8am Surprise Opening Spoil your 8am ADR??

[bumbershoot]

Talk about spoiling it for the 8am breakfast people! Now I don't know what to do! I don't want an 8am ADR if the park will be opening at 8!

I haven't booked a PPO breakfast since our very first time at MK when my "early" Crystal Palace ADR became an "as the park opens" ADR. We had NO idea they might change the hours, and we found out as we walked up to the gates. It was incredibly disappointing.

This was in 2010 and as far as I could tell no one was talking about them adding hours in the morning. We weren't even, to my knowledge, abbreviating it as PPO at the time.

I just wanted my first day ever at MK to have lightER crowds as we walked up that familiar but mysteriously different main street (we're Disneyland people). And we watched main street fill up over the next 90 minutes during our meal. If it had just been the 3 of us we would have forgotten about the ADR (this was before cancellation fees) but there were 8 of us and we were all brand new to traveling together, and a bigger group is harder to change on the fly.

My advice is always to book an ADR because you want to eat at that restaurant, not because you want to get in a park early or attempt to get a jump on crowds.

There is zero reason for a "pre park opening" ADR other than to be there "pre park opening". Who would want to get up even earlier than needed if it's only for the food? The point is to get there earlier than opening. No matter what you want to do with that time...ride Mine, take pictures, meditate, whatever...the point is to be in there BEFORE the park opens.

It's just that I'd want to be eating a nice breakfast, well-placed to stroll right out when (or very shortly after) the park opens to everyone. If, however, the park is actually open the whole time I'm eating, I'd be a little stressed about wasting my precious park time dining on overpriced eggs and squandering the short lines I could be in.

Exactly.

Make your breakfast ADR for earlier than 8, then you won't have to worry.

Not possible. They don't open up another hour of actual PPO reservations when they decide to open early. 8 is as early as it gets there.

They were all announced in advance.

Posting it on their website isn't "announcing".

To a normal human there's NO reason to check the park calendar a second time once you've already set your plans.

Only those of us here who read the threads that mention that the parks will change their hours, or who have been in a park when they do that, would realize it's a possibility.

They don't phone us all or send us emails or anything that's an actual announcement when they change hours.

 

[Shanti]

I agree. We arrived early for CP ADR (7:30am?) to find a huge line of people already waiting. And when they finally started letting people in around 7:50am, they only let in the first 50 or so, then closed the line. We waited for several minutes before they let more people in, so when we finally got onto Main St, it was pretty crowded.

What month were you visiting?

 

[TeresaWen]

We did our first ever PPO breakfast - I now understand the appeal. It was wonderful strolling down mainsteet. While not empty, it was so not crowded. We got a ton of photopass shots. One of the best pictures we have taken together in 28 years is a magic shot with Tink in front of the castle. That alone was worth getting up!

We enjoyed breakfast and did nothing but the rail road after.

So glad we did it. But once was good. I have two for September that I will be canceling when we get home. My husband is not a morning person and I
am usually in the gym at 7:00!

 

[DisDadDVC]

Posting it on their website isn't "announcing".

To a normal human there's NO reason to check the park calendar a second time once you've already set your plans.

Only those of us here who read the threads that mention that the parks will change their hours, or who have been in a park when they do that, would realize it's a possibility.

They don't phone us all or send us emails or anything that's an actual announcement when they change hours.

I just meant that they were "decided" in advance of that day. The wording of "surprise opening" makes it sound like it was done on the spot that day.

And the type of people scoring 8am ADR's are probably the type of people that know about constant schedule changes...

 

[ArielSRL]

We went early June 2016 and while I didn't have a PPO ADR, I had hoped to make rope drop. However, with my family (that contained one butt-dragger member) there was no way I was getting them there before 8. Getting them there at 8:30 (for a 9am opening) would've been hard enough. So I never got to see the Welcome show. The only days they did not change to an 8am opening were EMH and EMM. So far EMM has been Saturday's and Tuesday. If that holds up, I'll make Tues one of our MK days so hopefully we'll be there in time to see the Welcome show. It will help that my butt-dragger won't be on our upcoming June 2017 trip!

I am considering a PPO at BOG for next trip but I know that it's possible it won't pan out. I'm really leaning towards no because of that and the fact that there is no strawberry cupcake at breakfast!

