Top 5 Reasons You Should Book Early Morning Magic in Fantasyland

New dates have been released for Early Morning Magic in Fantasyland starting in November!  Here’s why you should book it for your next trip.

Quick Take:

Early Morning Magic:  Fantasyland (EMM) is a special event held at the Magic Kingdom that allows a limited number of guests early access to attractions in Fantasyland prior to park opening.  Not to be confused with Extra Magic Hours, EMM is a paid event booked as a dining reservation that allows access to the following attractions from 7:45-10 a.m.:

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• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
•  “It’s a Small World”
•  Mad Tea Party
•  Peter Pan’s Flight
•  Princess Fairytale Hall
•  Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
•  Under the Sea- The Journey of the Little Mermaid

The experience includes a plated breakfast at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café alongside exclusive early access to the park.  The cost is $89 per adult and $79 per child ages 3-9.   Regular theme park admission is required alongside the Early Morning Magic reservation.

Dates currently available for booking include:

• Wednesday, November 13, 2019
• Wednesday, November 20, 2019
• Tuesday, December 3, 2019
• Thursday, December 5, 2019
• Monday, December 9, 2019
• Wednesday, December 11, 2019
• Tuesday, December 17, 2019
• Monday, January 6, 2020
• Wednesday, January 8, 2020
• Tuesday, January 14, 2020
• Thursday, January 16, 2020
• Sunday, January 19, 2020
• Tuesday, January 21, 2020
• Tuesday, January 28, 2020
• Thursday, January 30, 2020
• Sunday, February 2, 2020
• Thursday, February 6, 2020
• Tuesday, February 11, 2020
• Thursday, February 13, 2020
• Tuesday, February 18, 2020
• Thursday, February 20, 2020
• Tuesday, February 25, 2020
• Thursday, February 27, 2020
• Sunday, March 1, 2020
• Tuesday, March 3, 2020
• Tuesday, March 10, 2020
• Sunday, March 15, 2020
• Sunday, March 22, 2020
• Thursday, March 26, 2020
• Sunday, March 29, 2020

Top Five Reasons You Should Book Early Morning Magic:

My family booked Early Morning Magic for Father’s Day in the Magic Kingdom on June 16, 2019.  Our party included seven people:  six adults and one 2.5 year old boy.  Here are the top five reasons why we loved this experience and why you should book it for your next trip!

5.  Empty Castle and Park Photos

Individuals who book Early Morning Magic are allowed into the Magic Kingdom at 7:45 on a typical 9:00 a.m. park opening.  The only individuals allowed in the park at this time are those with the EMM reservation or those with a pre-park opening reservation to a table service restaurant in the Magic Kingdom (Be Our Guest, Crystal Palace, etc.)

We were let onto Main Street right at 7:45 on the dot.  Walking on Main Street with virtually no crowd is a magical experience in itself.  There is no better way to start your day at the Magic Kingdom than a glorious, “people-free” view of Cinderella’s Castle.  What’s more, you are able to take the most perfect family photos in front of the castle with no strangers in your shot.  If a perfect castle photo is a top priority for you during your next trip to the Magic Kingdom, look no further than Early Morning Magic to provide you with this opportunity.

Once you get back to Fantasyland, the park is essentially deserted!  We were able to park my son’s stroller and leave it for the duration of the special event.  He was able to walk freely through Fantasyland, running from attraction to attraction with virtually no one else around.

4.  A delicious breakfast (included in the price!)

Early Morning Magic reservations include a plated breakfast at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café.  The breakfast plate includes breakfast staples such as eggs, hash browns, sausage, bacon, pancakes, fruits, and pastries.  Juices and coffee are also included.  To best utilize your time during EMM, I suggest riding rides included in the event from 7:45-9:00 a.m., rope dropping a few more desired attractions from 9-9:30, and heading over to get your breakfast right around 9:30.  The food is still fresh, the dining area is less crowded, and you are able to sneak in a few more attractions prior to the crowds rushing down Main Street.

Breakfast itself was delicious and filling.  By the time 9:30 rolled around, we were hungry and ready to eat and this breakfast easily satisfied our appetites well past lunch time- leaving more time for magical experiences!

3.  Extended Character Interactions

Early Morning Magic includes access to one character interaction location:  Princess Fairytale Hall.  On one side of the hall guests can meet Tiana and Rapunzel.  On the other side, guests can meet Cinderella and Elena of Avalor.  We ended up at the Fairytale Hall around 8:50, right at the end of the EMM window prior to park opening.  We were the only family in line on either side of the hall.  Because no one was waiting, we were afforded extended interactions with all of the characters.  My son had one-on-one time with each princess.  They talked to him about his day, walked him around the room as a “prince”, and left him with lipstick kisses all over his face.  We were able to get several amazing pictures through Memory Maker from Princess Fairytale Hall.  This is an attraction we most likely would have skipped without the purchase of EMM tickets and I am so glad we were able to experience it with this event.

2.  Rides, Rides, and More Rides

The primary reason most people book Early Morning Magic is the exclusive access to rides in Fantasyland.  Through this experience, my party was able to ride every single ride offered during this event, including riding Seven Dwarfs Mine Train three separate times.

This is a game changer!  First, this allows you to experience rides you wouldn’t otherwise, as you do not have to spend valuable park time waiting in line.  On a typical park day, my party would not have spent the 10-30 minute time required waiting in line for Under the Sea:  The Journey of the Little Mermaid, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, or Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel (which happened to be open during EMM!).  Because of Early Morning Magic, we were able to experience all of these rides together as a whole family at a walk-on status.

Second, we were able to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train three times during the event.  This ride quickly shot up to a 90-minute wait at park open.  We waited no more than 5 minutes total to ride during EMM.  There is no experience as magical as watching your son fall in love with his very first roller coaster and, as he begs to ride it again, easily being able to say “Yes!” and jumping right back on.

1.  Perfect Start to your Magical Day

My top reason why you should book Early Morning Magic is that it simply is a perfect start to your magical day in the Magic Kingdom.  By riding Fantasyland rides at the beginning of the day before anyone else, you can save the fastpasses you would have used on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan’s Flight for other attractions, such as Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  This allows for better utilization of fastpasses to maximize your attraction experiences.

Additionally, knocking out Fantasyland rides prior to park opening means that, at rope drop, you can ride other attractions deep into the park with no wait.  While the masses are sprinting to Mine Train, you can make your way over to meet Ariel at her Grotto, to Dumbo or Barnstormer, or even to Space Mountain with no wait.

Because of Early Morning Magic, we were able to complete 18 attractions and character meets before lunch!  This allowed us the freedom and opportunity to take a much needed rest break back at our resort after the Festival of Fantasy parade so that my son could be recharged prior to our dessert party for the Happily Ever After fireworks.

If you have room in your Disney budget for one or two “extras”, Early Morning Magic at Fantasyland is not to be missed!

Have you ever booked Early Morning Magic at Fantasyland?  What are your thoughts on the experience?

-Jaelyn Winkle