EMH wristbands to be discontinued September 7th

[markjohns1]

So does this mean they will not be clearing the parks out now for evening EMH? Will regular guests staying into EMH be "allowed" now (like late FP return is "allowed")?

Why does it matter if "regular" guests stay later? They can only shop and eat. Guests stay after the parks closing hours all the time, EMH or not.

And from a CM perspective it is definitely easier to check for wristbands vs. room keys, as wristbands are immediately identifiable.

 

[Master Yoda]

My spies tell me that they are going to start employing IR signature markers on the top your head, just like how ground forces mark the "good guys" so when an AC-130 comes over, they can tell who is who.

When you run your resort card through the turnstile entering the park, a invisible spay will mist your head that is capble of reflecting IR. Then later on at night, spotters high up in the Castle will be able to see who isn't marked correctly. Depending on weather conditions, they will either escort those people from the park or rain down 105mm shells. I bet one night of that and you won't ever have a problem with the evening EMH being over crowded.

I can confirm this. Here is a video made of the first test group.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQhjaCgAS80&feature=related

 

[RiversideBunny]

AM: Extra Magic Hour
PM: Extra Mayhem Hour

Yes.

 

[Computer Magic]

PITA is right, who ever at WDW thought of this idea should be fired. Now I have to keep my card handy and now has the potential of getting lost.

As for the big deal about non-resort hanging around, it leave the place more crowded and harder to get around. It takes away the so called "perk" WDW advertises this as.

 

[MousDad]

Why does it matter if "regular" guests stay later? They can only shop and eat. Guests stay after the parks closing hours all the time, EMH or not.

I'm not saying it matters. What I want to know is what impression is Disney trying to give. When they clear the park of non-wristband wearers, it gives the impression that only EMH-eligibles should be in the park, period.

But it would be good to know if Disney doesn't care, or even wants non-EMH-eligibles in the gates.

There's a big difference between the two. That's why I'm curious as to whether they will still be "clearing the parks."

 

[SleepingMonk]

I hope they're only doing this during the "value season" as another test run while the parks are slow to see how it works. It sounds like a horrible idea all the way around in my opinion.

 

[RHeath2]

Well this will be a new and interesting experience... I'm not sure I'm totally digging the idea of having to have my Key To the World Card out at all times, but I'll give it a shot. A good idea might be if there was a Fastpass-esque machine at the entrance to each queue which would scan your card and then determine if you were eligible to get in line or not.


But on a side note, Disney Co., do you think that in addition to the EMH, that E-Ride Nights might come back (the way they were with like 1,000-3,000 people in the park total for a small additional fee)? Like the schedule could work out that MK has EMH mornings, DS has EMH nights, Epcot has E-Ride nights, DAK has nothing, and then switch them around on a daily basis.

 

[coasterphil]

I'm not saying it matters. What I want to know is what impression is Disney trying to give. When they clear the park of non-wristband wearers, it gives the impression that only EMH-eligibles should be in the park, period.

But it would be good to know if Disney doesn't care, or even wants non-EMH-eligibles in the gates.

There's a big difference between the two. That's why I'm curious as to whether they will still be "clearing the parks."

I've never seen them clear a park for EMH, but I haven't been to all of them during EMH.

As for your question, I'm pretty sure Disney wants non-resort guests to take their time leaving once EMH time hits and spend as much money as possible. It's not like the parties where there is quite a bit of added entertainment, so why wouldn't Disney want them to stick around for some ice cream and souvenirs to cap off the night.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I'm not saying it matters. What I want to know is what impression is Disney trying to give. When they clear the park of non-wristband wearers, it gives the impression that only EMH-eligibles should be in the park, period.

But it would be good to know if Disney doesn't care, or even wants non-EMH-eligibles in the gates.

There's a big difference between the two. That's why I'm curious as to whether they will still be "clearing the parks."

They only clear non-wristband wearers during hard-ticket events. Non-resort guests have always been allowed to stay for shopping and dining during evening EMH. They just can't enter any of the attractions.

 

[Disneyfan1981]

We did the Late Magic Hours the last time we were there and it was great especially at AK. The CMs would actually keep everyone off the rides who wasn't a resort guest by checking wristbands but people were never shoo'd out of the park. So does this mean that to get into a ride queue from now on you'll have to flash your card every time?

 

[wdwmomof3]

Great, now I have to worry about the kids losing their cards. :hammer:

 

[smk]

How do they keep "non resorts" from riding rides during EMH? At least with a wrist band I felt like I had a fighting chance to have some less crowded experiences, now I won't. I have always looked at EMH as a perk and never expected to have Disney take a perk and turn it into a negative. I have numerous "keys to the kingdom" cards here at home from previous vacations, I keep them as souvniers as I am sure many do. What is to stop someone from using their old card? From selling their old cards on eBay? Unless there is a swipe station at every attraction open, this will not work. So much for EMH being less hassles and less crowded, the lines to show your "card" at every stop will cause a real back up! This doesnt' make me happy at all .

 

[hokielutz]

They'll probably start giving out lanyard room key holders like Universal does

Free????? :lol:

Nah.... they would charge $5 per lanyard, or add it as a surcharge for resort guests, kinda like hotel taxes.

