Early Entry at Magic Kingdom is an effective method for on-site visitors of Walt Disney World motels to get a head-start, carrying out a number of points of interest with low waits. This picture report affords a run-through of my morning, together with: 1) the park’s new-ish protocol for the bonus time; 2) risks of the dreaded delayed opening and the troublesome dilemma it creates for visitors; 3) why it is best to skip MK’s hottest attraction throughout EE.
As at all times, Early Entry at Magic Kingdom is a combined bag. We’re usually large followers of the on-site perk, which supplies resort visitors a head-start to do headliner points of interest with shorter strains and decrease wait occasions to beat the crowds. Early Entry at Magic Kingdom has truly improved so much these days, no less than if you realize what you’re doing and don’t make any errors (simpler mentioned than carried out).
Though Early Entry is an underrated perk as a complete, it’s arguably overrated at Magic Kingdom. I’ve carried out Early Entry at Magic Kingdom dozens of occasions in the previous couple of years. It’s my least favourite park for Early Entry, however I maintain returning for the sake of analysis. I additionally love mornings within the parks, so there’s that.
I strongly suspect others share my perspective of Early Entry at Magic Kingdom. Because it’s the most well-liked park at Walt Disney World and the one visitors are inclined to do firstly of their journey on Mondays, many conclude Early Entry is “not price it” on the primary day of their holidays, name an audible, and skip Early Entry at each different park. That is my working idea, and it could clarify so much about Early Entry at Walt Disney World, from perceptions to crowds.
Earlier than we even get began, I can inform you that the optimum method is to zig once they zag in a number of regards there. First, don’t do Magic Kingdom on a Monday. Second, begin some place else the place crowds are decrease initially of the week, do Early Entry there, and reap the rewards. By the point you get round to your Magic Kingdom day, Early Entry nonetheless gained’t be nearly as good on the citadel park as the opposite 3, however no less than it gained’t bitter you on the entire additional half-hour expertise. However I digress.
This explicit Early Entry runthrough at Magic Kingdom was carried out on a Monday (don’t chuckle…most of my Early Entry at Magic Kingdom testing is finished on Mondays for the sake of getting the worst crowd experiences so I’m not continually showcasing sunshine and rainbows). The park opened to most people at 9 am, that means Early Entry started at 8:30 am.
I used to be out the door of our room on the Polynesian by 7:15 am, which is critical as a result of lengthy commute and unpredictability of transportation. The boat to Magic Kingdom arrived at 7:33 am and dropped me off at 7:47 am. After slight hiccups at bag test (the fun of carrying a digital camera), I used to be on Foremost Road by 7:54 am. This was slightly later than I might’ve preferred.
When it comes to Early Entry fundamentals, our regular advice is to be there roughly half-hour earlier than the beginning of Early Theme Park Entry. In case your plan is to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare, you need to arrive 30+ minutes upfront. Much less time is okay for Peter Pan’s Flight, House Mountain, or secondary choices.
Arriving earlier additionally offers you time for enjoyable images on Foremost Road with empty backgrounds. As soon as carried out with that, head to the correct of the East Plaza Backyard for Early Theme Park Entry. There’s a row of Forged Members stationed to scan MagicBands or room keys to confirm Early Entry eligibility.
Everyone seems to be allowed to enter Magic Kingdom and hang around on Foremost Road, taking images or ready for rope drop over on the Frontierland and Adventureland aspect of the Central Plaza. However you may’t entry Tomorrowland or Fantasyland with out scanning right here. When you’ve carried out that, you’re good to go for the morning.
From there, you proceed on to both the Tomorrowland Bridge or Fantasyland Bridge.
It was once the case that visitors have been held on this bridge till roughly the beginning of Early Entry (normally a couple of minutes early, however not at all times, and by no means a constant period of time). Because of this, a big crowd would type that was mainly a big, amorphous blob of humanity.
There was no line. It was a “fill in all out there house” state of affairs. That means you’d usually be higher off by arriving earlier, however not positively. Individuals leaving additional house within the blob would imply that bought filled-in by later arrivals–you get the concept, we’ve all been there. It additionally meant that there was a power-walking race to the primary vacation spot, as visitors jockeyed for place even additional.
