To Magic Hour or Not to Magic Hour?

[dlstc]

As one may know, the parks sometimes open up to an hour (Magic Hour = MH) early for Disney resort guests, with a different park opening early on each day (MK on Sunday, AK on Monday, etc.).

I have read opinions from each of three groups: 1)get there early, take advantage of the MH 2)get there early but leave around 11 a.m. as the park really gets full, and 3)avoid the MH park like the plague - the other parks are less full as many guests are at the MH park.

So what's the consensus?

(I have been planning my itinerary based on attending the parks with MH. I will be traveling with my DD2 and DDalmost5 while my husband is in conferences. We will be leaving the parks by early to mid afternoon for naps and returning later.)

Just wondering.
Diana

 

[riess424]

Good question, I was wondering the same thing. But then again, what if people do avoid the magic hour. Then the park opening early that day should be less crowded.

 

[tigsmom]

We're MH people. :wave:

We usually head back out around noon or so for a swim, lunch & a break. Then back in the evening. Works out well for us in the summer. :wave:

 

[BigNorm]

A little extra sleep never hurt anyone right? However, I think that MH is well worth taking advantage of because you can go back to your motel for a nap in the afternoon, then come back for Fantasmic or Wishes or whatever.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

When we've used MH in the past we tend to stay in that park all day. Now some recomend exiting the park as it remains busier while others stste that it goes quieter as alot of people go to other parks. Me, I don't honestly think it makes a great deal difference. We do the park and have a great time doing it thoroughly :sohappy:

 

[Mickeyman819]

I have only used the MH once. I kinda liked it but kinda didnt. my Family and I went to MGM for the hour. The think i liked about it was that i love being in the parks for the extra hour but when we went not much was open. I think that ToT, RNRC, and star tours were the only things open. Its b/c of that extra hour that i was able to ride my first Rollercoaster. No one else in my family is a thrill ride person so it was boring for them.

 

[TURKEY]

This is what I recommend to guests:

Take advantage of it for MK, especially for 1st timers and little kids. You can do Fantasyland in 1-2 hours without too bad of lines (especially Peter Pan).

Do AK, the animals are more active in the morning. You can get the safari (usually twice, I've done it 4 times in two hours), and exploration trails done in 1-2 hours when the animals are more active.

Do MGM if you are into thrill rides. You can do ToT and RnRC multiple times in the 1 hour.

Don't bother with Epcot.

 

[no2apprentice]

You forgot to mention what month you are going to WDW. This makes a difference. If it is during spring break time, or the latter half of June through August, you should consider taking advantage of Extra Magic.

Have the kids been before? Sorry if I'm repeating something you are already aware of, but many people with young children wait until the end of the stay to visit MK. Many kids find the other parks a let down after doing MK first.

Whatever plans you make, have a wonderful time!

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

Personally I usually avoid it.

 

[Pippa]

I usually do MH but leave about 11am and chill out somewhere else. It is worth it to do certain rides with hardly any wait.

 

[dlstc]

Thanks for everyone's responses!

To no2apprentice:

Thanks for your response. We are heading to WDW May 15th-22nd. We are staying at the WL. I was fortunate enough to get a PS for CRT our very first full day at WDW (8:30 a.m.).
:sohappy: which is why we are going to MK the first day.

We plan on going to AK/Epcot on Mon., MGM on Tues. with dinner at Fort Wilderness and Campfire with Chip n' Dale, breakfast at Chef Mickey's and Seaworld on Wed. as DH will be able to join us after 1 p.m., MK on Thurs with dinner at the Crystal Palace and medical assistance for Friday (lol). We also may hit a water park along the way.

This is our daughters' (and DH's!) first time at WDW. I haven't been since '88 and then only saw MK and Epcot, of course. My older daughter will be two weeks shy of her fifth birthday so I'm ordering a birthday cake for when we go to CRT.

Any comments/suggestions/ideas are welcome!

 

[epcot2004]

We take advantage of the extra hour every time. The trick seems to be to get out around noon and either go directly to another park or head back to the resort for an hour or two. It doesn't seem like a good idea to go back for fireworks on an early entry day because the park will generally be more busy than a non-early entry day making it even harder tp find a good spot to watch the show. Just my opinion.

 

[tigsmom]

Re: Thanks for everyone's responses!

Originally posted by dlstc
To no2apprentice:

Thanks for your response. We are heading to WDW May 15th-22nd. We are staying at the WL. I was fortunate enough to get a PS for CRT our very first full day at WDW (8:30 a.m.).
:sohappy: which is why we are going to MK the first day.

