Skipping Parks on EMH Days?

[HoundDog83]

Hello Everyone! My family and I are planning our first ever trip to Disney World in Mid-May. In doing some reading across different sites, there seems to be a mixed set of opinions about going to a park on the day that it offers Extra Magic Hours. More than a few have recommended avoiding the park that offers EMH in order to avoid the accompanying extra crowds. This is our first time and I have no idea what to expect. We are going to be there May 12th through May 17th, so we can juggle around a few of the parks assuming I can change a few reservations. With younger kids (>1, 4, & 7) we will probably not be looking to take advantage of the EMH anyways especially since two of the days have the nighttime EMH.

What are your thoughts on avoiding Parks with EMH?

Our Current Schedule is as follows:

Sat. 12th - Hollywood Studios (half day after arrival)
Sun. 13th - Magic Kingdom - - (already have CRT & BBB booked)
Mon. 14th - Animal Kingdom (EMH 8-9am)
Tue. 15th - Epcot (EMH 9-11pm) - - (Akershus Lunch Reservations)
Wed. 16th - Undecided (EMH MK 9-11PM)
Thur. 17th - Magic Kingdom - - (Pirate's League Reservations, & Lunch at Disney Springs for My Son's Birthday- T-rex Café)

I can juggle around Monday, Tuesday (assuming I can reschedule Akershus), and Wednesday to avoid the parks with EMH - Just wasn't sure if it would help or not in reducing wait times.

Thank you all in advance for your advice!

 

[Master Yoda]

General rule of thumb I follow that has worked out pretty well is to attend early EMH and avoid late EMH. If you are not willing to get up early enough to attend early EMH, avoid that as well.

Early EMH is consistently good as most people are not willing to get up early while on vacation.

Late EMH is a bit of a mixed bag. I have seen it be both a ghost town and as busy as a Saturday in June.

 

[jim1051]

[we usually have prk hopper so we don emh morning hours the hop to a different park

 

[HoundDog83]

General rule of thumb I follow that has worked out pretty well is to attend early EMH and avoid late EMH. If you are not willing to get up early enough to attend early EMH, avoid that as well.

Early EMH is consistently good as most people are not willing to get up early while on vacation.

Late EMH is a bit of a mixed bag. I have seen it be both a ghost town and as busy as a Saturday in June.

So to be clear if the park has early EMH then you will attend it that day, but if it has late EMH you will avoid that park altogether for the day?

[we usually have prk hopper so we don emh morning hours the hop to a different park

We aren't sure if we will do the Early EMH at AK on Monday - We have a late ADR at CRT on Sunday and I'm not too sure the kids will be interested in going to bed really late and getting up so early. We aren't too interested in the whole Avatar area anyways (we've never seen the movie and don't know much about it) so I think we may be okay with our FP+ throughout the rest of the park.
We did not purchase Hopper tickets, with the intent of doing a different park each day and taking our time because of the kids. I do like the flexibility that they provide and we may ultimately end up upgrading our tickets at WDW.

 

[JIMINYCR]

We enjoy doing both. Even though there may be some crowds in the morning EMH you do get a jump on the worst of the crowding that filters in later on and you can get some things accomplished early on. I personally enjoy the evening EMH... I may be hitting it right but Ive always had enough crowds disappearing later on in the evening and got to do major riding. sometimes jumping on as soon as I get off a ride. Since its your first time, try it out both ways and see whats working best for you. Some people dont like getting up early or staying up late, so see what fits your style.

 

[Master Yoda]

So to be clear if the park has early EMH then you will attend it that day, but if it has late EMH you will avoid that park altogether for the day?

Providing I am there early enough to make the early EMH, yes, that is what we generally do.

About the only time we go to a park with late EMH is if we plan on staying for it.

 

[HoundDog83]

Providing I am there early enough to make the early EMH, yes, that is what we generally do.

About the only time we go to a park with late EMH is if we plan on staying for it.

Sorry for my ignorance - that is because generally speaking the park is much busier on these days due to people trying to "get their money's worth"?

 

[joejccva71]

Animal Kingdom on an EMH morning is like being in a Roman Empire battle formation. I would BE at the park at minimum 90 minutes before rope drop. In fact I would get there 2 hours ahead, but I like to be in front.

 

[Master Yoda]

Sorry for my ignorance - that is because generally speaking the park is much busier on these days due to people trying to "get their money's worth"?

That seems to be that case.

Late EMH can really go either way with crowds, but I have found them to be much better attended than early EMH which is why I often avoid them. I would assume that most people would rather sleep in and stay late vs getting up early.

