Early Access at Magic Kingdom offers on-site visitors of Walt Disney Global accommodations a head-start to do rides with shorter strains and decrease wait occasions. Neatly, a minimum of that’s the thought. This picture file stocks my revel in on a moderately gradual day (crowd degree 3/10) that felt a ways busier very first thing within the morning and asks whether or not it’s time to skip Early Access at MK.
We’re giant enthusiasts of Early Access, and feature enthusiastically really helpful it in dozens of making plans posts. It’s an underrated perk, with many visitors disregarding it as “handiest” half-hour and not so good as the now-defunct, hour-long morning Additional Magic Hours. Whilst I’d clearly slightly have 60 mins versus half-hour, Early Access is so much much less busy than EMH was once. Having the perk in any respect 4 parks each unmarried day makes an enormous distinction, to the purpose I’d argue EE is healthier than EMH at 3 of the 4 parks.
As defined in several Additional Hours Box Stories, Early Access can also be a good way to knock out Big name Wars: Upward push of the Resistance, Slinky Canine Sprint, Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, Frozen Ever After, Avatar Flight of Passage, and different headliners with minimum waits by the use of the standby strains sooner than Lightning Lanes clog up queues. Chances are you’ll understand one conspicuous omission from our reward for Early Access: Magic Kingdom.
I’ve carried out Early Access at Magic Kingdom over a dozen occasions in the previous few years. It’s a ways and away my least favourite park for Early Access, however I stay returning for the sake of study. Neatly, and footage. I nonetheless do Early Access on the different 3 parks “for a laugh,” while Magic Kingdom is exactly for the sake of bloggability. If I had been a mean vacationer, my solution to the titular query could be sure–and would’ve been for some time now.
With that stated, Early Access at Magic Kingdom right through Celebration Season is superb. I’d do–and feature carried out–that for a laugh with out writing anything else in regards to the revel in or trying out technique. Early Access is superb right through Celebration Season from August thru December (plus a couple of different dates) as a result of Magic Kingdom opens to most people at 8 am and is generally much less busy.
With Celebration Season proper across the nook, a lot of you making plans Walt Disney Global journeys may have exactly this chance. See this submit about why 7:30 am Early Access at Magic Kingdom is a sport changer. We extremely suggest it on Halloween or Christmas Celebration dates.
Only a few visitors have the will and resolution to be out their resort room door by way of ~6:30 am, which is just about what’s essential to reach at Magic Kingdom in time for the beginning of Early Access. In contrast, lots of other people could make it for 8:30 am Early Access, which is the principle reason Magic Kingdom is the worst park for Early Access.
For this Early Access at Magic Kingdom trial run, we stayed the Fresh. A long way and away the perfect hotel for Early Access–or simply Magic Kingdom generally–as a result of the quick stroll to the park.
I didn’t be aware of after I left the room, were given thru safety, or the turnstiles. It was once all a clean and seamless procedure, taking then again lengthy it might take you to stroll from anyplace your room is on the hotel to the park. I stroll reasonably speedy, so it was once most probably beneath quarter-hour room door-to-Primary Side road for me. YMMV.
There’s the clock appearing after I arrived…ish. I had spent a few mins monkeying round taking footage by way of the Sharing the Magic statue, looking ahead to a transparent shot of Primary Side road till it turned into abundantly transparent that wasn’t going to occur. Can’t win ’em all.
Via this time, Magic Kingdom’s turnstiles were open for most likely a minimum of half-hour. Our standard advice is to be there kind of half-hour sooner than the beginning of Early Theme Park Access. In case your plan is to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Teach, you wish to have to reach 30+ mins prematurely. Much less time is ok for Peter Pan’s Flight, Area Mountain, or the opposite choices.
After snapping some footage across the Central Plaza and Cinderella Fort, I headed to the proper of the East Plaza Lawn for Early Theme Park Access. There’s a row of Forged Participants stationed to scan MagicBands or room keys to make sure Early Access eligibility.
