How crowded are EMH? and EMM question...

[TreeFalls]

First time posting... I have read a lot on this board and it has been helpful. Thanks!

We are taking our first family WDW trip in September- I haven't been in over 10 years, and hubby and kids have not been ever. We are staying on site with 6 park days, and are wondering how crowded the morning EMH are at Magic Kingdom. We were thinking of signing up for EMM to get some rides out of the way (we have a 3 and 5 year old, both of whom are tall and brave enough for all the EMM rides) and also just to do something special. Are the morning EMH at Magic Kingdom really packed? Or could we get a similar ride experience, with maybe just a little more waiting, if we skip the EMM and just go to the EMH?

 

[Christinaxo]

We will be there in September and definitely plan to utilize the morning EMH. Our September trip a few years ago was our favorite, mainly due to the low early morning crowds. I remember one morning we did BTM 3x back to back and then Splash twice with no wait. Mine train was never a walk on but with our multiple MK days and using FP+ we get our fix. Its up to you on EMM but morning EMH crowds in September shouldn't be bad... maybe use the EMM savings a do a late morning character breakfast? The kids might enjoy that and you can take a little break as the heat and wait times pick up a little bit.

 

[amandals2007]

i truly do not think you need to spend your money in sept on the EMM. you can get it all done. i think the EMM is a cheap way for disney to take more of our money honestly but thats just me. specifically in sept you dont need it.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Morning EMH is great at all the parks. Only certain areas are open at MK for morning EMH but you can get a lot done. We went last trip and were able to ride Space Mountain, Buzz (2x I believe), and Winnie the Pooh (if I recall correctly). We could have got a bit more done but didn't get in until about 15 minutes after open due to some ticket issues. As soon as the rest of the park opened we hit Splash Mountain and Big Thunder with no wait and then Haunted Mansion and Pirates with minimal wait. In other words, morning EMH and the first hour and half or two after are some of the best times to attend the park, so definitely plan on going. That said, parks with EMH tend to be more crowded by midday so we usually go to morning EMH, go back to the resort for a midday break, then hop to a different park later in the day.

 

[gmboy95]

I wouldn't spend your money EMM...the EMH are fine. You should be able to do the major attractions without much problem at all. The crowds really are not that bad

 

[danielangie]

We were at MK two weeks ago when it opened at 8 am...it wasn't an EMH, as we were offsite staying, but they just opened earlier...

It was amazing...we had rode BTMR twice, Splash twice(just stayed on boat) pirates and jungle cruise all within 40 minutes of park opening..it was great!

 

[johnsonet]

First time posting... I have read a lot on this board and it has been helpful. Thanks!

We are taking our first family WDW trip in September- I haven't been in over 10 years, and hubby and kids have not been ever. We are staying on site with 6 park days, and are wondering how crowded the morning EMH are at Magic Kingdom. We were thinking of signing up for EMM to get some rides out of the way (we have a 3 and 5 year old, both of whom are tall and brave enough for all the EMM rides) and also just to do something special. Are the morning EMH at Magic Kingdom really packed? Or could we get a similar ride experience, with maybe just a little more waiting, if we skip the EMM and just go to the EMH?

I was peeved about EMM as a money grab when it was first announced.

However...

Since you have two young children who've never been on SDMT, Peter Pan, or Pooh, I think EMM would be a great choice. There is no other way you'll be able to say "yes" to a third or fourth or fifth ride on one of those rides any other day (even EMH) - unless you devote the entire day to it It takes up too much time. A second ride, yes. But with EMM your children could ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 7 times in a row if they want to! I would do it.
Have a snack on the way to MK - take advantage of the rides - and then enjoy a nice big breakfast (included in the price).
Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[megster1123]

We were at MK two weeks ago when it opened at 8 am...it wasn't an EMH, as we were offsite staying, but they just opened earlier...

It was amazing...we had rode BTMR twice, Splash twice(just stayed on boat) pirates and jungle cruise all within 40 minutes of park opening..it was great!

How did you fit all of that into 40 minutes?

 

[AngiTN]

I too lend to suggesting EMM for you. If your family likes to ride multiple times on a single ride especially. EMH is nice for short lines and you can get in a lot of rides but you aren't going to get in 5, 6 rides on the 3 EMM rides. Plus you get a really good breakfast. If you were to consider the cost of breakfast elsewhere you aren't paying that much more to get in the rides. If you are a family to usually skip breakfast or eat a bar on the bus then it may not be a good trade but if you eat a good breakfast on some days it is. We ate at the very end of the time and found we didn't need anything more till dinner so it was actually breakfast and lunch for us.

How did you fit all of that into 40 minutes?

It's really easy. NO ONE goes to Frontier/Adventure Lands when the park opens. We always go that way first. You can easily ride everything in both areas in less than an hour, multiple times.

 

[TreeFalls]

Thanks for all the feedback! I decided to book it- it will be fun to ride over and over without having to wait, and we do love a good breakfast.

I realized they will get spoiled, though, cause it is the first morning of our trip and they'll have to wait in lines the rest of the time. But they'll figure it out!

 

[danielangie]

How did you fit all of that into 40 minutes?

It's really easy. NO ONE goes to Frontier/Adventure Lands when the park opens. We always go that way first. You can easily ride everything in both areas in less than an hour, multiple times.

Yes, what Angi said...there was hardly ANYONE, and I know that's hard to believe, but we saw four people in those lands at opening...thats how we were able to fit so much in!!

 

[outnumbered#2]

We did the EMM in June and I thought it was well worth the money. We rode 7DMT 8 times, Peter Pan 3 times, and Winnie the Pooh 2 times plus got a great breakfast. My boys are 7 & 4 and have no patience for waiting in line so this was a nice way to let them ride some popular rides multiple times with no waiting.