That’s why we way back coined the time period the ‘Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare Shuffle.’ Company are revving up their double-wide strollers, making ready to do some critical harm to the ankles of anybody strolling too gingerly. The slow-sprint-slash-shuffle to Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare is a excessive stakes, eat-or-be-eaten sport.
I’ve made no secret of my hatred for the SDMT Shuffle over time. Not solely is the expertise itself disagreeable (and it truly is!), but it surely affords little upside. On regular mornings, the one individuals breezing on and off Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare stress-free have been these on the entrance of the pack. And the one approach to get on the entrance of the pack was to reach actually early…and wait.
Truthfully, the time period SDMT Shuffle actually undersold it; I similar to alliterations. SDMT Dying March could be hyperbolic, and Excruciating and Unnecessarily Worrying SDMT Gradual-Stroll could be a bit too verbose. No sense in workshopping it now, a number of years too late, because the SDMT Shuffle is useless.
New Early Entry Protocol at Magic Kingdom
The brand new process for Early Entry nonetheless entails a rope drop on the bridges to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, but it surely happens far earlier.
My expertise is pretty restricted thus far, however at round 7:45 to 7:50 am, these bridges open and visitors are allowed to proceed to their first vacation spot. There isn’t actually a crowd to talk of at the moment, as Early Entry remains to be 45 minutes away.
A part of the explanation my expertise is proscribed is as a result of I’ve carried out this 5 days because the new protocol began and have missed the rope drop on 3 of them. That means it’s occurred earlier than 7:55 am each single day I’ve carried out Early Entry.
This new Early Entry process began again in the course of the peak of spring break, and I used to be advised on the time that it was a check. I’ve requested once more extra just lately, and a number of Forged Members on the bottom have confirmed that it’s the brand new regular. I’d cease wanting calling it “everlasting” (a phrase a couple of used) as a result of few issues are actually everlasting in the case of Walt Disney World protocol.
I might see the Early Entry method altering once more as soon as Get together Season begins, someday in 2026, or 5 years from now. In any case, it’s been the method for the previous couple of months and the intention is to proceed indefinitely. It’s now not a check or short-term measure to raised soak up spring break crowds.
As soon as the bridges open and visitors are allowed to proceed to their first vacation spot, meaning they’ll line up for an attraction. After all, you would simply wander round Tomorrowland or Fantasyland having fun with the environment, however on this explicit day, that meant 90-degree temperatures. Most individuals would most likely favor a shaded or indoor queue.
From what I’ve seen, nothing else has modified with regard to Early Entry.
Bag test, turnstiles and Foremost Road nonetheless open at roughly the identical time. My anecdotal observations are that visitors nonetheless arrive at roughly the identical time, so this hasn’t actually pulled ahead demand.
Most significantly, the beginning time of Early Entry can also be unchanged. Points of interest nonetheless start working at 8:30 am, that means visitors are allowed to “pre-load” into queues for 35-45 minutes. Hurry up and wait, as they are saying.
This new method to Early Entry is significantly better than the choice!
In case you’re in a queue, you aren’t in an amorphous blob. You aren’t standing in a sea of humanity, anxiously watching as later arrivals squeeze into house round you. Arrivals are pulsed organically, that means there isn’t any jockeying for place on the stroll from the bridges to the points of interest.
It additionally saves a little bit of time, each as a result of the stroll to the primary vacation spot started earlier than Early Entry and since typically an attraction or two may begin working earlier than the remaining. In nearly each conceivable method, that is the extra guest-friendly method to Early Entry. Take it from somebody who has carried out this dozens of occasions: that is by far one of the best method to Early Entry, on steadiness.
New Pitfalls of Dreaded Delayed Openings Throughout Early Entry
Nonetheless, it’s not good. And that’s as a result of there isn’t any such factor as good in the case of Walt Disney World touring. It’s all a sequence of tradeoffs and balancing of pursuits. Some visitors may favor ready on the bridge for no matter purpose and doing the SDMT Shuffle. Possibly it’s nostalgia speaking, or maybe they’re merely psychotic. Who is aware of.
