DHS/Toy Story Land "Early Morning Magic" (EMM) FAQ & Discussion

[chris benton]

Even if they refunded 1/2 the cost for everyone, I think that would be reasonable. They would at least covered the food costs

I honestly feel the same way. A partial refund would be great. I even mentioned it to the CM I spoke to on the phone. I'm not trying to be unreasonable about this at all. The food was actually pretty good - the shrimp and grits surprised the heck out of me, the chicken strips and donuts were better than I expected. The Chilaquiles dish was just ok, the avocado toast was, well, they poached the eggs to DEATH, they should have just not even bothered with the egg. My biggest complaint is that one of our party did NOT get the fastpasses, even though the cm scanned his band. We left hollyweird after walking to the front after breakfast (just before rope drop,) to jump on RNR and TOT a few times each in a row with our FP's, and found out that one of us got screwed. DW gave up her MB (she doesn't do the big thrill rides,) and went to Guest Serv, and they added ONE FP to the mb that didn't get the two that it should have.

We still hopped over to MK and CRUSHED about 11 fp's after about 11am - it was glorious. Good ones, too. Wound up having a great day, but we had to get up early for emm, and missed out on what was offered (and paid for.)

 

[Lisa F]

Once Slinky Dog went down, there were cast members in Toy Story Land to speak to. At first they were offering two anytime fast passes (which we took).I spoke to a gentleman named Kevin. He said that if the ride continued to be down for the duration of the event that they would be offering refunds. After a few more rides and photos, we went back to where the cast members were stationed. This time we spoke to the head of the event, Jessica. She was very friendly and offered us a refund on the event. She marked our name down in her computer and told us to stop in at Guest Services and let them know we were at Early Morning Magic and that we were to be refunded. She then told us to enjoy the rest of our time in Toy Story Land and to make sure we caught breakfast.

We left Toy Story Land at 8:45. We went to ABC Commissary to grab breakfast. Jessica was there talking to other tables, I assumed that she was providing refund information to them as well. However, I spoke to the people at the table next to mine and they had no knowledge of the refund. I pointed out who she needed to speak to and we went to enjoy the rest of the park.

At around 10:30 I stopped by Guest Services. I waited about 5 minutes to be helped. They were very accommodating and issued us a gift card in the amount that we spent on the event. Honestly, it couldn't have worked out any better for us. I am super happy with how we were treated, but a little disappointed that my fellow guests were not treated equitably. Doesn't seem fair to me. If I knew that someone got a refund and I did not, I think I would push back pretty hard to receive equal treatment.

I really hope this helps anyone else who was at the event on the 5th. And also anyone who goes in the future and has a similar experience.

Thanks for taking the time to post. Know Disney did the right thing and how to advocate for myself takes some anxiety out of wondering what would happen if something similar happened to us. I hope everyone who was there that day is treated as fairly!

 

[kniquy]

I spoke to the people at the table next to mine and they had no knowledge of the refund. I pointed out who she needed to speak to and we went to enjoy the rest of the park.

I can't understand how they would offer refunds to some but not others. It is certainly very easy for them to confirm all who went, send emails that they can call, stop by guest services at any park etc to complete there refund. It is unfortunate that they did not treat all guest equally in this situation. Hopefully this ride breakdown is an isolated event but thankfully because of your reports we all know to speak up before we leave the park.

 

[otten]

I can't understand how they would offer refunds to some but not others. It is certainly very easy for them to confirm all who went, send emails that they can call, stop by guest services at any park etc to complete there refund. It is unfortunate that they did not treat all guest equally in this situation. Hopefully this ride breakdown is an isolated event but thankfully because of your reports we all know to speak up before we leave the park.

My experience with a failed MK EMM (both mine train and Pooh down the whole time) was that guest recovery was super inconsistent. Some got refunds, some got a couple anytime fast passes and everyone was able to use their emm wristband as a fp on those rides until noon.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Yeah, there was an MK EMM date several months ago with extended ride downtime, probably the same one @otten notes. Reports on the MK EMM thread indicated inconsistent guest recovery, with seemingly no apparent reason from guest to guest. I’m not entirely surprised at the reports above. Obviously an unfortunate situation.

 

[dachsie]

I pray this doesn't happen on my day cause I am literally leaving the event to catch DME to the airport

 

[kabbie]

I just realized that the date (Wed 1/30) I wanted to go is sold out for a party of 3+. Is it possible that it would open up more availability or should I call?
Have many dates sold out?

 

[rxbeth]

I just realized that the date (Wed 1/30) I wanted to go is sold out for a party of 3+. Is it possible that it would open up more availability or should I call?
Have many dates sold out?

Did they have 7 and 730 Slots? I can't remember. I'm booked for that day for 2. I was hoping it wouldn't be sold out.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I just realized that the date (Wed 1/30) I wanted to go is sold out for a party of 3+. Is it possible that it would open up more availability or should I call?
Have many dates sold out?

Since people cancel easily, EMM is a bit too dynamic to accurately track sold out dates. Although many have had no availability come event time so far.

