Extra Magic Hours/Park Hopping Strategies??

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Help, please! When the kids were little, we used to do the EMH for Fantasyland, and it was great. Now, between the kids getting older & FP+, I'm not sure of the best strategies. Seems like most sites just recommend avoiding EMH...but we will have hoppers, and I have a few questions....

Our trip will be the last week in August (Never been in summer...)

MORNING EMH

1) Would it be worth it, if we truly get there before rope drop, to spend the first 2 hours or so at an EMH park, and then split to a more recommended park, to avoid crowds?

2) What about visiting a morning EMH park late in the day, like after 6:00 pm? In other words, spend the day at a more recommended park, but hit the park with EMH hours after 6:00 or 7:00 pm?? Would that be ok to do, crowd-wise?

Lastly, what about EVENING EMH??

3) Is that worth going to, for the fun of staying out past 10:00 pm? We would go to a more recommended park for the entire day, and then park hop over to an EMH park after dinner...How would that work out crowd-wise??

I'd love some advice

Thanks!

 

[Robo]

Help, please! When the kids were little, we used to do the EMH for Fantasyland, and it was great. Now, between the kids getting older & FP+, I'm not sure of the best strategies. Seems like most sites just recommend avoiding EMH...but we will have hoppers, and I have a few questions....

Our trip will be the last week in August (Never been in summer...)

MORNING EMH

1) Would it be worth it, if we truly get there before rope drop, to spend the first 2 hours or so at an EMH park, and then split to a more recommended park, to avoid crowds?

2) What about visiting a morning EMH park late in the day, like after 6:00 pm? In other words, spend the day at a more recommended park, but hit the park with EMH hours after 6:00 or 7:00 pm?? Would that be ok to do, crowd-wise?

Lastly, what about EVENING EMH??

3) Is that worth going to, for the fun of staying out past 10:00 pm? We would go to a more recommended park for the entire day, and then park hop over to an EMH park after dinner...How would that work out crowd-wise??

4) I'd love some advice

Thanks!

1) IMO, yes.

2) Not a major difference one way or the other.

3) IMO, yes. The attendance generally begins for fall after 10PM (certainly after 11PM.)

4) Never attending EMH's because they will be "too crowded or overly-stressful,"
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.

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.

Generally speaking:
Expect a PM EMH which begins before 10PM to be much busier than one that begins much later.
Expect the first hour of PM EMH to be busier than the last hour.

Those who have attended PM EMH's and say that "they
are too crowded" are right... but that may have been only on the nights
they have attended.
I can say from personal experience that EMH's CAN be
virtually empty, or overly full... or somewhere in-between for attendance,
often within the same week.

The crowd situation at PM EMH can change so much (either way,)
that saying it was "like X" on a given night, can have little relation
to another night in the same time-period. So, you
simply "won'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.

But, it can all boil down to your particular timing.

If you just consider that EMH's are FREE to attend...
You might just take a chance.
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'll be ALL SET for EXTRA FUN!

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[MichiganDVC]

In August, I would recommend doing rope drop everyday simply because of the afternoon heat. (Or occasional tropical storm.) I prefer doing rope drop at non-EMH park and then heading to evening EMH park for the night. Both are least crowded times of the day and do what they can to beat the oppressive heat and humidity.

 

[AJ1983]

Haven't used PM EMH (plan to this trip!), but have found AM EMH extremely useful. We found it great to get up at 7, be at the park for the 8 am opening, and get ALOT done by noon. This included taking some breaks while waiting for a FP and eating our breakfast brought from the resort of fresh pineapple, strawberries and muffins.

The alternative was sleep in until 9, get to the parks around 10, and face the big crowds right away. Not so enjoyable.

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Thanks all. I needed some re-assurance. My gut was telling me the things you were saying, but since so many planner sites seem to just say avoid the EMH park, I wasnt sure if I was off track, and if things had changed that much from my past trips.

I splurged on hoppers because I definitely like the flexibility, then I was worried I may have made a mistake. (I also wanted the flexibility of the hopper because I want to do 1 1/2 days in one park, 2 1/2 in another, etc. so it seemed worth the extra money.)

Thanks again!!