Any comments/suggestions/ideas are welcome!

If you are staying at the WL don't forget to have a meal in the Whispering Canyon Cafe. (we like the skillet breakfast).
The entertainment is the best. :lookaroun

 

[Defend10]

Everybody summed it up pretty well, but I'll add a couple of comments. The MH at MK is great, as far as I know, all the attractions are open (somebody correct me if I'm wrong) while at Epcot and MGM, it's pretty much focused on thrills, with the exception of UoE at Epcot.

Yes, the crowds do tend to be thicker, during a summer this is more noticable than, for instance, in mid September.

 

[tigsmom]

From Deb's site:

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

 

[TURKEY]

Originally posted by Defend10
Everybody summed it up pretty well, but I'll add a couple of comments. The MH at MK is great, as far as I know, all the attractions are open (somebody correct me if I'm wrong) while at Epcot and MGM, it's pretty much focused on thrills, with the exception of UoE at Epcot.

Yes, the crowds do tend to be thicker, during a summer this is more noticable than, for instance, in mid September.

It's just Fantasyland and Tomorrowland that are open early in the Magic Kingdom.

 

[no2apprentice]

May 15 - 22? Maybe someone who knows for sure can verify, but I was always under the impression that this is a slower time of the year. Spring break is over, schools that dismiss the last week of May are still in, and the summer crowds in June haven't started up.

You may not have to worry about working Extra Magic into your schedule. Then again, you may not have any choice, if your kids are early risers. "MOM! WAKE UP! It's time to go see Mickey!"

We stayed at WL last year for the first time, and it is very kid friendly. Make sure you ask for your "Hidden Mickey" clue list when you check in. It provides clues (some of which we thought were very difficult) to finding the Hidden Mickeys at the Lodge. Turn in your completed list to the desk and you get a certificate.

Don't know if you have done your research yet, but there is no bus service from WL to MK. You go by boat, located at the rear of the resort. Kind of refreshing, first thing in the morning. Bus service is available for the other parks.

Don't be afraid to go through some of the older posts in this section. There is a lot of good information and tips, too numerous to recall, about WL and taking kids to the parks.

But if you have specific questions, don't be afraid to ask. Lots of us like to share. Have a great time!

 

[DisneyDugger]

We just got back from WDW a week ago and here's my take on the Early Entry Magic Hour:
- It really dpends what the ages are in your group. We had two sons 8 and 10, and a daughter 16, and we found it very difficult to get up at 6:45 - 7am to be at the Park for 8am.
- So if you have late sleepers (night owls and teenagers) then forget it.
- You have to remember that most folks are pretty wiped come bedtime from the days walking.

The only day we actually made it by 8:10am was AK for the Killiminjaro Safari.

I nattered at them each night before going to bed but nobody would budge come morning!

In the end we didn't find it all that neccessary anyways. We would arrive around 9:30am and we didn't didn't have any problems with line-ups (Feb 9-15).

We also stayed the whole day at the parks until the fireworks/ show and once we left we did something else "non-park" related.

cheers

 

[dlstc]

Thanks!

Thanks everyone for your responses and great tips!

I don't think I'll have any trouble getting my kids up the first day (although it will be for naught as we will be spending the Extra Magic Hour at CRT, and no I'm not complaining!):sohappy:

My kids are late sleepers, usually not getting up until 7:15, 7:30, but since they can snack on their breakfast on the bus/boat on the way to the parks, I'm hoping to be able to get to the parks for the EMH.

I am so grateful for these boards and am eagerly awaiting any May discount codes so I can increase my souvenir budget!

Thanks again to all!

Diana
Mother of Catherine, 4 and Claire, 2

 

[spikesmom]

extra hour is worth the effort

I really thing the extra hour is worth the effort of getting up (and I have a 16 year old, no mean feat to get him going and on a bus by 7:30AM). It is just nice to be in the parks with fewer people, and really getting in a couple of hours of fun without wait times. Last week, a hellishly crowded weekend, we did rides in MK that we probably couldn't have done otherwise. This was also true on previous trip (we only seem to be able to get to WDW when the rest of the world is there!) MK becomes ridiculously crowded by late morning, but by then you've been there 3 hours and you're ready for a rest. On our last trip, we rode Star Tours twice in a row with no waits - a blast!
You couldn't do it every day of your trip, you;d be too tired, but especially for MK and for MGM thrill rides, it is worth it.