EMH essential in May, or just nice?

[momof2n2]

preface to say we've never stayed onsite at WDW. Heading to DLRP in May and trying to decide between onsite (likely Sequoia Montana or Golden Forest) booked via UK site or offsite (likely Vienna Dream Castle). The breakfast and single FP would certainly be nice, but necessity of EMH & length-of-stay access is the clincher.
If offsite we'll buy 4-day tix.

Going 5/20-5/25. Thoughts?

 

[Petit_Rose]

We are booked into the GF rooms in Sequoia next September. I know that there are some HomeAway villas that are very close to the parks, personally I like on-site stays I think it adds to the magic. With GF room you get additional FP's and also a daily buffet of drinks, coffees and pastries in the hotel during specific hours included in the room price. The walk from Sequoia is very quick and picturesque as well. Alternatively you could book Newport Bay which has recently been renovated and is roughly the same price as Sequoia Lodge, their Compass Club rooms are also really reasonably priced and it's next to the Sequoia so the walk to the park is relatively the same distance, also the Hotel Cheyenne is undergoing refurbishment and their new Texas rooms look really really nice but its about a 20/25 minute walk to the park and is quite dusty because of the dirt tracks they have to replicate the wild west, but it's a very quiet hotel,

 

[momof2n2]

@Petit_Rose - do you feel like EMH is necessary in order to experience all the attractions? We will have four park days.

 

[adr2.8i]

i have been at the end of may/june a few years ago when it was a uk bank holiday and to be honest i didnt feel the need for EMH. the parks werent overly busy at all. To be honest only a handful of rides are even open during EMH.

we had 5 days and we did everything we needed to with 2 young children at a nice leisurely pace.

 

[Ms Poppins]

EMH is a highlight for me and I always want to have it. I adore Main St during EMH and really enjoy actually seeing the park without tripping over people. I like to get pictures without other people in them too. There is the added bonus of meeting characters in Town Square which is handy if you don't want to queue later in the day.

Discoveryland and Fantasyland are both open and usually the following rides:

Space Mountain
Buzz Lightyear
Orbitron
Peter Pan
Teacups
Carousel
Dumbos

If any of these are closed for a planned refurb they usually open something else instead.

I think it just depends what you like to do and see.

 

[momof2n2]

EMH is a highlight for me and I always want to have it. I adore Main St during EMH and really enjoy actually seeing the park without tripping over people. I like to get pictures without other people in them too. There is the added bonus of meeting characters in Town Square which is handy if you don't want to queue later in the day.

Discoveryland and Fantasyland are both open and usually the following rides:

Space Mountain
Buzz Lightyear
Orbitron
Peter Pan
Teacups
Carousel
Dumbos

If any of these are closed for a planned refurb they usually open something else instead.

I think it just depends what you like to do and see.

We like attractions a lot. A lot lot. . And rerides. It sounds lovely.

It was suggested to me elsewhere to buy annual passes, second-tier. This would allow us most of what we'd long for with onsite (no FP). It's only a little bit more than the cost of 4-day passes.

 

[Kevin_W]

We were there for 3 days in August and EMH was definitely not necessary, so I'd image even less so in May.

That said, I'd highly recommend them - the park was completely empty from 8-9 and 9-10 was still light. It was well worth the money and cost to walk around the empty park and walk onto the rides that were open.

For 4 days, have you priced out an annual pass? We stayed offsite and bought a Fantasy AP - it was ~$150USD more than a 3-day pass for our family of 3, and gave free parking, 10% off food and merchandise, and access to EMH. It was well worth it for us.

 

[Kevin_W]

We like attractions a lot. A lot lot. . And rerides. It sounds lovely.

It was suggested to me elsewhere to buy annual passes, second-tier. This would allow us most of what we'd long for with onsite (no FP). It's only a little bit more than the cost of 4-day passes.

Ah, I see that I was typing as you were about the AP.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I was there in February and for me EMH is a must. Its 2 hours 8am to 10am compared with 1 hour in the American Parks. I just love being in an almost empty park. Its the only time of the day you can get photos of The Castle, Main Street and Fantasyland with no randoms in the background. The Fantasyland and Discoveryland rides are high wait times during the day but during EMH they are walk ons. Also when you have access to EMH, you can line up at rides for the 10 am opening, which means you are first on the rides while the general public are still scrambling down Main Street. In February I was in the queue for Autopia at 9.45am, it opened at 10am, so a 15 minute wait. I was in the first rotation of the cars and when I left, the wait time was already at 40 minutes, at 10.15am!!!

The same with Pirates. I went over to the rope drop area at 9.45 am and I was the first person on Pirates. I was front seat in a boat on my own and the first boat to go through the ride that morning.

There are also an exclsive character meet and greet for EMH at Main Street Plaza. The characters used to be in the hotels during breakfast but they moved them to the parks during EMH last year.

 

[Petit_Rose]

@Petit_Rose - do you feel like EMH is necessary in order to experience all the attractions? We will have four park days.

It depends on your situation - if I was alone I'd definitely go into the park and get some nice photos and wander while there's barely any people. If you've got kids or there's many people in your party then I'd say skip the EMH to prevent stress

 

[momof2n2]

It depends on your situation - if I was alone I'd definitely go into the park and get some nice photos and wander while there's barely any people. If you've got kids or there's many people in your party then I'd say skip the EMH to prevent stress

Oh. LOL
My kids are commandos. Check my mini trip report. (6 kids, grandma & aunt to boot.) We stayed off site WDW and were in line an hour or more before RD each day.
We are serious about our park opens.
DH and I would easily capitalize on EMH!

 

[Petit_Rose]

Oh. LOL
My kids are commandos. Check my mini trip report. (6 kids, grandma & aunt to boot.) We stayed off site WDW and were in line an hour or more before RD each day.
We are serious about our park opens.
DH and I would easily capitalize on EMH!

Haha! If your kids are good with early mornings (mine really aren't unless they wake up first) then definitely go in and see the park before it gets busy, only certain rides are open in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland with 'RD's' in Frontierland and Adventureland. There's no one big rope drop in DLP just crowds waiting outside the two unopen lands and a tannoy announcement