At the moment 1/30 only has the 7:30AM slot on the website.... I suspect the 7:00AM slot will be added at some point, so keep an eye out. Usually when I’m in “watch” mode for something I bookmark the page and check quickly each morning just out of habit.

Good luck.

 

[TinkSassy]

I attended yesterday- November 7. I am staying at Pop and they told me we would have a bus at 6:15 - ended up getting a bus at 6:50. Tight but was in TSL by 7:25 - I had a 7am reservation and there was no separation. I met Woody and Jessie at 7:35 and then went to *** as everyone had headed to SDD. No wait there. Then over to SDD where it was a 10 minute wait. I had asked for a seat toward the back and had some issues with a large party rearranging on me so second row. Little magic there as the CM that witnessed it called me through the handicap gate and put me right back on in the back row. Said thank you for not making an issue. So - count I got all 3 characters, 3x on SDD, 2x on ***, 1x on TSMM and walked out at 8:55 meeting the RD crowd. Walked on ST before eating. Breakfast was good but nothing special.

 

[mster425]

I am going to cancel this event for 11/26 for 4 people- I got FP's, we will have the DAS, and DS wants to do the Albatross Cruise that AM

All that to say- if you are looking to attend this morning message me and I can try to coordinate.

 

[DisneyToddlers]

We went to the event yesterday, Wednesday, 10/7. There was a longer than expected wait at SDD (posted as 20 minutes) for a good portion of it but it did go a bit quicker. It was very frustrating to pay so much and have to wait in that Cue! On our way out of Toy Story Land - a photo pass photographer asked me what I thought of the event and told me that that date was busier than he had seen it before at that event. He confirmed my feeling that it was just too crowded and oversold. Plus the food was just ok... over cooked eggs, and nothing wowed us at all. I will probably contact guest relations about it being oversold -especially since the photo pass photographer mentioned that.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hadn’t done a run through of the “sold out” status of dates in awhile, so was curious as to how things look at the moment.

The table below indicates # of available bookable spots for TSL EMM dates through Jan.

“14+” = more than 14 (since the max you can book online is 14).

I was struck by the fact that so many dates are in fact sold out, or very close to it. No wonder they hastily added Fridays a few days ago.

Remember since EMM is cancelable, this data is dynamic and subject to change. It’s really only accurate at this very second, but shows an interesting trend none-the-less.

 

[mster425]

Hadn’t done a run through of the “sold out” status of dates in awhile, so was curious as to how things look at the moment.

The table below indicates # of available bookable spots for TSL EMM dates through Jan.

“14+” = more than 14 (since the max you can book online is 14).

I was struck by the fact that so many dates are in fact sold out, or very close to it. No wonder they hastily added Fridays a few days ago.

Remember since EMM is cancelable, this data is dynamic and subject to change. It’s really only accurate at this very second, but shows an interesting trend none-the-less.

View attachment 364150

thanks!! looks like i could switch to the 30th, our departure day. I have a problem

 

[rxbeth]

So it looks like the next couple weeks will be a good indicator of what a "sold out" event looks like. Good to know! Hopefully we get quite a few reports back

 

[Alison S]

I need opinions, please! We leave tomorrow.

My initial plan was to do Epcot on Monday and DHS on Wednesday. We are doing the Christmas party Tues night, so the Wednesday EMM was out of the question!

I was playing around on the website and ended up finding availability for EMM on Monday. So I booked (knowing I could cancel).

Soooo....should we go? My reservation has always been the early hour and worrying about transportation to the park (staying at the Poly, taking the bus). Can anyone alleviate my concerns? Is there really going to be a bus at 6:30?

I would also need to change all my FPs, but there seems to be lots of availability for Wed at Epcot, and I wouldn't really need any at DHS.

 

[FCDub]

I need opinions, please! We leave tomorrow.

My initial plan was to do Epcot on Monday and DHS on Wednesday. We are doing the Christmas party Tues night, so the Wednesday EMM was out of the question!

I was playing around on the website and ended up finding availability for EMM on Monday. So I booked (knowing I could cancel).

Soooo....should we go? My reservation has always been the early hour and worrying about transportation to the park (staying at the Poly, taking the bus). Can anyone alleviate my concerns? Is there really going to be a bus at 6:30?

I would also need to change all my FPs, but there seems to be lots of availability for Wed at Epcot, and I wouldn't really need any at DHS.

If you search this thread for "bus" you can find the experiences of others.

 

[dachsie]

I need opinions, please! We leave tomorrow.

My initial plan was to do Epcot on Monday and DHS on Wednesday. We are doing the Christmas party Tues night, so the Wednesday EMM was out of the question!

I was playing around on the website and ended up finding availability for EMM on Monday. So I booked (knowing I could cancel).

Soooo....should we go? My reservation has always been the early hour and worrying about transportation to the park (staying at the Poly, taking the bus). Can anyone alleviate my concerns? Is there really going to be a bus at 6:30?

I would also need to change all my FPs, but there seems to be lots of availability for Wed at Epcot, and I wouldn't really need any at DHS.

