EMH mornings & nights...who uses them?

[bigjellyroll]

Does anyone faithfully follow EMH mornings or nights, and who all avoids them completely?

We stay up late, so we have a hard time with EMH mornings...so we usually go to whichever park had EMH mornings the day before hoping that most people wouldn't want to do the same park two mornings in a row.

I've heard that alot of people avoid EMH evenings, but that seems like the best time to me. We try to take a nap in the afternoon and get back to the park that is open late around 7 or 8, and save our energy until after the fireworks are over and most parents with toddlers head for the mad rush down main street.

Any other strategies?

 

[sistertrip]

We go to all of the evening EMHs that we can, but have only been to one morning one (and only because it was a later park opening to begin with). We've never had an unpleasant evening EMH; in fact, they're usually our favorite parts of our vacation. We usually do a different park during the day, then head to the evening EMH around or after dinnertime.

 

[boxer]

EMH evenings is an EXCELLENT time to go especially when Epcot or MK is open till 12/1AM or later. The park is DEAD after fireworks, and you don't have to worry about the hot sun, or high crowds.

EMH mornings I hate because I have to wake up early on vacation.

 

[larryhog]

I have to disagree with the previous people. We have been going to WDW for years now and have always used early morning entry and it is great. We just got back from vacation this week and used the evening emh for the first time and it was awful. We were at MK at 1am the big rides had waits of almost an hour and the rides in Fantsy land were all over 30 minutes. We were at MGM last Wednesday and we were able to do Star Tours and Muppets but I did not even try to get on RnR and ToT as the lines were extremely long even at midnight. With the experience we had I think the evening emh are a waste of time. I wish they would go back to the e-nights at MK. They were always much better.

 

[SadieDog]

EMH nights is fantastic. We would go to 1 park during the day, go back to the resort to eat at the food court then head to which ever park had EMH nights. Walk on rides!!! Can't ask for anything more than that! We avoided the parks with EMH mornings. 1st of all we stay up late and don't like to get up too early and 2nd I've heard the parks with EMH mornings are usually more busy. Worked well for us.

 

[ReneeA]

We almost always do the EMH mornings since my kids are very young and get up by 7 every morning anyway.

Even with going back for nap/relaxation/pool time in the afternoons, they are tired by 8-9 and we go back to the room then. The evenings that we attempted it were crazy busy and we left.

 

[Lileigh]

I have never done the evenings, as they didn't offer them the last time I was in WDW. They had just started to introduce them - though, if they are a regular thing now I might try those, as I am more of a night owl anyway.

I loved doing the early mornings - I know it seems like alot of people take advantage, but the lines are still shorter than during the day when the public is admitted. It might be a good idea to maybe switch off and on? Try a couple of evenings, and then a couple of mornings? Just a suggestion.

 

[klineyqueen]

We like EMH mornings because my kiddos wake up early anyway! We have a hard time doing late because the kids are sleeping in their strollers before the time even kicks in! I am sure if they were teenagers we would be doing the evenings and not the nights. They are a great idea but you need to see what fits your family!

 

[LadyZolt]

I think Larryhog has a point. It really depends on the time of year. We just went (first week of June) and EMH night at Epcot still had an hour-long wait for "Soarin'" although all the other open attractions were pretty much walk right on. At MK, before Spectromagic and Wishes, the wait for Peter Pan was over an hour. After Wishes when we went back to Peter Pan, it was 20 minutes, so we did it. But I imagine that later in June, and in July/August, there will be far more people doing EMH nights and the wait for Peter Pan will be just as long as it is before the park's scheduled closing times. But if you're going in less crowded times of the year (and even the first week of June isn't too bad yet because many places are still in school), the EMH nights are worth it.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[Kick Save]

We avoid them. Did one EMH evening at the MK last June, it was elbow to elbow. It's possible it clears out around 11 or so, but the childrens need to be in bed before 12:30 for us to enjoy the next day...at all.

However, boxer does give a pretty compelling reason as to why morning EMH visits will work...I'm guessing a lot of people subscribe to the "sleep in but stay up late" theory on vacation. (Though, we usually avoid the EMH Morning park, too...just lighter crowds elsewhre.)

 

[MelanieC]

I used to when it was the old EMH mornings only. Now that there are both mornings and evenings I do not use them at all. We avoid them like the plague!

 

[thunderbird1]

My dh's absolute favorite time in the parks is after dark (he feels there's more Disney "magic" once the sun goes down), so EMH evenings are a must for our family, no matter what time of year (summer=doesn't get dark until late; winter=parks close earlier). We have encountered some lines, mostly at Epcot (TT and Soarin'), but they're still way shorter than during the day. The big disadvantage I see to evening EMH is if you don't get to the park early enough, all the FP's are gone for the day (and dh could easily not arrive at the parks until mid-afternoon).