Everybody is permitted to go into Magic Kingdom and hang around on Primary Side road, taking footage or looking ahead to rope drop over at the Frontierland and Adventureland facet of the Central Plaza. However you’ll’t get admission to Tomorrowland or Fantasyland with out scanning right here. Whenever you’ve carried out that, you’re just right to head for the morning.
From there, you continue directly to both the Tomorrowland Bridge or Fantasyland Bridge.
As all the time, the group is considerably smaller for Tomorrowland. That is the whole lot of it as of 8:05:06 am–the rope is between the rocks and the archway, and there’s respectable respiring room amongst events.
Had I joined this crowd, I may’ve carried out Area Mountain as a close to walk-on, assuming I walked briskly to it and didn’t get distracted alongside the best way taking footage…which I’d’ve!
In contrast, right here’s the group for Fantasyland as of 8:06:58 am.
There have been most likely 10-15 occasions as many visitors ready right here. Roughly 90% of the ones persons are planning to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Teach.
In truth, this isn’t that unhealthy. The folks on the very entrance had most likely been looking ahead to some time, however even though I joined the mass at 8:06:58 am, I most likely would’ve had a 25 minute or much less stay up for Seven Dwarfs Mine Teach. All will depend on how smartly I navigated the SDMT Shuffle in getting from right here to the real line. However I didn’t sign up for the herd.
Every time imaginable, we each attempt to do Early Access and take a divide and overcome way with Sarah getting caught doing the SDMT Shuffle whilst I run round taking photos and assessing strains all over Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. I used to be by myself for this box take a look at, so I needed to come to a decision which trail to take: sensible plan trying out or analysis. I selected the latter.
The theory of doing the SDMT Shuffle is all the time unappealing to me, however doubly so after I’m in the back of the pack and elbow-to-elbow with a host of drained and fellow under-caffeinated visitors. Plus, I sought after to take extra footage within the Hub. The vegetation are having a look stunning and it was once a ravishing morning.
With out even doing it, I will let you know that the SDMT Shuffle would’ve been annoying, as everybody shuffled (therefore the title) from the bridge to the enchantment front and a line shaped in probably the most awkward method imaginable. Seven Dwarfs Mine Teach by myself would’ve been the whole lot of my Early Access time at Magic Kingdom. With good fortune, I’d’ve been carried out by way of 8:30 am, simply in time for normal rope drop.
After taking footage of the vegetation within the Hub, I checked again at the crowd as of 8:19:11 am.
All of those other people selected poorly. They both will have to’ve arrived ~quarter-hour previous or long past to the Tomorrowland Bridge. You can’t each arrive past due and do the Fantasyland Bridge. That’s now not how this works.
Any individual past the bridge itself is taking the perk and turning it right into a worse end result–a mean (or worse) wait time for Seven Dwarfs Mine Teach at a time when different sights have beneath common waits. Horrible alternative value!
Right here’s the group at the Tomorrowland Bridge as of 8:20:31 am.
This may glance unhealthy, but it surely’s in reality now not. I’d say it’s about common, and the group is a lot more kick back. In all probability slightly too kick back, as there’s numerous respiring room between events, and other people from the again saved reducing forward and filling that area. (I wasn’t about to do this since it kind of feels like deficient shape, however I additionally wouldn’t have left such a lot to be had area for precisely that reason why.) However no matter. I used to be simply alongside for the experience.
Something I can upload this is that the again of the pack this is objectively higher for buying to Fantasyland than the Fantasyland Bridge. It’s an extended stroll, however should you’re fast, you’ll in reality transfer freely right here–no shuffle. I’ve “beat” the again of the pack from this location on a number of events. (I’ve carried out it to get to Peter Pan’s Flight, since SDMT is a misplaced reason from again right here–simply because it’s a misplaced reason from the again of the opposite pack.)
As is all the time the case, the revel in coming into Tomorrowland is downright completely happy as in comparison to Fantasyland. Simply take a look at all that to be had area between the events strolling into the land. Nobody is shuffling!
A line shaped right away at Area Mountain ready to go into the enchantment.
Visitors had been stacked outdoor the queue, and funnel down from a bit of of an amorphous blob into a real line nearer to the doorway. This may glance unhealthy, however understand that there’s no person within the development but and is solely standby at this hour.
