Just back--beware of EMH!!

Fargoman2

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 29, 2001
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Our family of five just completed a 5-day tour of the Disney Parks (Aug. 9-13). It was our third consecutive summer trip to the world. Here are some of my observations:

1. "EMH" is not Extra MAGIC Hour it is Extra MAYHEM Hour! We did not enjoy nearly the advantage EE offered us two summers ago. Not even close. Lines formed quickly. At MGM, there was a 40-minute wait posted for Tower of Terror just minutes after opening the gates. MK was ok, but there was no quick "double-dipping" like EE when we went on Pooh and Dumbo twice with NO waits. By contrast, when we returned to MK on Wed (a non- EMH day) we found the crowds much more manageable and the waits much more tolerable.

2. MISSION SPACE: This is a great addition to EPCOT, but take heed of the warning. I "tested" the ride for my wife with my two daughters and said, Wow! Fun, piece of cake. You don't notice the spins--my wife can handle this easy. Wrong. She went on it and thought she was going to pass out. She was nauseated the rest of the day. On the upside, the kids and I loved it. Well worth your time.

3. GRATUITIES AT BUFFETS? GIVE ME A BREAK! We went to Chef Mickey's for the 2nd time and it was ok. Food was marginal, atmosphere was fun. (We were also there in 2001). I noticed on my $125 bill that the server would appreciate a 15-20% gratuity. Excuse me, this is a SELF-SERVE Buffet. Oh yes, she did bring us our beverages, but 20%--FORGET IT!

4. DISNEYED OUT: As I mentioned earlier, this was our third straight summer at the World. While it's still lots of fun, we find ourselves envious of first-timers who find everything so magical. We remember that feeling from our first trip. You can't beat it. We will definitely go back, but it may be awhile. But I don't think we will go in August again. The heat and crowds are wearing me out.
 
Re #1 - Did you do AK with EMH? Right now AK is the only park we're doing for EMH, and I may change it. I wonder if Oct will differ significantly from Aug?

Re #2 - If M:S makes me throw up, I will write a letter to Michael Eisner, thanking him for providing a ride that gives me my money's worth.

Re #3 - Preach on!
 
Extra Mayhem Hour.. I thank you for describing it like that. We were planning on doing the EMH this Saturday at MGM.. but after your description we decided not to.

I agree with you with gratuity on buffets... really, thats a bit much. if the drinks were self serve, I would do that as well.
 

Originally posted by Fargoman2
4. DISNEYED OUT: As I mentioned earlier, this was our third straight summer at the World. While it's still lots of fun, we find ourselves envious of first-timers who find everything so magical. We remember that feeling from our first trip.

I am glad to see that we were not the only people who thought this. Last month was our second year in a row and the magic just wasn't as evident as the first. Don't get me wrong, if we can we will be back next year, but I think my expectations will be a lot lower than this time which was based on the first time.
 
I find that if I space my wdw trips out by every 18-24 months and go somewhere else in between, I get much more jazzed about the trip.

When I go in October, it will be 2 years since I've been and I'm driving everybody CrAzY!!!

The best thing about the EMH is that you know which park to avoid that day.
 
I think I'll just put my choices in a hat and draw. I can't seem to get my schedule straight! So help me with the EMH please. Are all of the vets here saying you would definitely not go to the EMH park? What if you had to choose between going to MK on Sat. or Sun for EMH. :rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by TimeWarp
I think I'll just put my choices in a hat and draw. I can't seem to get my schedule straight! So help me with the EMH please. Are all of the vets here saying you would definitely not go to the EMH park? What if you had to choose between going to MK on Sat. or Sun for EMH. :rolleyes:

EMH days are not my preference because they are generally the most crowded, but if I had to choose between Sat and Sun at MK I would go for Sun. You tend to get a lot of locals on Sat and they tend to gravitate to MK, its always been very crowded whenever I've been there on Sat. (and I go during the slow times of the year).
 
Saturday is a swarm fest from opening to closing. So go Sunday. And if you are interested in Fantasyland attractions--get there on time (early) for EMH and "cash" in as much as you can. Do some planning about Fastpasses, too. Hopefully, your group will include a "runner" who can snag Fastpasses for Buzz, Splash, Space, etc at strategic points throughout the day!
 
We were at Disney from 8/13 to 8/20. We went to EMH at MK on 8/14 and we got on many rides with little wait. Rode Buzz Lightyear twice with no wait. Got a FP to Space Mountain, then went and rode other rides. By 11 am we had ridden most of the biggies. The crowd wasn't too bad until about 2:00. I think the thing that makes EMH workable at MK is that there are more rides open than in the other parks.

We went to MK on Saturday late afternoon/evening to be there for Spectromagic and Fireworks and it was VERY crowded.

We did not do any other EMH, avoiding the park that opened early that day. We often went with the "day after" strategy, and that worked well.

Since we often had rain in the late afternoon/evening, we tended to get going in the morning to avoid the rain!

Shelley :)
 
We did day after EMH and got to ride everything we wanted with little or no wait. By 2 each day crowds had swelled and lines lengthened, so we just left for the afternoon to rest or swim. Trip was 8/11-8/18.
:cool:
 
Agree with shelley_s--we were there the same time and the EMH at MK did allow us to get on everything we needed before the crowds got unmanageable, then we left.

EMH at AK and especially MGM were less effective, because there were few rides open, and even some things opened after the official opening time. They were especially staggered at MGM. DS and I found ourselves wandering around tying to find something open while DD and DH rode the e-ticket rides. At least at AK we got on the Safari with little wait.....I would still do EHM, if you don't mind getting up early, but I would hit targeted attractions and leave early.
 














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