Avoiding Parks with EMH?

[HoundDog83]

Hello Everyone! My family and I (myself, wife, >1yr old daughter, 4 yr old daughter, and 7yr old son) will be visiting Disney World in Mid-May for and it will be the first time for all of us.
In doing some reading/research, it appears that unless you plan on being there for the EMH in a park, it is best to avoid that park for the day due to the extra crowds. Because of the small kids we did not buy Hopper Tickets and had planned on doing a different Park each day with breaks back at the hotel during the day.
My question for the group is this:
Since it is my first time and I don't have Hopper Tickets, should I avoid the parks that are offering EMH on that day in order to reduce wait times in the park overall and have a more enjoyable experience?

Thank you in advance for your help and your patience with my bumbling question!

Regards,
HoudDog83

 

[sharonabe]

It depends on how your family sleeps. If you're early risers anyway, I'd take advantage of the early EMH at MK at least. If you're night owls, I'd say the same, plan on a late EMH at MK. EP could also be an early one for you so you can get a couple of the Tier 1 rides without a FP+. Same with AK if you don't get a FP+ for Flight of Passage. Personally, the late EMH at EP isn't worth it to me because there just isn't enough open to spread out the crowds.

It's the middle of the day that seems more crowded in the EMH parks, and since you plan a break then anyway, I don't think you'll feel the extra crowded once you get back in the evenings. Those morning EMHs are golden and you'll get a lot done in that hour and the hour right after. The majority of people just don't want to get up early while on vacation. The other plus to the morning EMH is the ONLY people in the parks are those staying onsite; you can't get in if you're staying offsite. However, the evening EMH may still FEEL crowded because guests staying offsite can stay in the park during EMH, but they can't enter any attractions, so wait times do go down some. MK is the only park I'd do late EMH, and even then, if the park closes at 9:00, making the late EMH only until 11:00, the crowds will stay as that just isn't that late.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

To DISBoards @HoundDog83!

Our kids have been 1-7 in our Disney travels, so I can relate to your question. Personally, I do subscribe to the “avoid the park with EMHs” theory under ‘most’ circumstances. We have faithfully lived by it for years.

BUT, I do think there are exceptions for certain times, parks, and AM vs PM EMHs.

For example, I find MK AM EMHs an appealing option with the kiddos. I just may not plan to stay there all day. But for AM EMH and a few hours after rope drop - I’m going to cover some ground!

PM EMHs have not really worked for us, more often than not (with bedtimes and such) so those have always been an easy skip for us (both skipping EMHs and skipping the park that has them that day).

Lots of ways to plan/strategize, but that tends to work for us.

Happy planning!

 

[PSUGuy]

We've avoided EMH parks since Jan 2005 when EMH first appeared. Works for us to just hit another park at RD.

Bill From PA

 

[disneydreamer1980]

If you can’t hop, skip EMH parks I’d say.

 

[AFwifelife]

We also make it to most morning EMH if they are available and never to evening EMH (currently have a 4 and almost 3 year old). If you aren't plannign using EHM at all, I would avoid the parks they are at.

 

[OneinThree]

My practical, personal experience is that while the vast majority of "strategies" to see the parks work only to add stress and constrict you during your vacation, avoiding EMH as much as possible is very good idea. Every time we end up at park with EMH in the morning in particular, the crowds are terrible.

 

[HoundDog83]

To DISBoards @HoundDog83!

Our kids have been 1-7 in our Disney travels, so I can relate to your question. Personally, I do subscribe to the “avoid the park with EMHs” theory under ‘most’ circumstances. We have faithfully lived by it for years.

BUT, I do think there are exceptions for certain times, parks, and AM vs PM EMHs.

For example, I find MK AM EMHs an appealing option with the kiddos. I just may not plan to stay there all day. But for AM EMH and a few hours after rope drop - I’m going to cover some ground!

PM EMHs have not really worked for us, more often than not (with bedtimes and such) so those have always been an easy skip for us (both skipping EMHs and skipping the park that has them that day).

Lots of ways to plan/strategize, but that tends to work for us.

Happy planning!

Thank you for your response! There is only one AM EMH and it is on Monday after a very full and very late day at MK. As excited as my kids and my family will be I'm betting that they will be too tired to want to be at AK so early the next morning. I think ultimately, I will shuffle around our days (I need to move a reservation for Akershus and maybe a Breakfast at Ohana) in order to avoid the parks on the days that they offer EMH in order to minimize crowds and waiting.

Thanks again!

