Where have the late night EMH gone???

[supermom0726]

I have started noticing every trip I take that the parks having super late EMH has become more and more rare. We are going again in June and my teenagers will be so sad to not get to hang out at MK past midnight. Do they add later hours as it gets closer or is this just a thing of the past? TIA!!!

 

[soniam]

They may add EMH as it gets closer, but currently, Disney has been cutting hour extensions and EMH, supposedly due to cost overruns in Shanghai and probably Pandora.

 

[tlmadden73]

Honestly, since it probably costs them a lot to keep the parks open (in staffing) an extra hour or two .. I am surprised they don't cut back EMH more.

And really, I wonder what percentage of resort guests take advantage of that on-site perk? Most sites (like this) tell people to avoid parks on EMH days (unless you have hoppers).

I am guessing they will eventually do away with the EMH all together and just give on-site guests a free fourth fast pass. I would think with the way the crowds have been that that would be a more desirable hook to get some to stay on-site then having to get to the park super early or stay super late.

It would save Disney tons of money in staffing and virtually cost them nothing.

Besides, once they do away with EMH, it opens the door to them open the park early or late more often for more hard ticket events. "Mickey's Springtime Jubilee" .. "Mickey's Summer Celebration!"

 

[JimmyV]

My daughter asked me the same question two days ago. For our upcoming trip, we are going to the MK on a "regular" day, and the park is open until midnight. Later that week, there is one (and only one) pm EMH day at the MK, and the "extra" hour kicks the park closing time to...midnight. She was bummed that we won't have a daddy/daughter day where mom goes back to the resort and we close the park down at 2:00 a.m. as we have done in the past. Me? I can live with midnight!

 

[tinka-belle]

DH and I are night owls, we LIKE the late EMH and see that the parks seem to be closing earlier and earlier every year. Though hours are often expanded as it gets closer we rarely see the really late MK hours any more. We miss them!

 

[mom2rtk]

Honestly, since it probably costs them a lot to keep the parks open (in staffing) an extra hour or two .. I am surprised they don't cut back EMH more.

And really, I wonder what percentage of resort guests take advantage of that on-site perk? Most sites (like this) tell people to avoid parks on EMH days (unless you have hoppers).

I am guessing they will eventually do away with the EMH all together and just give on-site guests a free fourth fast pass. I would think with the way the crowds have been that that would be a more desirable hook to get some to stay on-site then having to get to the park super early or stay super late.

It would save Disney tons of money in staffing and virtually cost them nothing.

Besides, once they do away with EMH, it opens the door to them open the park early or late more often for more hard ticket events. "Mickey's Springtime Jubilee" .. "Mickey's Summer Celebration!"

Do you think a Disney value resort is worth $177/night? That's just one I've seen lately, not even in peak season.

I think Disney forgets people are paying extra for onsite rooms for a reason.

And they already tried alternate season hard ticket parties. Fans loved it, Disney hated it because they couldn't pack the park to the same level they do for Halloween and Christmas.

Disney might *think* they can save on staffing by cutting EMH. But what they save they could end up losing when guests move offsite.

 

[mkla2015]

They may add EMH later on. We're going in March and there is only 1 late night MK EMH while we are there 11pm-1am on a Wednesday. Last year we went around the same time and had EMH 12-2am at MK on a Saturday. Late nights in MK are my favorite!

 

[JimmyV]

Disney might *think* they can save on staffing by cutting EMH. But what they save they could end up losing when guests move offsite.

When the cost of a night in a Moderate equals the cost of a night in one of Universal's higher end hotels, and the Moderate gets you no extra park hours but the Universal hotel gets you early Harry Potter admission, people are going to start to take notice. Cutting out EMHs completely would be a very dangerous thing to do.

 

[Baptist]

I agree, the late night EMHs are awesome. That's when the parks really thin out! For example, 9pm-11pm EMH at Epcot can be crowded!

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Honestly, since it probably costs them a lot to keep the parks open (in staffing) an extra hour or two .. I am surprised they don't cut back EMH more.

And really, I wonder what percentage of resort guests take advantage of that on-site perk? Most sites (like this) tell people to avoid parks on EMH days (unless you have hoppers).

I am guessing they will eventually do away with the EMH all together and just give on-site guests a free fourth fast pass. I would think with the way the crowds have been that that would be a more desirable hook to get some to stay on-site then having to get to the park super early or stay super late.

It would save Disney tons of money in staffing and virtually cost them nothing.

Besides, once they do away with EMH, it opens the door to them open the park early or late more often for more hard ticket events. "Mickey's Springtime Jubilee" .. "Mickey's Summer Celebration!"

I am surprised they don't cut back on these, too.

We were there last week for EMH at MK from 10-12. It was fabulous. Because so few people were there. It was a chilly night and most guests had gone home (parks were insanely crowded in the daytime last week)- either because of the cold or because they had young children. When we got to ETWB, DD insisted that we leave because there WERE NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE. She did not want to play all the parts herself. I told her to wait a few minutes and eventually a few more families showed up in Belle's cottage before they let us in. But that is an odd problem to have at WDW.

I kept thinking how great it was for guests to have the EMH, but how terribly expensive to operate a park for so few people.

 

[bball15fan]

I too am disappointed with less EMH.

 

[disneydude365]

Maybe it's days your going or the times? Every trip I've gone on EMH are offered till 2am lol and I go 2-3 times a year

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

They were almost nonexistent last Christmas. Usually they have a very late night (1am-3am) the first Friday or Sunday after Christmas at MK. This wasn't the case.

We're night owls. We rely on late night EMH to get our rides done - especially during Xmas when it's packed. This really had us scrambling to get I the rides we wanted.

