Why You Should Rise and Shine While at Walt Disney World

By Lisa Green 

 

When you’re on vacation do you like to sleep in?  Are you a night owl?  Do you stay up into the wee hours squeezing all the enjoyment you can into every day?  It’s okay to expect a little rest and relaxation when you’re taking a break from the rest of the world, but WAIT!  At Walt Disney World, there are some things that are worth waking up for!  And I don’t mean sleep late and get to them when you’re ready.  No, I mean get up early – set that alarm, request that wakeup call – whatever it takes to pry yourself out of that comfy hotel bed and start the day in a special way!

Five Reasons to Rise and Shine at Walt Disney World

1. The Welcome Show at the Magic Kingdom – It’s magical!  But you’ve got to get there mighty early to get a good viewing spot.  At about 10 minutes before the park’s official opening time, there’s a wonderful welcome for waiting guests.  Disney characters and Main Street Citizens are among the welcoming party.  It’s cute, it’s special, and it’s EARLY!  Get up in plenty of time to be at the park at least 30 minutes prior to opening (rope-drop) – if not sooner.

2. A Character Breakfast – If you choose to book a breakfast at someplace like the Magic Kingdom’s Crystal Palace, Animal Kingdom’s Tusker House, Epcot’s Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, or Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Hollywood and Vine – you can enjoy some pretty hearty breakfast fare while visiting with some of your favorite characters.  Booking an early breakfast means you’ll get in the park before the crowds and will be well fortified to hit the ground running! (All character dining experiences can be found here.)

3. Rope-Drop – If for no other reason than to maximize the number of rides and attractions you can experience, arrive at your favorite park entrance before it opens at least a couple of times on your vacation.  If you’re staying on property consider hitting morning Extra Magic Hours when available (early entrance for resort guests).  If you can’t make it that early, get to a park about 30 minutes before it opens (without the Extra Magic Hour) and prepare to make the most of that less crowded time of the day.  Booking FastPasses?  Save them for a little later in the morning or even early afternoon!

4. Kilimanjaro Safari – I know, it’s just one attraction, but I’m telling you, if you love animals and want to see them at their most alert and active, you should really try to experience Kilimanjaro Safari at least one time first thing in the morning.  Have your camera ready!  I’m particularly fond of the elephants, rhinos, lions, giraffes, okapi, wildebeest, crocodiles, well…you get the idea.

5. A Florida Sunrise – Think I’m crazy?  Try it and see.  The coolest, most peaceful part of the day is a wonderful experience – especially if the little ones are still asleep!  Grab a cup of coffee and find a place to enjoy the sights and sounds of your resort before it becomes hot and crowded.  If your room has a balcony, sit outside in your pajamas!  If you enjoy walking or running, there’s no better time of the day to get out there and get moving.

What’s your favorite way to start the day at Walt Disney World?

This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.
She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife and on Twitter at @life_of_green

Please be sure to check out Lisa along with me and David Hodges on The Disney Exchange Podcast!

Morning Magic at the Magic Kingdom

by Gaylin

My first day of vacation, I decided to head to Magic Kingdom. When I got to the bus queue I almost changed my mind, the line-up for Magic Kingdom was quite long. And then, this baby pulled up! A double length articulated bus, this is the size of bus I catch a ride with to work at home in Vancouver. It was fun watching a good portion of this long line of people fill up this bus. As you can barely see, behind this bus is another one, also going to Magic Kingdom. I think they were prepared for this busy morning!

While I did get to the Magic Kingdom in time for the opening show, it didn't happen, but all these people did! As soon as rope drop happened, this crowd dispersed into the park quite quickly.

Since I was on my on and not frantic to get to any particular ride, I meandered over to Adventureland. One thing I do try to do when I am at the parks is take a photo of some part of the beginning of an attraction just before I go onto it. That way, when I am trying to remember what I did during the day, I can go back through my photos and have a timeline of the day. I did go on the Swiss Family Robinson tree house. There were very few people paying attention to it and it is a nice quiet way to start the day and get a view around the park from the top of the tree.

Then it was time for a cruise, a Jungle Cruise to be exact! As everyone knows, your cruise captain can make or break a cruise. I got Captain Lisa and she was awesome, great timing for all those bad puns and when we had a couple minutes wait before disembarking – she just kept the jokes rolling.

Time to go visit some pirates. As with the cruise, I pretty much walked onto this ride. I don't know where all those people from the crowd at the front of the park went but it wasn't to Adventureland.

Can you guess where I went next? Haunted Mansion! Again, I just walked on, it was shaping up to be a very hot day, getting to do so many things so quickly was really nice. I had decided to take some selfies this trip, I think this guy was happy to have his photo taken with me.

 

Next up, time for a bathroom break!

Headed over to the new Fantasyland, this area wasn't open on my last trip and while it would have been nice to have a ride or show to go with Tangled, I guess a bathroom area is better than nothing.

I took a peek in Gaston's tavern but didn't buy anything, I did love the decor . . . Gaston wasn't out and about or I would have gotten a photo with him!

And my last photo of my morning so far, me and King Triton. It is never difficult to find someone to take a picture if you are on your own and since I couldn't figure out a way to take a selfie with the King, a very nice woman took my picture and then I took a photo for her and her son.

All this fun and it wasn't even lunch time yet! One morning, lots of magic.

Magic Kingdom: Morning Opening Ceremony

We have friends that have never made the opening of a Disney park, popularly known as "Rope Drop." They just aren't morning people. But for us, a trip to Walt Disney World wouldn't be complete without making at least one rope drop, and the Magic Kingdom Opening Ceremony.

For those who can't get up early enough, or just haven't had the opportunity to see this show, here it is, enjoy!