 

[DizneyMommy]

I just came looking for this exact advice but about AK! I see two camps, get there at RD and hit NRJ while waiting for our FoP FP, or avoid EMH day at all costs and get there at opening because there will be less people (lol - really?) Our TP CL's are around 5-7, mid June. Would you avoid the EMH or use it at AK for the advantage over guests who don't have it?
OR, get FoPh fast passes for late afternoon and hope the NRJ line goes down? (also LOL)

 

[disneydreamer1980]

For an EMH, I’d take advantage, tour the park til about 11/12 then hop to another park. Without hoppers, I’d just avoid that park. But that’s just me. We RDd NRJ and walked on pretty much, everyone else went to FoP.

 

[OneinThree]

Would you avoid the EMH or use it at AK for the advantage over guests who don't have it?

We were at AK before RD on January 8th, which was an EMH morning (we are residents, and our free time doesn't always line up with when we'd prefer to go). "Other guests who don't have it"? The place was a mob scene. It was so bad just trying to walk, we ended up cancelling the FP's we had and leaving by 11AM.

 

[DizneyMommy]

Mob Scene is my concern. @disneydreamer1980 how early did you get there to be able to do that? With grandparents and a 2yo in a stroller, I do NOT put ourselves in the middle of those crushing. pushing, running, shoving crowds. I just don't feel safe and have you ever tried to push a stroller though one? GAH!! lol

 

[OneinThree]

Mob Scene is my concern. @disneydreamer1980 how early did you get there to be able to do that? With grandparents and a 2yo in a stroller, I do NOT put ourselves in the middle of those crushing. pushing, running, shoving crowds. I just don't feel safe and have you ever tried to push a stroller though one? GAH!! lol

In reality, it's less pushing and shoving and just more that it is very difficult to walk because you're never not in a tide of people. As someone whose seen all of Disney many times over, it's not a big deal for me to miss certain attractions because it's crowded. We leave when it's this bad because your day is basically spent bumping into and off of hoards of people.

 

[DizneyMommy]

In reality, it's less pushing and shoving and just more that it is very difficult to walk because you're never not in a tide of people. As someone whose seen all of Disney many times over, it's not a big deal for me to miss certain attractions because it's crowded. We leave when it's this bad because your day is basically spent bumping into and off of hoards of people.

That's exactly how we are with DL. I've had a pass since it cost $99 with free parking and no BO dates, and we are lucky to be able to roll with it, ride the railroad around, get a dole whip, and get the heck out when its too crowded.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Mob Scene is my concern. @disneydreamer1980 how early did you get there to be able to do that? With grandparents and a 2yo in a stroller, I do NOT put ourselves in the middle of those crushing. pushing, running, shoving crowds. I just don't feel safe and have you ever tried to push a stroller though one? GAH!! lol

We got to the park around 7:45 for a 9:00 opening. Got thru bag check and into the park around 8:20. There were lots of people heading for FoP, but it wasn’t quite a mob scene yet. But the rest of the park (not Pandora) was empty for the first hour or so after opening.

 

[AFwifelife]

Having a stroller makes it easier to get through a crowd, especially one that is going in the opposite direction of where you want to go. The stroller goes in front and the rest of our party will file behind it (assuming you are using more than an umbrella stroller). I know many don't like using strollers or try to pick the smallest one feasible but I love having our big double strollers. People will definitely let a huge jogging stroller passed because they don't want to be flattened.

 

[DizneyMommy]

We got to the park around 7:45 for a 9:00 opening. Got thru bag check and into the park around 8:20. There were lots of people heading for FoP, but it wasn’t quite a mob scene yet. But the rest of the park (not Pandora) was empty for the first hour or so after opening.

Thanks! With disney busses I don't know if we can even get there that early. I'm thinking we should schedule FP's for FoP for early afternoon and just deal with the line for NRJ, and use the morning to tear through the rest of the park. But that doesn't seem to be a popular choice.

 

[CAS239]

Thanks! With disney busses I don't know if we can even get there that early. I'm thinking we should schedule FP's for FoP for early afternoon and just deal with the line for NRJ, and use the morning to tear through the rest of the park. But that doesn't seem to be a popular choice.

Disney buses start every morning about 6:30 am

 

[CAS239]

If you're on site and have park hoppers then I would definitely take part in emh. You're paying for it by the cost of being on site. Utilize the lower wait times and either hop to another park in the early afternoon when it's packed, or hop from another park to the emh park for PM EMH.

If you're on site without park hoppers, I would avoid emh. You'll get a little bit with lower crowds, but then everyone will pile in. A regular day+emh is always more busy than just a regular day

Off site..stay far from an emh park. I stay off site and when I pick what parks we go to on what days, a park with emh is the first one I rule out.