Magic Kingdom morning emh don't bother

Luckybee · Apr 24, 2015

maxiesmom said:
Disney does provide the information that all rides and attractions are subject to availability. Assuming about anything is a bad idea. Assuming anything about your Disney trip is a really really really bad idea.

But you know this because you have 20,000+ posts on the Dis !

What I was saying is that when something seems obvious ie an ad that says words to the effect of " stay on property so that you have access to the parks for an hour before everyone else" would to most people mean they have access to all attractions an hour before. I cant imagine it would strike a newbie that they would need to "research" to find out that they do, well, sort of do, have access to some things, depending on, well maybe......

Once one knows how Disney operates, then yes I'd agree one should know to check out anything of interest because nothing is as it seems and one cant rely on the website for very much, but for the uninitiated I expect that the op's error is often repeated and often frustrating.

maxiesmom · Apr 24, 2015

Luckybee said:
But you know this because you have 20,000+ posts on the Dis !

What I was saying is that when something seems obvious ie an ad that says words to the effect of " stay on property so that you have access to the parks for an hour before everyone else" would to most people mean they have access to all attractions an hour before. I cant imagine it would strike a newbie that they would need to "research" to find out that they do, well, sort of do, have access to some things, depending on, well maybe......

Once one knows how Disney operates, then yes I'd agree one should know to check out anything of interest because nothing is as it seems and one cant rely on the website for very much, but for the uninitiated I expect that the op's error is often repeated and often frustrating.

And even with all my posts I still don't know everything about WDW. Far from it! Which is part of the reason you can't rely on Disney to give you all the info you need. they would have to send you a novel.

C.C. Langley · Apr 24, 2015

So are many of you veterans of the mind that you should avoid EMH, not because rides/sections may not be open, but because it is better to be in another park to begin with? I've read several tips during my research that the park with the EMH is the one to avoid because many people, especially the newbies, think that EMH are disney's way of telling you the park you should be in for the day... Have ya'll found that to be true? Should people do some EMH in the morning and hang around a few hours after till it gets busier, and then skip out to a different park? Or, should you just avoid the parks with the extra hours all together to begin with, as they will be more populated?

Oh, and does "OP" mean orginal poster?

Luckybee · Apr 24, 2015

maxiesmom said:
they would have to send you a novel.

Gosh sounds like the Canadian Income Tax Act ! Am I the only one who sees something wrong with that picture...lol ?

Luckybee · Apr 24, 2015

C.C. Langley said:
So are many of you veterans of the mind that you should avoid EMH, not because rides/sections may not be open, but because it is better to be in another park to begin with? I've read several tips during my research that the park with the EMH is the one to avoid because many people, especially the newbies, think that EMH are disney's way of telling you the park you should be in for the day... Have ya'll found that to be true? Should people do some EMH in the morning and hang around a few hours after till it gets busier, and then skip out to a different park? Or, should you just avoid the parks with the extra hours all together to begin with, as they will be more populated?

Oh, and does "OP" mean orginal poster?

Op does mean "original poster "

no two families are alike and what works for us might not work for you and there is a learning curve. Which is why you have to plan taking into acct your own tolerance for things like long/short days, lines, crowds, heat, time of yr, special events etc etc

Two resources that I love for deciding on which park to do and when are "easywdw.com" and touringplans.com

Easy is particularly good for deciding on just the issue you mention because for ea day he gives a recommendation which takes into acct where emh is and whether you're on/offsite.

I find it helps a lot when planning days at the parks.

Thing 1 · Apr 24, 2015

One of my most favorite WDW memories was one cold January morning DS, then 5 and I got up alone and headed to EMH at MK with the sole purpose of doing FL. It was so fun and not crowded at all. By the next trip he thought he was too old for some of the things so that made that trip extra special. We enjoy EMH at all the parks, MK is our favorite and Epcot our least favorite. We review the list each trip so we know what to expect. The one exception was when we did AK for a Winter 7AM EMH and the Safari ride was listed as an EMH ride. We planned out our morning and went there first just to discover that even though it IS an EMH ride, it does not open until like 20 minutes after sunrise. It said that NOWHERE and I was a bit grumpy but got over it and headed to EE.

