Extra Magic Hours Still Exist

[Sammie]

That is a much more fair and reasoned response.

I don't think its unreasonable to think they are doing away with them completely, as it appears to be the trend, and indeed we have no reason to think the trend wont continue, but we can fairly disagree on that.

I just don't think its fair to make a blanket statement that they haven't done away with EMHs - because they have, just not all of them. Nor to say there is no reason, or no evidence to think this signals the end of EMHs. We can totally disagree on whether the evidence/trend supports the assertion, but to say its based on nothing to me is a little silly (though you haven't said that )

It might very well mean the death of EMH. Honestly if Disney plans to do away with EMH it was decided long before now. We simply do not know. Things come and go at Disney, that is for certain. Only time will tell what stays and what goes.

I for one hope they keep EMH; at least some. Offering paid events, and leaving EMH to me is the best option. Personally I think taking away "all" EMH would seriously hurt their resort bookings.

 

[PetePanMan]

Agree that Disney has not gotten rid of EMH but the "non-special" special evening ticketed events is a big change and one which understandably raises some concerns about the future. I can see WDW just giving WDW property guests more FP+'s and getting rid of EMH if they get big $ from these after hour events.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Honestly if Disney plans to do away with EMH it was decided long before now.

This I don't agree with. I think they are very firmly seeing how well these events sell before making that decision. I think it's an option on the table at the moment, but I don't think it's a decision that's already been made.

 

[Sammie]

This I don't agree with. I think they are very firmly seeing how well these events sell before making that decision. I think it's an option on the table at the moment, but I don't think it's a decision that's already been made.

I just don't see Disney resort guests as their target audience. I really see this as an attempt to offer something similar to non-Disney resort guests. Only time will tell.

However if it is not a success, we all won't have anything to be concerned over.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I just don't see Disney resort guests as their target audience. I really see this as an attempt to offer something similar to non-Disney resort guests. Only time will tell.

However if it is not a success, we all won't have anything to be concerned over.

I don't think resort guests are necessarily the target audience either. But if they can get enough people to pay for it, I can see them taking current EMH nights to convert to these events to satisfy the demand. I don't know that they care if the people in attendance are onsite or offsite as long as they are selling well. Proximity alone is still a huge draw for onsite guests. Unless a huge number of people would no longer stay onsite if they took away EMH, then I can absolutely see them doing so.

 

[Delirium]

If they sell their target range of tickets for these events over the next 4-5 months, there will not be free EMH at this time next year. There just won't.

 

[kaytieeldr]

In April 2014 there were 14 MK morning EMHs, in 2015 there were 13 Morning MK EMHs, in April 2016 ... there are 5 .... 5.

BUT ... there is a new premium paid access to the park which "wont affect MK morning EMH's" ... right ?

How are there no indications that EMH's are going away again ?y

How long have the five...five been scheduled? How many April 2016 MK AM EMH have been removed from the calendar since the April 2016 schedule was published?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Did you read my post above ?

2014 - 14 Morning MK EMH's
2015 - 13 Morning MK EMH's
2016 - 5 Morning MK EMH's ... but also a paid event for access in the morning in MK.

Are you sure they aren't going anywhere ?

Yes, they did not add the daily EMH during the 2 weeks around Easter this year but the rest of the year has been usual 1 morning per week.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/earlyentry.htm

Disney not adding additional EMH at Easter when school vacation is mid to late April isn't proof that one is replacing the other.

 

[kaytieeldr]

So they have cut back on EMH's then, and instead are offering this premium paid event ? Glad we can all agree on that.

I suppose a separate question is whether or not this trend will be continued. We know they have cut back on other EMH's, instead of 3 hours in evenings offering 2 for example.

But the original post that EMHs aren't going away is already suspect as we have noted at least 9 EMHs in April HAVE gone away.

So you call people who actually look at the facts (reduced EMH offerings and added pay for attendance parties) Chicken Little

When, exactly, were the "extra" nine EMH announced? Were they all on the April calendar when it was released the pool envious October?

But see, the latter is not the question, the former is. Can you deny that EMH's have been reduced?

See my question above. Not having the same number scheduled doesn't prove a reduction.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Speculating that the intent of the paid events is to ultimately replace EMH is a much more logical degree of speculation than speculating that t's not.

