Everything Early Theme Park Entry (ETPE) - Please Read Post 1

[BridgetBordeaux]

I have a couple of rope drops planned and want to hit Peter Pan first on one of them.
I usually go to the right side of the hub and they check our magic bands to verify resort status.
I usually do 7DMT or Space Mt but this time will do Peter Pan.
Where do I line up?
With the 7DMT folks by Teacups????
Or somewhere else??
I have never paid attention before and always would do PP after 7DMT in the past.
Thanks in advance for your answers!

 

[DeeBee3]

I have a couple of rope drops planned and want to hit Peter Pan first on one of them.
I usually go to the right side of the hub and they check our magic bands to verify resort status.
I usually do 7DMT or Space Mt but this time will do Peter Pan.
Where do I line up?
With the 7DMT folks by Teacups????
Or somewhere else??
I have never paid attention before and always would do PP after 7DMT in the past.
Thanks in advance for your answers!

I don't know if it's different currently, but we just went to the people holding the Fantasyland sign to check in. There was only 2 choices at the time - tomorrow land or fantasy.

 

[jezza12]

Hi, staying ant wyndham garden lake and was going to uber/lyft to AK for Early entry rope drop, I have seen some info regarding the drivers not having access to a certain time, does anyone know when the ride share service can access AK?

And any recomendation on what time I should call an Uber / lift to get to AK from the disney springs hotels

Thanks guys

 

[scrappinginontario]

Hi, staying ant wyndham garden lake and was going to uber/lyft to AK for Early entry rope drop, I have seen some info regarding the drivers not having access to a certain time, does anyone know when the ride share service can access AK?

And any recomendation on what time I should call an Uber / lift to get to AK from the disney springs hotels

Thanks guys

Uber/Lyft drivers enter with other vehicles to the parking lots at all parks excerpt DHS. Parking lots open 1 hour before ETPE begins.

 

[cruisnfamily]

2 members of our party staying onsite, 2 staying offsite, can we all use early entry?

 

[Dulcee]

No, only those staying on property will be able to use early access.

 

[scrappinginontario]

ETPE is a perk offered to onsite guests only.

Suggesting people circumvent Disney policies is not to be discussed on DISboards. Further doing so will have comments deleted and warning points may be given.

 

[DisneyMama811]

Uber/Lyft drivers enter with other vehicles to the parking lots at all parks excerpt DHS. Parking lots open 1 hour before ETPE begins.

does the also apply to Minnie Vans dropping off at MK?

 

[Schmalexa]

does the also apply to Minnie Vans dropping off at MK?

No, Minnie Vans are different as Disney vehicles. At MK they can drop you basically where the buses drop off, right outside of the park gates (vs. at the parking lots by TCC).

 

[smdigh]

I have ETPE and also will have a car. We like to rope drop, so getting at the gates as early as possible is a priority. I have a question regarding Hollywood Studios. Post 1 says that the parking lot usually opens 60 minutes before ETPE. Later, it also says that Hollywood Studios starts leaving ETPE guests thru the gates 90 minutes before normal park entry (meaning they start leaving people in 60 minutes before ETPE). Obviously I can't be parking my car and entering the park at the same time.

Does this mean the buses can get you there earlier than I can physically get in there with my car? Or do buses and cars get let in at the same time.

Would like to use the car, but if the bus can get me at the gate earlier then I will use that method. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I have ETPE and also will have a car. We like to rope drop, so getting at the gates as early as possible is a priority. I have a question regarding Hollywood Studios. Post 1 says that the parking lot usually opens 60 minutes before ETPE. Later, it also says that Hollywood Studios starts leaving ETPE guests thru the gates 90 minutes before normal park entry (meaning they leave start leaving people in 60 minutes before ETPE). Obviously I can't be parking my car and entering the park at the same time.

Does this mean the buses can get you there earlier than I can physically get in there with my car? Or do buses and cars get let in at the same time.

Would like to use the car, but if the bus can get me at the gate earlier then I will use that method. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

It is common for buses to arrive a bit before guests driving arrive but, is not guaranteed and can change daily. In general, guests arriving first to all parks are often those arriving via Disney transportation.

Buses do not use the same entrance as cars do so do not need to wait for parking lots to open but, it also depends on when the first bus arrives at each resort.

 

[hlrubin507]

Here is a new place to talk about everything dealing with early theme park entry! Share your tips and strategies here. What worked for you? What are your early theme park entry plans?

Please be sure to follow DIS guidelines!

As of October 1, 2021, as part of The World’s Most Magical Celebration, Disney Resort hotel Guests and Guests of other select hotels will be able to enjoy 30-minute ETPE to any Walt Disney World theme park, every day, including check-in and check-out days. Guests are eligible for ETPE from check-in day through check-out day.

Official Information on Disney's website. Link includes list of all Disney Resorts plus select other hotels that qualify for Early Theme Park Entry (ETPE) and attractions that should be open for ETPE.

