3 Days at WDW- Are EMH really that bad?

[Maine_Belle]

DH agreed for us to take the kids to Disney for their first trip this summer- the last week of August, midweek. As part of the compromise, we're only doing 3 days, so we've (translation: I've) got to be really efficient with our time & planning.

We are not park hopping and with a 7 & 3 year old, we are going to strictly focus on MK and EP. We are staying on site, so we can in theory take advantage of Extra Magic Hours.

No matter what, our first day (arriving mid morning, possibly closer to lunch) we will go to MK. I can't imagine not having their very first Disney vacation experience not being walking in to see the castle. I will be getting FPs for Pirates, Splash, and Peter Pan (and then maybe Haunted Mansion and/or Jungle Cruise early evening if they are available.) It is late EMH, but I see no way that we'd head back in after dinner (we usually eat late around 8)- the kids might be able to hang for a while, but I suspect I'd regret it the next day. We'll play it by ear I guess.

So then we've got 2 days to play with. My original plan had us going to Epcot on our 2nd day, with Extra Magic Hours in the morning. We'd try to get there early (again, a reason to not be up late on Day 1), do strategic FPs for their ages and probably leave before Illuminations. Day 3 I figured we'd head back to MK, taking advantage of early EMH again since we will be leaving to drive back to the in-laws' in Tampa as soon as we are spent that afternoon.

But now I'm self-doubting going on the EMH days for Days 2 & 3 since all the crowd calendars are like "NO! Avoid at all costs!" We don't really have time to be able to do long downtime stretches back at the hotel midday, so we've got to strategically cram as much in as possible and I'm worried that lines will be significantly longer for standby based on these touring plans.

What does the DIS think? Does it really make a difference with general crowd levels with EMH? We're going to have to be flexible no matter what because who knows how the kids will survive in the heat and all the new stimulation.

 

[BrianL]

Last week of August? I wouldn't worry about it. First of all, you can use the EMH, so do so. The EMH hours, especially morning are wonderful. Secondly, since this is a very low crowd time in general, you shouldn't have to worry too much about crowds, even at the least recommended park of the day.

That said, it CAN make a difference when busy, and if you were offsite I'd say avoid those parks. I like to hop after EMH is over when I go, but you really shouldn't need to worry about it.

 

[DisneyMom111]

I would have to agree with BrianL. We went for 2 days in May and it just so happened it was EMH on the days we were going to MK and EP. I didn't think they were any more crowded than on other trips. And we took advantage of the EP morning EMH and got a ton accomplished in a short time. I wouldn't worry about it. Sounds like you will be fine.

 

[maxiesmom]

If you want to take advantage of the morning EMH conventional wisdom says to get to the park 45 minutes before the scheduled opening time. Otherwise you will be at the back of the mob. If you can't do that, I would skip the morning EMH parks and go to a different one.

 

[Accident]

I've seen EMH where it's dead and other ones where it's the biggest crowds I've ever experienced..

In my opinion, longer hours and EMH is disney's way of giving more time to do more because they are expecting everything to take longer that day meaning larger crowds. it's also a good way for people who are arriving in the afternoon and early evening to feel there is enough hours at a park to buy 1 more park day and go in and spend more money than just hanging around the resort that day.

For evening EMH (my opinion):

Generally avoiding EMH is a great way to predict the crowd level since EMH attracts all the we don't know disney well onsite guests so if there is a park opened late enough for you that isn't EMH, that's a great time to do that park instead. Also if you happen to have park hopper for another reason, EMH is a great way to get a few more hours at another park if everything else is closing much earlier. I love hopping over to MK after another park if there is a night when i'm just not done yet and EMH is keeping it opened. I go in expecting maybe getting 1 or 2 rides at most and sometimes pleasantly surprised. Families tend to disappear by midnight and i'm seeing some til 2am EMH starting to hit the schedule.

For morning EMH (my opinion):

I hate mornings so in my opinion rope drop and early morning is never a time to do anything. My days of running around from dawn until park close are over and I like to have my vacation feel like a vacation. In real life I don't wake up until 9:30am at the earliest for work and no way I'm waking up at 6am or earlier to get ready and get to the park. I have time to time gone early (like today) to catch the early morning things that aren't out later or I haven't seen or done in awhile. Ride wise, I like the outdoor rides better at night and the way I do the parks, I get more rides in at night than morning but you will get an hour or two to really pump out a bunch of rides with minimal or no line. You can also duck out of the park by lunchtime after spending 4-5 hours to avoid the mid afternoon bigger crowds and really hot sun. A great time to resort recharge or grab lunch at another resort and then return later when it's not as hot or after the afternoon rain. Again if you have hoppers, you don't have to do the evening at the same park and this works amazing well for my family because I have a daughter that has extremely high diagnosed anxiety struggles and mixing it up in several hours at 1 park and close another park down is best for her and therefore best for the family.

Now some people are the opposite of me and they are early risers and wake up early normally but can't stay awake to close down a park. You need to factor in what real life is like for your family to decide what to do. don't forget to have a vacation when your on your disney vacation.

 

[AJA]

Morning EMH are great! You should totally do them especially with a 3 year old that might tire out in the late afternoon anyway.

It will be HOT and humid when you are there. Mornings are the best time! Without park hoppers (we never get them anymore either) you can always go back to the hotel to eat a late lunch and cool off, returning to the parks in the evening. Maybe try to snag a 4th fast pass for the evening right after you check in at your third fp.

 

[MeganMango]

It's not the EMH that are crowded. They're not. It's the "day" at the park. Park hoppers are awesome for that reason. Use your EMH at the park that has them and hop to another one during the day. But if you're not park hopping, I still think you'll be fine. Disney is always crowded anyways, but August you should be good.

 

[lady_hlh]

We always go in late August and the crowds are never horrible even with EMHs. The heat is really bad so we usually go in the morning, leave in the afternoon for a swim break and then head back over at night. When my DD was little she surprised me with how late she could stay up. On the other hand one year we went with my BIL and his youngest fell asleep during Illuminations so he had to carry him out of the park.