Love sleeping in when you’re on vacation? If you’re at Disney World, it’s important to resist the temptation to hit the snooze button and be an early riser instead.

The Importance of Being an Early Riser

The very best reason to get up with the birds is so that your family can get to the parks early. Disney World park tickets cost a pretty penny, so a day spent waiting in line to go on rides is like throwing money down the drain. Time is literally money. At Disney World, it’s a given that the parks get more crowded as the morning goes on. Arrive at opening time, and you will be able to enjoy your favorite ride or attraction without any line. You may even be able to experience it twice quickly without having to use a FastPass+. An hour later, the regular wait time for the same ride might be 45 minutes or an hour.

Your best strategy is to arrive early in the parks and enjoy as many rides and attractions as you can. Around lunchtime, when the parks reach their peak crowds, consider heading back to your hotel for a meal and some downtime. You can return to the parks in the late afternoon when many families start to leave for dinner.

Extra Magic Hours at Disney World

Staying at a Walt Disney World Resort comes with several perks. Along with the benefit of being able to go between your hotel and the theme parks quickly, you also have the option to enjoy Extra Magic Hours. Here’s how to make the most of your morning at Disney World.

Plan Your Morning Around Extra Magic Hours

Getting value at Disney World means spending less time in line and more time enjoying attractions. Families staying at Disney World Resorts should take full advantage of Extra Magic Hours. Every day, one park opens an hour earlier than the others, and another stays open an hour later. During the morning Extra Magic Hour, even the most popular attractions have virtually no line. This is your best chance to ride Expedition Everest or Space Mountain twice in a row with little wait time, ensuring you don’t waste any of your valuable FastPasses.

Early Breakfast in the Magic Kingdom

Make an early breakfast reservation (before 8:30 am) at one of three restaurants inside the Magic Kingdom (Cinderella’s Royal Table, The Crystal Palace, or Be Our Guest). Finish your meal before the park opens at 9 a.m., allowing you to reach your first attraction before a line forms and without needing a FastPass+.

Arrive at the Rope Drop

If you want to visit a park that doesn’t have the morning Extra Magic Hour, then arriving right at opening time is crucial. This is particularly important if you’re visiting Animal Kingdom, as many of the animals are more active early in the morning or at dusk.

Splurge on Disney Early Morning Magic

If you’re visiting with little ones during peak season, there’s a special option for families wanting to get an early start in the Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios parks. The Magic Kingdom Disney Early Morning Magic package allows a limited number of guests to enter Magic Kingdom Park first to enjoy breakfast and then experience a trio of favorite Fantasyland attractions before the crowds arrive. Families will have exclusive access to Peter Pan’s Flight, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

In Hollywood Studios Early Morning Magic, select guests can enter the park and have breakfast at ABC Commissary before experiencing Star Tours–The Adventures Continue, Toy Story Mania!, and character greetings with Woody and Buzz.

Note that Disney Early Morning Magic requires a separate ticket in addition to the regular theme park admission and is available on select dates from 7:45 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Getting to the Water Parks Early

Heading to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon water park? It’s advisable to arrive early. By 11 a.m., you might end up waiting for waterslides that had no lines at all at 9 a.m.