 

[LauraRose]

Hmm I’m there from May 8th till 22nd and I had planned EMH in animal kingdom to try and do safari as I’ve already got FOP fastpasses and river Na’Vi. I think I have a Epcot day with EMH too.

Have you decided what your doing? Beginning to question all my plans now?

 

[nickys]

Hmm I’m there from May 8th till 22nd and I had planned EMH in animal kingdom to try and do safari as I’ve already got FOP fastpasses and river Na’Vi. I think I have a Epcot day with EMH too.

Have you decided what your doing? Beginning to question all my plans now?

FYI! Recently it seems people are reporting that the Safari doesn't start running until 9am, even on days with EMH.

 

[LauraRose]

FYI! Recently it seems people are reporting that the Safari doesn't start running until 9am, even on days with EMH.

Thank you so much I’ll have to look into that! My plans are collapsing around me!

 

[nickys]

Thank you so much I’ll have to look into that! My plans are collapsing around me!

Breathe! Your plans may need tweaking, but they are not collapsing.

It's only Safari that is the problem. FWIW, Harambe is my favourite place in AK. The sights and sounds are amazing. Spend a bit of time here, listen out for the baby crying, read the signs and writing on the walls and so-on.

Grab a smoothie/coffee/pastry, whatever you like, and just soak some of the atmosphere in, before heading over to the Safari. Chat to the CMs posted outside, they will happily talk to you about their home country, conservation issues and the animals on the Safari.

 

[LauraRose]

Breathe! Your plans may need tweaking, but they are not collapsing.

It's only Safari that is the problem. FWIW, Harambe is my favourite place in AK. The sights and sounds are amazing. Spend a bit of time here, listen out for the baby crying, read the signs and writing on the walls and so-on.

Grab a smoothie/coffee/pastry, whatever you like, and just soak some of the atmosphere in, before heading over to the Safari. Chat to the CMs posted outside, they will happily talk to you about their home country, conservation issues and the animals on the Safari.

It says on the Disney website it’s subject to availability, not too sure if that means depending on how busy or what?

I do love animal kingdom and relaxing there, this day I have a reservation at rainforest cafe at 12:45 and then we’re leaving but back again in a few days so won’t be too bad if I can’t get on.

Just thinking I have a fastpass for Everest at 9:10 I could try and swap that for safari and rope drop Everest?

Thanks for the advice I’ll definitely have a drink in that area!

 

[Hcalvert]

The last few trips, we have went to EMH at the parks, especially the morning ones. We go and stay until lunch or right after and then go to another park for the rest of the day. My dad often skips the EMH and just meets us at the second park. I find as the week progresses, he is more unlikely to go with us in the morning. We do attend the evening EMH for MK and that is partly why we chose a MK resort to stay at this time as he is more likely to go with us as well. Unfortunately, EP's evening EMH are on the day we arrive and we will not get to the hotel until about 6-7pm, so we are not bothering.

We get FPs for FOP (if possible), Expedition Everest, and the Safari ride--all between early afternoon and dinner on a non-EMH day. I was at AK the weekend that Pandora opened and didn't even bother getting into the line for it. We were able to ride Everest 4-5 times while people stood in line for Pandora during EMH as the rest of the park was a ghost town for the first two hours after park opening. I am thinking that has changed a bit now that Pandora has been opened almost a year...or not?

 

[nickys]

It says on the Disney website it’s subject to availability, not too sure if that means depending on how busy or what?

I do love animal kingdom and relaxing there, this day I have a reservation at rainforest cafe at 12:45 and then we’re leaving but back again in a few days so won’t be too bad if I can’t get on.

Just thinking I have a fastpass for Everest at 9:10 I could try and swap that for safari and rope drop Everest?

Thanks for the advice I’ll definitely have a drink in that area!

That would work. 80-90% of rope droppers would be heading for Pandora, so you could go round via Dinoland and get to EE. Probably ride twice if you wanted and then head to Safari.

 

[brifraz]

I agree with @Master Yoda and @Hcalvert above. Morning EMH are the way to go. We were just at the World for Princess Half and before that for New Years and even in those crowded times, the morning EMH were still a pretty good chance to hit lots of attractions.

