Question about Character Dining Plaza Inn and separate entrance?

[superdeluxe]

So I’m searching for best strategies around character dining and one strategy I’ve seen, is to take the last ‘seating’ but arrive early so that you can take the character entrance. Now my understanding is you can get in, but only to the ‘Main Street’ area. Perhaps this is a way to get some photos and a fairly empty Main Street.

Then when Park officially opens, you’d have a head start since you are already in? Then ride rides for 2 hours until it’s 10:30 for the last seating. I also hear this is a good time as guests start to exit, you would have more time with the characters?

 

[Jenis]

So I’m searching for best strategies around character dining and one strategy I’ve seen, is to take the last ‘seating’ but arrive early so that you can take the character entrance. Now my understanding is you can get in, but only to the ‘Main Street’ area. Perhaps this is a way to get some photos and a fairly empty Main Street.

Then when Park officially opens, you’d have a head start since you are already in? Then ride rides for 2 hours until it’s 10:30 for the last seating. I also hear this is a good time as guests start to exit, you would have more time with the characters?

If you make a 10:30 reservation you will not be let in the park early. Only pre park opening reservations will get you into the park before opening. With a 10:30 reservation you will meet characters but you have a better chance of meeting more characters if you have a reservation a little earlier. From my experience, it’s about 90 minute rotation.

 

[Geemo]

So I’m searching for best strategies around character dining and one strategy I’ve seen, is to take the last ‘seating’ but arrive early so that you can take the character entrance. Now my understanding is you can get in, but only to the ‘Main Street’ area. Perhaps this is a way to get some photos and a fairly empty Main Street.

Then when Park officially opens, you’d have a head start since you are already in? Then ride rides for 2 hours until it’s 10:30 for the last seating. I also hear this is a good time as guests start to exit, you would have more time with the characters?

Not sure where you are getting you info but arriving early at the gates for a10:30 reservation will not grant you entry to the park before the it officially opens.
The Plaza Inn generally begin their reservation times 10 minutes after the park opens. This includes Magic Morning.
If you have a reservation during the MM hour you enter the parks through a special gate on the west side of all the gates. The CM will check you in for you to go to the Plaza Inn.

If you want pics of the park with few people, be one of the first through the gates when they open and head straight into main street.

When we have done a later morning (after 10am) time for a CB at the Plaza Inn there haven't been as many characters in the dining area. Our favorite time is 10 minutes after the park opens or around 9:30am.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I have done the late Plaza breakfast several times, 10:30 or 10:40. I recommend this. We always had ALL the characters, several times, because as the place empties out, they keep coming around to who is left. I have seen them play games with kids, doing the limbo one time with one characters cane (from Pinocchio, I forget the foxes name!) and a couple others. Usually 10 or more different ones. The light crowds make it easier to get refills on the food, by the 2nd approach there are few people getting more food.

We go early, ride a bunch of things before breakfast, many are walk-ons at park opening. Then do the late Plaza breakfast. Never got to enter early thru a separate entrance.

 

[mouschievous]

We did an early reservation - 7:20 or 7:30, I forget which. It was on a day that DL had EMH, but we didn't have MM. We were able to go in because of our reservation, and once we'd scanned in I was able to add MP and start pulling FPs even though we weren't technically there for MM/EMH. Because we were one of the first reservations, the restaurant was relatively empty and the kids got LOTS of time with each character. By the time we left it was starting to fill up. I would 100% do it that way again, especially if I didn't have EMH/MM.