Pros and Cons of Early Morning Magic at the Magic Kingdom
Disney World began a new offering they call "Early Morning Magic" today. It shouldn't be confused with Extra Magic Hours, which are a no additional cost benefit for Walt Disney World resort guests. Early Morning Magic costs $69 per adult and $59 per child and provides up to 1 hour and 15 minutes of additional early access to the Magic Kingdom on days that don't offer any form of Extra Magic Hour. It includes access to 7 Dwarfs Mine train, Peter Pan's Flight and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Here's some info from my experience this morning.
First, I'll begin by stating that I paid for this experience out of my own pocket, as I usually do. I wasn't comped and didn't win this in any form. Second, my opinions are just that, opinions. You can formulate your own based on your experiences and desires.
I drove my car to the Transportation and Ticket Center. I arrived at the toll booths at 7:02am. No one was accepting MagicBands or payment. I found a sign that instructed me to proceed to my destination. I parked my car on the front row of the Preferred parking as there were no parking attendants. I figured it seemed as though it was included in the cost of the event. By 7:11am I had walked to the Monorail / Ferry area. No monorails were running, so I was encouraged to take the Ferry. I noticed that the small boats were transporting Monorail Resort guests and buses were bringing in other resort guests.
At 7:21am we loaded the Ferry and made it the the Magic Kingdom landing at 7:31am. I found that all the guests arriving this early were heading left, so I followed suit.
A CM had a sign for tours and reservations. I checked in with a sweet lady and received my yellow wristband that was being used to let operations Casts know we were Early Morning Magic guests. Only guests with the yellow band were allowed to enter breakfast and rides weren't available to those without the band until 8:45am.
At 7:41am the Magic Kingdom was opened for tours, breakfasts and this event. I strolled leisurely up Main Street and took a few photos.
Speaking of photos, I merely used my Samsung S7 for photos today. I saw many breakfast guests stopping for early morning photos with Photopass along Main Street and near the Partners statue. I decided to begin my morning at 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. I rode it at 7:50am with ZERO wait.
You'll see this ZERO wait a few times in this post. I rode Winnie the Pooh with ZERO wait.
I then rode Peter Pan's Flight with ZERO wait.
From about 8:15am to 8:35am I chose to eat some breakfast. Pinocchio's Village Haus was the chosen location for the breakfast buffet.
It offered generous amounts of scrambled eggs, vegetable frittata, pork sausage, smoked bacon, breakfast potatoes, sausage, waffles (sorry no Mickey), hams and cheeses, pastries, greek yogurt and fresh fruit. I found orange juice, apple juice, milk, coffee and tea. It is served buffet style, so eat all you want!
I found the breakfast to be really delicious. Cast Members are on hand to interact with you and assist as well.
Speaking of interaction, I found the Cast Members at the attractions and the breakfast were very kind, helpful and happy and added to the experience. I remember many years go visiting the Magic Kingdom for Extra Magic Hours and the park was nearly empty and the Cast were playing with my children. It brought me back to that time.
I rode 7dmt 2 more times before lining up to meet Anna and Elsa at 8:45am.
I noticed that Be Our Guest breakfast guests weren't allowed to queue for any attraction until 8:45am, but that still gave them a little jump on the regular day guests. By 9:08am I had been on 7dmt 3 times, Peter Pan's Flight, Winnie the Pooh, ate breakfast and met up with Josh from EasyWDW to meet Anna and Elsa and rode Big Thunder together.
For those who wish to get a jump on the crowds or ride their favorite ride several times, this could be a good expenditure. I was able to follow up those attractions during Early Morning Magic with rides on Haunted Mansion, Big thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean by 10:30am. My total wait time was 20 minutes, for everything. I never ran or even walked fast. I had Fastpasses later for Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear and Tomorrowland Speedway.
Here's some answers to your questions on Facebook:
When is it offered?
Most Tuesdays and Saturdays, currently through June
Is Disney transportation running?
Yes, buses, ferries and little boats. No monorails.
Do they still offer the Welcome show?
Yes! It's no different than any other day when people are entering for breakfast for pre-park opening. Schedule for Welcome Show is always on my Crowd Calendars.
How crowded was it?
ZERO waits
How was the food?
Delicious and hot. As much as you want.
Does this event affect lines for attractions?
Not really. It may have put a dozen people in line for Anna & Elsa, but didn't affect waits at all. Remember, most guests can't even make it to the park until 10-11am anyway.
Is it worth it?
It's up to you to decide that, but I really enjoyed my morning.
Are characters available?
No. Fairytale Hall didn't open until 8:45am, but it did put me ahead of the crowd for Anna/Elsa and could have met Cinderella/Rapunzel with a short wait.
Do you think this will replace Early Extra Magic Hour?
No. I don't see that happening.
Is this better than Early Extra Magic Hour?
It's different. I can just ride 3 things over and over and pig out with this. Extra Magic Hour still requires some pre-planning to get the most out of it. It would be more difficult to ride 7D and meet Anna & Elsa with no waits with Extra Magic Hour.
Does ride access stop at some point?
No, but once the crowd arrives at 9am, you're better off going to do other headliners like I did.
