for a party of one.

While all of this is true, there will still be an advantage to being the first one to the hub rope. Guests won't be able to get to Fairytale Hall. But the early ADR people will be the first people at the rope which puts them ahead of the people entering from the train station turnstiles.

 

[TinkerElsasMom]

But use your ADR. You should be able to get out of CP in time. It's a buffet. Get some pictures and get to where you want to go, or at least the ropes. CRT is the only one that is definitely going to take longer than an hour. Again you will have the time don't take an ADR away from another that will use it. I get the draw. Especially with the Anna and Elsa.

 

[glvsav37]

Thanks for all the replies and for not ganging up on me.

. And FWIW, it is very hard to even score an ADR for a party of one.

Actually I had 1-person ADRs on 2 different days avail through MDE. Hence that's what got me thinking.

 

[RnbwSktles]

FWIW, I went in MK early twice during my trip in January and was never asked to prove why I was there. Once they asked, and I just said I had a tour and they let me in. The other time they didn't seem to care at all.

I don't think they mind too much since A) not many people realize you can do this so there will not be a hoard of people trying to get in and B) You can't really do anything once inside other than take pictures

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

Talking about using the ADR, we are always at the rope in FL at RD. It can be done. The tip I would give you about that is you won't get to meet all the characters and to pay your bill as soon as you sit down. Ask for them to bring the ticket with your drinks. This makes a huge difference. Nothing it worst that trying to get your ticket to pay and watching rivers of guest pass by outside. This happened to us once.

I'm not sure I would take a chance on a party of 4 getting in the park with an ADR for 1. You can just never be sure how well they are going to check.

 

[KristinaRN]

Sorry OP, but I'm going to be the one to flame you for this. I think it is incredibly selfish to take a coveted morning ADR away from someone who would actually use it. Your vacation experience is no more important than anyone else's, so you need to make a FP+ or run there at RD like everyone else that wants to meet Anna and Elsa. I'm appalled that people are resorting to such ugly measures at my happy place

 

[maxiesmom]

In my experience they do check your name and ask who is in your group. It would most likely end up costing you $40. But I have to admit, I think it is in very poor taste to do what you are contemplating.

 

[bucky1023]

Have been asked my name and party size and have also just been asked name and why I was there. As another PP has stated there are ropes at the entrances of the different lands. They will not let you past those ropes until park opening and they you will still have to head over with all the rest of the people waiting (the CMs will stop you from running) but I guess you will be at the front of that mass of people.

 

[flutterby3744]

I don't know when you're going, but why not just get a FP????

I agree this is in poor taste.

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

In my experience they do check your name and ask who is in your group. It would most likely end up costing you $40. But I have to admit, I think it is in very poor taste to do what you are contemplating.

I have had the same experience with early morning ADR's. They always asked for our name and had our party number. We arrived in 2 groups one and they marked it down how many of us had entered. I agree that is in poor taste too. I like to book that early morning ADR at Crystal Palace because I enjoy it and I love to get my pictures with a neat empty park. I think it is wrong to waste the reservation. I wonder if Disney will eventually make guests pre-pay for this meal because of all the no shows. I know right now they get the $10 pp charge but figure they would rather get the $120 for a family of 4 then $40 for the no show family of 4. They aren't going to get a walk up before the park opens to fill in that slot.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

In my experience, if you are at the parks right before RD, and go directly where you want to go, then generally you won't have that long of a wait.

We've been to WDW many times, including many during busy weeks like Easter. I can't speak so much to the absolute current craze of A&E, but I can speak to LOTS of experience with very eagerly awaited attractions like EE, M:S, TT, TSM, Soarin', when they were all brand new. As long as we arrived at RD, and didn't dawdle, the waits were not bad. Plenty of times, we were able to FP TSM and ride it early with maybe a 20minute wait (that was after getting a fp)

I don't like being trampled, so we slightly avoid RD most of the time, but if there is a new exciting attraction, we make the effort.

By 9:15am, super headliners on peak weeks will already have a significant wait, but before then you should be able to make it happen.

 

[glvsav37]

OP here.

Thanks for all the open dialog. I know there were strategies (right or wrong) like this for when A&E were in Norway and people used early ADRs at Askirhus (sp?) as their in--so poor taste or not, it was openly discussed.

But over there you could have 1 person save a space in line and it was easier/cheaper to blow off the ADR.

Over at MK now the set up is different between the ropes, fairytale hall, FP etc.

I don't have any ADRs and prob won't make one for this, but I just wanted to toss it out there and see what the protocol was.

 

[TinkerElsasMom]

Just scope out the earliest possible ADR on a non EMH day and actually go to it. Most of the ADRs in the park are buffets. You should be able to be out of breakfast before RD.

 

[scrappinam]

Our experience at Epcot was that they asked your name and confirmed your party size. I would expect that with the popularity of Anna and Elsa and their move to Magic Kingdom that they may have to become very strict about check-in for early ADR's there.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Sorry OP, but I'm going to be the one to flame you for this. I think it is incredibly selfish to take a coveted morning ADR away from someone who would actually use it. Your vacation experience is no more important than anyone else's, so you need to make a FP+ or run there at RD like everyone else that wants to meet Anna and Elsa. I'm appalled that people are resorting to such ugly measures at my happy place

this will be nothing compared to what was going on at Akershus.