August Planners -- Questions about Little Ones Extra Magic Hours???

[kc&dmom]

I am starting to feel the trip planning strain. This is our 3rd trip in August but I am unsure what to think of little ones extra magic hour or whatever it is called. I would like to plan 3 or 4; 1/2 days at MK during our trip and cannot decide whether to hit Fantasyland on one of these days or not. Our kids are a little older at 10, 8, & 7---and not into the little one shows. Any thoughts?? Thanks!

 

[tinkerbell60]

I am curious about this too - this is also our 3rd trip - my kids are 12 and 9 - and I have been wondering if we should avoid those days at MK or not.

 

[osukristin227]

I would like to know this too!
Will a CM turn you away if you don't have a "little one" with you?

(and if they do, does being little at heart count?)

 

[abeyst]

Little ones EMH???? Never heard of it, but I have a 3yo! What's this EMH all about?

 

[bobbiwoz]

Here's a link to the WDW site regarding the Magical Beginnings they're going to feature in August and September. We're traveling with little ones , aged 1,2,and 3, so we're going to try it out!

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/experience/experienceLanding?id=PreschoolersExperiencePage

Bobbi

 

[disneyjunkie]

I would like to know this too!
Will a CM turn you away if you don't have a "little one" with you?

(and if they do, does being little at heart count?)

I really hope they aren't planning to turn onsite guest with older kids away.

I have a teen. I HAVE to do Dumbo. We both love Mickey's Philharmagic and Peter Pan.

I figure this extra hour will give a chance to get these rides/shows in before we focus on the big hitters.

I wish they would offer an early hour for the thrill riders!

 

[alicenwonder99]

Thank you!! Someone else has finally heard about this! I posted a question about this same thing a couple of weeks ago and all I got were replies that it is just a "regular" EMH morning but just worded differently. Which of course it's not!

I'm wondering how crowded Fantasyland will be those mornings. People will be heading to MK and the only land open is Fantasyland. I'm thinking it will be so crowded that morning. Then, if people aren't hopping, it may stay crowded all day.

However, I'm still planning on going (lol). We're planning on getting to MK for the Fantasyland EMH and then leaving MK early, like around 11am-noon. Then hop to another park for the evening.

It will be interesting to see how the crowds are for that day.

Mary

 

[bobcat]

It will be interesting to see what the crowds are like since only Fantasyland is open. We always do Fantasyland during EMH because that is the only time you can ride without humongous lines. My kids are older now, 13 and 11, but we still like the rides in Fantasyland. Without the other lands being open on these EMH days my fear would be that the crowds would be much larger.

 

[kc&dmom]

I don't think anyone would be turned away from Magical Beginnings It's just kind of hard to plan around. We are arriving on Wed. 8/23 and 8/24 is Morning EMH at MK and Fri., 8/25 is Magical Beginnings----Sunday, 8/27 is Evening EMH, so Saturday at MK??? I thought it was always best to avoid Saturday at MK no matter the time of year. AGGHH! Our first trip in '02 we walked on all rides, in '04 we had to use several strategies to keep out of lines and park evenings were mobbed. I wonder how much impact free dining and Magical beginnings will have .

Looking for any expert August planner opinions! Anyone??!

 

[bethbuchall]

I would like to know this too!
Will a CM turn you away if you don't have a "little one" with you?

(and if they do, does being little at heart count?)

The way that I read it, it will be for all on-site guests. My youngest is 7, but we're going to give it a try one day (I think) even if just to be in the park a bit earlier.

Of course, if people think it's only for little kids, maybe the crowds will be a little lower.

Beth

 

[bethbuchall]

Off topic, but I just noticed this quote from the Disney page:

Epcot® Guest Tip! "Don't miss Cranium Command. It's really funny. Especially the chicken part."
-Noah, Age 5 1/2

How long has it been since Cranium Command was open?!

Beth

 

[elgerber]

Since mine are not really little anymore, I haven't been paying attention to this. Is this just August and September? Sounds like I would want to avoid it, if we aren't taking little ones.

Thanks!

 

[frayedend]

Since everyone seems to want to use Magical Beginnings regardless of their childrens age I think it will probably not be much of a benefit. I personally have 2 children aged 3 and 5 and would have loved the opportunity to get them on the rides without having to wait in long lines. Little ones don't do as well in hour long lines and fast pass is not always available at all the rides. Since this benefit is advertised as "for little ones" I would think the parents of older kids would just wait and go later. Here is what the website says (though the detail of how it works and rules are scarce)...