When's the best time to eat?
I think my timing was perfect. If I had waited until the park opened, I wouldn't have been able to get into the other attractions with no wait.
Would you choose this morning version or the evening version?
Well, I didn't buy a ticket to the evening version ;)
Can I have your job?
- Sure! Begin working a few thousand hours now and within 4.5 years you'll be there :)
It's about the same cost as a hard ticket party with fewer hours, so you'll need to decide if it's worth it for you. Here's some pros and cons to help you decided.
Pros:
- ZERO wait times for all three attractions with ability to ride over and over
- Very casual and laid back time in the park
- Delicious hearty breakfast
- It felt like Disney World was trying to create a nice, relaxing "Attraction Breakfast."
- Cost for this is about the same as a breakfast at Cinderella Castle. I could have met 4 Princesses in short time too.
Cons:
- Costs $69 per adult and $59 per child.
- Cost for the event is in addition to a daily admission ticket usage.
- You cannot use Disney Dining Plan credits. I think many guests would give up 2 credits per person for this opportunity.
If I missed your question, feel free to post it here or share on my Facebook page!
Is this refundable?
It is treated as a dining reservation. Refundable 24 hours prior
I have breakfast reservations for BOG at 8 10 in May. Can I take the resort monorail to Magic Kingdom at 7 15? Is the ferry always running early? I want to be at MK about 7 30. I am trying to eat at BOG and get out early to get in line fir 7DMT even though there will be EMM that day.
The best way to be assured is to take Uber or Taxi to Contemporary and walk over.
Thxs Kenny. I havent ever done either of those. We have 6 people. Is that possible with an uber and how much do you think that would cost?
You might want to use the Meals service and request a van. They have an app.
Thx!
Ok what if I parked at Disney Springs at 7 am then called a Minnie Van to take us to Magic Kingdom then take the bus back to DS that night. Can I park at DS at 7 in the morning?
any suggestions on what rides to hit up next? after the Magic hour time is over?
Where should i start my FP selections?
We are travelling early December, too! I keep checking my Disney but nothing yet! Have you heard anything? I just posted a question for Kenny here but I don’t see it, I think I may have posted it on another thread
Hi Kenny! Do you know if Disney offered EMM in December 2017? I am hoping to book it this December (1st week); I keep checking but nothings been released past end of November 2018.
It has not been released for 2018. I can't use 2017 as a guideline for that either. If it is offered, I'll create a blog post for it.
Any idea if this event will be offered in a December 2018? I can see it offered every Sunday and Tuesday though December but nothing for a December as of yet :(
We are going May 2019. When and where do I look to book this?
Login as many times a day as you can. You should get 1 depending on the size of your party (especially parties of 2)
Are there any trick to snagging a reservation? We will be there on June 24, but I can't get a reservation.
If someone were to cancel, it would likely be shortly before the event. Persistence.
are there evening magic hours that u buy ticket to -that includes food? Or just halloween/xmas parties?
Well it's almost two years later and we still have EMH, so I'd say Kenny was correct. :-)
Thanks so much for the breakdown, great info! I’ve read that MK can randomly change the park hours... when EMM is scheduled does that prevent them from opening at 8am instead of 9am?
No emm has no effect
Great info. We tried it and LOVED it.
Is MK so busy the first week or two of December that they don’t offer it?
I kinda thought those were a good time to visit.
They vary them through the year, but usually lower crowd days
Have you done this again since it launched last year? Curious if the ticket distribution/crowds are larger then when they first started this with the smaller launch day. Also how the MK opening changes with guests allowed on main street lessens the buffer time of the park open with guests making it to the various lands faster at 9 with shorter walks.
It hasn't changed since they began. Very few people do this
I have been stalking for October days to be released and I see them tonight. Can you please explain why the whole week of our stay is blacked out for both this and the new frozen dessert party? The second week of October. . I'm super disappointed and frustrated!
Because you're traveling at one of the busiest times of the year. You'll find that on my Crowd Calendar.
Any idea of this will be offered for the fall? I don't see dates past September.
They tend to release dates a few months prior
You mentioned that when you were there, those with prepark opening ADR at BOG were allowed to line up and start riding 7DMT at 8:45. Do you know if that is still true? (I think my BOG reservations are on a day with EMMH and wondering if it will be worth it). Thanks
Is there a touring plan that you recommend using with this? We will be there in fall of 2017 when Splash is down. Do you think it would be better to move into Tomorrowland from Fantasyland or still head out toward Liberty Square/Frontierland and then on to Adventureland?
Either way would work, just fp the rides on the opposite side
Hi! Are you going to be reviewing the new version of this unrolling at the Studios? I can't decide if it is worth it. I do think in February we might need to consider both since we will be at the parks for February break.
I may look at it the second week
We will be enjoying this opportunity in August. How realistic is it to get this done, eat, and then hoof it to the front of the Park for Welcome Show? Also, do you bypass the interactive experience on Peter Pan?
The interactive portion of Pan wasn't turned on. I wouldn't try hustling 10 minutes back to the front of the park to watch the welcome show.
Thank you so much!
