Best day to arrive based on Extra Magic Hours?

[st3v3d]

Hi Guys and Girls.

Me and the my family stayed on resort at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa in mid Aug' 2015 for 14 nights.

We live in the UK and this was the first time I had visited Disney as an adult. I had been twice previously. Once as a child and again as a teenager. Now in my mid 30's I wanted my partner and our kids to really enjoy the magic and we planned it as a "holiday of a lifetime" and possibly wouldn't go again, or at least not for a lot of years, due to the price (around £15k for 5 of us including spends, so an awful lot of money!)

However, as soon as we returned, we realised that we had been bitten by the Disney bug and immediately planned to return with more family and friends to help spread the magic.

When we visited in 2015, I'm absolutely certain that late Extra Magic Hours for the Magic Kingdom were on a Saturday night from midnight until 2am? Or am I imagining this? We also happened to arrive on the Saturday but not while late in the day, so this was great as we didn't waste any time and headed to the park within an hour of getting to our villa. If the hours were this late, why have they changed this?

It won't be long now and we will be booking for next year. I have just been looking at when the Extra Magic Hours are, as again it might be nice to not waste our first day of holiday entirely and get some park time in, and I have noticed the days and times have changed. Does Magic Kingdom not open until 2am any longer? This made for a really quiet park and was fantastic to just walk straight on most of the rides, even despite it being peak season. Also, how frequently do the Extra Magic Hours get re-scheduled? If i booked my holiday for 2018 soon (September time will be the earliest), how likely is it that the days for Extra Magic Hours will be swapped around before then?

Is it really worth planning our arrival to tie in with the late Extra Magic Hours? We were, after all, very very tired the next day. What with the change in time zone, lack of sleep from travelling, plus then a really late night, we found it hard to get up with a bounce the next morning and woke up feeling exhausted and almost hung over. What does everyone else do? We felt as though not getting to any parks on our first day was a waste of money and time, so we really felt like we HAD to take advantage of the late hours. The earliest we can arrive on the first day is later afternoon / early evening, so should I just book to arrive on a non EMH day to force our selves to get some sleep? The fact that EMH in Magic Kingdom is now (I think?) on a Wednesday is rather good, as flying mid week is cheaper than on a weekend. Or is burning the candle from both ends just not worth it?

Are the late EMH between 10 and 12 as quiet as the ones used to be from midnight until 2am?

I'm really on the fence with this, so hearing other peoples thoughts would be extremely good and I thank you all kindly in advance. Our "kids" ages will be 9,17 and 20 when we plan to return and only the youngest seems to sleep when flying, meaning most of us would have gone without sleep for about 28 hours by the time EMH is over.

Thank you all for reading

 

[J_Krafty24]

I personally would not plan arrival based on EMH. I plan my arrival based on how it works with my schedule and when I can get the best/cheapest flight. However if there happens to be an EMH that night I take advantage of it. Although I normally go during value season when evening EMH lasts until 10 or 11.

 

[st3v3d]

Thank you for your input J_Krafty24. Luckily for us, the late EMH for Magic Kingdom are currently Wednesday, and it is cheaper to fly mid-week from the UK, so this does have that added benefit for us. Whether or not we fly on another mid-week-day wouldn't really make much difference in price. Unfortunately, August is the only time we can travel due to UK school holidays and college holidays etc, so we try to travel as late in August as possible to help lower the price and the crowds a little bit.

 

[Tuvalu]

MK EMH for late August this year is from 9-11 pm. Disney has been reducing the number of EMH offered at all parks and closing hours are earlier than in past years. It is likely a cost cutting measure and some have speculated Disney may eliminate EMH in the future. While great for guests, a midnight to 2 am EMH that has very few guests in attendance is not profitable.

I would not plan a very expensive vacation around the possibility of late evening EMH on arrival day. Save yourself the stress, plan your trip most economically and make a last-minute decision on going to a park your first night. As you mentioned, you may be exhausted and sleep may be a better choice to start your vacation off right!

 

[st3v3d]

Thank you Tuvalu
That is 2 so far for "sleep"
It's hard to know what to do when your head says one thing, and your heart another

 

[Big Hair]

My goal now is to try to spend the first day resting and enjoying the resort. Years of hitting it hard as soon as we set foot on property taught me change. Regroup and rest from the travel and hit the ground running the next day. You will enjoy it more and feel better on the days towards the end of your trip.
Of course I have a last minute 3 day trip in august and I am not following this sage advice. The first fast pass so booked 2 1/2 hours after the plane is scheduled to land. Wish me luck, with only 3 days you got to make it happen!

 

[belledream]

I am definitely a 'maximize the fun' type of person, but I could not fathom enjoying evening EMH on an arrival day no matter how much I wanted to! It's just so important to start your vacation off on the right foot.

In order to still make good use of our time, we will often go to a park on the first day, then go to a nearby resort for a great dinner, some relaxing, and maybe still catching fireworks from afar.

You have 14 days and will have plenty of time of enjoy MK at night. It's not always about the rides - it's just being there to soak in the atmosphere! Hope you have the trip of your lives!

 

[Tinkerfan4ever]

Why not visit Disney Springs on arrival day? Get a good meal, have some fun, and then get back to the room at a somewhat reasonable time to get a good night sleep. Plus it save the cost of the park ticket for that day!

 

[JIMINYCR]

Why not visit Disney Springs on arrival day? Get a good meal, have some fun, and then get back to the room at a somewhat reasonable time to get a good night sleep. Plus it save the cost of the park ticket for that day!

Exactly. Youll be bushed from traveling, you need to unpack, unwind, relax... going to DS gives you a leisurely start to your trip. After a good nights sleep youre fully recharged and ready to blast through that first full day at Disney. There will be other EMH's you can get in on and enjoy.