Is staying on Disney worth the extra $ for EMH?

[NewEnglandDad]

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some advice on which direction to go for hotel stay while in Orlando coming up the end of July 2020. A little background, my in laws live in FL an hour away from Disney. My wife and I have two children in elementary school. Every year we visit FL, spend half the week at the in law’s and the other half in Orlando (in laws come with us) and we usually stick to just two parks while there and a lazy pool day.

Our dilemma comes between renting a 3 bedroom condo for 4 nights where the 6 of us can stay together but it’s off property (Lake Buena Vista Resort and Spa). Or we could spend about $600 more (all expenses combined) and stay at Holiday Inn Disney Springs (we would get two separate rooms), get the 60 day advance FP, and EMH at MK and DHS which are the two parks we’re doing this year.

Is it worth the extra $600 for EMH for two parks one hour in the morning each day? $600 won’t make or break us but it’s still a lot of money. The condo property looks really nice, but it would also be nice being so close to DS. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

TIA! And I’m new at this, I apologize if my shorthand is off

 

[ucf_knight]

I don’t think the EMH would be worth it for MK as they have a lot of rides and you can usually get fast passes to a lot of attractions still even 30 days out (most likely not sdmt though). Hollywood studios might be worth it for rotr but I don’t know what emh are like trying to get a bidding group. I’d look more into that because if it’s easier to get a group during emh then I think it’s definitely worth it especially if you are only going one day to hs.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

60 day FP+ is basically essential for a tied 1 FP at DHS.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Granted I’m generally an “avoid the park with EMH” person, but I personally don’t find them worth it.

60 day FP and proximity to WDW would be bigger benefits in my mind.

Your trip is further out, but watch the DHS EMH. They have changed AM EMHs to PM EMHs through March, and it’s a closely watched topic if they continue to do so in April and beyond. AM EMHs and the Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group process is sort of a messy mix with AM EMHs, so TBD what Disney does there.

 

[SillySallySews]

I don’t personally consider EMH an important reason to stay on Disney property. For me it’s location, resort amenities, ability to buy the dining plan, 60 day FP+, staying in the Disney bubble, and not having to get in my car that’s been sitting out in the Florida sun all day. EMH is way down on my list, but that’s just me. I think if you would like to ride things in GE, SDMT, FOP, etc., you’ll probably want the ability to book FP+ at 60 days.

 

[NewEnglandDad]

Wow ok, I’ve never done EMH before and I thought it was this great thing where you get the park to yourself for an extra hour, but not so much it sounds like. My daughters are finally to the age that they‘re beginning to want to go on ‘real’ rides and I’m getting the vibe that it’d be worth it for the 60 day FP alone to do tier one stuff.

 

[MinnierellaMama]

Welcome! We also have extended family in Florida and have been doing Disney just popping to the park for a day or two since I was a kid. We always figured the Disney hotels were so pricey that why bother spend the extra money. But 3 years ago we found an awesome deal to stay at a Disney resort (Swan hotel) and I have to say it was amazing and we now stay on property every year. The access to the fast passes at 60+ days alone is so worth it — the amount of time we save not waiting in line for those major attractions is huge. Not to mention the stress of trying to find last-minute FP. We are able to enjoy so much more of each park. We also love being so close to all the action.

As far as EMH goes, we’ve only ever taken advantage of the morning EMH, which we love at MK. Morning EMH is nice but the park will start to fill up around lunch time. Lots of people on here tend to avoid the parks with EMH bc they do tend to get super crowded during regular hours. For us, we buy park hoppers and then when it starts to get crowded, head to a different park instead. I’m not sure what your trip priorities are in terms of rides, but if you want to FP things at MK like SDMT (seven dwarfs mine train), Space Mountain, Splash Mountain or Peter Pan — or at HS SDD (slinky dog dash) or TSMM (toy story midway mania) or MFSR (millennium falcon smugglers run) — then the 60 day fast pass access really helps. Or with the EMH you’d likely be able to get them in. Good luck and happy planning!

 

[Ross Kratter]

Have you looked into the Fort Wilderness Cabins, rather than the Holiday Inn? I'm seeing rates of around $320/night for your party size at the end of July. They sleep 6 - 1 queen bed, 1 bunk bed, and 1 double sleeper sofa. This way you could all stay together and be at a Disney resort.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Wow ok, I’ve never done EMH before and I thought it was this great thing where you get the park to yourself for an extra hour, but not so much it sounds like. My daughters are finally to the age that they‘re beginning to want to go on ‘real’ rides and I’m getting the vibe that it’d be worth it for the 60 day FP alone to do tier one stuff.

Disney heavily markets EMHs and the 'general thinking' for some is that the park with EMHs tends to be more crowded that day. There are various theories and sets of data that prove and disprove this being the case, and it's a never ending argument/discussion around places like the DIS.

EMHs can be productive if you make a point to make the most of every minute. At MK, only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are open for AM EMH - if you arrive (meaning at the front entrance) 20-30 minutes before hand and ready to go tackle the day, you can cover some good ground on select rides and can free your FPs up for other attractions in other lands later in the day. If you're not prepared to arrive early, you're slow getting to the park, someone has to stop and get coffee, you take 10 minutes taking selfies in front of the castle, or whatever the circumstance... that 60 minutes goes fast. You want to get there and get going on as many rides as you can, in my opinion.

Some will recommend park hopper tickets to take advantage of the AM EMHs then a bit of regular rope drop park time, then hop to another park.

As I mentioned above, DHS EMHs are in a state of flux given the Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group process, so that one is harder to peg as to it being "worth it" at the moment not knowing for sure if it will be AM or PM, in my opinion.

Happy planning!

 

[MomOTwins]

Wow ok, I’ve never done EMH before and I thought it was this great thing where you get the park to yourself for an extra hour, but not so much it sounds like. My daughters are finally to the age that they‘re beginning to want to go on ‘real’ rides and I’m getting the vibe that it’d be worth it for the 60 day FP alone to do tier one stuff.

Yes to both. EMH is crowded and not worth it. 60 day FP is absolutely worth it.