EMH - yes or no?

[SnowWhite2]

The EMH program has expanded quite a bit since my last visit. We are going the second week of September. Is it worth staying for the evening EMH? Does it get really crowded?

Should you avoid the EMH parks during the regular hours and just attend the EMH hours?

What is your strategy?

 

[Robo]

The EMH program has expanded quite a bit since my last visit. We are going the second week of September. Is it worth staying for the evening EMH? Does it get really crowded?

Should you avoid the EMH parks during the regular hours and just attend the EMH hours?

What is your strategy?

Each EMH experience can be different.

I 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...
Were 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.

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.

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. Its 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.

But, considering EMH's are FREE to attend... if its 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!

 

[I'mNoPrince]

I'm also one of the ones that feel free time in the parks are a good thing no matter what.

We hit most of the early EMH (DD and myself) and all of the night ones DW joins (or I should say stays with us)for them. If we weren't in the parks we would just be watching TV at the room .

 

[wdwishes1990]

We are evening EMH folks and love it! We enjoy very much particularly when it's hot to sleep in, eat off times and stay for EMH at night. Our favorite time in the parks is at night.

 

[Grand2me]

Thanks for the info guys. We are going in a few days and the main reason we are staying on-site is for the EMHs.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I agree with Robo. To me the key to morning EMH's are that I plan to either hop to another park later or leave and return for maybe just fireworks and dinner later on. Because the park that has an am EMH is sure to be more crowded later on as the regular attendees get to am already habited park. Also, I think any Disney park is going to be less than enjoyable if I stay there non stop for what can conceivabley 12-14 hours if you have a park that opens at say 8:00 a.m. and then stays open til 10:00 at night. So a break somewhere, somehow, or just a shortened day is key to making a morning EMH worth it.

I don't always do AM EMH, being from Colorado mornings in general are tough for my family since our clock's are two hours earlier! However, when we have done it, its been great and very worth it. We do evening EMH at MK each and every trip, with as Robo described varying results. The key to those is to know that you have to wait it out. MK has a wide variety of attractions open for PM EMH. If nothing else, we can ride the TTA, and see Mickey's Philharmagic, people watch and just enjoy the overall feeling, even if the crowds are intense. And again, the later it gets, the better it gets. I have been at a pm EMH at MK until as late as 4:00 a.m. (this was December 30/31st, 2005) and the last two hours were sheer heaven. The first two hours were insane! So if the EMH goes past 11:00, the last hour or two is sure to thin out as the littler kids just can't hold out that long. I always start my MK evening EMH time in Frontierland and Adventureland, I don't venture into Tomrrowland and Fantastyland until way later. Those are the most popular lands with kids of all ages and they start out very packed.

At AK, many people don't do a nighttime EMH there since there's no nighttime fireworks and they just don't associate that park with being there at night. It is still crowded however, especially Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. But we have done EMH there and enjoyed Festival of the Lion King and a few other things and had a good time. Its sort of neat to be there at night.

MGM is not my favorite for PM EMH. There just isn't as much to do there that's open, and since everyone leaves Fantasmic at the same time, TOT, RNRC and that whole end of the park just is full of people, staying, leaving, deciding what to do etc. But like MK, it gets better as the evening wears on and people wear out. I love being at any park at night but just know that at MGM the first hour or so its going to be tough to ride RNRC and TOT in particular. So we shop, eat, see Voyage of the Little Mermaid and eventually get back into that section of MGM where TOT and RNRC are.

If the World Showcase was fully open at Epcot I would like that one better. Like MGM, I just dont' think it has as much open so what is open is more packed. Its fun to be able to be there later but the lines for Test Track, Mission Space and Soarin are long all night long until very late. Unlike MK, there isn't as much other stuff to do until later, when the crowds do thin out.