One goal disadvantage of this method is the dreaded delayed opening.
Beforehand, if there was an attraction that wouldn’t open on time for Early Entry, you’d discover out as you arrived on the attraction or shortly after stepping into line. The mud hadn’t settled, so to talk, and you would rapidly pivot to a unique attraction. There would nonetheless be brief strains elsewhere, since everybody could be scrambling across the identical time. We’ve got loads of firsthand expertise right here, bouncing from Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare to Peter Pan’s Flight on extra events than I can rely.
The issue now’s that strains construct slowly over the course of 30+ minutes, and delayed openings sometimes usually are not identified upfront. That means that Forged Members aren’t conveying the chance or probability of a delayed opening at ~8 am, as a result of they’re not but conscious of it. Or they do, however they’re hoping upkeep can get every part up and working on time. Regardless, it’s not communicated to visitors.
In the meantime, strains begin ‘locking’ themselves into place. Later arriving visitors see an extended overflow queue for TRON Lightcycle Run or Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare. As a substitute of panicking and leaping into it in the course of the chaos of that rope drop rush, they now have extra time to deliberate and make a rational resolution. That call is commonly pivoting to House Mountain or Peter Pan’s Flight.
The results of that is that, by the point 8:30 am rolls round and it turns into apparent {that a} delayed opening goes to happen, strains are lengthy in every single place as visitors have distributed themselves in a logical method. As soon as a delayed opening is communicated to visitors, they’re offered with a troublesome dilemma: bail on their attraction, sunk prices and all, and pivot to the again of the pack at a unique experience or wait it out.
As I’ve shared elsewhere, I at all times instantly pivot when a delayed opening is introduced. Generally earlier than it’s even introduced if it turns into clear to me that one is on the horizon (straightforward to inform with out of doors coasters if trains aren’t biking).
I’ve gotten burned earlier than with a experience opening a couple of minutes later, however I’ve come out forward with this method over an extended time horizon. I additionally don’t have the endurance for it. I’d be nervously watching the clock, wired about getting on an attraction I’ve carried out dozens of occasions earlier than. I simply don’t have it in me.
At the very least, that’s what I’ve at all times carried out earlier than. I’m actually undecided what I’d do with this new system if I’d already been in line for 45 minutes and knew the road was already lengthy on the next-best different. I most likely wouldn’t bail instantly, and with every passing minute, it’d be tougher to justify leaving. It’s a troublesome dilemma!
As you’re most likely guessing by this level, the dreaded delayed opening is exactly what occurred with Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare on this explicit morning.
Fortunately, I wasn’t a part of this line so the troublesome dilemma was not mine. However I checked in all through the morning and only a few visitors have been making the choice to bail. That, or as visitors did resolve to pivot, they have been changed by new arrivals, as the road didn’t get materially shorter over the course of Early Entry.
Generally, the choice to attend it out could be vindicated. This was not a kind of days. Above are screenshots from all through the day, displaying simply how lengthy Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare was down. I’m undecided when it lastly did open for the day, as I finished checking.
By the point these visitors would’ve been capable of make an knowledgeable resolution to pivot, the strains just about in every single place would’ve been discouragingly lengthy. I can’t think about getting up at 6 am, arriving to Magic Kingdom at 7:30 am, being on the entrance of each holding level, then in line at SDMT for ~45 minutes…solely to finish up ready in a ~20 minute line on the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. One thing they might’ve simply as simply carried out by arriving at 8:45 am!
As you may see from the screenshots above, Peter Pan’s Flight opened with a 40 minute wait.
That was earlier than visitors knew that SDMT had a delayed opening, so the road would solely worsen over the course of Early Entry. Had visitors pivoted straight away, I’m guessing their precise wait would’ve been lower than 40 minutes, however the queue spilling out this far is seldom a superb signal.
By 8:45 am, a stunning variety of visitors had merely thrown within the towel on Early Entry in Fantasyland and have been prepared for normal rope drop.
