MK/Fantasyland “Early Morning Magic” (EMM) (Thread Now Closed, See New MK EMM FAQ Thread)

[ninafeliz]

Interesting report. Thank you! I am really looking forward to seeing how I think the crowd is as we did EMM November of 2016 when there were definitely only 200 people. It's irritating that they would increase capacity. I hope that's not the case as it is/was such a wonderful experience and I hope they aren't messing with it and ruining it!!

Had a question about ropedrop. Was thinking about doing Space Mountain and then Buzz at ropedrop. First, is that doable trying to get back to breakfast by 9:45? Second, trying to imagine where you were standing trying to get to SM...were you ahead of the ropedrop crowd or behind them?? Do they not let the EMM crowd get a jump on the ropedrop crowd? We just stayed in Fantasyland last time so trying to get to a high demand ride at rd will be something new for us after EMM.

We wanted to do Space and then Astro orbiters, and get to breakfast before 9:45. They held everyone from EMM to the right of the teacups, in that general area. They make you stay there until that large ropedrop crowd gets to you, then they let you go. I'm not sure where that crowd is headed - maybe its the quickest way to SDMT plus the speedway? So by then the ropedrop crowd that was headed to space mountain is way ahead of you, because they took the shorter route from the hub that goes by the Tomorrowland terrace I presume. That whole crowd got to space mt before we did, and we had to kind of merge into the line with them. We didn't want to chance how long the line would end up being, so we bailed and just did Astro orbiters. We definitely could have also done a second small ride, like Buzz, but my DH didn't want to chance it or rush breakfast, so we just headed back after that. Based on our day, I don't think getting to space mt ahead of the rope drop crows is at all feasible, the line probably wouldn't have been too awful long but we weren't going to take the chance.

ETA we also did our first one in May 2016, and I agree. Not a line at all, even for SDMT. we just ran off and back on again, with our pick of seats and more often than not no one else on the entire train. It was amazing. We only saw a few other people at breakfast as well, we had PVH pretty much to ourselves. We also did EMM at DHS during that trip, and loved it as well. My kids still ask if they can do that again.

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

UPDATE: Still no booking availability from Sept 30-through Nov. As mentioned earlier, I was obsessively checking every date on Oct/Nov for party of 14 so I would have a heads up when things were starting to book up. As of last Thurs, there was party of 14 availability for every EMM Sun and Tues in Oct and Nov. Then Friday, POOF. Nothing available for any day in Oct and Nov. You can still see the Sundays and Tuesdays highlighted blue (like it's happening), but says no tables are available, even for a party of 1.

Called and spoke to 3 people at Disney:
CM 1: It sold out, every date in Oct and Nov overnight. (doubt it)
CM 2: She can only do booking for EMM through Sept 25, said to try next week.
CM 3 (tech support) - I asked about it being a glitch. She said no, they probably just temporarily closed it to booking. Could not tell me why or when it would open back up.

For people following this thread, does anyone have a current EMM booked in October or November? Did you receive any emails about it?

I will be on EMM watch for Oct and Nov now. So weird that it was bookable from a user-endpoint and then all of a sudden was retracted.

It wouldn't be Disney planning without a little stress, right?

UPDATE JUNE 28,2018: sept 30th onward still closed to new bookings. I just called and the CM said her superior confirmed not taking any EMM bookings past Sept 25, and to keep checking. She did not know why it was opened to booking and then closed to booking, but felt rather confident it was not sold out.

Will keep checking.

 

[OHDisneyWolffPack]

Just got back from Disney, we have gone many times but this was our first experience with EMM on 6/17. We were staying at All Star Music and got to the busses at 6:45 just as a MK bus was pulling up - we were the only people on the bus. We got off at MK right at 7a and were among the first there. They let us through at exactly 7:45a and everyone was skipping towards the castle, spirits were high. It is quite A WALK towards Fantasyland as they route you over the bridge and between the castle and Liberty Square as opposed to just walking through the castle. So we didn't even get back to Fantasyland until 7:55 or so, and we tried to keep a quick pace while still taking it all in because with this event, time is $$$$.

We rode PP x2 first with absolutely no wait (first ride was at 7:55a), knowing everyone would be heading towards 7DMT. The carousel was up and running even though the exterior portions were covered for refurbishment so we took a ride on that. Afterwards we headed to Pooh 1x, still no wait.

Finally hit the first ride on 7DMT at 8:09a, there was a bit of a wait starting at the cave. It felt like there was more people there, or maybe just more people solely interested in 7DMT. CMs did turn away multiple groups who left PPO reservations to get in line for 7DMT and asked them to line up by the trashcans with those who had finished reservations. Were able to ride 7DMT 5x: 8:09, 8:30, 8:35, 8:43, and 8:52. Each time we went back through the fastness lane and the line was consistently at the cave opening. CMs opened the queue up to those with PPO reservations at about 8:55. Teacups were also open, but we opted to keep on with 7DMT and then meet princesses instead.

