EPCOT - morning EMH procedure

[BAST]

Just returned from WDW. We used the morning EMHs at all parks. At DHS, MK and AK, they followed the opening procedures for a non EMH day (except that AK had no morning show).

However, EPCOT has an incredibly stupid opening procedure. They do not follow the opening procedures from a non EMH day.

First, they hold you at a rope about 50 feet from the ticket booth. Why? According to the CMs it is to 'avoid a rush to the ticket booth'. This is simply stupid. I have never experienced any mad rush to the ticket lines. People simply line up to get in.

Second, at 8:00 exactly, they start letting people walk to the ticket booths. Of course, there is something of a rush (i.e. what they are trying to avoid). Since only eight ticket booths were open, the people at the back of the line must have taken at least 20 to 30 minutes to get into the park.

Third, once you get to the booth, the CMs first plug in their operating codes. We stood and waited for the CM to walf up to their ticket booth and then punch in the code and let us in.

We were still one of the first families in the park - and once we were in there were no further lines (so lots of people made the mad dash to Soarin).

I would have been very angry if I paid for EMH access, and then lost 20-30 minutes just getting into the park because of this stupid procedure.

 

[Robo]

Just returned from WDW. We used the morning EMHs at all parks. At DHS, MK and AK, they followed the opening procedures for a non EMH day (except that AK had no morning show).

However, EPCOT has an incredibly stupid opening procedure. They do not follow the opening procedures from a non EMH day.

First,

1- they hold you at a rope about 50 feet from the ticket booth. Why? According to the CMs it is to 'avoid a rush to the ticket booth'. This is simply stupid. I have never experienced any mad rush to the ticket lines. People simply line up to get in.

2- Second, at 8:00 exactly, they start letting people walk to the ticket booths. Of course, there is something of a rush (i.e. what they are trying to avoid). Since only eight ticket booths were open, the people at the back of the line must have taken at least 20 to 30 minutes to get into the park.

3- Third, once you get to the booth, the CMs first plug in their operating codes. We stood and waited for the CM to walf up to their ticket booth and then punch in the code and let us in.

We were still one of the first families in the park - and once we were in there was no further lines (so lots of people made the mad dash to Soarin).

4- I would have been very angry if I paid for EMH access, and then lost 20-30 minutes just getting into the park because of this stupid procedure.

1- I've never seen or heard of that before.

2- I've never seen or heard of that before.

3- They have always punched in their codes to turn the scanners to "green light mode" well before they started letting guests in.
I have seen them ADD extra gates (turn the scanners on) as more guests arrive, but that's after they've already been
letting guests in thru several other gates.

4- I've never seen or heard of this before.
May have been an anomaly due to inexperienced management (or possibly a short staff that morning.)
Time will tell if this becomes "normal."


.

 

[Traveliz]

Just returned from WDW. We used the morning EMHs at all parks. At DHS, MK and AK, they followed the opening procedures for a non EMH day (except that AK had no morning show).

However, EPCOT has an incredibly stupid opening procedure. They do not follow the opening procedures from a non EMH day.

First, they hold you at a rope about 50 feet from the ticket booth. Why? According to the CMs it is to 'avoid a rush to the ticket booth'. This is simply stupid. I have never experienced any mad rush to the ticket lines. People simply line up to get in.

Second, at 8:00 exactly, they start letting people walk to the ticket booths. Of course, there is something of a rush (i.e. what they are trying to avoid). Since only eight ticket booths were open, the people at the back of the line must have taken at least 20 to 30 minutes to get into the park.

Third, once you get to the booth, the CMs first plug in their operating codes. We stood and waited for the CM to walf up to their ticket booth and then punch in the code and let us in.

We were still one of the first families in the park - and once we were in there were no further lines (so lots of people made the mad dash to Soarin).

I would have been very angry if I paid for EMH access, and then lost 20-30 minutes just getting into the park because of this stupid procedure.

This is just the Epcot rumor my CM daughter was telling me about last week.

Liz

 

[stargazertechie]

This sounds like a hot mess. I get frustrated enough when I get a CM who doesn't activate his/her turnstile at the same time as the others, which puts me at a disadvantage getting to the rope.

 

[Traveliz]

This sounds like a hot mess. I get frustrated enough when I get a CM who doesn't activate his/her turnstile at the same time as the others, which puts me at a disadvantage getting to the rope.

And now there is no rope -- just a mad dash - which I thought they sought to get rid of years ago.

Liz

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

We just got back yesterday and did EMH at Epcot and didn't experience this at all. We DID experience the mad dash for Soarin', but that's the same no matter what!

 

[Traveliz]

We just got back yesterday and did EMH at Epcot and didn't experience this at all. We DID experience the mad dash for Soarin', but that's the same no matter what!

I think they are just testing the new openings on some days. I will be there next week so I guess I will see for myself. My daughter opens a few days coming up too so I guess she will tell me what is up too on her work days.

Liz

 

[MegaPowersPT]

We've never had any issues with Morning EMH.

 

[BAST]

This is what occurred on Friday, August 5 at the morning EMH for EPCOT.

It was ridiculous.

 

[Day-Day]

This is what occurred on Friday, August 5 at the morning EMH for EPCOT.

It was ridiculous.

Yuk! Some guests arriving "on time" would lose a big chunk of their EMH benefit under this process. I can see how this could allow CM's to be scheduled to arrive a little later at EPCOT but it is not good for guests. I'm guessing (hoping) that Disney sees this as a nice try but a bad idea.

I wonder if it was a pre-planned testing of the process or if it was a secondary procedure used because of some other issue that came up that morning.

 

[HelenParr]

Great update. I generally don't mind WDW changes -- but I hate being surprised by them. Maybe once they work out the kinks it'll be better (or, if not, scrapped).

Anyone notice change (testing) of different process over at IG entrance?

 

[kaligal]

I prefer they get rid of that "walk the rope" business. It just creates pushing and shoving where there needn't be any.

But they should let people line up.

And it wouldn't hurt to open more turnstiles at opening, either.

 

[cvjw]

We had a similar experience at early EMH the first week of June at Typhoon Lagoon. We got to the park about 15 minutes before the scheduled opening time and waited in the line to enter. It took us 45 minutes to get into Typhoon Lagoon, and there were probably 100 or so people in line in front of us - we parked our car in the very first parking spot, so it wasn't busy at all. We weren't close enough to the front of the line to see what the CM's were doing at the turnstiles, but we ended up missing 1/2 of the EMH due to not being able to enter the park on time.

 

[g-dad66]

This is just the Epcot rumor my CM daughter was telling me about last week.

Liz

Ah, thanks. I have been on the lookout for it.

When the OP refers to "ticket booths" does that mean the turnstyles?

I'm trying to visualize just where the rope is. It must be right after going through bag check?

 

[BAST]

I did mean the turnstyles.

They roped off the center 8 or so turnstyles and said everyone would need to go through the two openings in the rope to get to the turnstyles.

The only way this would have made any sense would have been to use this 'extra' entrance to check to make sure the parties entering were resort guests. But they did not even do that.