If you have parkhoppers, you could just go to EP after the EMM and not have to move anything. I would check with your concierge the day before about buss but be willing to call for Uber or Lyft must in case. I would keep it if you really want to do it

 

[suzymouse724]

We were at EMM on 11/7. First a huge thank you to everyone on this thread who previously posted their experiences, it was extremely helpful for us in navigating the event.

We stayed at the Grand Floridian. I was nervous about the buses so booked Mears taxi for 6:30. That worked out great and we were at Hollywood Studios just after 6:45. However, as we were walking to the taxi at the Floridain a bus going to the Studios pulled up.... but you never know so I was happy we booked a taxi.

We were checked in and then held at the tapstyles for a few minutes. A few minutes before 7 they let us in. They directed everyone to the commissary. We took the kids to the bathroom, grabbed coffee and pastries and then waited outside near the Chinese Theater. They started walking everyone back to toy story land at 7:14. We were at the front of the pack and the second family in line for slinky. However, they held us at the end of the bridge right before the que. Slinky apparently had a mechanical issue earlier in the morning and they were still going through tests. We waited almost 10 minutes before we were allowed in the que and on the ride. We were on the first ride of the morning and were off the ride right at 7:30. At that point there was a very long line for the ride.

We headed to the Alien Saucers. Did it twice in a row. My kids are 7 and 5 and we all laughed the entire time. At this point there was a posted wait for Slinky for 20 mins. I tried convincing the kids we should do toy story mania, but they insisted on slinky again. We waited about 15 minutes. We then did toy story mania, which had no line.

It was then almost 8:30. We did slinky again with only a 5 minute wait. Did aliens again with no wait. Got back in line for Slinky at 8:40 and there was no line. However, as we got to the front we were stopped and a tour group was let on in front of everyone there for EMM. I have no idea what the group was for, but they took up 2 full slinkys. This was my only real complaint about the event. Had it not been for the group we would have had time for an additional ride on Slinky before the rope drop crows made its way to toy story land. As it turns out we saw them approaching as we were on the ride. It was quite something to see! It made me very thankful for doing EMM.

My son and I then went for a quick ride on Tower of Terror which had no wait. We then met my husband and daughter at the breakfast. Breakfast was good and we were all happy to sit in the air conditioning and relax for a bit!

It was a very hot day, and I honestly can’t imagine waiting in those lines mid-day. Overall we had a great time, and for us it was well worth the money. It was a little more crowded then I thought it would be, but we still had plenty of time on the rides. In total:

Slinky - 4x
Aliens -3x
Toy story - 1x

My kids were not interested in the characters. The line for Woody and Jesse was very long, Buzz was short.

 

[rxbeth]

We were at EMM on 11/7. First a huge thank you to everyone on this thread who previously posted their experiences, it was extremely helpful for us in navigating the event.

We stayed at the Grand Floridian. I was nervous about the buses so booked Mears taxi for 6:30. That worked out great and we were at Hollywood Studios just after 6:45. However, as we were walking to the taxi at the Floridain a bus going to the Studios pulled up.... but you never know so I was happy we booked a taxi.

We were checked in and then held at the tapstyles for a few minutes. A few minutes before 7 they let us in. They directed everyone to the commissary. We took the kids to the bathroom, grabbed coffee and pastries and then waited outside near the Chinese Theater. They started walking everyone back to toy story land at 7:14. We were at the front of the pack and the second family in line for slinky. However, they held us at the end of the bridge right before the que. Slinky apparently had a mechanical issue earlier in the morning and they were still going through tests. We waited almost 10 minutes before we were allowed in the que and on the ride. We were on the first ride of the morning and were off the ride right at 7:30. At that point there was a very long line for the ride.

We headed to the Alien Saucers. Did it twice in a row. My kids are 7 and 5 and we all laughed the entire time. At this point there was a posted wait for Slinky for 20 mins. I tried convincing the kids we should do toy story mania, but they insisted on slinky again. We waited about 15 minutes. We then did toy story mania, which had no line.

It was then almost 8:30. We did slinky again with only a 5 minute wait. Did aliens again with no wait. Got back in line for Slinky at 8:40 and there was no line. However, as we got to the front we were stopped and a tour group was let on in front of everyone there for EMM. I have no idea what the group was for, but they took up 2 full slinkys. This was my only real complaint about the event. Had it not been for the group we would have had time for an additional ride on Slinky before the rope drop crows made its way to toy story land. As it turns out we saw them approaching as we were on the ride. It was quite something to see! It made me very thankful for doing EMM.

My son and I then went for a quick ride on Tower of Terror which had no wait. We then met my husband and daughter at the breakfast. Breakfast was good and we were all happy to sit in the air conditioning and relax for a bit!

It was a very hot day, and I honestly can’t imagine waiting in those lines mid-day. Overall we had a great time, and for us it was well worth the money. It was a little more crowded then I thought it would be, but we still had plenty of time on the rides. In total:

Slinky - 4x
Aliens -3x
Toy story - 1x

My kids were not interested in the characters. The line for Woody and Jesse was very long, Buzz was short.

Thanks for the review! The tour group going ahead of everyone during EMM would not make me happy.