17. Magic Mornings (Early Entry) at DLR vs. Extra Magic Hours at WDW
DLR and WDW have a history of offering extended park hours to certain visitors. These perks change over time and the current form of these perks will most likely change in the future. Therefore the information in this section is the most likely of all sections in this guide to become outdated.
Magic Mornings (MM) is the current name for what has been known as Early Entry for several years. MM is identical to EE in every way except when they changed the name in January 2008 they also changed the days of the week. So when you see the words Early Entry (or EE in short form) it is the same thing as Magic Mornings (MM).
The DLR Magic Mornings and WDW Extra Magic Hours (EMH) are recent perks offered to guests. Similar to EMH, paying attention to how MM works will have a major impact on how you plan your days at DLR.
MM is offered at DL on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Note that EE was not on Sunday but Monday, with the other days of the week the same as MM. During MM DL opens 1 hour early for certain guests. The rides open during MM are fairly regular but subject to change on any day. During MM most of the FantasyLand rides are open, as are Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage in TomorrowLand.
Officially the only way to get MM is to buy a 3+ day parkhopper bonus ticket. Note that most DLR tickets are bonus tickets, but some (such as those offered by the military) are not (or so I have heard). If a guest buys one of these 3+ day bonus tickets, they are entitled to one MM morning during their trip. It does not matter if the guest stays at a DLR hotel, a good neighbor hotel, or any hotel for that matter.
In July 2005 DLR started offering MM (EE) to its DLR hotel guests. When this second MM access method began it was described as a test, which meant it could be stopped at any time. This test has now gone on for a year and some DLR hotel guests have come to regard it as a perk and not a test. In any case, if you are a DLR hotel guest you can use MM on every day it is offered while you stay at the hotel, not just on one day as the official bonus ticket visitors are allowed. At least you can as long as the test continues.
DCA does not have an MM program. However, GCH guests are regularly allowed into the park early (there is a special DCA entrance from the GCH). On most mornings DCA opens its gates 30 minutes early and opens one ride, Soarin Over California. So even if you get to the DCA gates right at official park opening you may face a pre-existing line on this ride. Fortunately it has FastPass.
Another early entry perk of sorts is Mickeys ToonTown Morning Madness (TTMM). ToonTown at DL typically opens one hour after official park opening, and TTMM allows certain guests to get into ToonTown one hour early. Since TTMM is one hour before ToonTowns typical one hour delayed opening, it begins right when DL regular park hours begin. And TTMM is not necessarily on the same days as MM. Right now it is offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
I have never done TTMM so this is second-hand. During TTMM a mock ceremony is held and access to characters is provided. Apparently the TT rides (of which there are only a few) are also open.
TTMM is obtained by simply booking your trip through Disney or certain authorized agents, and does require you to stay at a DLR or Good Neighbor hotel. Unlike MM, TTMM does not have such a major effect on DL traffic patterns. But TTMM will affect Toontown traffic patterns as there will already be lines when ToonTown officially opens to everyone. If you want to visit ToonTown and do not have TTMM privileges, it is best to visit it on a non-TTMM day. And go early.
So how should you use or plan around MM? First, if you have MM you should definitely use it. This is contrary to certain advice for WDW to avoid EMH parks. Second, MM should be focused on the FantasyLand rides. These rides are very close together physically and are often 2-3 minutes in length. So you can do a lot of the FantasyLand rides in that one hour I have heard of people doing 9 different rides we have done 7. None of the DL FantasyLand rides have FastPass, and thus rides like Peter Pan, Dumbo and Matterhorn must be done first thing in the morning to avoid lengthy lines later in the day. MM is a perfect time to do them.
Some people are tempted to go to the headliner rides during MM, namely Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. Both of these rides have FastPass (FP), and as such can be ridden any time of day with a short line using FP, unlike the FantasyLand rides which do not have FP. It is therefore wise to focus on FantasyLand (or possibly Finding Nemo Subs) during MM.
If you visit DLR during high season, that means an 8AM park opening and 7AM MM. All else being equal, if you only have one MM day I think it is best to use MM on the first possible day you can preferably the very first day of your trip - because you will have the most energy that day (no park day on the previous day) and, if you can manage it, and earlier bedtime than other nights where you may stay late at the parks.
What if it is an MM day (Sun/Tue/Thu/Sat) but you yourself do not have MM? On such days even if you arrive at the parks before they open and are first in line for regular opening you will face long lines in FantasyLand right away. Such days are thus good days to avoid FantasyLand altogether. They are also good days to go to DCA.
In summary there is no other way to slice it. If you want to do FantasyLand during high season without extremely long lines, either do it during MM or do it first thing on a non-MM day.
I recommend you check this lengthy thread on MM which is kept up to date by the author: "Magic Morning (Early Entry) Super Thread"
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1675403
Though since your other MM options are during the week on a non-holiday week I don't think you'll find it crowded on those days, either...so I don't think you can go wrong either way.
::cop: 
