EMH -- Why avoid them?

[MonkeytoesMama]

I'm a newbie here, so I'm reading as much as I can, and I keep seeing references to avoiding parks with EMH.

However, DH and I are planning to take our crew to the park with the EMH for a couple of hours in the morning and then hopping to a different park for the rest of the day.

Does this typically work out badly? I can understand that parks with EMH probably tend to be busier for the day, but are they actually busier during the EMH?

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

We almost always do the morning EMH. The parks are not that crowded right away. We did Epcot once two days in a row, and I could not believe the difference between EMH and regular day. the regular day was so much more crowded right from the start.

Especially for MK, you can do most of fantasyland and some of tomorrowland before the crowds start building.


Alot of people do what you mentioned and hop to another park. We don't always do that and we still have a great time.

Have fun!

 

[Robo]

I'm a newbie here, so I'm reading as much as I can, and I keep seeing references to avoiding parks with EMH.

However, DH and I are planning to take our crew to the park with the EMH for a couple of hours in the morning and then hopping to a different park for the rest of the day.

Does this typically work out badly? I can understand that parks with EMH probably tend to be busier for the day, but are they actually busier during the EMH?

Never attending EMH's because they will be too crowded
is like never eating grapes because they will be too sour.

CAN be that way.
Doesn't HAVE to be that way.

Each EMH experience can be different.

We always go to AM EMH (virtually every day of the trip
that we did not do a PM EMH late the night before)...
never ONCE regretted an AM EMH... they are amazingly
empty and easy to ride the open attractions.
If that park THEN starts to fill 2 to 3 hours later...
We're happy with "doing" that park for the day and we
can HOP elsewhere or do lunch and take a rest until
later.

PM EMH's are a mixed bag. I've been when they were
PACKED... but on other nights (sometimes within the
same trip), the crowds were basically so low that it
was like "free rides" on all the open attractions.

Generally speaking:
Expect a PM EMH which BEGINS before 10PM to be much busier than one that BEGINS much later.
Expect the FIRST 90 min. of PM EMH to be much busier than the LAST 90 min. of PM EMH.

Those who have attended PM EMH's and say that "they
are TOO CROWDED" are right... but ONLY for the nights
they may have attended.
I can say, from personal experience, that they CAN be
EMPTY, or FULL or somewhere IN-BETWEEN for attendance,
often within the same week.

We went to PM EMH at AK on a Wed night and PM EMH at MK
on a Sun night (early Spring visit.)
The EMH's were so EMPTY that we could have
stayed on many attractions and ridden around and around.
This included Splash, BTM, and Pirates (and many more) at
MK, and Exp. Everest, Kali, and Dinosaur at AK. And
the crowds during the DAY at these parks were very
LARGE... within the first hour of EMH, they simply
"evaporated."

But, it can change so much (either way), that saying
it was "like X" on a given night, can be meaningless
on another night in the same time-period. So, you
simply don't KNOW unless you go.
It's similar to saying
that you attended on a given night and it rained, so
guests should never go on that night because it will
probably be rainy.

The rule seems to be, it is far easier for guests to
STAY UP at the end of the day, than it is for them to
GET UP at the start of the day.

And, considering that EMH's are FREE to attend...
if it's too busy, just people-watch... or hit the exit.
(Where ELSE are ya gonna go at 10pm, anyway?)

But, if its not busy... you're ALL SET for EXTRA FUN!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[dburg30]

Yea what robo said lol..


If you do AM EMH you do want to get there and use it. Get there early so you are ready to get in and get going. While you still get some use out of part of an AM it's only an hour, so if you want to maximize, get there early.

 

[LWatson]

We usually do only AM EMH for MK and PM EMH for DHS (for the playhouse disney dance party). AM EMH for MK is great!!!! It is a lot less crowded then as people usually dont get there till after 10.

 

[danny1649]

Early EMH we arrive very early so we are in the first few few hundred in.We do a lot and see alot in those first 3 hours.Then when crowds are building we stop have early lunch back at resort then then go to non EMH park.

 

[mom2rtk]

The general thinking behind telling people to avoid EMH is this:

People plot out what parks they will do well in advance of their trip. Many staying onsite have heard about this EMH thing and pick the park with the EMH every day. In reality, many who PLANNED to get up early just can't drag themselves out of bed, but still have that day planned and go to that park anyway, making the park busier than a non-EMH day ALL DAY.

The general recommendation is that you should ONLY choose to go to an EMH park if you plan to FULLY take advantage of the EMH. Be there at early rope drop. If it's an evening EMH, stay as close to the end as you can. Otherwise, the only advantage you get is bigger crowds.

We have always used the early EMH at the MK and loved it. But we ARE there at rope drop or before. You can get more done in that hour then any other hour in the park.

 

[khertz]

If you have hoppers, your plan should work. The problem is that people who don't have hoppers will probably choose to go to a park that has either am or pm EMH, and are then stuck in that park the rest of the day, making it more crowded. This in addition to some of the reasons posted by other posters. If you have hoppers, though, and you actually make it to the am EMH park before RD and leave once the park starts getting crowded, that is a good strategy. Hop to a park without EMH and enjoy (hopefully!) lower crowds. Then if there is a park with pm EMH and you feel like staying up late, head out and enjoy those.