We wound up getting everything in, but it was a hassle and left us very stressed out.

Without EMH or as many, DHS becomes a two-day prk (one day w/ TSMM as a FP and the other with RNR) and you need to watch the fireworks one night, and spend another going on rides.

We missed out on Barn Stormer. My sister and I, mind you - me being 26 she being 31, usually go on that a dozen times during EMHs

 

[stormer]

We love the evening EMH, too. It is nice to sometimes sleep in a little and then stay in the park later. It seems there are fewer and fewer chances to do this.

 

[tlmadden73]

Do you think a Disney value resort is worth $177/night? That's just one I've seen lately, not even in peak season.

I think Disney forgets people are paying extra for onsite rooms for a reason.

Disney might *think* they can save on staffing by cutting EMH. But what they save they could end up losing when guests move offsite.

My point is .. how many people are getting onsite rooms because of the EMH perk? I know that never factors into my decision. Not even remotely. If an EMH day/night happens to coincide with one of my planned park days .. so be it. I stay on a Disney resort for the service, convenience and transportation.

My point was: How many MORE people would actually consider a Disney resort (as opposed to staying off-site) if the on-site perk was a 4th Fast Pass instead of a EMH? I would argue most guests don't utilize EMH because:
1) The EMH day doesn't coordinate with their schedule
2) They don't want to get up super early
3) They have young children and don't want to stay up super late.
4) They just don't know about it/understand it.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

My point is .. how many people are getting onsite rooms because of the EMH perk? I know that never factors into my decision. Not even remotely. If an EMH day/night happens to coincide with one of my planned park days .. so be it. I stay on a Disney resort for the service, convenience and transportation.

My point was: How many MORE people would actually consider a Disney resort (as opposed to staying off-site) if the on-site perk was a 4th Fast Pass instead of a EMH? I would argue most guests don't utilize EMH because:
1) The EMH day doesn't coordinate with their schedule
2) They don't want to get up super early
3) They have young children and don't want to stay up super late.
4) They just don't know about it/understand it.

I agree and disagree. I think the EMH is a small factor in the grand scheme of things. Is it the main reason why people go? No. Is it part of the reason? Sure.

For my family, the main draw is the theming and full immersion into Disney, and the ease of being on-site and having access to a number of things. I'd say having access to Disney transportation is #1 for my family. We've driven down to Disney multiple times back in the day and having a car is a plus if you wanna go off property; but staying onsite and having the buses and Magical Express is probably the most important factor when it comes to "access." I'd put EMH at #2 though. For those that DO know how to use it and understand it, it's a huge benefit during very crowded times. We used to use it to our advantage during Christmas week. People couldn't believe how much we fit into one day!

 

[TxTiggergal]

My point is .. how many people are getting onsite rooms because of the EMH perk? I know that never factors into my decision. Not even remotely. If an EMH day/night happens to coincide with one of my planned park days .. so be it. I stay on a Disney resort for the service, convenience and transportation.

My point was: How many MORE people would actually consider a Disney resort (as opposed to staying off-site) if the on-site perk was a 4th Fast Pass instead of a EMH? I would argue most guests don't utilize EMH because:
1) The EMH day doesn't coordinate with their schedule
2) They don't want to get up super early
3) They have young children and don't want to stay up super late.
4) They just don't know about it/understand it.

It is a factor in our decision. We love EMH and have been disappointed to see it diminishing. Our itinerary is usually planned on what parks offer EMH, especially morning. We are early risers who always go in the heat of August, so we have relied on utilizing the a.m EMH to get some attractions done before it gets too hot.

 

[macadoo]

My point is .. how many people are getting onsite rooms because of the EMH perk? I know that never factors into my decision. Not even remotely. If an EMH day/night happens to coincide with one of my planned park days .. so be it. I stay on a Disney resort for the service, convenience and transportation.

My point was: How many MORE people would actually consider a Disney resort (as opposed to staying off-site) if the on-site perk was a 4th Fast Pass instead of a EMH? I would argue most guests don't utilize EMH because:
1) The EMH day doesn't coordinate with their schedule
2) They don't want to get up super early
3) They have young children and don't want to stay up super late.
4) They just don't know about it/understand it.

EMH are a big factor when we're deciding where to stay. Going in August early mornings and late nights are our preferred times to go to the parks. This years trip is on a budget, we contemplated staying off site to save money but hated the thought of not getting the late night emh that we're used to. If this is the way its going to be from now though we will definitely consider whether the extra cost of onsite is worth it, i don't think it will be! A 4th fastpass wouldn't be enough of a perk to keep us onsite.

 

[tlmadden73]

It is a factor in our decision. We love EMH and have been disappointed to see it diminishing. Our itinerary is usually planned on what parks offer EMH, especially morning. We are early risers who always go in the heat of August, so we have relied on utilizing the a.m EMH to get some attractions done before it gets too hot.

Oh I am sure there are tons of people where it does factor in. I am just saying that it probably doesn't factor in for a MAJORITY of people.

I took advantage of the early morning EMH on my last trip, but it wasn't even a reason I booked an on-site hotel. I am just saying a better perk like a 4th Fast Pass would be more desirable (and usuable) by all. The EMH perk is limited by circumstances or schedule (or often unknown) by a lot of guests.

I would say though that it factors in more for "repeat" guests. Those guests who go every year or two and use it to help maximize their planning.

I would argue that a 4th fast pass would be a selling point to get a first time guest to decide between onsite and offsite.

 

[maryj11]

We are going in June and I do see evening EMH at MK on Wednesdays 10:00 to 12:00. I know they will extend the hours so I would say it will be open past midnight.