Speculating that there is one AM EMH each week in April because there is one AM EMH each week every month is a much more logical degree of speculation than speculating that there's some nefarious plan afoot.

But it has happened ... already. Just look at April.

No, it hasn't happened. Nothing has happened.
There is currently a morning EMH at MK each Friday in April as has been scheduled since October.
There is currently a morning EMH at MK each Friday in May as has been scheduled since November.
There was a morning EMH at MK very Friday in March.
Nothing has changed with EMH at this point. Absolutely nothing. No additional EMH are scheduled - maybe because the calendar hasn't been finalized, maybe because Easter doesn't coincide with spring vacation.

Really, this is your argument. So as long as they offer ONE EMH, EMH's have not been done away with?

They're offering five in April - one each week.

 

[DoingDisney]

Speculating that there is one AM EMH each week in April because there is one AM EMH each week every month is a much more logical degree of speculation than speculating that there's some nefarious plan afoot.


No, it hasn't happened. Nothing has happened.
There is currently a morning EMH at MK each Friday in April as has been scheduled since October.
There is currently a morning EMH at MK each Friday in May as has been scheduled since November.
There was a morning EMH at MK very Friday in March.
Nothing has changed with EMH at this point. Absolutely nothing. No additional EMH are scheduled - maybe because the calendar hasn't been finalized, maybe because Easter doesn't coincide with spring vacation.

They're offering five in April - one each week.

???? ... I mean, ok. Nothing has changed, except they aren't offering what they have in years past. Nothing other than that.

Again you can spin this however you want, but in 2014 there were 14 Morning MK EMHs, in 2015 there were 13 Morning MK EMHs, in 2016 there are 5.

If you want to tell me that nothing has changed, I guess you can - you can also tell me the sky is green, grass is red, and my name is Frank - you can say all those things, but just like your previous statement, they just aren't true.

 

[DoingDisney]

Not having the same number scheduled doesn't prove a reduction.

What !?!?! - How in the ... ??? You know we are comparing year over year right ?

As above, the total number being offered has been reduced ... comparing 2014, 2015, 2016.

Now you can speculate all you want that they are going to add them in last minute - but compared to last year at this point, they are offering fewer. Its really that simple.

 

[Angel Ariel]

As another note too..there are many many places who were on spring break last week, or who are on spring break this week. Many districts line up their spring breaks specifically to coincide with Easter, even when Easter is early.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I went back to check when MK morning EMH were for easter week in 2013, the last time Easter was at the end of March. There were morning EMH every day of the week immediately following Easter according to wdwinfo's calendar.

We are currently in that week, and according to the wdw info calendar there are no morning emh this week at MK. (Eta: juat checked MDE, only morning emh os Friday, april 1, as typically scheduled.) The rest of the week the park opens at 8am, yes, but it opens to everyone, not just resort guests.

Regardless of what month it lands in, that is certainly a reduction in EMH offerings, compared to 2013.

 

[revdon64]

Really, this is your argument. So as long as they offer ONE EMH, EMH's have not been done away with? So like, you have three cars and I came over and took one of them, would you say I didn't take away your cars ? Or that I took away one of the three ? Would you say "my Cars still exist".

If Disney only offered 1 Day of EMHs a year, would you say "EMHs still exist !" ?

Perhaps we should both just say they are reducing EMHs ?

The reality is they have "done away" with 8 of the 13 Morning EMHs in MK in April this year - you can try to spin that all you want, or use different words to try to convey something. But if you are basically stating "EMHs still exist", like the OP, I think you are missing the point. You will recall the OP stated "So far, there has been zero (0) indication or announcement of Disney that EMH are going anywhere. Nada. Zip." --- except for the 66% reduction in April morning EMHs in MK ... I guess ?

OK, but to be fair, Easter was in April last year. So if you're basing your assessment on last year's EMH, you're starting out with inflated stats.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

We go every year for Christmas. Everyone always questions our motive. Why use 4-5 days off and spend all that money to go to Disney every year when there's a whole world out there waiting to be discovered. True. But we love Disney and love the experience. We're glass half full kinda people when it comes to Disney.

But..