Even from the again of this line, it most probably would’ve been a few 10-15 minute wait, with maximum of that being a question of strolling during the inner queue. That will’ve made Area Mountain a powerful beginning possibility for Early Access, similar to maximum mornings in Magic Kingdom.
You have to’ve most likely hit that after which Buzz Lightyear’s Area Ranger Spin and Astro Orbiter sooner than crowds began to construct. Then again, I used to be right here for analysis–now not a laugh–so I saved on going with out blasting off into area.
I used to be stunned to look a bit of of a line at Buzz, because it’s regularly a walk-on right through Early Access.
This nonetheless wouldn’t had been remotely unhealthy–most likely a 5 minute precise wait as the road could also be stacked outdoor right here and continuously transferring as soon as within the development.
Surprised that extra other people didn’t need to birth their time without work with the candy, candy smell of vehicle exhaust.
It boggles my thoughts that that is how someone needs to spend Early Access. I’d actually slightly sit down outdoor the Tangled Bogs™️ and benefit from the serene sounds of the venue. A lot better atmosphere. I actually have a voice inside of my head announcing, “close up you idiot, that is going to return again to chunk you in a couple of years when Tomorrowland Speedway is Megatron’s favourite experience.”
Arriving in Fantasyland, the road for Seven Dwarfs Mine Teach already wrapped across the mountain and was once again by way of the Little Mermaid darkish experience.
This isn’t in any respect extraordinary for Early Access. It may be rather higher or worse, however I’d say that is about common.
The difficult factor about coming into this line is that it’s a continuously transferring goal. Such a lot of visitors race against the doorway of Seven Dwarfs Mine Teach, and in finding themselves chasing the road backwards, seeing their wait time balloon due to that one, not-so-little misstep.
This could also be why the Tomorrowland Bridge place to begin can also be awesome. Take the ‘great distance’ across the teacups and you’ve got an more uncomplicated time assembly the again of the road because it bureaucracy. (This additionally works from the Fantasyland Bridge, however the herd mentality makes other people reticent to do it.)
The posted wait time for Seven Dwarfs Mine Teach was once 75 mins. That may’ve been inflated a bit of, however it might’ve been lengthy regardless. Without a doubt worse than I had noticed it right through different Early Access mornings, together with many that will finally end up having upper crowd ranges.
The crucial factor this actual day, despite the fact that, was once that 75 mins was once the height wait time for SDMT. It by no means were given any worse than this! You have to’ve actually rolled up in mid-afternoon and located a 60 minute posted wait time. However for numerous other people, 75 mins was once now not the full dedication…in addition they waited round for Early Access to start out, so their “all in” general may’ve been ~85 mins. (Certainly no person who arrived sooner than 8:15 am waited 75 mins, a minimum of.)
Now not handiest that, however there’s the aforementioned alternative value. As an alternative of a nasty shuffle to an above-average stay up for Seven Dwarfs Mine Teach, they might’ve pleasantly breezed thru Tomorrowland and knocked out 2-3 rides with below-average waits. In point of fact makes you suppose.
Seeing that lengthy line, a good selection of visitors had the great sense to recoil and jump to Peter Pan’s Flight. This occurs each morning as probably the most again part of the SDMT Shuffle individuals understand they’re in for a protracted wait.
That will generally be the sensible play they usually’d come upon a wait time of 20 mins or much less. However in this explicit day, the wait time was once already 45 mins and the queue stretched again to the Tangled Bogs™️. Oof.
That is kind of 10 mins sooner than common rope drop.
A few of these visitors most likely had been entrance of the pack at Seven Dwarfs Mine Teach or Peter Pan’s Flight, however my wager is that about part didn’t do anything else main right through Early Access. They balked two times, lower their losses, hit the bogs, and were given in a position for rope drop. That is my “wager” as a result of I overheard a pair other events recommend that’s what came about–that they ‘were given up early for no reason why’ or ‘didn’t do anything else.’
I moved temporarily to make my far more than to Jungle Cruise, however pace didn’t subject. The space is longer from this level than it’s from the hub, and I used to be at the back of the rope drop crowd.