 

[scrapquitler]

8am is the earliest ADR time for Be Our Guest.

Well then maybe an earlier ADR at a different restaurant would be better for the OP, if the main objective is a short wait on 7DMT. Either the goal is a breakfast, or the goal is an empty-ish early morning park. ADR does not guarantee the latter, only the former.

 

[lauris87]

Thanks everyone for your input, especially those that have experienced what I was describing in the original post. This has been very helpful. I know now to NOT get my hopes up. I'm going to book the 8am, maybe on a few different days if I can get them, and hope for the best. If it happens without a hitch, it will be magical. If it doesnt....hopefully I will have been able to cancel on time without paying a fee, and will try again next time. As long as Disney announces an 8am time change at least the night before, I'll be a happy camper.....

 

[Mikie]

Well then maybe an earlier ADR at a different restaurant would be better for the OP, if the main objective is a short wait on 7DMT. Either the goal is a breakfast, or the goal is an empty-ish early morning park. ADR does not guarantee the latter, only the former.

I get your point, but I'm pretty sure that 8am is the earliest breakfast at all in-park restaurants. Changing opening to 8am does not open up any earlier reservations and an 8am opening means there is no such thing as "pre-park open ADR" on that day - something that all those guests didn't know 180 days ago when they booked. I'm not saying it's "bad" when Disney extends hours in the morning, of course, but it does throw a monkey wrench in many well-laid plans. I suppose EMM, at 2-3 times the price of other breakfasts is the only way of assuring an empty-ish park with any kind of reservation.

 

[bigbabyblues]

The 8 am openings (not the EMM event, the changes to regular opening time) for June were announced about 8 days before our trip.

 

[AngiTN]

There is zero reason for a "pre park opening" ADR other than to be there "pre park opening". Who would want to get up even earlier than needed if it's only for the food? The point is to get there earlier than opening. No matter what you want to do with that time...ride Mine, take pictures, meditate, whatever...the point is to be in there BEFORE the park opens.

My question is Who would pay all that money for a meal and get up so early if they don't want to eat?

We do get up early just for the food. We get to eat and be ready to start our park day when the park opens. Not to get in front of the crowds but to have breakfast out of the way and our day started.

 

[Polydweller]

This is one of those issues in which people are making assumptions that they really shouldn't. As stated a few times in this thread the only thing Disney promises is breakfast at the time you book. They do not promise early park acces and they do not promise easier access to an attraction. Breakfast is the only promise.

So if one assumes anything other than breakfast then it's the person making that assumption. The only time they need to inform you of anything is if your ADR time became unavailable. Otherwise, even if they change the park opening time they are meeting their only promise of giving you breakfast. Sure it's disappointing if our assumptions are broken but it's up to us to keep track of the times not Disney's to tell us. They didn't promise no time change. All we can do is make plans and hope they come true but there can be no expectation they will.

 

[AngiTN]

This is one of those issues in which people are making assumptions that they really shouldn't. As stated a few times in this thread the only thing Disney promises is breakfast at the time you book. They do not promise early park acces and they do not promise easier access to an attraction. Breakfast is the only promise.

So if one assumes anything other than breakfast then it's the person making that assumption. The only time they need to inform you of anything is if your ADR time became unavailable. Otherwise, even if they change the park opening time they are meeting their only promise of giving you breakfast. Sure it's disappointing if our assumptions are broken but it's up to us to keep track of the times not Disney's to tell us. They didn't promise no time change. All we can do is make plans and hope they come true but there can be no expectation they will.

Thank you. You stated it so much better than I have

 

[Shanti]

Well then maybe an earlier ADR at a different restaurant would be better for the OP, if the main objective is a short wait on 7DMT. Either the goal is a breakfast, or the goal is an empty-ish early morning park. ADR does not guarantee the latter, only the former.

No restaurant at MK opens before 8am. Be Our Guest is right next to 7DMT, which is why it's so useful as a PPO. We know nothing is guaranteed- for that matter, there is no guarantee that 7DMT won't be down for unexpected maintenance that day- but a Be Our Guest PPO does work most of the time and is a worthwhile strategy to pursue.

 

[momtotaryn]

FYI, none of the 8am June openings were a "surprise" per se. They were all announced in advance. It was only a week or two, but it wasn't like they changed any of them the same day.