Any update/opinion on whether this will be offered in July? I'm planning a Saturday MK visit and am wondering if this will be happening and if/how it will affect our touring plan. Thanks!
Haven't heard.
Hi Kenny. We have an 830 BOG reservation on an Early Morning Magic Day. I am wondering if we hurry if you think it would be possible to still get in line for Princess Fairytale Hall before the regular rope drop? On the day you were there for EMM did the regular rope drop happen right at 9am?
8:45AM
i know this has been asked and answered already, but in your opinion, do you think this will be offered beyond june? we are visiting in october and would consider changing our schedule to accommodate. thanks again!
So they check for the wristband so an 8:05 BOG person can't swing by Winnie or PP on the way in?
Correct
I have tickets for June 28th...since this is a very crowded time would your plan work? (Or should we try to eat closer to 10 and start using FP then...
Park was busy on my visit. Should work, but Anna & Elsa will be moving in June
Can you eat something at Pinocchio's and come back for more later? For example, say DH wanted to grab his morning coffee and pastry while we ride Peter Pan (yes, I'm all about convincing him he'll like this morning!) then we all go back before 10am for breakfast?
You can leave and enter as often as you like
That right there (helped by your and Josh's posts) just smoothed over for him the early time and cost :)
Hi Kenny, thanks for the great report! I noticed that you ate during what others would think would be prime riding time. Was there a method to your madness? I think my kids would OD on 7DMT the whole time and then eat at 9:45ish.
Yes. I wanted to be done in time to experience other attractions. I was able to do 4 headliners with no FP and no waits.
I believe I'd skip the eggs and construct a HUGE sandwich with the croissants and sausages.
Sounds delicious
"Do you think this will replace Early Extra Magic Hour?
No. I don’t see that happening."
How can you possibly not see this happening? The've already gone from 15 EMH last year in April to just 5 this year.
I considered your post was really good and unbiased until this.
There's no bias in my statement and it is my opinion that they aren't planning to replace EMH. To have a professional opinion does not indicate Bias.
The problem is that you stated your opinion matter of factly, there's no way for a reader to know it's your opinion the way you've worded it. If you look at the history of EMH, it's glaringly obvious it was gutted this month compared to previous months.
If Extra Magic Hours get replaced by this, I'll owe you a character breakfast. It's faulty logic to see reductions equaling replacements. It is nearly impossible to scale this event to accomodate thousands of guests. Disney would need to serve breakfast all over the park. Disney charges for fireworks events, but does eliminate them or force every guest to purchase. Animal Kingdom lost evening Magic long ago and now they are giving us all back nights with extra offerings and longer nights. Extra Magic Hours are one of the only perceived benefits for staying onsite.
Compared to April of previous years especially. April 2014, 2015 are very similar, 2016 is not.
Crowds weren't nearly as high in April 2016 too. Not a single park phase closure this year due Spring Breaks being spread more evenly and more people touring in later April and May.
It's not really fair to say a benefit is a perceived benefit. They advertise it as a real thing, so it's a real thing.
It is a perceived benefit because you are actually going to visit a busier park.
Do you think they will extend this offer through summer?
Not sure
Any idea on the number of people who were there for this? I bought tickets for June.
Don't know the head count, but it was obviously low with zero waits
I thought I heard 200-300.
Couldn't have been that many. Never saw that many including breakfast and tours. No one ever rode with a full train even.
As always KtP thanks for taking one for the team and checking this out
Thank you for this post sounds like I am going to love it
Do you know if the event today was sold out? We booked ours for May 24th, and that day is sold out now. I'm wondering if sold out events would be more crowded. I'm really hoping that they did a good job limiting the number of tickets to these events so that they're not too busy.
I was told it was a sell out
Would you be able to go in the fast pass line after 9am once the park is open for general admission?
If you have a Fastpass, otherwise no
Awesome review Kenny, thank you. I do have a question though. You said that BOG guests were allowed to queue at 8:45 for 7D. Does this mean that they were allowed to stand in the line and that line had to wait to the ride at 9? Or did they get in line at 8:45 and they were allowing that line to ride early.
They were held away from the ride until 8:45am, then used regular queue
Oooh. Thanks for the review. Sounds awesome, if I could get my family up that early! I didn't notice if you mentioned that the breakfast was included in the price. I checked Disney's website to confirm that it was included.
Included
Thanks for the review! I can't wait to go on June 7th!
How about breakfast? Was there a crowd at the buffet?
No. You see the "crowd" in the room. No one there.
Did you notice how the crowd ran at breakfast? Was it more crowded closer to 9? to 10? Did the doors close at 10 or did everyone have to leave at 10?
I wasn't there at 10, but didn't see many yellow bands, so I doubt there was a mad rush and I would use 10am for rides :)
Great review!
Awesome recap Kenny. Thx for usual great legwork and description
Excellent point about it costing as much as CRT. Put it that way and it's not a bad deal!
Awesome, I really appreciate your review and that you went in to get a good honest review. I get tons of great info from you.
thanks!
How do we purchase this? I'm considering it but haven't decided yet. Do I have to call?
It's on the links I posted