The road was once already 45 mins lengthy. Granted, it might most commonly be continuously transferring as Lightning Lane returns could be sporadic in the beginning, but when the real wait was once anything else over half-hour at this level, it might balloon on the finish as extra Genie+ customers started returning against the tip in their window.
It’s additionally price noting that I did Jungle Cruise later within the day with a 30 minute posted wait time and ~20 minute precise wait.
Large Thunder Mountain Railroad nonetheless had a 5 minute wait after I were given again there, however with the queue spilling out the doorway, this most likely was once now not correct. 5 mins is ready how lengthy it takes to stroll the queue at a average pace.
With Tiana’s Bayou Journey nonetheless over a month clear of opening, Large Thunder Mountain is soaking up all the rope drop crowds again in Frontierland. We in reality have now not spotted the ones aggravate–it kind of feels like fewer visitors are heading again right here because of having the opposite mountain (are we able to nonetheless name it that?) down.
In the long run, the large “factor” for me that brought about the name to this submit is that Early Access and cord drop had been nonetheless slightly busy in spite of it being a moderately gradual day at Magic Kingdom. Either one of the Fantasyland headliners had longer waits right through Early Access than later within the day, which was once additionally true of Jungle Cruise at rope drop. All of this in spite of no rides having downtime, which is generally what reasons inflated wait occasions in different places. On most sensible of that, you’re generally arriving previous to the beginning of Early Access and looking ahead to that to start.
This isn’t to mention I couldn’t have completed sights with shorter waits right through Early Access and cord drop. Zigging after they zag and becoming a member of the smaller, extra carefree crowd ready at the Tomorrowland Bridge would’ve been the objectively easiest technique. It could’ve allowed later arrival–rolling up as past due as 8:25 am and nonetheless having a moderately affordable wait time for Area Mountain.
Beginning in Tomorrowland additionally would’ve stored extra time as in comparison to Fantasyland. Bouncing from there to Large Thunder for rope drop–or sticking with second-tier Fantasyland rides to attenuate strolling–nonetheless would’ve yielded favorable effects.
However for lots of visitors, there’s the sensible query of arriving early or staying past due–it’s now not imaginable to do each. In this explicit day, Peter Pan’s Flight had a ~10 minute precise wait within the remaining half-hour of the night time and Seven Dwarfs Mine Teach was once 18 mins when lining up with 1 minute left sooner than park remaining. The latter was once additionally now not within the solar, because it was once at 9:59 pm. I will’t be in two puts directly, however the rides in Tomorrowland most likely had precise wait occasions an identical to Early Access. So for the ones visitors compelled to choose from Early Access and past due nights, the solution to the titular query is sure.
After all, many visitors can arrive early and keep past due…particularly when Magic Kingdom park hours are a paltry 9 am to ten pm, which most likely is helping provide an explanation for why Early Access was once so busy in this 3/10 crowd degree day. When you’re a theme park commando who can move from open to near with out factor, it clearly is sensible to do Early Access (however you most likely already knew that). It additionally is sensible to tempo your self and move the comfy direction, knocking out Tomorrowland first versus preventing Fantasyland crowds. The solution for those visitors is no…however you most likely already knew that with out studying should you’re all the time going opening to remaining, anyway!
Even on a just right day, Early Access at Magic Kingdom calls for a moderately respectable time dedication, better crowds, and a ways much less payoff than the opposite parks at Walt Disney Global. As we’ve cautioned sooner than, don’t let Magic Kingdom be your first Early Access revel in, because it’ll unduly prejudice you in opposition to the opposite parks, in spite of Early Access being a ways awesome in EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Talking of which, if you wish to have technique for the opposite 3 parks, take a look at our Information to Early Theme Park Access at Walt Disney Global.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you skip Early Access at Magic Kingdom or benefit from the perk? Partake within the SDMT Shuffle or go for the extra tranquil Tomorrowland birth? How would you do issues another way to start out the day at MK? Another comments on arriving early to the Walt Disney Global theme parks? Agree or disagree with our recommendation or way? Any questions we will be able to let you solution? Listening to your comments–even whilst you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas beneath within the feedback!