 

[Lees3rwe]

If AK has EMH in the evening when you are there... GO...
It was empty... we rode Ex. Evererst like 4 times and Kali Rapids 3 times in a row~!

 

[jpolak]

Never attending EMH's because they will be too crowded
is like never eating grapes because they will be too sour.

CAN be that way.
Doesn't HAVE to be that way.

Each EMH experience can be different.

We always go to AM EMH (virtually every day of the trip
that we did not do a PM EMH late the night before)...
never ONCE regretted an AM EMH... they are amazingly
empty and easy to ride the open attractions.
If that park THEN starts to fill 2 to 3 hours later...
We're happy with "doing" that park for the day and we
can HOP elsewhere or do lunch and take a rest until
later.

PM EMH's are a mixed bag. I've been when they were
PACKED... but on other nights (sometimes within the
same trip), the crowds were basically so low that it
was like "free rides" on all the open attractions.

Generally speaking:
Expect a PM EMH which BEGINS before 10PM to be much busier than one that BEGINS much later.
Expect the FIRST 90 min. of PM EMH to be much busier than the LAST 90 min. of PM EMH.

Those who have attended PM EMH's and say that "they
are TOO CROWDED" are right... but ONLY for the nights
they may have attended.
I can say, from personal experience, that they CAN be
EMPTY, or FULL or somewhere IN-BETWEEN for attendance,
often within the same week.

We went to PM EMH at AK on a Wed night and PM EMH at MK
on a Sun night (early Spring visit.)
The EMH's were so EMPTY that we could have
stayed on many attractions and ridden around and around.
This included Splash, BTM, and Pirates (and many more) at
MK, and Exp. Everest, Kali, and Dinosaur at AK. And
the crowds during the DAY at these parks were very
LARGE... within the first hour of EMH, they simply
"evaporated."

But, it can change so much (either way), that saying
it was "like X" on a given night, can be meaningless
on another night in the same time-period. So, you
simply don't KNOW unless you go.
It's similar to saying
that you attended on a given night and it rained, so
guests should never go on that night because it will
probably be rainy.

The rule seems to be, it is far easier for guests to
STAY UP at the end of the day, than it is for them to
GET UP at the start of the day.

And, considering that EMH's are FREE to attend...
if it's too busy, just people-watch... or hit the exit.
(Where ELSE are ya gonna go at 10pm, anyway?)

But, if its not busy... you're ALL SET for EXTRA FUN!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

What he said.

 

[Deb & Bill]

MK EMH in the morning is good for getting on those attractions that get long lines later on in the morning. We'll hit MK EMH for most mornings it is offered. Even the other parks have attractions that we love so we go for those and leave a few hours later. EMH at the water parks, especially those for the morning, are always good. Except at TL, they may have the wave pool closed while they finish surfing lessons for about a half hour of the hour.

My son and husband love EMH evenings at any park and will stay into the early hours of the morning. I'm usually in bed when they get home from the parks.

 

[twokids0204]

Personally I avoid grapes, because the tend to be to sour.

 

[kikiq]

We usually do only AM EMH for MK and PM EMH for DHS (for the playhouse disney dance party). AM EMH for MK is great!!!! It is a lot less crowded then as people usually dont get there till after 10.

YES!!! I second this. We do early mornings and leave at noon during the summer. You can't believe the numbers of people who come to the parks later in the mornings.

 

[mousireid]

If we do EMH in the Am we are out by lunch and HAVE accomplished a LOT. If we have hoppers or are leaving for an afternoon break and returning at night FPs in hand we'll do great. I have noticed that some parks ARE busier as the day continues because all the EMHrs, then park openers, the regular crowds come in and many people tend to think, ooooh extra hours lets go to THAT park today. I dunno about evebing EMhs - never been able to go to one!
I still go if thats where I wanna be!

 

[Deb & Bill]

YES!!! I second this. We do early mornings and leave at noon during the summer. You can't believe the numbers of people who come to the parks later in the mornings.

Oh, yeah. When we leave at about 10:30, there is a giant mass of humanity coming down Main Street at us. Almost hard to get through them all.

 

[MommyJack]

If AK has EMH in the evening when you are there... GO...
It was empty... we rode Ex. Evererst like 4 times and Kali Rapids 3 times in a row~!

You guys must have been soaked to the bone. Even with ponchos DD and I got wet.

 

[kaligal]

I avoid them at night because they're just too crowded for my taste.

There aren't that many morning ones anymore, so it isn't hard to avoid them, lol. I'll go to one IF it happens to work into my schedule, anyway. But I have found that I get as much done from opening until 11:30 in a non-EMH park as I do in an EMH park. They do get super-crowded after that first hour.

Since skipping one gives me an extra hour with which I can do as I please, I'm also fine with skipping the early ones.

But I actively avoid the night ones. Jeepers. Not for me.

 

[TisBit]

If you are doing early EMH, just plan to be there early...there is no sense going to early EMH if you don't get there when the park opens, if you come in at 830 or 845 you are minimizing your returns IMHO.

If we are running late I will usually switch up and just make rope drop somewhere else....you can get a lot done during AM EMH and even AM rope drops, but after an hour or two you will just be in a normal everyday crowd with lines.