At dinner last night we were all talking Disney and agreed that EMH are one of the unique selling points to Disney. If Disney does away with them, we'd seriously call into question spending thousands of dollars to stay on-site, let alone GO to Disney. We're never gonna NOT go to Disney. We love it - but we'd reconsider going every year. I think we'd probably take a year or two off until the construction is done at DHS.

 

[Angel Ariel]

OK, but to be fair, Easter was in April last year. So if you're basing your assessment on last year's EMH, you're starting out with inflated stats.

Which is why I compared esster week this year to easter week in 2013, when Easter was also at the end of march. 2013 had morning emh, according to wdwinfo, every day M-F after Easter. This year, the only morning EMH this week is the regularly scheduled Friday emh. So that's a reduction of 4 morning emh days.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

This thread reminds me fondly of the days when some people insisted that just because they were moving to an electronic FP+ system didn't mean that they were going to get rid of the paper system.

EMH have been slowly scaled back over the past couple of years--despite alleged record crowds. It only follows that Disney was moving toward either eliminating them or monetizing them in some way. For every day that they offer paid EMH, there is an effect on those who aren't paying the hard ticket price for them, either because the park is now going to have more people in it at RD RD or because they won't offer "free*" EMH on those days. Monetizing via onsite guests is apparently not enough anymore, so they're digging a deeper well.





*Not really free, but included with an onsite stay.

 

[DoingDisney]

OK, but to be fair, Easter was in April last year. So if you're basing your assessment on last year's EMH, you're starting out with inflated stats.

But this year's Easter also didn't have morning MK EMHs either. Which is why earlier I suggested if you think they simply shifted the EMHs around, check March and May, they have not. They have simply reduced the number of EMHs.

 

[kaytieeldr]

???? ... I mean, ok. Nothing has changed, except they aren't offering what they have in years past. Nothing other than that.

Again you can spin this however you want, but in 2014 there were 14 Morning MK EMHs, in 2015 there were 13 Morning MK EMHs, in 2016 there are 5.

If you want to tell me that nothing has changed, I guess you can - you can also tell me the sky is green, grass is red, and my name is Frank - you can say all those things, but just like your previous statement, they just aren't true.

They weren't offering in years past what they ultimately ended up providing in years past. Every single month all year there is one morning EMH scheduled at MK each week. That's it. Just one. Frequently Disney adds EMH as a period approaches based on more solid attendance figures. They don't schedule +/-fourteen EMH six months in advance. This link http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/earlyentry.htm shows six months of scheduled EMH. One each week at MK every month for six months.

What !?!?! - How in the ... ??? You know we are comparing year over year right ?

As above, the total number being offered has been reduced ... comparing 2014, 2015, 2016.

Now you can speculate all you want that they are going to add them in last minute - but compared to last year at this point, they are offering fewer. Its really that simple.

No. The number of EMH hasn't been reduced. It hasn't been increased.

As another note too..there are many many places who were on spring break last week, or who are on spring break this week. Many districts line up their spring breaks specifically to coincide with Easter, even when Easter is early.

There are many, many, many places that have public school spring break the week of April 18. Many districts line up their spring breaks based on criteria not connected in any way with phases of the moon or holidays that always occur on a non-school day, but rather based on when they normally schedule spring break, or midway between winter break and the end of school.

I went back to check when MK morning EMH were for easter week in 2013, the last time Easter was at the end of March. There were morning EMH every day of the week immediately following Easter according to wdwinfo's calendar

Disney management not seeing a need to add EMH adjacent to a religious holiday in March isn't any indication of whether they will see a need to, or actually, add EMH in April - the month about which everyone is concerned.

But this year's Easter also didn't have morning MK EMHs either. Which is why earlier I suggested if you think they simply shifted the EMHs around, check March and May, they have not. They have simply reduced the number of EMHs.

Nothing has been shifted. Or moved. Or added. Or adjusted. Or reduced. Per the link I posted above, Magic Kingdom Extra Magic hours from February through August:
MORNING OFFERINGS

2016 Extra Magic Hours Dates:

February- 5, 12, 19, 26

March- 4,11, 18, 25

April- 1,8,15, 22, 29

May- 6, 10, 20, 24

June- 3,10, 17, 24

July- 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

August- 5, 12, 19, 26
So, one each week scheduled.