Tip Tuesday: Even more reason to get there early

Hey there, hi there, ho there!

It's Tip Tuesday time!

If you're a regular here at DisneyDaddy, you know I'm a big fan of getting to the parks early to take advantage of the low morning crowds.

In the past, Disney held an event known as "rope drop" where guests could queue up at a pre-selected area and wait for an official opening.  Often, a welcome show greeted guests before the countdown to park opening.

Lately, though, this practice has been changing, especially at Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios and Disney Animal Kingdom.

Now, it appears that the welcome shows are a thing of the past, with the exception of the Magic Kingdom, and, more importantly, gates are starting to open even earlier than expected.

Recent reports indicate that though park opening may be set for, say, 9 a.m., guests can often start entering the park and going straight to attractions as much as 15 minutes before the posted time.  Basically, the park opens 15 minutes early, in this example.  While this isn't an official practice yet, it does appear that this is happening on a nearly daily basis, though reports vary on how much before the official opening cast members are allowing guests to enter the park.

So what this really means to you and me is that you really need to get to the turnstiles no less than 30 minutes before the posted park opening time, because you'll likely be allowed to enter before that opening.  This also goes for Extra Magic Hours.

With all the recent and rumored future changes to FastPass, a few more crowd-free morning hours is a magical thing.

So, like I always say, get there early and enjoy those low-crowd mornings!

In the Rumor Mill: Magic Kingdom may expand early EMH attractions

According to the folks at WDWMagic.com, Disney is expected to soon announce some additions to the attractions that will be open during morning Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom. The list of the new attractions joining the morning EMH list are Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Mad Hatter's Tea Party and Snow White's Scary Adventures.

The suspected reason for this addition is due to the impending long-term closure of Space Mountain and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority for their much anticipated refurbishments, which begin on Sunday the 19th.

The TTA is expected to open sometime in late summer while Space Mountain is expected to re-open just before Thanksgiving.

I'm glad to see Big Thunder and Splash Mountain are on that list. I've wondered why two of the big three attractions at the Magic Kingdom weren't open for morning Extra Magic Hours.

Tip Tuesday: Getting the most out of Extra Magic Hours

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

For those of you new to the DisneyDaddy blog, this is a weekly feature in which I offer a tip to help make your next visit to Walt Disney World a little better.

Anyone heading to Walt Disney World should know about a little perk Disney gives guests for staying on-property: Extra Magic Hours. While this is no big secret, there is some debate about the benefits of Extra Magic Hours (or EMH) and how to best use them.

For those that don't know what Extra Magic Hours are, I'll give you the quick rundown. WDW pros can feel free to skip this part. With Extra Magic Hours, a Disney park will either open an hour early or stay open up to three hours late. Only guests who are staying on-property (and have a Key to the World Card) can take advantage of EMH. Most times, two parks offer EMH each day (one early, one late).

There are some sites and books out there that suggest that guests should generally avoid parks that have EMH hours for that day. For instance, if the Magic Kingdom has early EMH, and Disney's Hollywood Studios has late EMH, guests should avoid both parks and go to either Epcot or Disney's Animal Kingdom.

I understand the thought process behind this suggestion. It has been proven (through monitoring of wait times at key attractions) that the crowds at a particular park will be heavier on EMH days than regular days. OK, fine, I accept that fact.

But here's where the tip comes in: Ignore that advice. Take advantage of Extra Magic Hours - especially early EMH! Otherwise, you're just short-changing yourself.

Yes, you might experience a little extra crowding, but it won't be disastrous. Besides, isn't it better to deal with a little extra crowding and enjoy the parks instead of sitting back in your hotel room? That seems like a no-brainer to me.

As for which EMH are better -- I'll take early EMH over late any day of the week. During MouseFest weekend back in December, I was able to use early EMH at Epcot and rode Soarin' and Test Track (via standby lines) before the rest of the park opened (and had a later FastPass for Soarin' in hand as well). Not bad for only one hour. Similarly last Easter (one of the busiest times of the year), I used early EMH to catch a few attractions at the Magic Kingdom and grab some FastPasses before park opening.

That doesn't mean late EMH are bad. Generally people tend to prefer using the later hours as opposed to the early ones (I guess it's tough for some to get up early while on vacation), that's why I like to use early EMH. That being said, I do enjoy staying very late at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot - the best parks at night. There are some great photo opportunities (I'll have to talk about these in a future Tip Tuesday post) and the crowds tend to dwindle down especially during the final hour.

So be sure to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours - it's a perk for staying on property and one you'll appreciate!