MrKnight · Apr 24, 2015

IMHO, personally, I have never been a fan of Morning EMH, I always stick to Evening EMH which lasts longer and makes for a better experience without feeling rushed and tired, besides, there is something magical about being in the park late at night with light crowds and the nighttime magic of Disney glimmering all around you, Morning EMH is not nearly as exciting and tends to feel more crowded and less magical..

monkyby87 · Apr 24, 2015

MrKnight said:
IMHO, personally, I have never been a fan of Morning EMH, I always stick to Evening EMH which lasts longer and makes for a better experience without feeling rushed and tired, besides, there is something magical about being in the park late at night with light crowds and the nighttime magic of Disney glimmering all around you, Morning EMH is not nearly as exciting and tends to feel more crowded and less magical..

I agree with this, though morning EMH is better than none.

ZoZo · Apr 24, 2015

mullysisters said:
OP, I dont agree with those who say " you should have known". I found out about the areas not available two years ago, I don't think it is that well reported.

I agree! I guess I'm in the minority here. Our first trip about 14 years ago, we didn't realize that so many attractions would be closed during MK's morning EMH. We were also disappointed, just like the OP. There weren't nearly as many sources of information as there are today - and we didn't realize the advantage of "researching" a WDW trip. It never occurred to us that many rides would be closed that first hour. How would we even know to ask?

We didn't have any little kids in our group, so many of the Fantasyland attractions and character meets weren't of great interest to us. We really hoped to hit the "big" rides like Splash, BTMRR, etc. a couple of times before the park opened to regular guests. We were disappointed, but really learned our lesson to find out the specifics going forward.

I think we on the DIS forget that not everyone is as into planning and researching like we are. I know MK AM EMH works well for lots of folks, but it sure didn't for us.

mellyf · Apr 25, 2015

MrKnight said:
IMHO, personally, I have never been a fan of Morning EMH, I always stick to Evening EMH which lasts longer and makes for a better experience without feeling rushed and tired, besides, there is something magical about being in the park late at night with light crowds and the nighttime magic of Disney glimmering all around you, Morning EMH is not nearly as exciting and tends to feel more crowded and less magical..

Lol, it definitely depends on your point of view. My husband and I feel the exact opposite. We *love* getting there early, and the excitement as it gets closer to opening. That's magical to us. We also head to Tomorrowland, rather than FL, so maybe that's not as busy? However, I do have to qualify this by saying that it's been a couple of years since we've been to Disney, so it's perfectly possible that EMH is a lot busier now. But since I'm a teacher, we are usually there during busier times, so EMH (at least at MK) tended to be at 7am, which was awesome for us. One of my favorite memories of a time when my husband and I went for our 15th anniversary, was riding TOT four times in a row with no wait.

Robo · Apr 25, 2015

mellyf said:
Lol, it definitely depends on your point of view. My husband and I feel the exact opposite. We *love* getting there early, and the excitement as it gets closer to opening. That's magical to us. We also head to Tomorrowland, rather than FL, so maybe that's not as busy? However, I do have to qualify this by saying that it's been a couple of years since we've been to Disney, so it's perfectly possible that EMH is a lot busier now. But since I'm a teacher, we are usually there during busier times, so EMH (at least at MK) tended to be at 7am, which was awesome for us. One of my favorite memories of a time when my husband and I went for our 15th anniversary, was riding TOT four times in a row with no wait.

Actually, though overall, WDW is much busier.
The earlier mornings are still the better times to go to the parks.
(The earlier the park opens, the better.)
Many guests simply will not get up early on vacation, so the ones who do make the effort
can reap the rewards of much, much shorter lines at most attractions.

Multiple back-to-back rides on ToT can still be enjoyed at many an AM EMH at DHS.

(And remember, not ALL the rides at DHS will be open during AM EMH.)

larryz · Apr 25, 2015

finnster77 said:
Maybe they should say "select" portions of the park?

I think "Please note that not all Walt Disney World attractions are available during Extra Magic Hours. Extra Magic Hours schedule and available attractions during Extra Magic Hours are subject to change without notice." pretty much says it all. I'm sure their lawyers agree.

larryz · Apr 25, 2015

C.C. Langley said:
Oh, and does "OP" mean orginal poster?

