Disneyland Magic Morning: How to Get the Most out of this Perk
Disneyland during Magic Morning
Today Guy Selga, Jr., coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, shares his tips about Disneyland’s Magic Mornings with us. Disneyland Magic Morning is a perk for Disneyland guests who purchase tickets in advance at disneyland.com. These tickets allow you to enter Disneyland Park on select days 1 hour earlier than the general public one time during your visit. Disneyland Magic Mornings is offered only on three-, four-, and five-day tickets. The Magic Morning perk can be used on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. Guests at the Paradise Pier, Grand Californian, and Disneyland Hotels can also come on any early-entry day, as long as they have a valid ticket for that day.
During Magic Mornings at Disneyland, nine attractions in Fantasyland and five in Tomorrowland will be open to ride, including attractions that will have long waits during the day like Space Mountain and Peter Pan’s Flight. No FastPass tickets are distributed during this time. The rest of the park is closed and off-limits until the park officially opens for the day.
Before you arrive, be aware that Disneyland’s Mickey & Friends parking structure opens only 30 minutes before Magic Morning begins. That leaves you a small amount of time to wait in line to enter the parking structure, pay, park your car, take a tram to Disneyland, get through security, and then finally wait in line to enter the park. We recommend arriving at Mickey & Friends at least 30 minutes before the parking structure is due to open so you’re at the front of the line and ready to enter when the time comes.
When you arrive at Disneyland, look for specially designated turnstiles where guests eligible for Magic Morning may enter. If you arrive early enough, you should be at the front of the pack. You and hundreds of other people will be running walking briskly towards Peter Pan’s Flight. You will enjoy a minimal wait for this popular attraction if you beat the crowd and are one of the first to get in line. If you are even 10 minutes late, the line will have ballooned up to 30 minutes or more. If you arrive in the park and see that Peter Pan’s Flight’s wait time is above 30 minutes, do not waste your precious Magic Morning time waiting for it. Instead, get in line for Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo, or Matterhorn Bobsleds. Another good option is Space Mountain (which is currently named Hyperspace Mountain as part of Disneyland’s temporary Star Wars-themed Season of the Force promotion). Space Mountain will probably have the longest wait for the rest of the day, and thousands will rush to it first thing when the park opens to the general public. If you want to ride Space Mountain more than once, ride it during Magic Morning, and then obtain a FastPass after they become available at the regular park opening time.
During a Disneyland Magic Morning you may be tempted to take pictures in front of the castle or grab a bite to eat. Hold off breakfast and save the pictures for the middle of the day when wait times are at their peak. Magic Morning and the first couple of hours of the park’s day are critical for riding as much as you can with minimal wait. It’s amazing how much you can get done, even when the Disneyland is expected to have a busy day.
Crowded park by noon
As Disneyland Magic Morning starts to wind down, you need to position yourself to experience the rest of the Disneyland. 10-15 minutes before Magic Morning ends, make your way over to the west side of the park and wait at the Frontierland entrance (on the left side of the central hub). A cast member will be at the entrance with a rope blocking you from entering the land. After the rest of the park opens head to Indiana Jones Adventure, grab a FastPass, ride it, or both (You’ll want to do it multiple times). Then ride other popular attractions, like Big Thunder Mountain or Splash Mountain with little to no wait.
At this point you’ll look at your watch and realize you’ve experienced almost every major ride Disneyland has to offer, and it’s not even lunch yet! Now you can slow it down, get some food, take some pictures, and ride anything you missed.
