WDW Railroad at Magic Kingdom - help?!!!

[Booknut]

Hi

As a newbie I have a question about the railroad at Magic Kingdom. Can I board that when I go in (before official opening) or do you have to queue and wait for official opening before boarding?

Also, can you go straight into Main Street before opening hours if you're early? And how far down Main Street can you get to the various 'lands'?

We want to get to Frontierland as fast as possible and as i'm not the fastest runner in the world thought that the railroad would get us there faster!

Thanks!

Eloise

 

[Emme]

No nothing is open until the "official opening." You can not ride the railroad, and if any of the park is open they hold you by ropes until the official opening and then drop the ropes and you can go where you would like. Hope that helps

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

Hello:
You cannot enter the Magic Kingdom until the opening ceremony takes place. You are allowed through the turnstiles but not past the train station. First there is a short song and dance routine on the train platform that ovelooks where everyone is waiting (between the turnstiles and the ropes holding you back). Then Mickey and friends arrive on the train with a guest family to officially open the park. At that point you can enter the MK. I read a great tip a long time back about taking the train to Frontierland to beat the crowds. We did this and found the area empty when we arrived. Actually, if you are there at park opening Frontierland is very quiet for the first hour or two, as is Fantasyland. Tomorrowland gets the main bulk of the people for the first two hours or so. We got to see Mickeys Philharmagic (great show) on a Thursday morning in June with about six other people.

 

[seashoreCM]

On those days when guests are allowed on Main St. before park opening (and the opening ceremony in front of the train station is perhaps 20 minutes earlier), I am told that guests may also sit on the train. The train leaves the station at park opening (rope drop at north end of Main St.). Those riding the train don't always beat those jogging to Splash Mountain and Big Thunder.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Booknut]

This might seem like a stupid question but are there thousands of people there at opening? And where does everyone wait if they aren't allowed into main street? Seems like an awful lot of people to have waiting around after having their tickets/bags checked.

seashoreCM: trust me, that train will get there faster than me jogging it!!

Eloise

 

[BillyRayJimBob]

Well, there are a lot of people standing around before the opening ceremony. I don't know how many thousands, but keep a hold of your kids hands once the park opens. There's a lot of room in front of the park and we've always made it past the bag check while we waited. I suppose that if it gets croweded enough there will be people waiting to have their bags checked. You can't run your ticket through the turnstyles until a certain time though. Also, on the early entry days, only certain lands are open. For example, you can't get into Frontier land. They've got ropes up and you wait until they drop the ropes. If you're waiting by Peter Pan's ride, they drop one rope and you go into Liberty Square. There's another rope there. They drop it at the same time as the rope from Adventure land. You can't run or get in front of the CM directing the people. The thought is that everybody gets into Frontier land at the same time and there is no "better" place to start.

I've never heard that you can get on the train early, unless it has something to do with early entry days and the times the park officially officially opens (one hour after early entry). This could make sense as I don't think the railroad is an early entry attraction -- only the biggies are. I could see them letting you on the train early and then the train starting its first run when the park "opens."

 

[Booknut]

I didn't realise there would be thousands there. I guess because i've never been i'm having a hard time imagining how big it is and how many people will be there. I imagined a few hundred...i'm obviously way off the mark!

We're going mid-September for 2 weeks (no kids!), staying off-site so early entry won't be available to us.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see! Thanks for all your tips on the railroad/opening times

Eloise

 

[BillyRayJimBob]

I didn't mean to say that there were in fact thousands there. I'm not good at estimating crowd size, but I'd guess at maybe 700 to 1000 were wainting for the park to open when I was there. If you want to see crowds, exit down mainstreet immediately after the fireworks. There are definitely thousands and thousands there.

 

[Booknut]

I wouldnt' mind if there were thousands, it would be like catching the tube in the morning to go to work, no difference there!

I keep reading that September is a slower month to go and that lots of rides will be walk-ons so i've convinced myself no one will be there...i'm sure i'll be in for a rude awakening! It'll be like the City in London on a Monday morning...

Thanks BillyRayJimBob (btw love the name!)

Eloise

 

[Principessa Alba]

Why don't you just mosey over and get a fast pass?

 

[Booknut]

My plan was to grab a fast pass for later on and queue up first thing to ride splash mountain and big thunder, then come back maybe a couple of hours later and do it again (if this is possible!).

 

[Principessa Alba]

I don't think you have much to worry about. I think you'll get on pretty fast even if a bunch of people beat you. Not everyone is running to the same ride, and they won't have time enough to build up to a giant line.

 

[Booknut]

Well that's good to know, i'll have to go back over my notes and see what i've planned for that day...all the organisation...its like a military operation! (i'm loving every minute of it!)

Molto grazie principessa

 

[Principessa Alba]

Well that's good to know, i'll have to go back over my notes and see what i've planned for that day...all the organisation...its like a military operation! (i'm loving every minute of it!)

Molto grazie principessa

prego! fa niente!

 

[banks37]

On those days when guests are allowed on Main St. before park opening (and the opening ceremony in front of the train station is perhaps 20 minutes earlier), I am told that guests may also sit on the train. The train leaves the station at park opening (rope drop at north end of Main St.). Those riding the train don't always beat those jogging to Splash Mountain and Big Thunder.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

I don't know if you can still sit on the train back to Frontierland. I was told when I took the train tour in December the first train with the characters is the "show" train. It's been modified so that the characters can board the train easily. Because of these modifications it makes it unsafe for guests so they take the train back to the round house for the day.

Mike

 

[HumphreytheBear]

You are correct Banks37, you can not board the first train that comes out....

The train used for the morning show to bring the characters to Main Street does not have the safety railing on the left side. This is to allow the characters to get off the train on the turnstiles side for the show. Because of this the "Show train" Lilly Belle is not used for normal guest operations and is returned to the roundhouse as soon as the show is finished and all the characters have exited. The first train that will load guests is holding just outside of the Main Street station until they have been cleared into the station by entertainment. This usually takes about 5 minutes after the official park opening. The train will then pull up to the station and sit at the station for about 3 minutes. The first train that takes on passengers generally leaves Main Street about 7 minutes after the park opens.

 

[GF Girl]

You know what we did? You may want to do the same. We booked a 8:00 breakfast reservation at CP and we ate very quickly, to be one of the first at the AL entrance area. Soon as they dropped the ropes to the lands, we walked fairly quickly through Adventureland past the POC and walked straight through to Frontierland. We were the first people in line for Splash Mtn & Thunder Mtn. You would be one of the first, because all the others have to come through the main gates and walk up Main Street to get there. So you have a head start! lol

 

[Booknut]

I am truly in awe of how much you people know! Thank you!

GF Girl: I like your plan. But what is CP?



Eloise

 

[GF Girl]

lol...I forget that everyone isn't like me! I know all the little secrets and lingo.

Sorry about that! CP is Crystal Palace, which is a buffet style character breakfast. Or Cinderella's Royal Table also a character breakfast. Either one is very good.
Please let me know if I can help in anyway

Here is a link to a site that will give you menus for many restaurants in WDW:

http://allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm