Have you ever wondered how that family on the Internet has such gorgeous, almost crowd-free photos in front of Cinderella Castle? And there they are again, with the Tree of Life towering above, not a single person cluttering their shot in the background. What is their secret? Find out how to get Crowd-Free Photos in Disney.
Welcome to the Magic Kingdom! Photo Credit: Elizabeth Moss
How to Get Crowd-Free Photos in Disney
The secret to obtaining fabulous crowd-free photos in Walt Disney World is by booking a pre-park opening dining reservation.
I love dining at Walt Disney World Resort! With more than 300 restaurants, ranging from counter service to five-diamond dining, there is something to please even the pickiest palate. While I like our trips to be organic and flexible, there is one must-do for our family each trip–a pre-park opening, character dining reservation.
But, that means I have to wake my family up super early, get the munchkins dressed and arrive at the parks early! Yes, yes you do. But trust me, it is worth it!
Learn how to get Crowd-Free Photos in Disney. Photo Credit: Anne Fitzgerald
What is the Best Time for Reservations?
We like to schedule our reservations for an 8:15-8:20 arrival window (based on the park opening at 9:00 and there not being any morning Extra Magic Hours). This allows us to arrive around 8:00 am, spend about 20 minutes soaking up the beauty and details of the park, take fabulous photos and arrive ready for yummy food.
Some folks opt for the earliest arrival window possible, so that they are positioned to be in the parks at opening, to ride the more popular rides; this a great strategy during the busy months. But, I would advise not rushing through the meal; the food is too good!
How do you Schedule Pre-Park Opening Reservations?
The dining reservation window opens up 180 days prior to arrival. If you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you can make reservations at the 180-day mark, plus 10 additional days. You can call (407) 939-5277 or book online through your My Disney Experience account.
Which Restaurants host Early Morning Dining Reservations?
As of this writing, the following are available:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
Epcot:
Magic Kingdom Park:
Cinderella’s Royal Table
The Crystal Palace
Have you tried any of these restaurants for breakfast? Which one is your favorite?
I didn’t know you could do this! This is defo on my to do list for when I’m next there
Awesome Dawn! You can’t go wrong with any of the choices and the photos are fab!
We always do this! You can’t share my secret! LOL It’s so awesome to get to the parks early and enjoy the empty streets.
We took the Marceline to Magic tour which also got us in before park opening and we were able to get crowd free pictures, it was really nice.
Great tip, Angel! I loved the Marceline to Magic Kingdom tour. You are exactly right…many great photo ops! Thank you.
Thanks for such great tip! I hope to try that on our next trip!
So glad we could be of help! Thank you for reading :-).
We have all of these scheduled except the castle, we have crystal palace before park opening in MK. I’m hoping to get a good picture before the crowds, then get a busy ride our character meet before the lines… so happy I figured this out right away!!
Hollywood & Vine was good, Tusker House was great and Cinderella’s Royal Table was amazing. We got some great family photos with the castle and the dining experience was perfect. They do a great job at making it fun for everyone. We had two little boys with us and they loved being called “Lords”. They even got swords! This is definitely a must for us from now on.
We came out of the castle dinner after park hours and the photographers were still around.. you are correct, pictures with out the crowds are amazing…