Hot take: Magic Mornings are overrated

Actually, Pirates isn’t open during MM, but my kids still rave about that one truly magic morning in August (7am) a few years ago, when we took the Monorail into Tomorrowland & rode Star Tours 7 times in a row! There was another year, though, when we waited for the Alice in Wonderland ride for 45 mins & it broke down just before we boarded (we didn’t even get any fancy make-up-pixie-dust fastpass, just a cast member chasing us off...). So, yes, some MMs are better than others...
I think the PP was saying that they rode POTC as soon as it opened for regular park opening and there was essentially no line.
 
We use magic mornings as often as possible and they allow us to get several rides in during that hour. It is well worth it for us, so try not to worry about it!
 
Curious, how does EMM's work? We have 1 that comes with the tickets we bought under the Canadian resident deal, we've never done it before. Does that mean everyone who bought that same ticket deal will also have 1 EMM day? Otherwise how do you get a EMM?
 


Curious, how does EMM's work? We have 1 that comes with the tickets we bought under the Canadian resident deal, we've never done it before. Does that mean everyone who bought that same ticket deal will also have 1 EMM day? Otherwise how do you get a EMM?
If you are staying off site (and you are!) and have a 3+ day ticket which you purchased in advance of your trip (and not at a DLR ticket booth), then your ticket should come with a Magic Morning (MM). MM=one hour early entry to DL (FL and TL only) on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. Check the park hours to see when MM is scheduled during your trip dates. General rule here: the earlier the MM start time, the better because fewer people want to get up early. Later MM start time means a more crowded MM. So a 7am MM is better than a 9am MM. Once you know which days MM is offered during your trip, choose which MM day will work best for your family. Usually we recommend a MM that is earlier in your trip so that your family isn't so tired. It's harder to get up so early later in your trip after you've been in the parks for a few days! All regular 3+ day tickets should come with a MM, but there are a few exceptions. If your ticket comes with a MM, by all means, use it!
If you are an on site guest, you have Early Magic Hour (EMH) at DL, which is basically the same thing as MM, but you get this on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays throughout your hotel stay (so not just one day like with MM).
On the alternating days, as an on site guest, you get Early Entry (EE) at DCA, so one hour early entry to that park.
Does this make sense?
 
For those posting about parking and all, and how early to arrive, it can definitely vary. When I am on day trips and have no choice but to drive, then I just roll with it. But if I can avoid driving, I do...

See "Hidden Time Losses When Using a Car At DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1381580

:wizard:
Thanks for that I perused the thread a bit. I mentioned this to my husband and he said well maybe we can stay in Anaheim which wasn't originally the plan nor what we were thinking of doing because our apartment hunting wouldn't be in Anaheim. We've run into a roadblock though because a huge chunk of hotels are coming up as non-preferred in my husband's business booking software he has to use. Hilton is a preferred brand to them but nearly all the Embassy Suites are non-preferred in the LA area, a good chunk of Hiltons are too. We had been looking at the Embassy Suites right by DLR and also the Hilton Anaheim South both non-preferred and his system would flag it. Not that we couldn't stay there but flagging in the system is not advisable.

He's presently in LA on business but when he gets back we'll do more digging into hotels and see if any of them are close enough to DLR to make an Uber feasible or at least be a lot closer in terms of driving to lessen the time sucking aspect of driving but are also listed as preferred.

So in a nutshell appreciate the advice :)
 
... I mentioned this to my husband and he said well maybe we can stay in Anaheim which wasn't originally the plan ... when he gets back we'll do more digging into hotels and see if any of them are close enough to DLR to make an Uber feasible or at least be a lot closer in terms of driving to lessen the time sucking aspect of driving but are also listed as preferred...
When you've got a short list of possible hotels, post them in a new thread here to see what people think. Hotels around DLR can be deceptive in their descriptions of how "close" they are to the parks, so it helps to have reviews and feedback from people who've actually stayed at those properties. I know how hard it can be when the job limits you to certain hotels, but if you can stay anywhere within walking distance OR an easy Uber/Lyft ride, that will make your visit so much easier and less stressful. (Try looking in Garden Grove, Fullerton, Orange -- once you get hotels without "Anaheim Resort" in the name, the hotels don't get flagged as much. And some hotels on Harbor in Garden Grove are only one mile south of DLR.) In the context of this board, Huntington and Long Beach are considered too far for commuting to DLR -- for one day, doable but not preferable. For a multiday visit, more stress than relaxation.
 