At that point we jumped in line to meet princesses. We were 2nd in line for Cinderella/Elena 9:04 - 9:08. After, we went to Tiana/Rapunzel (which was a posted 15 min wait), and met them at 9:25 - 9:27.

Then headed to PVH for the breakfast buffet, and to regroup, and it was quite packed! I would say about 2/3 full and both sides of the buffet had lines of quite a few people. Buffet was hot, good, and had a variety of options. CMs were very helpful and personable.

After breakfast we headed to Under the Sea at 10a (no wait at all, walked right on). And then headed straight towards Tomorrowland to use our FPPs. By this point, all the major rides in Tomorrowland had a 15-20+ minute wait. Had a FPP for Space Mountain from 9:50-10:50a which we used at 10:15a and SM was at a 60 minute SB wait now. There was work being done on the exit walkways inside SM so we were routed out the back of the building, crossed the railroad, and then were led back around to the front. We had no intention of riding Splash, and our later FPP were for BTMRR and BLSRS so we took the rest of the day at a leisurely pace.

Overall, EMM was worth it. No major hiccups, however there were more people than we originally expected. After reading reviews of riding 7DMT with nearly empty cars, we definitely didn't experience that! Every single car, in all trains were full, every ride. Would we do it again? Absolutely. Got so much done in just a few hours and were able to use those valuable (PP and 7DMT) FPPs for other rides instead!

 

[KrazeeK120]

Is there any update on ability to book for October/November? At first, I felt confident that it was just a glitch, but it’s now been a couple of weeks since the problem appeared. Seems a little long for a “glitch” to still be there, no?

I have an October EMM booked. It’s still showing in my MDE and I haven’t gotten any emails. I’m just hoping this gets resolved soon and doesn’t go on forever. I’m not planning to book FPs for those 3 rides and would alter my plans if EMM isn’t happening.

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

Is there any update on ability to book for October/November? At first, I felt confident that it was just a glitch, but it’s now been a couple of weeks since the problem appeared. Seems a little long for a “glitch” to still be there, no?

I have an October EMM booked. It’s still showing in my MDE and I haven’t gotten any emails. I’m just hoping this gets resolved soon and doesn’t go on forever. I’m not planning to book FPs for those 3 rides and would alter my plans if EMM isn’t happening.

I just posted an update last thurs- see above. I am sure it is happening, so I wouldn’t worry. I’m glad you have your tickets in hand!

 

[pangyal]

So, we did EMM for the first time on 6/24 and tried to create a good flow based on the wonderful tips and suggestions in this thread.

We were staying at Poly, so we got to the monorail security check by 7:20 and were at the front gates of MK by 7:30. They opened Main Street at exactly 7:45 and we were routed around towards Liberty Square and up beside the castle. Like a prior poster, we rode PP first expecting that this would help decrease the rush and subsequent crowds on 7D. Unfortunately, my kiddo tapped his magicband at the fastpass point and burned off a super fast pass we had...we had it fixed easily later, but the CM didn’t even notice. That being said, the CM at 7D heard me telling DS not to tap in, and asked if we had used up a fast pass. When I said yes, he started telling everyone coming through to the ride not to tap in. I thought this was a nice, thoughtful touch and he said it happens all the time.

We headed to Pooh next, then to 7D hoping that the crowds had died down. Nope! It was the same as the usual fastpass wait, which was pretty disappointing. They also refused to let DS sit by himself in a car to himself since it was too crowded. While I completely understand why, I was surprised that the wait was so long that they needed to enforce this.

That being said, we looped on 7D (got off, ran around, got back in line) and were able to ride nine times. By the last two, it was quiet enough that we could get right on the next car, and DS got his wish of a car to himself, but it wasn’t until about 8:50 that this was possible.

We rode HM and came back for the breakfast around 9:45. They get their food from BOG so I had the gluten free options of the French toast sticks or the Vans waffles, plus they brought the GF bread from Babycakes. The food was good and the place was not so busy that we couldn’t find a seat.

Overall, we will definitely do this again, with tempered expectations of 7D. I saw the value in the money paid and would recommend the event. Thanks again to all who helped with suggestions and experiences!

 

[Nikki0401]

I drank the juice and booked EMM for our October trip! Traded out our HEA Terrace Party reservation in favor of doing this instead. So we're doing this in the morning, back to Poly for the afternoon and then MNSSHP that night!

We did both our last trip. For us EMM was way more fun and a better value than the dessert party. The dessert party was very crowded and unorganized, I had to fight to get to the table to make a cup of coffee and they kept running out of drinks. We had the garden plaza viewing area and did not have an unobstructed view of the castle. EMM was so fun! Hope you have a great time!

