A guide to Early Morning Magic – Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom

(Article last updated December 5, 2018)

If you're looking for a way to knock out some of the most popular attractions in Fantasyland with little to no waits, Early Morning Magic - Fantasyland might be for you.

This premium ticketed event takes place on select days through the year, and although the price may seem steep, there are definitely times when it may be worth it.

Here's what you need to know.

All the details

Early Morning Magic - Fantasyland is an opportunity for guests to get a head start on their day at Magic Kingdom. During the 75 minutes the event takes place, guests attending get unlimited rides on 7 of the most popular attractions at Magic Kingdom:

• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,
• Peter Pan's Flight*
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Princess Fairytale Hall
• it's a small world
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
• Mad Tea Party

*Peter Pan's Flight will be unavailable January 8, 15, 22, 29 and February 3 & 5.

In addition to the rides, guests are also treated to a breakfast buffet at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. There aren't any characters at this breakfast, but you will have your choice of several tasty treats (more on that below).

Note: The previous version of this event included only 3 attractions (The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan's Flight, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train) with breakfast at Pinocchio Village Haus.

Cost

Because this is a premium ticketed event, there is an additional cost to attend.

Tickets are $79 for adults and $69 for kids (plus tax).

And, unlike other premium ticketed events (like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, for example), it requires you to have a regular theme park ticket in addition to the Early Morning Magic ticket.

Dates and Time

The event takes place from 7:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on select dates (typically Sundays and Tuesdays) throughout the year.

Here is the current schedule:

2018 Early Morning Magic - Fantasyland

• January: 9, 16, 21, 23, 28
• February: 4, 6, 11, 13, 20, 27
• March: 4, 6, 18, 20, 25
• April: 10, 15, 24, 29
• May: 1, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22
• June: 10, 12, 17, 24
• July: 1, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 29
• August: 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28
• September: 4, 9, 11, 18, 23, 25, 30
• October: 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 30
• November: 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27
• December*: 2, 4, 16, 18

2019 Early Morning Magic - Fantasyland

• January*: 1, 6, 8, 15, 22, 29
• February*: 3, 5, 10, 12,19, 26

* New Early Morning Magic experience with additional attractions, breakfast offerings, and price 

How to book it

If you're interested in booking you'll have a couple of options to do that:

• Book online
• Book by calling (407) 827-7350

What to expect

How to get there

Because you're paying extra money to attend this event, we recommend you plan ahead on how you'll get there so you don't miss any event time.

Buses will be running that early; however, they may not run as frequently as they do later in the morning. That means it is very important that you are at the bus stop with plenty of time to spare.

It is an awful feeling to be rushing around only to watch the bus you needed pull away when you're too late to catch it.

Because of that, we do suggest thinking about using a Minnie Van to help expedite the ride to Magic Kingdom.

Minnie Vans would be the best option (because they drop off at the same bus stops used by the buses), but their pricing structure may make them impractical for lots of guests.

If you aren't interested in using a Minnie Van, be sure to be at your resort bus stop early (buses to Magic Kingdom start around 6:30-7 a.m. daily) and get to Magic Kingdom that way.

Checking in

You'll be asked to check in out front of Magic Kingdom by 7:30 am.

There you'll be given a brightly colored wrist band which lets the Cast Members know you're cleared to go into Fantasyland early.

When they let guests into the park, you'll have time to pause for some photos in front of the castle if you want.

Typically you'll find PhotoPass photographers available, too. You'll have plenty of time for rides, so take your time and snag those almost-empty shots!

Rides

The attractions that are open during Early Morning Magic are some of the most popular in Fantasyland.

Because admission to the event is limited, guests attending will find it very easy to ride their favorites over and over again.

This is true even for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which historically tends to have some of the longest wait times in the entire park.

See that area on the left in the photo below? That is the exit to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Because there are basically no lines, guests are allowed to cross over to the right and hop back on!

The other open attractions have equally short (if not shorter) lines.

Sometimes you may get lucky and find Prince Charming Regal Carrousel open, too. But, that isn't one of the publicized attractions. If it is open, think of it as a lovely "bonus" ride!

Look at the crowds!

Just kidding. Fantasyland is basically empty during the event.

You can see the crowds on the other side of Cinderella Castle waiting to get in, though:

Breakfast

Because breakfast continues after the park opens, we don't recommend you eat until after the crowds from the front of the park have caused the lines to build in Fantasyland (typically around 9:30 a.m.).

