What time to start out at Disney World ?
 

We will be staying at the Marriott Cypress Harbour and want to be at Disney when the gates open. We will be at the parks on Apr.19-21, which I understand will be very busy.
How much time should I give myself if we want to be there when the park opens ? Trying to guage for travel and breakfast times. Thanks

This is more of a question than you may realize!

WDW opening times will be listed on its website, however, if you get there at the opening time listed, there will already be people in the park. Why? Because they open the first part of any park - the part with the gift shops ;-) - earlier than the listed time, and because people who stay "on property" have the privilege of coming to the parks 1 hour earlier than the stated time on specific days.

That said, it's a great idea to be there as early as you can - lots of people just won't give up the opportunity to sleep in! Take at look at the WDW website for opening times and look out for "extra magic hours" which are the early opening times explained above. Even if you got to a park at opening time on extra magic hour day, it would be swamped with people. Avoid that.

Check out disboards.com or allearsnet.com for more info.

You do know, don't you, that there are four parks. There is no parking lot next to Magic Kingdom. You have to park then ride another means of transportation over. Don't go to a park on the same days as that park's early entry (it will already be filled with resort guests when you get there.)

Buy your tickets in advance.

I'd leave at least one hour in advance of park opening. You have to park, get to the park, go through the security line, etc. Use any extra time for looking at the park map, etc. Look for the shortest line at the turnstiles. At Epcot, we were in a line that couldn't be seen when you first walked up to the ticket window. There were people waiting in lines that were 4 times longer than the one we were in, simply because folks tend to get in the first line they come to.

I should warn you that last year the Magic Kingdom had early entry for resort guests every day of Easter Week. If that happens again, you won't ever be able to be one of the first in the park. (I think that that was the week before Easter, however.)

Years ago when we went with our young kids, we would try to arrive at opening time, stay for a few hours. Then we'd leave midday when the crowds peaked, and returned in the evening when it quieted down. We spent time at the hotel, by the pool during the afternoon.

Thanks for the suggestions. I realize this will be a very busy time, so we'll plan on being at the park early to maximize our time there.

there is a fantastic website www.tourguidemike.com "he" will tell you how to avoid all the crowds and doule your disney fun. we will never go without "him" again. Best 20$ you will spend in that vacation

I agree. We used Tour Guide Mike's touring plans and ideas. We were in the parks for 10 days, including Memorial Day weekend, and the longest time we waited in line for a ride was 17 minutes.

With that said, you've got to be willing to put some time into it. You don't just pay your money and get a personalized touring plan. There is a lot of reading but it is so worth it. A Disney vacation is quite expensive; I think it's worth investing $20 and some time in order to be able to have as much fun as possible while you're there.