But I love the morning EMH for it's complete lack of lines. So while dh sleeps in, I take the kids, and let them do anything they want. (Last trip, we rode Buzz Lightyear 8 times in a row in the first 45 minutes we were there. 2 hours later, the wait to ride BL once was more than an hour.) I also try to take advantage of this time to acquire FP's that will be used later when we meet up with dh.

Other than my dd and I becoming completely zombified from lack of sleep (ds is still small enough to sneak a nap in his stroller), this works for us. Kids can still get maximum rides, dh can get maximum "magic," and I feel like I'm getting my $$ worth.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Here are some things to ponder for emh. None of em are hard and fast rules.

1. If you are staying offsite, avoid emh parks. You cannot take advantage of them and they will be more crowded.
2. If you do not have hoppers, avoid emh parks. The extra crowds throughout the day will likely eat up the time saved at the emh.
3. If you have hoppers, be prepared to hop out of the emh park in the case of morning emh, or in the case of evening emh, go to another park that day and hop over to it.
4. The less crowded it is in general, the more effective going to emh is. During really slack times, you may not even want to hop out of the emh park.
5. The later the evening emh in general, the less crowded it is. Of course that means you are less likely to want to get up for prime morning touring the next day.
6. If Disney ever adds an emh just before you go or while you're down there avoid that park and avoid that emh. Disney expects crowds. That's why it was added. Obviosly if they add one for the whole week, you're stuck. Just go when you otherwise would and take advantage of it if you can.
7. Weigh the time costs of attendance at an emh and hopping against the benefits of doing so. Also, Weigh whether the $ extra you're going to need for the hoppers is worth it.

As for us, we avoid them. We don't pay extra for hoppers and we do not go at all that slack a time. Even though it's not a completely slack time, the hours aren't such that we can go back for a nap. Our busses wouldn't even be full when we went to our parks. We sat and waited for them not in the queue, but on the shady benches. It was never more than about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, the emh park would be over a one bus wait in the queue. And in the case of MK on its emh's The thing is, nobody would see the difference in lines and make a change.

 

[hellokitty86]

I've never taken advantage of it before, but I plan to take advantage of the evening EMH when we go in September. I wish we could get up for the morning EMH, but that just aint happening!

Actually, on our arrival day, its the only time we will have evening EMH for Epcot. (We arrive on Friday and leave Friday.) We are getting into MCO at about 2:45, and have 8pm reservations for Le Cellier that night I was hoping to see Illuminations that night, but I guess that isn't going to happen. I guess I could see it the next night!

 

[drogerstn]

Here are some things to ponder for emh. None of em are hard and fast rules.

1. If you are staying offsite, avoid emh parks. You cannot take advantage of them and they will be more crowded.
2. If you do not have hoppers, avoid emh parks. The extra crowds throughout the day will likely eat up the time saved at the emh.
3. If you have hoppers, be prepared to hop out of the emh park in the case of morning emh, or in the case of evening emh, go to another park that day and hop over to it.
4. The less crowded it is in general, the more effective going to emh is. During really slack times, you may not even want to hop out of the emh park.
5. The later the evening emh in general, the less crowded it is. Of course that means you are less likely to want to get up for prime morning touring the next day.
6. If Disney ever adds an emh just before you go or while you're down there avoid that park and avoid that emh. Disney expects crowds. That's why it was added. Obviosly if they add one for the whole week, you're stuck. Just go when you otherwise would and take advantage of it if you can.
7. Weigh the time costs of attendance at an emh and hopping against the benefits of doing so. Also, Weigh whether the $ extra you're going to need for the hoppers is worth it.

As for us, we avoid them. We don't pay extra for hoppers and we do not go at all that slack a time. Even though it's not a completely slack time, the hours aren't such that we can go back for a nap. Our busses wouldn't even be full when we went to our parks. We sat and waited for them not in the queue, but on the shady benches. It was never more than about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, the emh park would be over a one bus wait in the queue. And in the case of MK on its emh's The thing is, nobody would see the difference in lines and make a change.

I like most of what you've written here but am a little confused on item #6. We have visited WDW when early openings were added to other parks on the 1st Saturday in June due to expected crowds at the MK. At that time, MK had the early entry morning on Saturdays.

 

[GarrettJD]

We avoid EMH parks and do those parks the next day--- for example, if the Magic Kingdom has EMH evening on, say, Tuesday (just an example), we'll go there on Wednesday. Seems to work well for us.


( to drogerstn from us in East Memphis )