(8-5-19) I tried to get 8am ADR for GG breakfast, then the plan was to standby line Soarin’ with short wait time.
The earliest ADR was 8:25am. I usually allow 1 hour for character meals, maybe we can do a shorter meal. What time should we arrive at park? We are staying in WL. Is bus to Epcot running that early? Leave at 7:30?
Still trying for 8 am breakfast.
You can check in at 7:45. I got a 8:15 ADR for 8/4.
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If we check in at 7:45, do you think we will be able to get in earlier than 8:25?
Yes!
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In the past I have had an ADR as late as 8:30 and been seated immediately after 8. I try to get there by 7:30 so I am as close to the front of the line waiting to get in. Then just try to stay ahead of the pack in your way to GG. Also if the are ready they will often let you in Soarin by 8:50 on a 9am open.
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Any suggestions on the best way to get there by 7:30 from Wilderness Lodge?
Been a while since I stayed there, but we have never had a problem catching a bus from BW or AKL. You can always use Uber if you have to.
I’d just advise to try to get the early bus from WL. We missed the early bus last April and ended up waiting 30 minutes for the next bus (we should have just taken a Minnie van at that point), then the bus stopped at Fort Wilderness which added more time. Also, there was a huge line for breakfast reservations when we arrived.
We had planned to enter at 7:45 for our 8:15 Garden Grill reservation, but didn’t get back to the restaurant until 8:15-8:20. We were still able to make it Soarin’ for 8:50, but it was a bit rushed and we ended up missing Chip.
We had the exact same situation in 2017. Res at 8:25am, checked in at 7:50, seated and eating by 8:05. Out by 8:50, and on Soarin’, which is directly downstairs. It’ll work out!
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This is very helpful, than you! Does anyone know how long to allow for Uber or Lyft to get from WL to Epcot? Could we time it so the driver arrives at 7:15 and get there by 7:30?
I had this exact scenario from WL in October. I tried to keep modifying my ADR to an earlier time and I think we ended up knocking 15 minutes off that way. My mother and 16 year old daughter “forgot” to get up early so we left WL at probably 7:40. We used a Minnie Van. It was quick, but I’m thinking we didn’t get in until about 8am. It took us a few minutes to get to GG and by that time we made our 8:15 reservation at actually 8:15. There was a line so we got seated around 8:20-25. I wasn’t thrilled. One of the chipmunks came around to our table and my usually shy and difficult to please son lit up. He had so much fun and I didn’t even care as we watched the massive crowd flood the building and down the stairs to Soarin’…where we should have been…because I planned it that way…6 months in advance! Okay…maybe I cared a little. We ended up waiting like 25 minutes or so for the ride after the initial rush came through.
I share all this to say: try modifying occasionally because it might work, plan on transportation taking longer than you think, be prepared to wait a few minutes to get seated, the character interactions there seemed to take a long time (Chip and/or Dale came by twice before we got Mickey once), AND don’t ever take my mother with you to Disney World because she doesn’t get the carefully curated and meticulously planned schedule needs.
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I’m trying for this exact same scenario on Aug 25th.
Sounds like my husband’s family. Those people are doing well to get to the parks by noon. 
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Noon? 
I didn’t make spread sheets, agendas, and time lines because it’s fun…ok…maybe I did. I’m going to have any family members that come with in the future sign a blood oath to follow the plans OR be okay with getting left behind.
Trust me, DH is NOT like that or I wouldn’t have married him. He gets up when told and knows that I will leave him in the room if he doesn’t. Luckily, he suffers greatly from FOMO, so he’s only been left behind once.
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We had an 8:30 ADR there recently and we sat down our server asked if we were in a hurry to get to Soarin’. We weren’t, but they know people often are. We were still finished in about an hour (and we headed to Soarin’ with a 20 minute wait).
If you are in a rush but still want to meet all the characters, don’t mess with them like I did last time. I don’t remember what I said to offend Dale (probably called him a squirrel or something like that) and he skipped us and went to the next table. He came back right after seeing them, but if you’re trying to make Soarin’, don’t do it! We were there for lunch, so no big deal.
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We had this exact same timeslot last month over Marathon Weekend. We arrived just before 8 and were seated at 8:10. Our server asked if we planned to line up for Soarin’ as I requested the check right as we ordered drinks.
The food came very quickly, we kept our character meets pretty short and were finished with breakfast at about 8:50-8:55. We head downstairs and walked onto Soarin with no wait, rode once and got back in-line and road a second time with a ten minute wait.
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@HollyN @larrielaine you have both just made me laugh so much!
We are rope dropping all four parks, three times with EMH and one PPO breakfast at BOG. It may will kill us as none of us (me included!) are morning people 
Hoping jet lag from the UK will work in our favour, and we’re having lie ins for our second week, but I think we may well need another holiday as a rest when we get home again 
It’s going to be a shock to the system for this bunch of night owls 
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on 01/28/2019 we got to Epcot at 7:30 in order to make our 8:00am reservation at garden grill… they did not set up and begin security until 7:55 and then we all still had to line up at the tapstiles… one huge, long, snaking line at the tapstiles… for breakfast and tours… we were late to our reservation, as were many others. we still managed to see all the characters, eat until we were stuffed, and make it to Soarin’ … when we exited after our flight we were met head on by the park opening guests.