"Magical Beginnings is a new program devoted to families with little ones. Designed to make a Disney vacation with young children easy and fun, it's the perfect introduction to planning an enchanting visit. With age-appropriate attractions, entertainment and special services, traveling is a breeze. Plus, with the tips and tools you'll find here, it's never been easier to plan a truly memorable experience with your little ones.

 

[georgina]

It does say it is for all Disney Resort guests, however, not just those with little ones. My kids are older and I can barely drag them out of bed by 9 AM, so we won't be doing any morning EMH, we'll be doing all late nights. I don't think you'll have to worry about it being overwhelmed with people, it will probably be like any other EMH morning.

Another plus is that not many people have heard about it yet - I had never heard about it until now.

 

[scouthawkk]

I understood it to be geared towards families with preschoolers. My question is how long after regular park opening does Fantasy Land open normally? The day we are going, MK is scheduled to open at 9am, and it is not a regualr EMH day...but it is scheduled to be a Magical Beginnings day, where FL opens 1 hour early for (what I understand to be) families with preschoolers. So, with park opening at 9, would FL normally open at 10, or would I have to be there at 8 to take advantage of this? As usual, I wish they would provide a bit more detail on this...

...and more details on the concerts at Playhouse Disney at MGM as well!

 

[frayedend]

I understood it to be geared towards families with preschoolers. My question is how long after regular park opening does Fantasy Land open normally? The day we are going, MK is scheduled to open at 9am, and it is not a regualr EMH day...but it is scheduled to be a Magical Beginnings day, where FL opens 1 hour early for (what I understand to be) families with preschoolers. So, with park opening at 9, would FL normally open at 10, or would I have to be there at 8 to take advantage of this? As usual, I wish they would provide a bit more detail on this...

...and more details on the concerts at Playhouse Disney at MGM as well!

I agree. There isn't a lot of detail. I would assume that FL opens normally when the park opens, but I don't know. And they don't give details of the concerts either. Like when, where, etc.. But being that it is new, I'm sure they haven't even got all the details worked out. We shall see in August.

 

[osukristin227]

I'm starting to feel a little guilty for wanting to crash the little ones EMH...I don't want to read a month afterwards threads upon threads commenting on bigger kids ruining the whole point of the little ones EMH! But we love FL so much and would love to be there early!

maybe they will have little ones to rent on the way in so I don't feel so bad!

I second the early hour for thrill riders, disneyjunkie!

 

[abeyst]

I just went to the web site, but I didn't see any times for EMH, only times for the concerts. Is it Friday the 25th?

 

[frayedend]

I'm starting to feel a little guilty for wanting to crash the little ones EMH...I don't want to read a month afterwards threads upon threads commenting on bigger kids ruining the whole point of the little ones EMH! But we love FL so much and would love to be there early!

maybe they will have little ones to rent on the way in so I don't feel so bad!

I second the early hour for thrill riders, disneyjunkie!

You can rent my little ones while I go on the thrill rides

 

[kc&dmom]

Since everyone seems to want to use Magical Beginnings regardless of their childrens age I think it will probably not be much of a benefit. I personally have 2 children aged 3 and 5 and would have loved the opportunity to get them on the rides without having to wait in long lines. Little ones don't do as well in hour long lines and fast pass is not always available at all the rides.

Frayedend---I don't think you have to worry about Fantasyland being overwhelmed. We have toured twice at the end of August with kids your age and were able to ride every attraction repeatedly. For Disney to be offering so much in this time frame, Magical Beginnings and Free Dining bookings must be low and you should enjoy similar access as we have had in the past. No need to get all upset.

I started this thread thinking---if families with small children enter the parks & fantasy land early; assuming there will be a significant amount of them; when the rest of the park opens will those families cause a huge jam at rides such as Buzz Lightyear, Thundermountain and such (they were huge hits when my kids were 6, 4, & 3) when the 9 am crowd arrives and make most suggested touring plans go out the window??? Technically we should be able to get into the park early and probably waiting at some sort of rope drop at tomorrowland?? I know this is new and it might be best just to drop into wait and see mode but . . . . . Still hoping for some constructive ideas or thoughts!!