There’s at all times a small crowd that gathers right here, but it surely bought bigger, sooner on this explicit day. Presumably as a result of SDMT downtime. At the very least they’re within the shade! And on one other optimistic be aware, there truly are extra free roaming characters out throughout Early Entry, which is enjoyable!
Regardless of the day as a complete solely having average crowds at Magic Kingdom, Early Entry was busy. Wait occasions solely inform a part of the story as they’re considerably arbitrary at this hour. I’ve seen sufficient Early Entry strains to know this can be a busy begin.
That is the standard summer season dynamic when warmth is excessive. Extra visitors arrive early, go away for a noon break, and return later with a view to beat the warmth. All else being equal, you’re going to come across worse Early Entry crowds this time of yr than a comparable day in December or January.
As I shared in our final Early Entry report, my go-to transfer for morning at Magic Kingdom has been beginning at House Mountain, looping that, after which bouncing over to TRON Lightcycle Run.
The 45 minute posted wait time (though my watch for experience #1 would’ve been extra like 10 minutes had I truly bought in line very first thing) discouraged me from doing that. House Mountain would go on to have a 20 minute wait later within the afternoon.
Why You Ought to Nonetheless Skip Magic Kingdom’s #1 Journey
Talking of TRON Lightcycle Run, right here’s a have a look at the road for that experience, beginning at 8:10 am.
Word the signal indicating that TRON Lightcycle Run opens at 9:00 am. That means that there’s already an extended line for TRON Lightcycle Run, which makes a point of sense provided that it’s the #1 worst wait time in Magic Kingdom, on common.
TRON’s standing throughout Early Entry has been a supply of confusion, and Walt Disney World is partially responsible for that. For one factor, it’s nonetheless not formally open throughout Early Entry regardless of being in Tomorrowland. That’s counterintuitive, as Magic Kingdom is the lone park to solely open two of its lands–however then ‘withhold’ the largest headliners in these.
For an additional factor, there have been scattered experiences that, truly, TRON Lightcycle Run does open throughout Early Entry.
It’s not at all times proper at 8:30 am, but it surely’s typically (normally?) earlier than 9 am.
I’ve carried out Early Entry a number of occasions since TRON switched to standby and I don’t recall ever seeing it cycle with visitors earlier than 8:45 am. That’s the operative half–biking with visitors. I’ve seen it cycle. I’ve seen the queue open. So the road is transferring and it sounds just like the experience is working…however nobody is on it. Possibly this can be a supply of confusion? Company really feel like they’re making progress and listen to the coaster roaring overhead, even when nobody is on it?
In any case, I’ve additionally seen this join extra just lately and Forged Members repeatedly making bulletins to visitors in line that TRON Lightcycle Run isn’t a part of Early Entry and can start working at 9 am.
I take that as a reasonably robust signal that, truly, TRON Lightcycle Run just isn’t a part of Early Entry.
Listed below are a number of extra appears at TRON Lightcycle Run from all through the morning:
This final one was taken at 9:02 am, and was the primary prepare I noticed cycle with visitors on this explicit morning.
A technique or one other, these visitors have been ready for TRON Lightcycle Run. In the event that they rolled up in mid-afternoon and located a 60-90 minute wait time, their time dedication was extra easy: it was no matter they really waited in line.
As is the case with all points of interest, Early Entry is deceiving. It’s not simply the posted wait. It’s on a regular basis earlier than that, standing round ready for Early Entry to start, too. The distinctive wrinkle with TRON is that there’s one other half-hour because it’s not even working throughout Early Entry! Consequently, the “all-in” complete for visitors in the direction of the entrance of the pack may’ve been ~120 minutes. That’s an above-average wait on this explicit day.
There’s additionally the chance price.
As a substitute of standing round ready for TRON to open and having an above-average wait, they might’ve knocked out Peter Pan’s Flight or House Mountain with below-average waits. SDMT could be on that listing usually, however not at present. In addition they might’ve gone for a ‘singles and doubles’ method and carried out 2-3 secondary points of interest in Tomorrowland or Fantasyland.