Well, it certainly was a "surprise" for us! They must have changed the hours only a week in advance. We were in Florida for 9 days, 10 nights. I KNOW I checked the hours just prior to leaving on our trip, but I wasn't checking daily, while in Florida. Honestly, I wasn't expecting Disney to change the hours, once we were there, but this taught me a lesson to check daily.

edit: I wanted to add that the trip we just went on last month was only the second time we've ever visited WDW, so we are definitely WDW novices. I only knew that Disney changed their hours constantly, because of message boards like this. If not for that knowledge, our plans would have been even more messed up. I must have changed my itinerary a handful of times in the few weeks leading up to our trip, because of changes in hours.

 

[Nancyg56]

Something else I noticed on our last early park entry day in June, the crowds are not so light anymore, not with as big as BOG is. There were as many people in the street for photos in front of the castle as you often find later on in the day. If you want them to be really empty you have to wait 15 min, or so, for all the early folks to get on to their destination. And then that puts you behind getting to your meal and you risk not being done by the time the ropes do drop.

No empty Main Street any longer. That's for sure!

This is one of those issues in which people are making assumptions that they really shouldn't. As stated a few times in this thread the only thing Disney promises is breakfast at the time you book. They do not promise early park acces and they do not promise easier access to an attraction. Breakfast is the only promise.

So if one assumes anything other than breakfast then it's the person making that assumption. The only time they need to inform you of anything is if your ADR time became unavailable. Otherwise, even if they change the park opening time they are meeting their only promise of giving you breakfast. Sure it's disappointing if our assumptions are broken but it's up to us to keep track of the times not Disney's to tell us. They didn't promise no time change. All we can do is make plans and hope they come true but there can be no expectation they will.

I always tell folks that PPO breakfast is an early meal. That it. You want it to be an early access pass....well maybe yes Maybe no. It is not a promise that you will jumpstart anyone else.

 

[ktmo]

This thread had me check park hours for our trip. On our last day, I had scheduled BOG for a PPO breakfast. When I checked times again, the park is now open at 8am. I just cancelled the breakfast. It is fine with me. I would rather ride a few more rides.

 

[RedSox68]

I don't think my breakfast will be spoiled (it would probably taste great!), but my morning experience would be spoiled if there was a surprise opening at 8am after weeks of planning park days, meals, fast passes, etc. No one wants to be eating breakfast during the first hour of park opening. I'll be with a group of 11 people. It would be very advantageous to take advantage of the first hour the park is open, we all know that. And no, I am not trying to make a PPO ADR for the sole purpose of getting into the park early...I have never been to BOG or CP and would love to eat there....just was hoping for no surprises. I would be fine if I knew 48 hours in advance if there was an 8am opening....but it sounds like some people are saying that the change could be made the morning of.......

We had an 8:30 a.m. breakfast at CP on my birthday -- a last minute reservation grab but it was on an early opening day. I was happy to get the reservation, but disappointed it was going to be with the crowd. However, we arrived early and told them we had reservations and they let us in before 8 a.m. -- and we were not only able to get amazing pictures, but were able to ride two rides before our reservation. That may have been a fluke -- or just a great birthday present -- but it was a real treat.

 

[lauris87]

We had an 8:30 a.m. breakfast at CP on my birthday -- a last minute reservation grab but it was on an early opening day. I was happy to get the reservation, but disappointed it was going to be with the crowd. However, we arrived early and told them we had reservations and they let us in before 8 a.m. -- and we were not only able to get amazing pictures, but were able to ride two rides before our reservation. That may have been a fluke -- or just a great birthday present -- but it was a real treat.

Nice! What month was this?

 

[RedSox68]

Nice! What month was this?

December 2014. And that was the first time we got to see the new Fantasyland and there were no people there at all so the pictures came out great.

 

[Robertfam08]

This is why I was thrilled when BOG became a PPO option. It's the only PPO ADR I will book anywhere now. It throws much less of a wrench in our plans to have to cancel a quick service option at the "last minute" than it does a table service one that we have to make up later and rearrange even more plans (we always have the dining plan.) Thankfully we've never had to cancel anyway as this has never happened to us. In early September Main Street is still pretty darn empty that early in the morning. Curious to see how much more busy it will be on our November trip this year. We wouldn't be disappointed if we had to cancel the reservation, we just want to be in the park as early as possible, through whatever means.