 

[Timmay]

I'm not saying it matters. What I want to know is what impression is Disney trying to give. When they clear the park of non-wristband wearers, it gives the impression that only EMH-eligibles should be in the park, period.

I have never once seen CM's clear people out of the parks without wristbands during PM EMH. From what I have seen, folks without wristbands have always been free to stay in the parks and enjoy shopping, ice cream, etc, etc during PM EMH. Disney has not given any other "impression" that I am aware of.

Great, now I have to worry about the kids losing their cards.

Huh??? Why is that only a concern now? If your kids never carried their own cards before, why would they have to start now?

 

[devoy1701]

I hope they're only doing this during the "value season" as another test run while the parks are slow to see how it works. It sounds like a horrible idea all the way around in my opinion.

If they give out lanyards to keep your KTTW card in and make the Check-in/Check-out dates larger, I don't think think it will slow things down. DL gives free lanyards to anyone checking into their resorts or a good neighbor resort as long as they book through Disney Travel Company...

And from a CM perspective it is definitely easier to check for wristbands vs. room keys, as wristbands are immediately identifiable.

From a guest and AP holder's perspective, a good portion of CMs stationed at attraction entrances hardly bother to look for wrist bands. And they definitely do not enforce the wristband color of the night.


I think this is a good call from management.

 

[luckyeye13]

they dont really save on CMs... they go from distributing wristbands to checking IDs in different areas of the park...

Each park would use Cast Members from a designated area for wristband distribution. At MK it was Main Entrance CMs, at Epcot the CMs were from Innoventions and the countries at World Showcase, at DHS the CMs were all brought in and watched over by Guest Relations (I might be wrong as I had only done wristbands at DHS two times.), and at DAK each area used their own CMs. In addition to CMs who were scheduled for those shifts, there were also plenty of CMs from other parts of the Resort who picked up those shifts on overtime. Now, those CMs won't be needed as the ones checking for KTTW cards will be attractions CMs who were already there to check for wristbands. Besides the fact that I don't like this idea because the wristbands were much easier to check and Guests didn't need to worry about losing their cards, I am annoyed by the fact that this now takes away another opportunity to meet CMs from all over the Resort with whom I might otherwise not have worked. For me, PI Admissions and EMH Wristbands shifts were the two primary ways to make new friends, especially ones from other countries as ICPs were not placed in any transportation roles. So many amazing people work at WDW and it was really nice to be able to meet and befriend people from all over the country and all over the world. Granted that my ability to make new friends has no impact on the Guest experience, but as diversity is touted as a perk of working at Disney, it is a shame that it will be harder for some CMs to experience that.

We did the Late Magic Hours the last time we were there and it was great especially at AK. The CMs would actually keep everyone off the rides who wasn't a resort guest by checking wristbands but people were never shoo'd out of the park. So does this mean that to get into a ride queue from now on you'll have to flash your card every time?

Yes, if it is like the test a few months back, you will need to show your card each and every time.

 

[gettingsmaller]

All I know is that I want my KTTW card tucked away where I won't lose it and someone won't take it. I think this is a poor idea... but I don't get to go enough for it to have much impact on me... (I guess if there's an upside to infrequent WDW visits...)

 

[hokielutz]

From a guest and AP holder's perspective, a good portion of CMs stationed at attraction entrances hardly bother to look for wrist bands. And they definitely do not enforce the wristband color of the night.


I think this is a good call from management.

Well if problems in the past include CM's not looking for wristbands, or ignoring the color of the current night's EMH, then what will cause them to really police the room cards & dates on the cards?

The only way this could work is if some reps from park management, or assigned designees would do random, but often, spot checks in the queues to ensure the CM at the entrance is doing his/her job. Thus making them accountable. This is the only way I can see this being enforced properly.

Maybe counterfeit wristbands are a bigger problem than many of us believe.

 

[smk]

I have never once seen CM's clear people out of the parks without wristbands during PM EMH. From what I have seen, folks without wristbands have always been free to stay in the parks and enjoy shopping, ice cream, etc, etc during PM EMH. Disney has not given any other "impression" that I am aware of.


Huh??? Why is that only a concern now? If your kids never carried their own cards before, why would they have to start now?

Maybe her older kids will be in the parks for EMH without their parents? As a parent I find this perfectly logical. Just because we have older kids doesn't mean that they are not still kids and forgetful at times. Most teens don't carry a wallet or purse etc... and could easliy misplace a card. Doesn't take a lot of forethought to figure that one out now does it?

 

[CrashNet]

I worked many an EMH night at Epcot. In actuality, most people who aren't staying or can't stay don't plan to stay to begin with. They know what is going on. Those who try to cheat the system can't get beyond the CMs, so after a couple tries they give up.

Now eliminating wristbands is going to make it a lot harder to keep people out of lines, and I gaurantee you, not all CMs are actually going to check the dates on the cards to make sure they're valid. Addtionally, we could pull strings when giving out wristbands to let children or other family members in when only one person from a group brought their key.

Want to know my theory? In Epcot, we deployed about 16-18 CMs to scan and give out wristbands for every EMH, and that doesn't count the other CMs who picked up shifts or came from World Showcase. These were 5 hour shifts. Who thinks this is a cost cutting solution?? :lookaroun