Recent EE timing question

[Bonnie40]

I am planning our trip to WDW in March and for the first time in a number of years, we are staying on site. Here's my question: If the parks are showing to open at 9 a.m. and we get EE to begin at 8 a.m., is it worth going even a little earlier than that in the hopes that the park opens sooner than is stated? I read somewhere on here that the parks can open earlier...I would love to hear from people who have been lately. I just want to take full advantage of EE, especially since it will be mid-March and really busy! Thanks!

 

[Nebsky]

YES YES YES!!!

Do the EE. You will be very happy you did. You can get A LOT of things done in that hour. Sure its a little hard to wake up and get there early, but that extra hour makes a difference, especially when it comes to the main attractions. You have already done them. MK we did the EE and rode Buzz 4 times in a row without getting off. Did Astro orbiter a couple times and then Space Mountain another couple.

EE at AK worked out great too. Got on the Safari ride with no probs. Heck, I wasnt all that impressed with AK. Liked Dinosaur though...

Do it. You only live once..

 

[Bonnie40]

Nebsky,

Thanks for your post. I am certainly taking advantage of EE - we loved it the one other time we stayed on site years ago. My question was more directed at whether I should try and go earlier than the stated EE time.

 

[tjkraz]

Reports of the gates opening earlier than 8am / 9am are very few and far between. I think I've seen people report this happening on VERY high capacity days (think Thanksgiving DAY, Christmas DAY), but it's not a regular occurrence.

It never hurts to get started early. You never know how long you might have to wait for a bus / monorail / boat, etc. The parks will also let you pass through security and the turnstiles before the official opening time, but you'll be held back from any rides until the park is officially open.

 

[jennypenny]

Doesn't main street in MK open 1/2 hour earlier than the park itself? I thought I remembered that from our last trip.

 

[Bonnie40]

That's what I seemed to be hearing. It just would be nice to be able to saunter along Main Street and enjoy a few moments before things get crazy! If anyone could confirm this, I'd appreciate it! Thanks!

 

[Nebsky]

Im sorry. I wrote the post last night and started thinking about it later after logging off.

My apologies. I did screw it up. We were at every EE this past Aug for the week we were there and not once did they open earlier.

Maybe you will be lucky.

 

[MultiMut]

We just got back from WDW, and did the EE every morning. You can get a lot more done if you take advantage of EE.

As to the original question about whether the parks open even earlier than the stated EE time, what we experienced this trip at AK, MGM, when we arrived 10 minutes before the stated EE time was that they let you through the gates earlier, but there are ropes set-up. At the stated EE time, the ropes come down and the crowd FOLLOWS a couple of CM who WALK you to towards the most popular attraction (at AK, they walk you to Kilmanjaro Safari, and at MGM they walk you to Tower of Terror). You most stay behind the CM -- no running ahead. So getting there a little earlier than the stated time will allow you to be at or near the front of the initial line. At MK, EE was on the check-in date, and we arrived right about at the EE time of 8 am, so we weren't at the front of the EE crowd. I could not tell if they were letting people into the main street area a little before 8 am. While we weren't at the front of the EE crowd, we had no wait for Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear.

So based on my experience, a little earlier doesn't hurt, but no need to go 1/2 hour earlier than stated EE opening.

 

[tjkraz]

At MK, they give you access to main street, but there are ropes set up which separate guests from the individual "lands" until the entry time (8am / 9am) arrives.

 

[kocar]

Where can I find the EE times for each park/day posted?

Thanks,
Michelle

 

[Bonnie40]

Thanks for all the great information! I believe the hours are on the Disney site - try park hours/events or something like that. You get a calendar that you can choose the month you want and if you click on a specific day it will tell you what events/parades, etc. will be happening. Hope this helps!

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by kocar
Where can I find the EE times for each park/day posted?

Thanks,
Michelle

http://allearsnet.com/tp/emhour.htm