Is it totally crazy to go to parks with EMHs each day?

[kbmartin]

Last year, mid-August, we chose to avoid parks with EMHs even though we stayed on property and could have had access. This year, mid-August again, I am thinking that we might try out EMHs. Just as an FYI, we are only going to have Park Hopper tickets for ONE of the days. Is this really such a terrible idea? Most of the sites/crowd calendars I've used suggest it is a horrible idea...

 

[Robo]

Last year, mid-August, we chose to avoid parks with EMHs even though we stayed on property and could have had access. This year, mid-August again, I am thinking that we might try out EMHs. Just as an FYI, we are only going to have Park Hopper tickets for ONE of the days. Is this really such a terrible idea? Most of the sites/crowd calendars I've used suggest it is a horrible idea...

How do you have a Hopper for only one day?



Regardless...

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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[antmaril]

I don't understand how you have a Park Hopper for only one day.

Last year, mid-August, we chose to avoid parks with EMHs even though we stayed on property and could have had access. This year, mid-August again, I am thinking that we might try out EMHs. Just as an FYI, we are only going to have Park Hopper tickets for ONE of the days. Is this really such a terrible idea? Most of the sites/crowd calendars I've used suggest it is a horrible idea...

 

[stormer]

We like to do some evening EMH. We are not morning people, but when in Disney we get to the parks for rope drop. We usually go to MK and Epcot twice during the trip, Once a rope drop day and once an evening EMH day. The EMH day we sleep in and swim a little then head over to the park. It allows us to recharge and not be as exhausted.

 

[soniam]

We almost always do AM EMH. At MK, we usually stay all day. I haven't really noticed the crowds being terrible. However, we usually go in the summer, so it's not a low crowd time anyway. We tend to do the low wait rides in the busy afternoon and take it a little slower. With AM EMH, we usually have finished all the rides on our plan before it gets too crowded.

 

[TISHLOVESDISNEY]

For those who do AM EMH at Epcot, is it worth it, or is it still a mad dash to Soarin or TT? I am staying onsite for the first time Oct 19-21, and Epcot has an EMH AM we could take advantage of, but we'd want to get in and out to get to another park to make the most of our short trip.
We were just there in December, but didn't get Soarin in. I thought if we hit EMH, rode Soarin, and possibly TT, and could leave to HS, if the timing worked, we'd attempt it. Seems like a lot of work, haha, but also kind of a challenge.
Sorry to hijack OP!

 

[Robo]

I thought if we hit EMH, rode Soarin, and possibly TT, and could leave to HS, if the timing worked, we'd attempt it.

That'll work.

 

[JennyDrake]

I *always* do morning EMH; as PPer said, if it gets too crowded, I just hop to a different park. LOVE hopping option!

 

[kbmartin]

A couple of you said you didn't understand how we would do park hopping for only one day. I guess I didn't realize this would be an issue. I was going to buy single park tickets and call and upgrade one day to a park hopper. Is that not allowed?

 

[gtpoohbear]

A couple of you said you didn't understand how we would do park hopping for only one day. I guess I didn't realize this would be an issue. I was going to buy single park tickets and call and upgrade one day to a park hopper. Is that not allowed?

If you have multi-day tickets, the park-hopping will apply to all days, not just one. In our experience, MK and AK are good for EMH, and not noticeably more crowded. Epcot and DHS are not worth it, imo.

 

[lroger01]

Park hopping cost the same no matter how many days are on your ticket.

Edited: gtpoohbear beat me to it!

 

[kbmartin]

I just realized that it would cost WAY more to do three single-park tickets and one park hopper ticket... Thanks for making me think this out, guys!

 

[lauradis]

A couple of you said you didn't understand how we would do park hopping for only one day. I guess I didn't realize this would be an issue. I was going to buy single park tickets and call and upgrade one day to a park hopper. Is that not allowed?

Buying just single park tickets for each day will be expensive. Park hoppers is a flat fee and will cover the whole trip. You want Multi day ticket with park hopper option or Mulit day ticket with non park hopper.

 

[lroger01]

I just realized that it would cost WAY more to do three single-park tickets and one park hopper ticket... Thanks for making me think this out, guys!

Great, and now you can park hop every day of your trip if you want! Happy hopping!

 

[Robo]

Park hopping cost the same no matter how many days are on your ticket.

While that used to be true, it is now (within the past year or two) not "quite" true.
There are differences in the price of adding the hopper to "shorter" tickets
compared to adding the hopper to "longer" tickets. It's not a lot, but it is no longer a "one-price regardless of days" situation.

 

[DebbieB]

I've never been a fan of morning EMH, I'm not a morning person. But the time it was really beneficial was summer. You get there before the crowds and before it gets really hot. We stayed until after lunch, went back to the resort for a break and then went back out in the evening to either the same park or a different one (have AP's). If you are going back to the same park, try to grab a fastpass for later before you leave.

 

[SnackCredit]

We tried it one year, I ended up getting exhausted by the third day.