I have booked ADR’s and wasn’t thinking about how to get to some of them until now (won’t be renting a car, but haven’t ruled it out if it’s enough of an advantage for the price). We will most likely be at the Swan (currently booked at CBR just to get all the days of ADR booking at once, but will likely cancel and book Swan for much cheaper). A couple breakfasts look problematic: a 7:20am at Chef Mickey’s and an 8:30am at Topolino’s. Is there a bus early enough from Swan to MK to then walk to Contempo in time? I doubt it. Is Uber/Lyft the only answer here? With Top, I’m guessing the skyliner is not running yet for me to get over to the Riviera from the EP station that early. I’m not remembering from recent trip reports what people are doing to get to their breakfasts if they’re before regular transportation starts and if they’re not walkable. Hopefully I’m overlooking something, which is very possible.
I think you need to plan to Uber/Lyft (or rent a car). We are staying at Beach Club and also have a 7:20am Chef Mickey’s and plan to take a Lyft. Unless MK or DHS hours dramatically change which I doubt!
Thanks, kind of what I thought. I think I’ll price renting a car for comparison, especially with no DME to Swan, but then there’s parking fees.
Yeah. The early (and late) ADRs are difficult to plan around if you are sticking to on-property transportation.
One idea we had toyed with was taking a bus to Animal Kingdom early, and then hopping back on a bus from AK to whatever resort you wanted to eat at. But you still have to plan around potential delays in this plan. But a 7:20 am at Chef Mickey’s I can’t see you being able to make without using non-Disney transportation for sure.
ETA: I should mention this was when AK was opening at 8:00. But for our trip, it is opening at 9:00 instead, so taking a bus directly to MK ahead of 9:00 is more efficient for something like Chef Mickey’s…but you’d need a reservation at like 9:30 or something instead.
There was someone who recently walked from CBR to HS, so I think that you could walk from Swan to Riveria. She said they walked in the grass so their shoes were wet from dew and that she wouldn’t do it with young kids, but otherwise it was doable. Just an option…that looks like a pretty straight shot. Or a fairly cheap Uber ride.
We are planning a March trip. I have never made early ADR for breakfast, as we typically eat at resort room and head out to make rope drop. I never felt ADR was necessary. However, in this COVID world, I am thinking they might be helpful? We are staying at Shades of Green, across from Poly. We normally use Poly monorail to get to EP and MK, but it’s not even running right now. Who knows in March. If I rideshare from Shades, do they let them through to drop us off at park? (I know that won’t work for MK, but it would work for HS and EP maybe if we get dropped at nearby resorts so we can walk up…) Do they let rideshares enter? Or are you stuck waiting like if you are parking? My goal is to be there before opening as a walk up, so we can ride headliners before crowds…what is the best way at each park to accomplish this? TIA!
We just rode the monorail at the Poly, on Saturday. and it stops at MK. It’s the EC monorail that isn’t running right now. If you can walk to the Ploy from SoG (I’ve seen the walkway) then you can catch the buses at the Ploy too. Lyft, and the like, have their own lanes for the parks to drive through and drop off guests. You can’t get into any resort w/ a lyft/car w/o an ADR and the Poly gate guard looked at my MDE to prove we had an ADR (Kona) to allow us through their gate. I just showed it to him, but I was slow and he said he could look it up too. I know the monorail and buses are suppose to be running early for ADRs. But if you are driving and there when they open parking you’ll be at the gate w/o any issue for rope drop.
So, just to make sure I understand:
For MK day: Walk to Poly and take monorail to park
For AK day: Take Shades of Green bus, or Lyft (depending on Shades bus times)
For HS day: Lyft to Beach Club and walk from there (this lets us actually get there early since they have been opening earlier than posted times. Concerned about very long waits here, so want to arrive as early as possible)
For EP day: Lyft to Beach Club. Walk to IG entrance. Ride Remi first if open, then Frozen. Proceed.
Does this sound doable?
Normally, yes. But if the Poly station isn’t open again yet by then, you’d have to walk to TTC and catch monorail from there (or Lyft to a breakfast ADR at Contemporary or GF and go to MK from there).
ETA: Poly boat could also be an option if running.
Sounds good.
That would work. BW or Swan instead of BC would put you a few minutes closer though.
Perfect.
Remember you won’t be allowed into any resort without a ADR if you’re in a lyft.
Is that true of even the ones like swan and dolphin, that aren’t owned by Disney? Because I thought those would allow Lyft in without ADR…
Swan and Dolphin don’t have a gate guard, so yes you can be dropped there by Lyft without worry. You can also be dropped off at the gas station across the way from the Boardwalk and get to the walking path to HS (and also could walk to Epcot from there as well, just go right when you meet the walking path to HS instead of left). Some people report being able to get into resorts in a Lyft if they have a mobile food order placed there as well. An ADR is the 100% way to guarantee getting in if arriving by vehicle.
Has anyone tried being dropped off by Lyft/Uber just outside the Contemporary on the sidewalk to walk to MK so that you don’t have to have an ADR to get past the gate? I don’t know why there would be any rule against that, but then again it wouldn’t surprise me if there was one.
They won’t let you do this, there isn’t really anywhere safe for them to drop you.
My Lyft cost was around $9 - $10 from Pop to Yacht or Boardwalk for my 7:15 breakfast ADRs. I preferred Ale and Compass to Trattoria but that is just a personal choice.
We were able to eat and walk to Hollywood Studios by 8:15 to 8:20.
On our Epcot day we took the skyliner to Hollywood studios and walked to Epcot. The line looks long at Pop and then at CBR but it went quickly and we were at the IG plenty early before they opened.
I am on the Tragical Express as I respond to this thread.