 

[M SH]

Hi Everyone!
We are going for the first time on Aug 12 (first visit will be to MK), and we have the EMM booked for that day.
We are staying off site from the Disney bubble, so we don't have any resort transportation, but will be driving our car.
I plan to arrive ~7AM at the parking lot. Will there be any transportation available from the parking lot to the ticket center, and from the ticket center to MK gates?
I've read several conflicting posts that say there will be some form (monorail or boat or bus) but others say they hit snags and they had to get an uber somewhere else like one of the nearby resorts.

Any recent visits that can confirm if the monorail will be running at that time?
Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

[GillianP1301]

Hi Everyone!
We are going for the first time on Aug 12 (first visit will be to MK), and we have the EMM booked for that day.
We are staying off site from the Disney bubble, so we don't have any resort transportation, but will be driving our car.
I plan to arrive ~7AM at the parking lot. Will there be any transportation available from the parking lot to the ticket center, and from the ticket center to MK gates?
I've read several conflicting posts that say there will be some form (monorail or boat or bus) but others say they hit snags and they had to get an uber somewhere else like one of the nearby resorts.

Any recent visits that can confirm if the monorail will be running at that time?
Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

The parking lot is at the ticket centre (TTC) and there will always be at least one form of transportation from there to MK. It's been almost a year since we did EMM, but the monorail was running at 7:00am. We parked at about 7:00am and we were to the gate and through security waiting to be let in by 7:25.

 

[tiffne]

We drove and arrived at TTC maybe around 7:15? We had to ride the resort monorail to MK. Got to the gates around 7:40.

 

[KT0191]

Definitely kind of a bummer to hear about the bigger lines at 7DMT. We did EMM last May and like many others, we basically had full trains to ourselves. Glad to see it's still a great value and still get to ride a lot though as we will be doing it 9/4.

 

[PardonOurPixieDust]

What are people’s thoughts about doing EMM on a day where there’s a ticketed event that night? For our trip in November, we already decided to do our first MK day on 11/13 to avoid the crowds of going the only non-party day that week. Party days are supposed to be fairly crowd-free until 4 anyway, so is it really worth the extra expense?

 

[seeingstars]

Definitely kind of a bummer to hear about the bigger lines at 7DMT. We did EMM last May and like many others, we basically had full trains to ourselves. Glad to see it's still a great value and still get to ride a lot though as we will be doing it 9/4.

We'll be there on 9/4 too!

 

[ninafeliz]

What are people’s thoughts about doing EMM on a day where there’s a ticketed event that night? For our trip in November, we already decided to do our first MK day on 11/13 to avoid the crowds of going the only non-party day that week. Party days are supposed to be fairly crowd-free until 4 anyway, so is it really worth the extra expense?

I would do EMM irregardless of a ticketed event if that's the day that worked for my schedule. The crowds may be less for the regular MK day, but not nearly low enough to allow you do ride SDMT over and over again with very little wait like you can do during EMM. We really enjoy EMM, it's just a fun way to get 3 easy rides, 2 of which are insanely popular and have long lines typically, and you also get a fun morning and a pretty good breakfast included.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I would do EMM irregardless of a ticketed event if that's the day that worked for my schedule. The crowds may be less for the regular MK day, but not nearly low enough to allow you do ride SDMT over and over again with very little wait like you can do during EMM. We really enjoy EMM, it's just a fun way to get 3 easy rides, 2 of which are insanely popular and have long lines typically, and you also get a fun morning and a pretty good breakfast included.

Agree. We’re doing EMM on a party day in October exactly for the reasons listed above.

 

[mekay1012]

I'm planning to take a bus to EMM, but if we are running late or the buses are running late, we may try an uber. If we take an Uber, should we have them take us to the contemporary resort or to the mk?

 

[SaintsManiac]

I'm planning to take a bus to EMM, but if we are running late or the buses are running late, we may try an uber. If we take an Uber, should we have them take us to the contemporary resort or to the mk?

Contemporary

 

[mekay1012]

Contemporary

Is it easy to figure out how to get from the contemporary to mk?

 

[SaintsManiac]

Is it easy to figure out how to get from the contemporary to mk?

Yes there's a clearly marked walking path. They'll check your bags on that path, as well.

 

[TinkerPan]

UPDATE JUNE 28,2018: sept 30th onward still closed to new bookings. I just called and the CM said her superior confirmed not taking any EMM bookings past Sept 25, and to keep checking. She did not know why it was opened to booking and then closed to booking, but felt rather confident it was not sold out.

Will keep checking.

I can only think of one why they are closed to new bookings if they are not sold out. My speculation is they are seriously considering raising the price. So, hold on to your wallets.

This experience is already priced out of our families budget. But, I'm sure there are plenty of others who will pay whatever. Get ready.