Our general plan of attack is arrive about 30 minutes before opening, take some granola bars or muffins to eat in line while we are waiting. Once in the park, head to some of the major attractions first thing - if the line is over 15 minutes, move on! At regular opening, head toward some less popular attractions, then schedule our FP+ for 10am, 11am, and 12pm. Based on what we get for the FP+, we plan the rest of things. We do all the things we can before about 10:45am, then hit the first and second FP+ back-to-back (we try to get them near each other!). Then get quick service lunch before those lines get bad. Hit the last FP+ right at noon, then back to the room for naps/pool/relax. While heading back to the room, try to score another FP+ for the evening. Since you've now done quite a bit of the park, the afternoon can involve some planning for the evening. Around 4pm, we head to wherever we are doing dinner and then back to the park for more fun. Especially with little ones, the night is pending their state of mind. If they are rocking, stay for fireworks...if not, back to the room and early to bed!

Not sure that I agree with @joejccva71 about getting there two hours before opening at AK. We got there about 10 minutes before EMH two Sundays ago with the intention of going through the standby line for Flight of Passage and seeing the displays in the line. We only waited about 40 minutes after opening (so, 8:40am) to get on the ride. A normal AK day for us hasn't changed much in 12 years since we started going with our daughter. Get in at EMH and go to Everest...do it a couple times, then head to Dinorsaur and Primeval Whirl (our daughter loves it...no idea why!!). Visit Tough to Be a Bug around regular opening and/or meet a character or two. Catch the first Lion King show (usually an hour after park opening) and then FP+ for the Safari. Walk through the Gorilla Falls (Pangani trail) and then maybe head back to Rafiki's. Second FP+ for Kali River Rapids. Grab something to eat. Third FP+ for whatever we could get in Pandora. Back to the room for a few hours. Head back to AK for the 4pm Finding Nemo show, then dinner (ideally with the Rivers of Light package). After dinner, there's a couple hours to do things like the Boneyard or visit the tigers in Asia or maybe do something with the extra FP+ we booked back in our room during the afternoon break. Then Rivers of Light and back to the room for bedtime. Obviously, we aren't trying to do both Pandora attractions in this scenario, but you certainly could if you were willing to either get there earlier and run to Pandora or you get lucky and get Flight of Passage FP+.

Regardless, HAVE FUN with both the planning and the trip. When things don't go according to plan (which they won't) be ready to go to plan B or C or Q - keep the little ones occupied and don't argue about where to go next!!

One other note...you may want to switch the Akershus to the latest possible breakfast seating as the breakfast menu is much more little kid friendly. Check the menu out to see what they offer and if your kids are like ours, breakfast is a much better option - plus after EMH, it gets them fed and happier a little earlier!

We do tend to avoid evening EMH parks - after about 3pm they will start getting really crowded and pretty miserable - especially for little kids who are already exhausted and on the verge of major crankiness!

 

[brifraz]

Another little note for your trip plans. Baby care centers. Every park has one. They are quiet, you can bring a snack for the kids, they have changing tables and emergency baby supplies. When the inevitable exhaustion meltdown happens, they are great to get away from crowds and decompress. They have rocking chairs for feeding, little kid tables and chairs, plus a quiet tv with cartoons. If I remember right, we still visited them when things got crazy until our daughter was 4 or 5. It might be a great place for one parent to chill with the >1 and 4 year old while the 7 year old and the other parent do an attraction with a height restriction.

 

[joejccva71]

Not sure that I agree with @joejccva71 about getting there two hours before opening at AK. We got there about 10 minutes before EMH two Sundays ago with the intention of going through the standby line for Flight of Passage and seeing the displays in the line. We only waited about 40 minutes after opening (so, 8:40am) to get on the ride.

It was a slow morning then. I had a few co-workers who vlogged their entire trip and they did tests and on EMH AK mornings for FoP and one went in about rope drop and they ended up immediately having a 90 minute wait. There were seriously mass crowds. On a regular non-EMH morning, it wasn't no where close to being as bad.

So it depends. Some days can be better than others.

 

[brifraz]

It was a slow morning then. I had a few co-workers who vlogged their entire trip and they did tests and on EMH AK mornings for FoP and one went in about rope drop and they ended up immediately having a 90 minute wait. There were seriously mass crowds. On a regular non-EMH morning, it wasn't no where close to being as bad.

So it depends. Some days can be better than others.

Definitely depends on the morning, but it wasn't at all slow when we were there (day after Half Marathon). We got there 10 minutes before 8am and were on the ride around 8:40am. When we got in line, the CM said the wait would likely be 2 hours and both the sign and the app said 150 minutes. But we only waited about 40. It appears that regardless of morning, they list the wait at 120 minutes minimum at opening each day. When we exited the ride, the wait was listed at 200 minutes. I agree that you need to get there prior to the EMH starting, but not sure that 2 hours is necessary - then you are waiting almost as long as those who get there at opening!