Early entry to AK for dining reservation before After Hours Event?

Walt Disney World Dining
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So we have a unique situation that may have no good answer. But what the heck.

My wife and son are traveling to WDW in mid-February. She is taking him to DAK for his birthday that day, but they are only going to do the After Hours Event. From what I’ve seen they can enter the park for the After Hours Event around 7pm. What we’re wondering is if they make a dinner reservation somewhere in the park for around 5:30 or 6, would DAK let them in early for just the dinner reservation? Then when 7pm rolls around, they would use their pass and join the After Hours event. They’re just wanting to maximize their time in the park without purchasing a full day ticket.

I know this sounds farfetched, but for some reason I seem to remember reading something recently of a guest having a breakfast or lunch reservation inside the MK but no park ticket, and the park actually gave them something like a 2-hour pass to get in, eat, and then leave the park. Maybe I’m crazy. Is there anything to this idea?

Barry

2

I dont think you will be able to get in until 7pm. I have never heard of someone being let in without a valid park ticket just with a dining reservation. They would have no way to monitor if you left after two hours.

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If the ADR is for Rain Forest cafe, I would think it would work. But anywhere else in the park I believe she would need a ticket or wait until 7

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4

For the parties they allow people to enter early. But not heard that happening for DAH.

Edited to clarify: I haven’t heard of anyone getting in before 7pm for DAH.

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For After Hours you can enter the park at 7:00 pm

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The closest I’ve heard of this kind of thing is that I know Disney will sometimes offer someone a shopping pass…that is, if there is something in the park you wanted to buy, they will give you a very short time period (maybe an hour?) to go get it and bring it back. You have to show them the receipt, or they will ultimately charge you for the ticket or something like that.

I’m not even sure they do that any longer…just something I’ve heard of in the past. But I’ve not heard of this for restaurants.

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7

That’s probably what I’m thinking of - a pass Disney would sell or give you to go do a task in the park, and then come back. I thought it might be eat at a restaurant but I think you’re right, it was shop or pick up a package or something like that.

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ok so this was maybe 10 years ago but we did a ADR 90 minutes before xmas party ( only ticket, no day pass ) and they let us in.

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MVMCP and MNSSHP have 4:00 entry for regular party guests and it has been 2:00 for DVC.

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yes, i’m talking about getting an ADR prior to those times ( it was 90 minutes before ) and being allowed in early without using a regular ticket, hard ticket only.

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They have been very firm about hours early these days. Even the 2:00 entry for DVC I needed to show my ID in addition to my blue card and it was at exactly 2:00.