For the purposes of this thread, Early Theme Park Entry is considered to be 30 mins prior to posted park opening time. E.g. If park hours for the day are 9AM - 9PM, ETPE officially begins at 8:30 although it is common to allow resort guests to walk towards attractions approx. 40 mins prior to posted park opening time.


Getting There:
The best place to ask transportation questions is on the Transportation Board

Disney Buses
Buses start running 45-60 mins before ETPE but it’s recommended to arrive at bus stop 90 mins before ETPE begins to be towards the front of the crowd.

Skyliner
Skyliner starts running about an hour before ETPE but it’s recommended to arrive at Skyliner 90 mins before ETPE begins to be towards the front of the crowd.

Uber/Lyft drop offs at a resort require an ADR, not Quick Service.

Guests arriving at DHS via Uber/Lyft at DHS enter via the bus entrance and are normally granted access to the drop off location earlier than the parking lot opens. At all other parks, Uber/Lyft enters with cars approx. 1 hour before ETPE begins.

Driving
Parking lots open about an hour before ETPE. Guests arriving more than an hour before ETPE may be turned away.

Disney’s Boat Transportation
Disney’s Water Transportation

Disney transportation is running with sufficient time to get you to the parks in time for ETPE.

The Parks
How much earlier than posted times guests can normally enter?
It appears per limited current reports, guests may be granted access to the park up to 90 minutes before posted park opening. E.g. If park hours for the day are 9AM - 9PM, ETPE attractions officially begin at 8:30. Guests are reporting they may be allowed into the park as early at 7:30 (DHS) or 8:00 (Epcot and AK) and then be held at holding point(s) within the park until sometime between 8:15 and 8:30. Please see below for further details.

NOTE: Be sure to watch for signage both before entering the parks and afterwards as guests are being divided in to Resort Guests and non-Resort Guests. You don't want to wait in line only to find it's the wrong one.

How does ETPE work for guests?
Magic Kingdom: All guests will be allowed access to the park approx. 60-90 mins (time fluctuates based on the day) before posted park opening time. Those eligible for ETPE will have their bands scanned at the hub entrance to Tomorrowland or Fantasyland (near Tea Cups) approx. 40 mins prior to posted park opening time and be permitted to access the open attractions in Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. Attractions in the other areas of the MK are not open for ETPE and guests wishing to access those areas will be held at the entrance to those lands until official park opening. (Attractions listed below). Guests staying offsite will be directed in the hub towards Adventureland and held until posted park opening where an announcement will be made when the park is open. There is no official park opening show at this time for either ETPE or offsite guests.

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Eligible resort guests will be allowed access to the park approx. 90 mins before posted park opening time. ETPE guests will be held outside the tunnel to Galaxy's Edge, near Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, inside Toy Story Land and on Sunset Boulevard. Approx. 40 mins prior to posted park opening time, guests will be permitted to access the open attractions. (Attractions listed below). Guests not staying at a Disney resort will be held at park gate until posted park opening. Update: In late November 2021, some guests reported being able to ride 'Rise of the Resistance' and 'Millennium Falcon, Smugglers Run' up to 30 mins earlier than official ETPE time. This may be temporary and due to busier Thanksgiving crowds so may not happen each day.

Epcot: Eligible resort guests will be allowed access to the park approx. 60 mins before posted park opening time. Guests will be held to the right and left of Spaceship Earth, near the construction walls or, near Canada when entering via International Gateway. Approx. 40 mins prior to posted park opening time guest will be permitted to access the open attractions. (Attractions listed below). Guests not staying at a Disney resort will be held at park gate until posted park opening. Note: Guests arriving via International Gateway (IG) will have an advantage for Remy due to gate proximity. Guests from non-Skyliner/Epcot resorts wishing to enter via IG may wish to take a resort bus to DHS then walk, take Skyliner or Friendship Boat to the IG entrance for ETPE.

Animal Kingdom: Eligible resort guests will be granted access to the park approx. 60 mins before posted park opening time. They will be held on the bridge leading to Pandora. Approx. 40 mins prior to posted park opening time guest will be permitted to access the open attractions. (Attractions listed below). Guests not staying at a Disney resort will be held at park gate until posted park opening.

How will I access the parks for ETPE?
Whatever method you normally use to enter the park (MagicBand, MagicMobile, card) will also work to grant you access to the park for ETPE.

What if my band doesn't scan to allow for ETPE?
It's been reported that if it is your check-in or check-out day that your band may not scan to grant access for ETPE. If this is the case, a quick show of your resort reservation on MDE to a CM should clear this up and grant you access.

Which attractions should I head to first?
A headliner attraction is recommended and would depend on personal preference.



Attractions that should* be open during ETPE:

Magic Kingdom Park (All attractions open for ETPE are located within Tomorrowland and Fantasyland)

• “it’s a small world”
• Astro Orbiter
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Mad Tea Party
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• The Barnstormer
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
• Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

Epcot

• Beauty and The Beast Sing-Along
• Frozen Ever After
• Mission: SPACE
• Remy's Ratatouille Adventure *NEW* Note: IG guests will have an advantage reaching this attraction first.
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Spaceship Earth
• Test Track
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Disney's Hollywood Studios

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ™
• Toy Story Mania!

Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• DINOSAUR
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• It’s Tough to be a Bug!
• Na’vi River Journey
• TriceraTop Spin

*Please note that attractions are subject to change and may not always be operational.

Question: When it says "Eligible resort guests will be allowed access to the park approx. 90 mins before posted park opening time...Approx. 40 mins prior to posted park opening time, guests will be permitted to access the open attractions."

Sorry for not 100% tracking this, but is this referencing the "official" opening or the "ETPE" opening time? E.g. if DHS opens at 8:30am with ETPE at 8:00am, are eligible resort guests allowed into the park (through the turnstiles) at 07:00 or 06:30am?

Also there are notes in post #1 that reference November 2021, are those notes still accurate as of late 2022/early 2023?

 

[scrappinginontario]

we are staying at AoA so for MK bus is our only option, if we were to take an Uber/Lyft what time would you recommend calling it for? still 90 min?

Question: When it says "Eligible resort guests will be allowed access to the park approx. 90 mins before posted park opening time...Approx. 40 mins prior to posted park opening time, guests will be permitted to access the open attractions."

Sorry for not 100% tracking this, but is this referencing the "official" opening or the "ETPE" opening time? E.g. if DHS opens at 8:30am with ETPE at 8:00am, are eligible resort guests allowed into the park (through the turnstiles) at 07:00 or 06:30am?

Also there are notes in post #1 that reference November 2021, are those notes still accurate as of late 2022/early 2023?

Posted park opening time = time Disney posts park opens to ALL guests.

Yes, posts on page 1 are current.

 

[smdigh]

With regard ETPE and parks that allow eligible guests to enter early, and non-eligible held at the park gate.
Especially at rope drop how to they handle segregating the two? Do the parks have dedicated turnstiles for ETPE guests, or does everyone line up and they start scanning and the non-disney hotel guests are told - wait over here?

 

[hlrubin507]

Suggestions please!

I want to access Epcot via the IG for ETPE and be at the front of the crush.
We are staying onsite (at SSR).

ETPE is at 08:30 for 09:00 official park opening, so going off the info in post 1, they should let people into the IG at about 08:00.

My questions are...

1 - for the IG, about what time should we arrive at the IG entrance if we want to be at the front? 7:15 or 7:30?

2 - Do you recommend doing:
a. Bus from SSR to DHS then walk over to IG? (20 min walk)
b. Bus from SSR to DHS then Skyliner over to IG? Worried about this one because DHS opening is at 08:00/08:30 but maybe going the opposite direction (away from DHS) is no issue.
c. Rideshare to Swolphin and walk to IG? I gravitate to this one because it feels like I have more control over the timing vs. depending on 1 or 2 methods of public transport. (15 min walk)

Aside, we do have a Toppolino's reservation for this day but since it isn't until 10:55am I am thinking they would not allow our rideshare to drop at the Riviera 3-4 hours early.

 

[scrappinginontario]

With regard ETPE and parks that allow eligible guests to enter early, and non-eligible held at the park gate.
Especially at rope drop how to they handle segregating the two? Do the parks have dedicated turnstiles for ETPE guests, or does everyone line up and they start scanning and the non-disney hotel guests are told - wait over here?

It differs from park to park. Please see post 1.

 

[NicholeB630]

So if your a regular you know that "park open" doesn't mean much ha. Ive been different times in the years past where they let you in 30 min before posted time or wait till 10 min before the time or its literally at the time posted. So I am curious for those who've been recently what has that been like? We go next week to MK and EP both have 8:30 early entry but wondering if they are letting people in prior to that and holding at different spots. Thanks so much!

 

[scrappinginontario]

So if your a regular you know that "park open" doesn't mean much ha. Ive been different times in the years past where they let you in 30 min before posted time or wait till 10 min before the time or its literally at the time posted. So I am curious for those who've been recently what has that been like? We go next week to MK and EP both have 8:30 early entry but wondering if they are letting people in prior to that and holding at different spots. Thanks so much!

Honestly, it varies from park to park, day to day but, post 1 contains the 'general' information re: transportation, parking lots and entering the parks. There is not fast and true answer to this question unfortunately.

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

So if your a regular you know that "park open" doesn't mean much ha. Ive been different times in the years past where they let you in 30 min before posted time or wait till 10 min before the time or its literally at the time posted. So I am curious for those who've been recently what has that been like? We go next week to MK and EP both have 8:30 early entry but wondering if they are letting people in prior to that and holding at different spots. Thanks so much!

We were there the first week of January. For 8:30am early entry at both MK and EPCOT, they let us through the turnstiles around 7:50am. We were then held at certain checkpoints until 8:25am.

 

[NicholeB630]

We were there the first week of January. For 8:30am early entry at both MK and EPCOT, they let us through the turnstiles around 7:50am. We were then held at certain checkpoints until 8:25am.

Thanks! I typically try and get to parks an hour prior to the "opening" time because of this very reason. Id rather be early and just wait.