EMH -- Good or Bad

[1GR8DISNEYFAN]

On our last two trips to WDW I made our schedule and purposely avoided EMH. This trip I made our schedule and ADRs thinking I was missing EMH but I was wrong. I like to spend our first evening at MK, but it is a Sunday and open late for EMH. Now we will not stay late for the EMH, but will the whole evening be really crowded? Also for DHS a.m EMH, how crowded is it usually?

 

[TLinden16]

I like the morning EMH. They are a great way to get a jump start on your day at the parks, and hit some of the major attractions before the park opens to the day guests.

The evening EMH are hit or miss. Sometimes they are very crowded, and the lines are long. Other times, they are less crowded and you can get on attractions with little or no wait. I usually look at the evening EMH as a bonus rather than a way to maximize park time. If its not crowded, and I'm having fun, I'll stay. If it's crowded, I'll head to the resort to get a good nights sleep.

 

[Robo]

I like the morning EMH. They are a great way to get a jump start on your day at the parks, and hit some of the major attractions before the park opens to the day guests.

The evening EMH are hit or miss. Sometimes they are very crowded, and the lines are long. Other times, they are less crowded and you can get on attractions with little or no wait. I usually look at the evening EMH as a bonus rather than a way to maximize park time. If its not crowded, and I'm having fun, I'll stay. If it's crowded, I'll head to the resort to get a good nights sleep.

Agreed.

Each EMH experience can be different.

I always go to AM EMH (virtually every day of the trip
that we did not do a PM EMH late the night before)...
never ONCE regretted an AM EMH... they are amazingly
empty and easy to ride the open attractions.
If that park THEN starts to fill 2 to 3 hours later...
Were happy with "doing" that park for the day and we
can HOP elsewhere or do lunch and take a rest until
later.

PM EMH's are a mixed bag. I've been when they were
PACKED... but on other nights (sometimes within the
same trip), the crowds were basically so low that it
was like "free rides" on all the open attractions.

Those who have attended PM EMH's and say that "they
are TOO CROWDED" are right... but ONLY for the nights
they may have attended.
I can say, from personal experience, that they CAN be
EMPTY, or FULL or somewhere IN-BETWEEN for attendance,
often within the same week.

We went to PM EMH at AK on a Wed night and PM EMH at MK
on a Sun night (early Spring visit.)
The EMH's were so EMPTY that we could have stayed on many attractions and ridden around and around.
This included Splash, BTM, and Pirates (and many more) at
MK, and Exp. Everest, Kali, and Dinosaur at AK. And
the crowds during the DAY at these parks were very
LARGE... within the first hour of EMH, they simply
"evaporated."

But, it can change so much (either way), that saying
it was "like X" on a given night, can be meaningless
on another night in the same time-period. So, you
simply don't KNOW unless you go. Its similar to saying
that you attended on a given night and it rained, so
guests should never go on that night because it will
probably be rainy.

The rule seems to be, it is far easier for guests to
STAY UP at the end of the day, than it is for them to
GET UP at the start of the day.

But, considering EMH's are FREE to attend... if its
busy, just people-watch or hit the exit (where ELSE
are ya gonna go at 10pm, anyway?)
But if its not busy... you're ALL SET for EXTRA FUN!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Early EMH hours are a must for us on Summer months, it's way too hot to stick it out all day. By 12 noon you can have most of your favorite/popular rides done and then relax and choose if you want to wait in longer lines the rest of the day. Another great thing we did this year was to do DHS (for Star Wars) till 2pm and then headed abck to the resort for showers, lunch etc. and then we hit pm EMH at MK and rode without lines till2 am. This was a first, we knew we were spleeping in the next day, no park day so it was great.

 

[missycj96]

I really don't like EMHs. Though if you can be at MK at opening of EMH you will zip through Fantasyland and be ready to do Splash and Big Thunder at 9. Then maybe hit adventureland by 10 and then be prepared to depart the premises as it will be crowded. So if you are going to be there at opening

For me, I prefer to aim for opening at a park that does NOT have EMH that day. I feel like the EMHs make the park too crowded that day.

 

[kellyf2626]

We usually try to do morning EMH, and pick and choose which evening EMH to attend. We usually stay away from Epcot evening EMH because there are simply not enough attractions to keep the lines down. MK nights have always been great for us!

 

[vtwep]

I've also read that the time of year helps dictate this (obviously). I didn't hit any last year, but I'm going in December this year and plan to try some out.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I typically avoid them, preferring the less crowded park/s of the day.

 

[Lynn5700]

I love evening hours!!!! We always goin May and they have never been crowded for us.

 

[my_try]

We did several PM, EMH nights on our last trip (the week before President's Day) and our longest wait time for a ride was only about ten minutes! I guess it depends on the season. I can imagine that PM, EMH's are pretty packed in the hotter months.

 

[eeyoregon]

I LOVE LATE magic hours no matter what time of year it is!

You can accomplish more in the 3 hours after the park "closes" than you can in an entire day during peak crowds.

Plus I LOVE that the sun is gone and how magical the parks seem at night.

We always spend the day in the park that has late magic hours that night.

We are West Coasters so you will NEVER EVER catch us at early magic hours because we would have to wake up at 3:00 AM on our body clocks!!

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

That's what I like about EMH and this board

Everyone has an opinion

That's why I sit here checking it all out

Thanks to everyone for their input

 

[bytheblood]

I like the AM EMHs for Magic Kingdom and EPCOT only.
I find that both Disney Studios and Animal Kingdom are a madhouse on EMH mornings.

I like the PM EMHs for all parks.

 

[CJ]

I like going to the early morning EMH parks at rope drop the day AFTER they had the EMH morning! And the same holds true for the late night EMH parks as well ...... best the very next morning!!

but please don't tell anybody!

 

[crisi]

We are generally not late EMH folks - too late for us with kids. We've been to one, on a lark at Epcot - and actually found it to be great, strolled on to Mission Space and Soarin.

Morning EMH are pretty good - IF you park hop out.

As a rule of thumb, I would avoid the EMH park mid day - you get all the day traffic and everyone who is a resort guest who intended (or intends) to do EMH. The reality is that for early EMH's those people who thought they'd be there by eight often don't show up until 9:30 (but don't change their park plans for their late state) and those intending to stay for the PM EMHs often discover that the kids (or grownups) are worn out from their long day and leave just as it gets going.

 

[goofylover]

I LOVE LATE magic hours no matter what time of year it is!

We are West Coasters so you will NEVER EVER catch us at early magic hours because we would have to wake up at 3:00 AM on our body clocks!!

Is that why I am always dragging my family to AM EMH's!
We're from SoCal and we always try to go to DL early but it's so hard at WDW.

 

[Cool-Beans]

The PMEMHs are a little much for me. I'll do the a.m. ones, though.

 

[bigAWL]

Reading this has me thinking about going nocturnal next time. Go to evening EMH, stay up all night. Then catch an early breakfast before going to morning EMH. When the park gets crowded, grab a late breakfast - or possibly early lunch - and go to bed. Wake up for dinner and do it all over again. This way you miss the biggest crowds and the hottest part of the day.

Problems: You have to have park hopper tickets to do this. And what is there to do in the middle of the night? Is anything open? Food, pool, transportation? Probably best to hang out in the hotel - maybe take a little nap.