When it does come time to eat, you'll find plenty to fill you up.

Even though Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe is a Quick Service location, the food you can expect to find will be better than the typical "fast food" selections.

The selection may vary slightly but you can expect to find:

• beverages such as juices, coffee, and tea
• fruit & yogurt
• pastries
• scrambled eggs
• vegetable frittata
• bacon, pork and chicken sausages, cheese & cured meats
• fried potatoes
• French toast

If there's a table available, snag a spot in the room overlooking It's a Small World and watch the ride go by as you eat.

Basic touring plan for Early Morning Magic - Fantasyland

In order to maximize your morning, your best bet is to plan out your time so that you ride as many attractions as many times as possible before the crowds hit.

With that in mind, we recommend:

• 7:45 - 9:00 - Ride the rides that are part of Early Morning Magic as many times as you'd like.
• 9:00 - 9:30 - Head over to a nearby attraction and do that before the lines build. Any of the attractions in Tomorrowland are perfect for that, but you may want to focus on something where lines build quickly, such as Space Mountain. Depending on what you choose, you may have time for a couple before it is time to eat.
• 9:30 - go to Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe for breakfast.

After breakfast, you can continue on with one of our Magic Kingdom touring plans, but you'll be able to skip over any of the attractions you've already done.

FAQ's

Is this the same thing as Extra Magic Hours?

Disney did make things confusing when they gave 2 morning events very similar sounding names.

But Early Morning Magic and Extra Magic Hours are 2 totally different events, with the main differences being that one involves the entire park and is free to onsite guests (Extra Magic Hours), while the other (Early Morning Magic) costs money and is open to anybody.

Read more in the FAQ: What is the difference between Early Morning Magic and Extra Magic Hours?

I made a reservation at Be Our Guest so I could get onto Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and now Early Morning Magic is scheduled. Is my plan ruined?

Not at all!

At worst, you may wait a couple more minutes than you might have had there not been an Early Morning Magic scheduled that day, but it won't be noticeable. You'll just be held back a little longer, but because you're already in a line while you wait to get into the real line, your early morning breakfast reservation still puts you at an advantage to get onto Seven Dwarfs quickly.

You can see what we mean in the photo below. The guests pictured are ones that dined at Be Our Guest and are now waiting to enter the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train queue. Once the park is fully opened, guests from that line will have a little head over the main park guests to get in the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train line.

Will the crowds be heavier on Early Morning Magic days?

Not really! And, in fact, you likely won't even notice the difference. Don't let it scare you away from heading to Magic Kingdom on a day one is scheduled.

Is it worth it?

As always, the answer to this is subjective.

But when you take into account the amount of times you can go on the rides, plus the fact that it includes breakfast, it's a good deal for many, especially for those interested in riding Seven Dwarfs Mine Train multiple times (hearing the kids scream "we get to go AGAIN?" is the best).

We definitely think that if you have a shorter trip or if your time at Magic Kingdom is limited, this is a good option to get some extra rides on some of the more popular Fantasyland attractions.

Guest Writer Sarah Tavares shared this with us:

Who hasn’t fantasized about enjoying an empty park? There was something very special about having such exclusive access to the rides. Fantasyland was deserted and there truly were no waits whatsoever.

I visit WDW often, but I don’t imagine I’ve ridden Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 10 times total, let alone more than once or twice in one day! For me this opportunity alone made the ticket price worth it.

I also very much appreciated that the breakfast hours extended until 10 a.m. This, to me, made it a no-brainer to focus on attractions first – even after rope drop – before settling down and truly being able to enjoy my breakfast and not be worried about queuing for another attraction.

This is in stark contrast to the experiences I have had using an ADR to score early access to the parks and attractions when I usually feel myself rushing through breakfast to be among the first in line for an attraction. I was then able to visit less popular attractions at my leisure.

Another option

If you can only pick one extra event and you have the option of doing Disney After Hours during your trip dates, you might consider doing that event instead.

It is more expensive, but most of the rides in the park are open during it so you could possibly see and ride most of the main Magic Kingdom attractions in one evening if you wanted.

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Looking for the Hollywood Studios version? Check out our post on Early Morning Magic - Toy Story Land.

Have you given Early Morning Magic - Fantasyland a try? Let us know how it went in the comments.