And "PP" refers to "previous poster."

sharonabe · Apr 25, 2015

C.C. Langley said:
So are many of you veterans of the mind that you should avoid EMH, not because rides/sections may not be open, but because it is better to be in another park to begin with? I've read several tips during my research that the park with the EMH is the one to avoid because many people, especially the newbies, think that EMH are disney's way of telling you the park you should be in for the day... Have ya'll found that to be true? Should people do some EMH in the morning and hang around a few hours after till it gets busier, and then skip out to a different park? Or, should you just avoid the parks with the extra hours all together to begin with, as they will be more populated?

Oh, and does "OP" mean orginal poster?

If you have hoppers, then going to the park with early EMH and then hopping once it gets busy gives you the best of both worlds. The opposite of going to a recommended park and then hopping to the late EMH would also be true. BUT this is only true if you actually get up and get to the park before or right at early EMH opening or IF you plan on staying until the park closes completely for the late EMH.

Without hoppers, I would say skip the EMH parks altogether as many people will head to them just because as you said, "Disney told them this is the park to go to today."

sharonabe · Apr 25, 2015

ZoZo said:
I agree! I guess I'm in the minority here. Our first trip about 14 years ago, we didn't realize that so many attractions would be closed during MK's morning EMH. We were also disappointed, just like the OP. There weren't nearly as many sources of information as there are today - and we didn't realize the advantage of "researching" a WDW trip. It never occurred to us that many rides would be closed that first hour. How would we even know to ask?

We didn't have any little kids in our group, so many of the Fantasyland attractions and character meets weren't of great interest to us. We really hoped to hit the "big" rides like Splash, BTMRR, etc. a couple of times before the park opened to regular guests. We were disappointed, but really learned our lesson to find out the specifics going forward.

I think we on the DIS forget that not everyone is as into planning and researching like we are. I know MK AM EMH works well for lots of folks, but it sure didn't for us.

As others have already said, the attractions that are OPEN have always been listed on the times guides you are given when you check into your resort. Do you not even read those before heading to a park? What else can Disney do to get the information out there?

maxiesmom · Apr 25, 2015

Luckybee said:
Gosh sounds like the Canadian Income Tax Act ! Am I the only one who sees something wrong with that picture...lol ?

I don't think there is anything wrong. WDW is huge! think about it--4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a shopping district, 3 golf courses and 2 mini golf courses. There is a lot to know! How would it be possible for Disney to send out everything there is to know about all of that to each guest with a reservation? There is no excuse, quite frankly, for someone not looking up information if there is something they are not quite sure of. There are so many good travel guides, and on line there are many web sites like this one, plus Disney's site and the ever popular Google and YouTube. If someone needs info, it is out there!

And as a previous poster pointed out, they hand you a packet at check in to read. What they can't do is force people to read it.

finnster77 · Apr 25, 2015

larryz said:
I think "Please note that not all Walt Disney World attractions are available during Extra Magic Hours. Extra Magic Hours schedule and available attractions during Extra Magic Hours are subject to change without notice." pretty much says it all. I'm sure their lawyers agree.

Really??
When a new comer clicks on extra magic hours, they get this:

"Extended Disney park hours - known as the Extra Magic hour benefit - are included with your admission - and offer guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels the unique opportunity to enjoy additional time in one of the four Disney theme parks - before or after operating hours!"

I'm sure their lawyers agree. :rolleyes2

larryz · Apr 25, 2015

finnster77 said:
Really??
When a new comer clicks on extra magic hours, they get this:

"Extended Disney park hours - known as the Extra Magic hour benefit - are included with your admission - and offer guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels the unique opportunity to enjoy additional time in one of the four Disney theme parks - before or after operating hours!"

Really. The original post doesn't contradict your quote in any way, shape or form.

C.C. Langley · Apr 25, 2015

I wonder if the OP knew his post title would cause such controversy. LOL :love1:

NavyDad · Apr 25, 2015

I now follow Josh's advice and head to whatever park is not having any sort of EMH's that day. Has worked great for us the last couple of trips...

Magic Kingdom morning emh don't bother

DIS Veteran

The Mean Squinty Eye Works

Mouseketeer

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

Former WDWCM & Proud DIS Member

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

Mouseketeer

1971 Castle in the Hub: Your lights are on!

Rogue Five

Rogue Five

DIS Veteran

DIS Veteran

The Mean Squinty Eye Works

Mouseketeer

Rogue Five

Mouseketeer

DIS Veteran

Share this page