(To everyone who just groaned, don’t worry, I’m going to do a post about arriving late also.)
Disney rewards Guests who wake up early and grab a bus or ferry to arrive at the parks before opening. Along with the chance to see the parks at its best, when they are clean and fresh, here are five more reasons to set your alarm.
- Different parks have different opening ceremonies, but they are all great photo opportunities.
- Some parks (like Disneyland) pick a family of the day and if you are there early it could be you.
- You can get on the best rides before anyone else.
- You can enjoy a relaxing cup of coffee once inside and watch all the excited people hurry by. Their enthusiasm can be contagious
- You can be first in line for special events like signing up for the Star Wars: Jedi Training Academy at Disney Hollywood Studios or getting a haircut at the Harmony Barbershop at the Magic Kingdom.
One more thought on arriving early. Sometimes the best parks to visit at opening are not the parks having Extra Magic Hours in the morning. All of the resort Guests will head to those parks. You can sleep in for an hour and enjoy the non EMH parks before the resort people switch over to them in the afternoon.
The one time I did this with great success was when I was visiting Animal Kingdom. We arrived a few minutes before opening and were welcomed by a busload of Disney characters. The music got us grooving and dancing. Once the rope dropped we headed directly to Asia. It seemed like most of the Guests headed to Africa. We got our fast passes for Kali River Rapids and then rode on Expedition Everest, which only had a five minute wait. We then got right on Kali River Rapids and had the rest of the day left to explore the animals. By the time we got on Kilimanjaro Safaris the animals were awake and so were we. It was a great day and was much more enjoyable because we arrived early.
Goofy Tip: If you want to get to the parks early and still want time to sleep don’t eat a sitdown breakfast before leaving for the parks. Have some fruit in your resort and take some granola bars to snack on in the parks. Plan on having an early lunch or get a snack midmorning and enjoy a late lunch. Just remember to feed people sooner than later or all the joy of an early day will be lost when hungry stomachs take over happy hearts.