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When you've got a short list of possible hotels, post them in a new thread here to see what people think. Hotels around DLR can be deceptive in their descriptions of how "close" they are to the parks, so it helps to have reviews and feedback from people who've actually stayed at those properties. I know how hard it can be when the job limits you to certain hotels, but if you can stay anywhere within walking distance OR an easy Uber/Lyft ride, that will make your visit so much easier and less stressful. (Try looking in Garden Grove, Fullerton, Orange -- once you get hotels without "Anaheim Resort" in the name, the hotels don't get flagged as much. And some hotels on Harbor in Garden Grove are only one mile south of DLR.) In the context of this board, Huntington and Long Beach are considered too far for commuting to DLR -- for one day, doable but not preferable. For a multiday visit, more stress than relaxation.
Thank you for the information it's def. appreciated and helpful! Darn business getting in the way of fun :laughing:
 
I am more excited to be able to enter California Adventure early. I've never stayed on site before, so that seems that it will be more worth it. I think the Disneyland early hours are kind of meh. But I will say, it is just nice to be in the park. Even if the lines are not so great, just taking it all in, is great in itself.
 
That’s just sad.

Oh I know! Especially because they essentially paid for a perk they didn't get to utilize at $400/night at the Paradise Pier for their standard room...ouch! But they had to stay onsite... :rolleyes1


I didn't know enough about EMH at the time to really help them any, so it can definitely be a harsh learning curve for first-timers for sure. I still (personally) don't find much benefit to EMH, but am glad that those who do find benefit enjoy them! We're just able to knock out sooo many rides throughout the day that we don't have as much need for it.
 
I think the PP was saying that they rode POTC as soon as it opened for regular park opening and there was essentially no line.
Ah, that makes sense. That’s actually what I like best about using EMH/MM during our visits (we usually go in August & get in at 7am). The same rides tend to get impacted in about the same order (I compulsively check waits & FP return times w/ the app for about three weeks before our trips to see if the crowd patterns have changed, compared w/ the previous year, especially during years that have anything new, extra-shiny open up—here’s looking at you, SWGE...).

The pattern I noticed is that the same people flood the same rides in about the same order when early admission starts. Then the exact same pattern (that year’s headliners getting crowded, while people earmark other rides for later in the day) tends to repeat an hour later, when the next batch of people (those w/o early admission) hit the park. At that point, many of the rides that get crowded later (Indy, Pirates) are usually still walk-on or instant FP, so we just try to stay ahead of the crowd, until the third wave (night owls who just can’t get out of bed in time) hits. At that time, we’re done with the high impact rides, so we turn the intensity down a notch & do lower impact stuff (Winnie the Poo, Tiki Room), plus we get whatever FPs we can get for re-riding the fancier rides. I also always FP Space Mountain ob MM days rather than use precious MM time for it, since it tends to break down more frequently than, for example, Star Tours (which both of my kids love with a burning passion) and thus has the potential to throw kinks into my plans.

That strategy has worked like a charm for us for years now. Since we only go once a year and always during main season (the husband has an annual conference in Anaheim at that time), FP, especially in its incarnation as Maxpass has been a huge sanity saver for our entire family and has helped us get everything done we want to cover, plus it also provides us with lower key, people watching time, so we really get the best of both worlds.

We actually “train” the kids for our Dland trips by waking them up extra early in the week leading up to our visits, just to limit early morning grumpiness while hitting the parks.

I ought to have known better than think you’re making a mistake, Hydroguy—I think of you as the wise Disney sage on top of these boards‘ already considerable mountain of knowledge and thus one of my favorite sources of wisdom in regards to all things Disney!
:worship::)
 
I ought to have known better than think you’re making a mistake, Hydroguy—I think of you as the wise Disney sage on top of these boards‘ already considerable mountain of knowledge and thus one of my favorite sources of wisdom in regards to all things Disney!
:worship::)
Thanks but I make plenty of mistakes. :laughing:
 

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