Pre-park-opening breakfast reservation

[Jays2013]

This seemed to fit more here than in the restaurants category. It's about a restaurant reservation, but has more to do with park strategy.

I couldn't get a BoG dinner reservation for our fall trip. (Despite trying precisely at 6 a.m. EST 180+ days out... wow!) My mom really wants to see the restaurant, so I made a breakfast reservation on the fly, although I hadn't considered it beforehand. Scored one for 8:15 a.m.

Now... the park opens at 9 a.m. this day. Belatedly, I realized that if I can get my family moving on time, this is a prime opportunity for an early and relatively quiet park stroll. How early do they let you in the park for pre-opening reservations now? A certain amount of time before the specific reservation, or just after one particular time for everyone with early reservations?

I've scanned and Googled a bit, but information is mixed, so I thought I'd consult here. Thanks!

 

[kmb584]

This seemed to fit more here than in the restaurants category. It's about a restaurant reservation, but has more to do with park strategy.

I couldn't get a BoG dinner reservation for our fall trip. (Despite trying precisely at 6 a.m. EST 180+ days out... wow!) My mom really wants to see the restaurant, so I made a breakfast reservation on the fly, although I hadn't considered it beforehand. Scored one for 8:15 a.m.

Now... the park opens at 9 a.m. this day. Belatedly, I realized that if I can get my family moving on time, this is a prime opportunity for an early and relatively quiet park stroll. How early do they let you in the park for pre-opening reservations now? A certain amount of time before the specific reservation, or just after one particular time for everyone with early reservations?

I've scanned and Googled a bit, but information is mixed, so I thought I'd consult here. Thanks!

It's usually a few minutes to 8:00 am. We've gotten into MK as early as 7:45 am.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

This seemed to fit more here than in the restaurants category. It's about a restaurant reservation, but has more to do with park strategy.

I couldn't get a BoG dinner reservation for our fall trip. (Despite trying precisely at 6 a.m. EST 180+ days out... wow!) My mom really wants to see the restaurant, so I made a breakfast reservation on the fly, although I hadn't considered it beforehand. Scored one for 8:15 a.m.

Now... the park opens at 9 a.m. this day. Belatedly, I realized that if I can get my family moving on time, this is a prime opportunity for an early and relatively quiet park stroll. How early do they let you in the park for pre-opening reservations now? A certain amount of time before the specific reservation, or just after one particular time for everyone with early reservations?

I've scanned and Googled a bit, but information is mixed, so I thought I'd consult here. Thanks!

Main Street opens an hour before park open

 

[mustinjourney]

things have changed in the last 5 months or so. Used to, they didn't let you in the gates unless you had a breakfast reservation. There was a special entrance at each park and they would check you name/bands or whatever.

Now, main street opens up an hour before and EVERYONE can run around the hub and main street prior to park opening. This greatly reduces the congestion at the tapstiles in the morning -- however, it greatly reduces the effectiveness of those pre-park opening breakfast reservations, since you don't get that much of a time advantage getting to 7DMT.

Also -- you used to get empty pictures in front of the castle. No more of those.

 

[abooch]

This seemed to fit more here than in the restaurants category. It's about a restaurant reservation, but has more to do with park strategy.

I couldn't get a BoG dinner reservation for our fall trip. (Despite trying precisely at 6 a.m. EST 180+ days out... wow!) My mom really wants to see the restaurant, so I made a breakfast reservation on the fly, although I hadn't considered it beforehand. Scored one for 8:15 a.m.

Now... the park opens at 9 a.m. this day. Belatedly, I realized that if I can get my family moving on time, this is a prime opportunity for an early and relatively quiet park stroll. How early do they let you in the park for pre-opening reservations now? A certain amount of time before the specific reservation, or just after one particular time for everyone with early reservations?

I've scanned and Googled a bit, but information is mixed, so I thought I'd consult here. Thanks!

If you want a dinner reservation keep on looking at random days and times, especially as the date nears and people cancel. I've always been able to get everything I've wanted around the times I've wanted (except Cinderella's Royal Table).

 

[jaysmom4285]

Or take advantage of touring plans reservation finder. They will look continuously for the date and time you want and will notify you when something becomes available. You have to be very quick to act on their notification and book the ADR on your own, but I don't think they have ever failed to find me what I wanted, sometimes just the day before.

 

[Jays2013]

If you want a dinner reservation keep on looking at random days and times, especially as the date nears and people cancel. I've always been able to get everything I've wanted around the times I've wanted (except Cinderella's Royal Table).

Oh, I will! It might work out. But if it doesn't, I'm content with breakfast. It gets us in there and I sort of like the idea of having a reason to get the family moving early. And I figure if we pre-order breakfast, we still have a good chance of getting a jump on things in Fantasyland.

Thank you all!

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

If you line up by 8:45 you will get to 7dmt before rope drop crowd. Sometimes people are able to ride it twice before crowd gets there.