Was this during Halloween?
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
News Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours coming for resort guests
- Thread starter DCBaker
- Start date
Purduevian
Well-Known Member
Yellow- open to all
Red-no one gets through
Blue-Resort guests get through at any time. Genpop gets through at park open
Green-Resort guests get through 30 mins early
Red-no one gets through
Blue-Resort guests get through at any time. Genpop gets through at park open
Green-Resort guests get through 30 mins early
LaughingGravy
Well-Known Member
EM1/2H in the am has pretty much no value as a perk, especially with all the people one needs to encounter with any rope drop situation.
After hours can have a value if it's at least an hour and a half and only resort guests allowed.
After hours can have a value if it's at least an hour and a half and only resort guests allowed.
The only way to be sure is to blow the bridges!!
Oh, and this is indeed what MK used to do pre-pandemic, i.e., let early people in all the way to the hub until they opened. And those with ADR for Be Our Guest, or had Early Morning Hours, were able to advance past the guards.
GimpYancIent
Well-Known Member
I have stated it before and I state it again Half an Hour (30min) is nothing. An hour (60 min) or more then it is something.
I have to disagree that it's nothing, especially now with Genie + entering the picture.
You can arrive 30 minute early and jump in a line to either not have to pay for it (obvious Rat and ROTR not included) later, or jump in lines and be able to ride without a long wait and again later with lighting lane if you so choose.
And since it's all parks, every day, there won't be as many people as past early entry where it was only one park.
We will see of course, but I think it will end up being an advantage to those who participate.
( or for people like me, I can get in line before the masses to grab my Refresher at Starbucks
)
SteveAZee
Premium Member
pdude81
Well-Known Member
Agreed. They do this in a way now with rope drop and always used to for EMM and early ADR's. The real early stuff pre-Covid they'd check your tickets up front to get in, but you still had cast members at the bridge or certain points to see whether you were allowed in that area or not.
They can scan people into the park with their tickets early on and then to get any farther than the hub you'd need to scan tickets to get back near the rides. Right now they let everybody in early but don't drop the ropes until park open, but they could just add a ticket scan at select entrance points and leave anybody who showed up to watch a little park opening show in front of the castle. They seem to have fixed whatever issues they had with the stage so it's just ready and waiting for 10/1 should they desire another press release.
pdude81
Well-Known Member
Yes, pretty much this. I didn't see this before I replied but they've done this dance before.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
It definitely won't be evenly spread among all four parks, though. The majority (or at least plurality) are going to be at the MK every day, especially with Rise and Rat requiring a boarding group. There's little reason for anyone to go to EPCOT early right now.
I'm curious to see how it works. I'm not really concerned about the actual entry process, but I don't think it's going to be much of a benefit if Disney really pushes this to all resort guests as a big perk for staying on-site. If you have 5000 people showing up to use the early entry at one park then half of the people who show up are going to spend the whole time in line for a ride.
It will still be better than not having the option, of course, but I think people suggesting you'll be able to walk on one ride and potentially get a second in before it even opens for regular guests could be wildly optimistic and impossible for most people most days.
Well, if majority go to MK, think how great AK will be!
I don't think you will get 2 rides before park open (unless you do less popular rides), but you can probably get Everest before park open, ride again if you want in stand-by after park open, then book it again later.
pdude81
Well-Known Member
Rope drop for TT is still a pretty popular thing. As a share of the total though it'll still be dwarfed by MK and DHS since they have multiple rides people want priority on. I expect the 30 minutes will be pretty helpful but if you're rope dropping 7DMT I bet the line is stil 20 minutes by the time you get there, and you can forget about that second line. So it really depends on your strategy. Maybe you want 2 rides on Buzz and then a not horrendous line for Space or 7DMT.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
The majority won’t go to MK. The majority don’t have park reservations there. You go where your reservation is. Most resort guests go to all 4 parks.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
Well, if majority go to MK, think how great AK will be!
I don't think you will get 2 rides before park open (unless you do less popular rides), but you can probably get Everest before park open, ride again if you want in stand-by after park open, then book it again later.
It all depends on how many people start using the early entry. If it's roughly the same amount as before, it should still be a pretty big benefit. If the numbers increase dramatically with Disney pushing it as a major perk (and it being one of the only big perks left for non-Deluxe resort guests), it could turn into essentially a regular morning. Obviously still better than not having it at all, though.
I do think Animal Kingdom and EPCOT will be less crowded than MK and probably DHS when it starts, although there will definitely be people at AK to do Flight of Passage and/or Everest early.
With the amount of complaining that happened when people learned you can start making reservations at 7am, sure doesn't sound like a lot of resort guests will get up earlier than that for early entry!
Our trip AK will start at 7:30 am!
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
That's why I said plurality. Regardless, that doesn't really matter in terms of how many people are using the early entry unless you assumed 100% of on-site guests were going to use it. I think it's almost guaranteed that the MK will have more people at early entry every day than the other parks, at least until something changes like letting people do Rat standby.
EDIT: I just changed my mind because I forgot that MK doesn't open the full park. Most of what I care about, e.g., isn't even operating during the early 30 minutes. It may be that Animal Kingdom and DHS are the busiest for Flight of Passage and MMRR. It could shift back to MK when TRON opens if you're allowed to ride that standby, but I'm guessing it'll use boarding groups.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
With the amount of complaining that happened when people learned you can start making reservations at 7am, sure doesn't sound like a lot of resort guests will get up earlier than for early entry!
I don't really have any plans to use it -- if I happen to be up I guess I would, but I wouldn't set an alarm for it. I'd much prefer having evening hours.
I honestly have no idea how it's going to go; I'm just speculating about what could happen. I'm interested in seeing how the first couple of months work and if it's great or if people are annoyed that it's too crowded and they're still waiting in line to do anything.
We will use it for one AK day, one of our DHS days and for sure Epcot, because honestly why not, it already opens late. Probably one MK day too. But not as concerned for MK because we are going to a Boo Bash.
Or...I'll wake up at 7, make a ride reservation, buy a ride and lay around and drink coffee.
I do think the only rides we would attempt to purchase are Rat and Rise, and those would have no affect on early entry anyways since no standby. We will attempt to not purchase any other rides during the trip.
Or...I'll wake up at 7, make a ride reservation, buy a ride and lay around and drink coffee.
I do think the only rides we would attempt to purchase are Rat and Rise, and those would have no affect on early entry anyways since no standby. We will attempt to not purchase any other rides during the trip.
Last edited:
nickys
Premium Member
If you go to the absolute headliner rides then you might still be in line when the crowds rush in. So if you head to FoP, 7dmt, maybe MMRR or Slinky then you may still be waiting to ride. But after that, whilst the crowds flock to the same you can probably walk on rides like Splash, BTMRR, ToT, SR:MR etc.Well, if majority go to MK, think how great AK will be!
I don't think you will get 2 rides before park open (unless you do less popular rides), but you can probably get Everest before park open, ride again if you want in stand-by after park open, then book it again later.
However if when you arrive early enough so that you’re through the second rope right on the dot you could still do Splash and be almost onto BTMRR, or do ToT and be almost onto RnR.
And if you have the benefit of historic ride wait time patterns, you can plan even more strategically.
Either way you’ll save a fair bit of time over those who have to wait for actual park opening.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
Splash and BTMRR aren't open for early entry, right? I think it's just Tomorrowland and Fantasyland.