During Fall Break my oldest daughter and I (Casey) snuck off to Walt Disney World….just the two of us! It was MUCH needed Mommy/Daughter time.
We were VERY fortunate that Early Morning Magic – Toy Story Land became available for the very last morning that we would still be on property. This exclusive event is COMPLETELY worth the money, so let me walk you through our experience and then you can contact your favorite A Time To Treasure Travel agent to get this set up for your next trip.
Early Morning Magic: What is it and what’s included?
Early Morning Magic at Hollywood Studios grants you exclusive access to the brand new Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios from 7:30AM to 8:45AM PLUS breakfast is included and served over at The Commissary until 10:00AM. There is a continental buffet as well as other hot breakfast items that can be ordered at the counter service area.
The cost for this event is $79 per adult (ages 10 and over) and $69 per child (3-9) plus tax. Do note that you must have a valid theme park ticket in addition to this reservation.
Take Note: This is DIFFERENT from Extra Magic Hours! Be sure not to confuse the two. EMH are offered only to on-site guests as a free perk with their resort package and will never overlap this specially-ticketed event. Ask your travel agent for more details about the distinctions and benefits of each.
Our Experience
We were staying at Disney’s Pop Century Resort and we left our hotel at 6:43AM to make our way over to Hollywood Studios. I was driving my own vehicle and parked at the very front of the first parking lot available. We walked in and, before we made it to the turnstiles to scan our MagicBands to enter the park, we were greeted by many Cast Members with iPads. I simply gave them our last name and they checked us in for the event and gave us special wristbands to wear. These let other Cast Members in the park know we were included in the exclusive event. We then scanned our MagicBands and were in the park!
At this point we walked directly towards the Chinese Theater. There were many other Cast Members to guide us along the way and point us in the right direction. We waited about two minutes and then began walking back towards Toy Story Land! It was a very smooth, fast, and easy process.
Once we were in Toy Story Land, we had the run of the place! The three attractions Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania, and Alien Swirling Saucers, were all up and running and there were meet and greet character interactions available with Woody, Jessie, and Buzz Lightyear.
Of course, my six year old wanted to head STRAIGHT to Slinky Dog Dash. It….is…AMAZING! It is our absolute favorite ride on property now, without question. During this event you have unlimited access to all the attractions. So as soon as we finished riding, we just hopped right back on and rode again! There was also a beverage station set up outside the restroom area that had water and coffee.
I was SHOCKED at how empty the area was and how few people were a part of the event. I took time at one point and talked to a Cast Member about how much we loved all the little details that were included in Toy Story Land and because there were such few people there I really felt like I was truly getting to enjoy the whole experience. She said that she “HAD NEVER seen the line that short for Slinky Dog Dash”. That’s a big deal people. My daughter and I never waited over 7 minutes to ride.
On our very last ride of Slinky Dog Dash that morning, as we crested the first big drop on the family roller coaster, we witnessed the mass of people that were entering the area for the regular park hours opening. I cannot adequately put in to words just how many people I saw walking towards me, but I knew how happy i was that we had already enjoyed our morning in Toy Story Land with such a small number of people. By the time that we got off the ride, picked up our stroller from it’s parked location, and made our way out of Toy Story Land there was a Cast Member with a sign showing where the line for Slinky Dog Dash currently began and it was all the way outside of the entrance to the new area. At that moment they were informing those guests that the wait was well over two hours.
I snapped these two pictures for perspective purposes, the first is just a picture of the giant Woody character that greets you as you enter Toy Story Land and the second picture was taken from the end of the line looking back towards the entrance to Toy Story Land. Can you see how small that giant sheriff looks in that second picture? That was a little mind blowing to me.
At this point, we opted to head over to The Commissary and enjoy our breakfast that was included in our Early Morning Magic reservation. With breakfast being served until 10:00AM, I can promise you that you would have time to leave the special event and go ride any other popular attractions pretty quickly and still make it back in time to get your meal because everyone else that just entered the park is in Toy Story Land.
Inside The Commissary there are two continental buffets set up on each side of the restaurant and all hot breakfast items and fountain drinks are ordered from the counter service area.
Is it worth it? YES!!!
I personally feel like this is money well spent to give your family some time to really take in and enjoy Toy Story Land. Many times I thought how I would have loved to have our youngest daughter there as well. At 18 months old, she would have had plenty of room to walk around and see the characters. There is no doubt that we were able to ride popular attractions with very little to no wait at all, but we also were able to walk around easily and enjoy all the little details and special touches that make Disney Theme Parks so special and then enjoy many different breakfast options.
This is an event that I would not hesitate to purchase tickets for again in the future. Let your favorite 4T travel agent know to add this to your “must do” list!
Post and Photos by Casey Hicklin.