Since TRON isn’t formally opening at 9 am, there’s additionally the chance price of rope dropping Adventureland or Frontierland after Early Entry. It’s not simply the visitors arriving firstly of Early Entry; this additionally applies to visitors racing right here at rope drop to be in the back of the pack.
That’s why we strongly suggest skipping TRON Lightcycle Run throughout Early Entry and firstly of standard rope drop. You may actually choose a time at random to do it later within the day and obtain higher outcomes.
Talking of which, after taking these images of TRON Lightcycle Run, I bounced to the opposite aspect of the park to take a look at the strains in Frontierland and Adventureland.
The above picture was taken at 9:13 am (I might’ve gotten right here sooner however bought distracted by taking images of the morning mild on the Rivers of America promenade). Word the empty go browsing the left.
In spite of everything that racing round Magic Kingdom to doc Early Entry, I used to be already a pool of sweat and at last prepared for my first experience of the day. The posted wait time for Tiana’s Bayou Journey was 10 minutes, and my precise wait was nevertheless lengthy it took me to stroll via the empty queue.
Tiana’s Bayou Journey would go on to have the second longest wait time in Magic Kingdom on today, behind solely TRON Lightcycle Run. That’s one benefit of rope dropping it. The opposite is that, though it’s improved tremendously, the experience nonetheless does have an above-average variety of breakdowns. Doing it when the road is brief decreases the probability of downtime when you’re ready.
The very first visitors in line for TRON Lightcycle Run might’ve made it to Tiana’s Bayou Journey and knocked it out whereas the wait time was nonetheless low. The identical could be true for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare + TBA on a traditional morning.
For a lot of visitors, this might be considered as a savvy technique. They’ll argue that the time spent ready earlier than the park opens “doesn’t rely,” or extra precisely, isn’t as invaluable because the working day. And should you’re a commando vacationer going arduous from rope drop till park closing, that’s true!
For visitors arriving at or after common rope drop, or anybody who can’t do the total day, that isn’t true. It’s all about tradeoffs, and burning a lot of the clock on hour(s) when the park isn’t even working may find yourself being counterproductive.
As for my morning after Tiana’s Bayou Journey, I subsequently bounced to Pirates of the Caribbean (additionally no wait). There was nothing strategic about this; I used to be simply overheating and a darkish air-conditioned queue actually hit the spot.
By the point I bought off that, the road for Jungle Cruise was prohibitively lengthy. If I knew what the “angle” of this put up would find yourself being, I might’ve raced to Jungle Cruise at 9 am, adopted by TBA and PotC, as an alternative of goofing round taking footage.
From there, I bounced again over to Tomorrowland and knocked out the TTA PeopleMover. Whereas on that, I noticed that the road for House Mountain was now nonexistent, and the ~15 minute posted wait time corroborated this. So I did that, and ended up ready 16 minutes.
Finally, if we skip over all of the working round to doc Early Entry (with out doing something), fake that I merely arrived for normal rope drop and picked up this morning at Magic Kingdom from there…it was truly fairly good! And the purpose of this isn’t that Early Entry is unhealthy, as a result of that’s not essentially true, both. Had I began with Peter Pan’s Flight, I might’ve pretty simply carried out that and one other Fantasyland basic earlier than heading to Frontierland.
My difficulty with Early Entry is sinking an excessive amount of time into one attraction and pretending that point doesn’t rely as a result of it’s earlier than the park opens. It might be decrease worth time, but it surely’s definitely not no-value time. This run-through exaggerates the pitfalls of that method with Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare having a delayed opening till afternoon and TRON Lightcycle Run not biking visitors till ~9 am, however they exist regardless.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you skip Early Entry at Magic Kingdom or reap the benefits of the perk? What’s your technique? Begin with Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare or one thing else? Would you pivot within the case of the dreaded delayed opening, or be reluctant given the sunk price and wait occasions in every single place else? Would you go for the ‘hurry up and wait’ method of beginning at TRON Lightcycle Run, or is the chance price of ready for a experience that isn’t open too excessive for you? How would you do issues otherwise to start out the day at MK? Agree or disagree with our recommendation or method? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!