Arrive early to avoid disappointment for guests? (4,4,4)

I believe the answer is:

make good time

'arrive early' is the definition.
(to make good time is to arrive early)

I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.

(Other definitions for make good time that I've seen before include "Progress well (on journey)" , "Achieve speedy progress (on journey)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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