Hi Jill and welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
Your vacation is coming up soon! I hope you're planning to enjoy the
Epcot International Food & Wine Festival and that's why you have a question about morning entry at Epcot. On mornings when there are not
Extra Magic Hours for Walt Disney World Resort Hotel guests, Cast Members will frequently let guests through the entry points before the actual park opening time. Guests are allowed to enter the park but are held by a rope that keeps them from going further into the park. The rope is dropped by the Cast Members at park opening time to allow guests to proceed to attractions.
The entry process does change on days when there are Extra Magic Hours. Walt Disney World Resort Hotel guests will already be in the park so it would be difficult to have a "rope drop" moment with guests already in the park. In this case, day guests are held outside of the entry points until park opening time.
If you are an early riser, morning Extra Magic Hours are a fabulous benefit of staying at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel. My children are a bit older and enjoy sleeping in. Even when staying at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel we rarely take advantage of morning Extra Magic Hours. We usually choose to go to a park that doesn't have morning Extra Magic Hours because we have found they are slightly less crowded when we arrive. While I believe you will have plenty of time and space to enjoy Epcot, you might consider if you can shift your park days to allow you to enjoy Epcot on a day without Extra Magic Hours.
Jill, thank you for stopping by with your question. Please let us know if we can help you with any other questions!
Wishing you a magical vacation,
Amy H.