Magic Hours-Worth it? More or less crowded?

[DeliveryNrse]

I am leading a group of 14 this summer to DW. Are the morning and evening magic hours for resort guests more or less crowded and do ya'll think they are worth it?
DeliveryNrse

 

[PlutosFriend]

I am leading a group of 14 this summer to DW. Are the morning and evening magic hours for resort guests more or less crowded and do ya'll think they are worth it?
DeliveryNrse

I have only done extra magic hours a couple times. Both were at night. Once at MK and once at Epcot. MK was totally packed. I did not find it worth it. Very long lines, and this was in May. Epcot was fine tho I have always heard the mornings are better, but I am too lazy to get up a go then

 

[mikymouse]

We loved going to the parks early there was a dramatic difference in crowds levels, lines, etc. between 8AM and 11AM. The only exception was AK which was terrible crowded in the AM at the gates (but not so much in the park) until lunch time when were all very glad to leave due to crowds. I think I would enjoy Epcot more in the evening.. the place is huge and the sun really beats on you IMO.

 

[DeliveryNrse]

We are going June 4th - June 11th and some of these kids(new grads) have never been on a vacation and I want to give them the most bang for the buck and give them a once in a lifetime experience. They are all so excited and I want them t be able to experience as much as possible--guess I should have put all this in the first time.
DN

 

[nutty4wdw]

though some people prefer the evening magic hour because there are more attractions open and longer hours (3) i personally prefer the morning emh. though there are a limited number of attractions open i find the crowd level much less. as plutosfriend said they don't like getting up early and many people feel that way thus decreasing the crowds.

 

[DeliveryNrse]

Soooooo...........morning-yes? Night time-maybe not? Any more people out there with night magic hours opinions?
DN

 

[G's mommy]

At MK, morning is worth it, evenings are not during peak travel times like holidays and summers.

 

[mhd]

If one goes to the extra hours at night, how do you get up the next day and start your next park?

 

[Dan Murphy]

I'll tend to go to the non EHM parks, preferring to sleep a bit later, maybe 7 or so, get to the park maybe about 9, the less crowded ones. And the late EMH's are generally too late for me to bother with, and again, the crowds.

 

[mwerner2]

My DD's ages 15 and 19 will get up at the crack of dawn to be at the EMH opening. They know they will be able to ride everything with hardly any wait at that time. Being normal teenagers they would not usually get up before noon, but at WDW I only have to call them once.

We have never had much luck with the evening hours. They tend to be crowded more often than not.

Also, we always get the hopper options on our tickets and will switch to a non-EMH park around lunchtime when all those people who slept in but still go to the *advertised* park start to show up.

 

[kribit]

We like EMH in the morning, but we did evening once at MK and will never do it again. It was packed!

 

[missminniemouse]

Another vote for Morning EMH. We usually go right away to the EMH park, then leave around 11 or 12 and head to another park for the remainder of the day.

We have done a few evening EMH, and find them to generally be a lot more crowded than the mornings. We usually go to WDW during less busy times of the year and evening EMH are still pretty busy. We basically avoid them now.

 

[Robo]

My wife and I just LOVE the morning EMH's.

We go nearly every morning when there is one available.
We used to go to "EE" (early entry) back before EMH was started.

But she always tells me to NOT TELL EVERYONE about how fun and easy the AM EMH's are, because then the early parks will be too BUSY for us to enjoy.

But, I always tell HER not to worry.

I contend that even if I stood outside most guests room doors with a $100 bill and said to get up early for EMH and they could have it... they would still sleep in.

Most folks simply will NOT get up early on vacation!
Nothing will change their minds.

So I am here to say,
"THANK YOU" to all of the sleepy-heads...
They make my AM EMH's about the best, most private and carefree times we ever have at the parks!

(And I know I won't be seeing them coming in until, oh, 10:30am, when I'm on my way OUT of that park!)

 

[Cookie Princess]

We always take advantage of the EMH in the mornings. DS and I are morning people and the crowds are low until around 11:00 a.m. It is a great time to read the most popular attractions. DH needs a few cups of coffee before he is in his "happy place" so we just drag him around with us until he comes alive.

 

[Thumper_ehhhhh]

I'm for EMH's. The early ones are not as busy as most ppl will not wake up that early. It's still busy but not that bad. The later emh's can be buisier as when the other parks empty out those staying on property with parkhopper passes come over. Is it worth it yes. It's a great expearance. The sun is down and no where near as hot. I wouldn't miss it for anything. Enjoy your trip.

 

[BluesTravlr00]

imo late hours are worth it, as long as you're willing to hang around until the very last hour or so. the first couple EMHours can be just as crowded as regular hours, but the crowds seem to finally die down towards the final hour.

for example, my last visit to MGM, we stayed through the very end of EMH and got to ride ToT 3x in a row with no wait, and still had time to go take some awesome empty-park pictures. very excellent.

DFiancee and i were there mid-december, and we were amazed at how packed the parks were during EMH, but then we thought about how many tens of thousands of people must stay at the WDW resorts and it made more sense.

 

[simzac]

Morning hour is great, not crowded at all. Night is packed, but having the extra time to just hang out in the parks if wonderful. JMO

 

[TweedleDum]

Years ago the extra magic hour evening was well worth it. Not many people knew about it and the park was not very crowded at all. Rides were walk ons and you weren't bumping into people every way you turned.

The last few times we have done extra magic hour evening I have been disappointed. The crowds were huge and it really wasn't the experience I once had for being in the park at night. Now this is only the Magic Kingdom I am talking about. This may be different for other parks but I doubt it.

 

[kparc]

WE love the mornig extra hours. Always take advantage of those if possible. Went to evening extra hours on our last trip for MK. So crowded we only fit in one attraction. Evening extra hours at Ak however were great! My dd's rode prime-evil whirl three times in a row without having to get off!

( Me- if I had ridden with them!)