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

[scrappinginontario]

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.

 

[Mome Rath]

I would add a "don't be surprised" tip of; don't be surprised if it is either check-in day for you or check-out day that they ask to see your hotel reservation on the MDE app. For us, it was check-out day and when they scanned my band for early entry, it would not clear me, and I was asked if it was either day for us, and then they had me show them the reservation on my phone. It wasn't difficult, but it did hold up the line a bit, and I had to dig my phone out and open the app, etc... so just be ready for that if asked.

This may be something they fix at some point, but I could tell it was a common thing. This was October 3rd I believe.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I would add a "don't be surprised" tip of; don't be surprised if it is either check-in day for you or check-out day that they ask to see your hotel reservation on the MDE app. For us, it was check-out day and when they scanned my band for early entry, it would not clear me, and I was asked if it was either day for us, and then they had me show them the reservation on my phone. It wasn't difficult, but it did hold up the line a bit, and I had to dig my phone out and open the app, etc... so just be ready for that if asked.

This may be something they fix at some point, but I could tell it was a common thing. This was October 3rd I believe.

Thanks, post updated.

 

[srauseo]

I would add a "don't be surprised" tip of; don't be surprised if it is either check-in day for you or check-out day that they ask to see your hotel reservation on the MDE app. For us, it was check-out day and when they scanned my band for early entry, it would not clear me, and I was asked if it was either day for us, and then they had me show them the reservation on my phone. It wasn't difficult, but it did hold up the line a bit, and I had to dig my phone out and open the app, etc... so just be ready for that if asked.

This may be something they fix at some point, but I could tell it was a common thing. This was October 3rd I believe.

Can confirm that the same thing happened to us at AK on our check-out day (yesterday). Just took a little bit to resolve but good to be aware of.

 

[lovethattink]

Thank you for starting the thread @scrappinginontario!!

 

[srauseo]

It's actually 7am for AK if the official park opening is 8am (7:30 ETPE). And now EPCOT is back to 10am opening so it would probably be 9am (9:30 ETPE). It might be easier to say Park Opening Time -60 minutes or POT -30 minutes or some such shorthand that allows for the variability of opening time.

Also, can confirm that Safari is not open during ETPE. We went there after Pandora and the sign out front said 8:15 opening but they were allowing folks into the queue and actually started boarding trucks a little before 8:15.

(edited to adopt ETPE acronym!)

 

[menotyou21]

Thank you for doing this. I'll do my best to help get accurate info. I'm an eligible guest for Early Entry. No offense, but writing EE makes me think of Expedition Everest.....not that I have a better abbreviation.

We are doing MK (Oct 13) and HS (Oct 14).

For Oct 13 at MK: We plan to arrive via private driver at TTC, close to 7:45am.
Posted park hours are 9am-9pm with EarlyE at 8:30am.

For Oct 14 at HS: We plan to arrive via private driver close to 7:45am.
Posted park hours are 9am-9pm with EarlyE at 8:30am.

 

[CarolynFH]

Hmm, just thinking about possible abbreviations to avoid confusion with Expedition Everest. Early Morning Entry, EME? Morning Early Entry, MEE?

 

[menotyou21]

Hmm, just thinking about possible abbreviations to avoid confusion with Expedition Everest. Early Morning Entry, EME? Morning Early Entry, MEE?

I'm not creative....but on my MDE Disney has it listed as "Early Theme Park Entry", but I highly doubt abbreviating that will be helpful LOL

 

[scrappinginontario]

And now EPCOT is back to 10am opening so it would probably be 9am (9:30 EE).

It was posted on another thread that this morning the parking lot to Epcot opened one hour before Early Entry.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Decided after reading suggestions the best abbreviation is to go with exactly what Disney is calling this so I've changed Post 1 to Early Theme Park Entry (ETPE). Makes is easier to keep track of when we refer to it exactly as Disney does.

 

[anne60]

We are staying offsite and will be driving to each park. Since we have two little ones (5 and 2 with a stroller), I am thinking if we shoot to get to the MK parking lot by 7:45, we should be able to be ready to enter Fantasy land by the 9 am opening for off site. Is this a good estimate?

 

[scrappinginontario]

We are staying offsite and will be driving to each park. Since we have two little ones (5 and 2 with a stroller), I am thinking if we shoot to get to the MK parking lot by 7:45, we should be able to be ready to enter Fantasy land by the 9 am opening for off site. Is this a good estimate?

Yes, arriving at the Ticket and Transportation parking lot by 7:45 will give you time to get to the MK by 9:00. That being said, I would try to arrive at the MK parking booths by 7:30 as you may encounter a line there as both onsite and offsite guests will be making their way to the MK.

 

[suzy_q]

Just in case someone has experience walking to MK from GF for ETPE--what time did you start walking over? We will be walking over this Saturday. Thanks!

 

[aeasterling]

I'd like to know if anyone has done Early Entry and was a guest at Swan or Dolphin. What did you show to validate eligibility? We are there Oct 23-31 and I hadn't planned on purchasing Magic Bands.

 

[OnlyDisney]

We entered Epcot at International Gateway on Sunday October 10. We were asked what resort we were staying at (Caribbean) and what was our check out day (today). We were waved through without having to bring up our resort info on our phone. At the time I assumed it was a glitch on their end. I guess they can't read check out day so we'll be prepared to show next time.

 

[jhlmendez]

I'd like to know if anyone has done Early Entry and was a guest at Swan or Dolphin. What did you show to validate eligibility? We are there Oct 23-31 and I hadn't planned on purchasing Magic Bands.

same, though you're there for a few extra days. was not planning on buying magic bands since as a Swan guest, they're pretty much only good as tickets. is there a card or something we can get?

 

[disneyfan150]

Just in case someone has experience walking to MK from GF for ETPE--what time did you start walking over? We will be walking over this Saturday. Thanks!

The following does not answer your question. But I thought I'd share my experience anyway. Your experience may be different. I wasn't sure how crowded the walkway entrance would be. But it worked out great for us. In June, before ETPE of course, we used the walkway on two mornings. There were just a few others on the walkway. We arrived at security some 25 minutes prior to it opening. Even at the time security opened, very few families had arrived. As we approached the tap point, the masses from the regular entrance were pouring in. The walkway was a great way to start the day. We enjoyed taking the boat back to GF when we left.

 

[menotyou21]

MK today Oct 13: I had a party of 12; we are at a partner hotel that is allowed ETPE. Arrived to TTC at 7:45 via private driver. Were scanned into MK at 8:00. At Tomorrowland they had a row of CMs. She scanned my MB and asked how many. I said 12 and she said ok, party of 12 go. That was it. No other scan. We opted for rope drop heading to 7DMT. They dropped at 8:25 exactly. At tea cups they were yelling 7DMT was down. We headed to Space. Had a posted wait of 35min; we were on the ride in 18 minutes.

 

[menotyou21]

I'd like to know if anyone has done Early Entry and was a guest at Swan or Dolphin. What did you show to validate eligibility? We are there Oct 23-31 and I hadn't planned on purchasing Magic Bands.

I’m not an expert on this, but I’m staying at a Hilton partner hotel and it can be added to my MDE account. I did that by entering my Hilton reservation # directly in the MDE app. I would believed Swan/Dolphin would be the same.
Then when they scan your ticket card (since you have no MB) it would show up.