Magic Kingdom evening Extra Magic Hours attraction line-up to change next week

[RSoxNo1]

The optimist says that this is for maintenance. The realist says that this is a cost cutting measure.

Splash and other water rides are often not open for morning Extra Magic Hours because they typically take longer to "start up" in the morning. Does anyone know if the opposite is true at the end of the night?

 

[JustInTime]

I'm sorry, but frontierland and adventureland are the 2 best areas at night with EMH. Something special about riding Splash at night with nobody else around. THis makes me sad. Takes away a bit of magic from the area.

 

[menamechris]

Is this to be a permanent change? Do we know? Or could it be just for the lowest slow seasons?

Personally, I think Disney is getting annoyed with resort guests using EMH as park hours. I know a lot of friends that come into town and stay onsite won't even head to MK until close to park closing if there are EMH. I think some of these changes (Splash coming out, reducing evening EMH by an hour) to get EMH back to an "extra" as opposed to Resort Guest Park Hours.

 

[Rob562]

I'm not doom & gloom, nor am I a Disney apologist (I like to think I'm somewhere in-between), so I'll just take a cautiously-optimistic view of this.

But what I really wanted to ask was if anyone else found it odd when three different people posted practically the exact same two-sentence response to this thread?

-Rob

 

[lazyboy97o]

Spirit, you're more than likely right. But, as someone else said above, maybe some 3rd shift maintenance can get done...then again, that would cost money....hmmmm, kinda sounds like a huge "Way to go TDO!" (to H-E-double hockeysticks in a handbasket, that is)

How is all of that extra work on the monorails going?

 

[Mukta]

http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/extra...rs-attraction-line-up-to-change-next-week.htm

Thanks for the info, Steve. This is disappointing info with very short notice. I am glad to have notice before my trip so that I can be mentally prepared.

 

[Tip Top Club]

I think lately I've been branded as being on TDO's side of most decisions.

So let me just say this.

This is a bad Idea.

And I wish there was someone in power who was able to use that kind of Candor when an accountant who's probably never set foot in the parks brings up an idea like this at a meeting.

 

[ellie-badge]

There is absolutely no excuse to take away one of the park's signature attractions out of the Extra Magic Hours lineup unless it is for maintenance purposes. TDO has gotten away with a lot of things... but a lot of people are going to notice this, whether they're hardcore fans like us or not.

 

[SeanC]

Sunday late night EMH at MK was the reason I stayed on site. With shorter hours and less rides, they are going to lose my hotel business (and therefore a lot of my food business too)

 

[Jennabean]

One of the most crushing pieces of WDW news I've heard in the longest time seeing as Splash Mountain is hands down my favorite attraction. I'm going down in September and one of the things I was most excited about was beating my Splash Mountain riding record which stands at riding the ride 10 times in a row during the evening EMH in December 2010 and it'll be so much harder to accomplish this goal when the park is open to the general public...

 

[wdisney9000]

Is this to be a permanent change? Do we know? Or could it be just for the lowest slow seasons?

Personally, I think Disney is getting annoyed with resort guests using EMH as park hours. I know a lot of friends that come into town and stay onsite won't even head to MK until close to park closing if there are EMH. I think some of these changes (Splash coming out, reducing evening EMH by an hour) to get EMH back to an "extra" as opposed to Resort Guest Park Hours.

EMH is a perk (quite a big one) for staying on property. If guests want to use EMH as park hours Disney shouldn't care. They keep tampering with all the little things that people love. These are the little things that have made Disney so magical and set them apart from other theme parks. They need to stop slowly bleeding out the magic for the sake of the bean counters. Just STOP it!

 

[wolf359]

I think Splash Mountain's condition is the single biggest hot button topic/black eye in the Magic Kingdom right now. If trading nine fewer hours a week allows more maintenance and a chance to test and adjust without shutting down the attraction for entire days I welcome it.

 

[wdisney9000]

I agree. But if all this is for maintenance, why not just shut it down for a few weeks. It has so many problems and doing maintenance a few hours a day seems like a band aid on a broken leg.

 

[Tip Top Club]

This isn't for maintenance. Six more hours of possible maintenance (that will probably not even be used) is nothing.

 

[jbdorman]

In Disney's defense I was in the college program down there and my roommate was a SM host, he said the maintenance shift was there from closing until the last minute the next morning before opening. This ride was an animatronic and timing nightmare according to my co-workers. What makes me confused is that SM has been around for over a decade and suddenly pre-holiday season they decide that its no longer an EMH ride? If this is truly a maintenance issue I find it hard to beleive they "lumbered" through it for that long only to decide now that its too hard to maintain for the EMH. Has to be a cost saving issue. However didnt I just see Disney had a record quarter for profits last month? okay maybe im reading way too much into this... but man Splash is my favorite!

 

[wdisney9000]

I hope this is merely temporary and things will be back to normal for the holiday season.

 

[dave&di]

I'm a bit thick, what exactly does this mean? SM is up all day but closes at normal park closing time, instead of EMH's?

I didn't even realise not all attractions were open during EMH's!!!!

 

[jbdorman]

I'm a bit thick, what exactly does this mean? SM is up all day but closes at normal park closing time, instead of EMH's?

I didn't even realise not all attractions were open during EMH's!!!!

They are trying to give the resort guests an advantage by allowing them "private" access to the high traffic and popular rides. They try to balance the labor costs with the demand of these rides "after or before hours." So things like The Hall of Presidents or Mad Tea Party may not warrant the extra man hours and therefore are closed. There may be other factors too but outside maintenance and construction this is usually the main factor. SM was up all day and Evening EMH and now it seems they are pulling from there to make it a regular hours only attraction.

 

[alissafalco]

What Spirit told you to expect cutbacks to come?

Do you know how much cheaper it is to run Tiki Room than Splash Mtn?

Expect further changes like this as well as staggered hours.

Just a rumor right now, but there's a plan floating out to remove one EMH morning from DAK.

Ugh!! Is all I have to say about this cheap scheme.

 

[Engenie]

I usually try to keep my composure and grace while on these boards, but seeing the majority of reactions here really upsets me. Seeing this labeledd as "the worse" decision disney has ever made, and a lot of other negative comments, when probably no one on this board actually KNOWs, for an absolute certainty, why they are doing this. I'm going to guess its for added maintence, I do not KNOW, but I will guess, and all the nay-sayers have no proof unless they are inside the building during EMH. Almost all of the maintenence is below the water and behind the walls, none of the general public will know what's going on. They may need a new pump here and there? New hydraulic lines? Who knows?! But I find it really upsetting people getting so angry and demonizing when its so commonly complained about around here, and now they may be doing something about it, all these conspiracy theories start flying for no reason other than essentially a lack of knowledge. I reserve judgement until I see results, I may be wrong, and I don't care if I am, but I am not going to demonize very hard working and innocent maintenance people at WDW for something most of us have absolutely no knowledge of and through pure speculation of a decision only a few people at WDW actually made.... ill breath now... in... and out...