Just Back! EMH and more....

jellydisney

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 15, 2004
Messages
426
Hey everyone, just got back, stayed at BCV from Sunday 3/20 until Friday 3/25. Any questions, just ask. Here is my take on EMH and the crowds, and some other random rants/reviews.


EMH:
On Tuesday, we took advantage of the 7am EMH at the Magic Kingdom, which is going on everyday until the end of March. It was fantastic. We hit maybe a dozen rides in only a couple of hours, never waited more than 5 minutes for anything including Big Thunder and Splash. If you can get up this early, I HIGHLY recommend it for the MK (especially with these spring break crowds).

We went to AK's evening EMH, which went from 8-11pm. This was great. We hit everything we wanted to with little or no wait. We rode Kali several times without even getting off. We left around 9:15ish, because it really didn't take that much time to do everything. Everything was open except for Africa (no Safaris at night, for obvious reasons). It is VERY dark in AK at night. There are not a lot of lights. It's neat, but keep an eye on the little ones.

We went to Epcot's evening EMH which went from 9pm-12am. We didn't stay long. The only reason we went was to see Test Track (I'll get into this in a moment), and the TT wait at 10:15pm was still 85 minutes. So we left without doing anything.

We attempted to do MK EMH which was going from 12-3am. We couldn't really make it though. Around 12:30am, we were exhausted and had to leave. The waits were still extremely long at that point though. Space was 60 min, Big Thunder was 45 min, etc. There were a LOT of people there considering how late it was--lots of kids too! If I could go back in time, I would have skipped the MK EMH and instead gone the next morning at 7am. I bet it would have been a ghost town.

Didn't do MGM's EMH. My overall verdict: Mornings are great, evenings not so much (at least when it's this crowded).

Crowds:
The mornings were very nice, up until about 11am when people started pouring into the parks. Evenings did not slow up. For people going this next week, take advantage of the mornings.

Weather:
Not so good :confused3 The forecasts were wrong every single day. If it said it was going to be sunny, we got rain. If it said it was going to rain, it didn't. Mostly it was just very cloudy all week. But 80 degrees is still nice, sun or no :goodvibes

Strollers and those gosh darn electric scooters:
I know this is a hot button issue, but Aiy vey. Double stroller abuse was rampant. Everywhere we went, we tripped over them. Aggressive mothers used them to get ahead in lines for food, park entry, etc. And we kept seeing children who are obviously way too old for them riding (their heads don't fit under the hood, their knees and legs are practically on the ground, etc). The electric scooters are everywhere too. I don't like to pass judgement on the people in them, since I have no idea whether or not the person riding is capable of walking. But there are some seemingly able-bodied people who wouldn't get off them to stand in line at a beverage cart or go into a store. Some would "park" them in the middle of the walkways. Very inconsiderate. But inevitable when crowds are this high, I suppose.

Test Track
WE COULD NOT GET ON THIS RIDE. We attempted to ride TT about 5 times. We tried Single Rider, Fast Pass, using EMH, to no avail. Every time we tried, whether early morning or late afternoon, the line was at least 70 min. When we had a fast pass, about 6 minutes before our time was ready, the ride broke down for the rest of the day. When we did Single Rider, the weather made the ride break down. This is without a doubt the most popular ride at Disney, and it also breaks down wayyyy too much. Sigh. We never got on it. Maybe next year.... maybe....


Ok, that's the end. Any questions for me?
 
Thanks for the good, bad, and the ugly. Tell me, when Soarin' opens, would you suggest, on early mornings going to Test Track first or Soarin' first?

I can't believe that the lines were soooo long at 12:30am! :scared1:

Was anyone left in the resort rooms? :goodvibes

Was it a "young" crowd since it is Spring Break? Do you think that is why people could and were staying awake longer---it was the "young set?"

Thanks again!
 
When Soarin' opens, I would still recommend going to TT first. I can't imagine any ride being as popular as TT. Soarin' is also a big theater type of attraction, to the best of my knowledge, and will probably swallow up a good portion of the line every 15 min or so. TT is a slow loading ride, which adds to its high wait times.

I was shocked at the late late night wait times at MK too! But I think in less crowded times of the year, it might be ok.

And yes, there were quite a large number of 16-25 year olds, which could account for the fact that the mornings were empty and the evenings packed.
 
Take it easy on the people in the electric scooters! I am one of those who looks able bodied, but can't stand for more than 5 minutes without my knees swelling to the size of canteloupes! (yay for JRA) ;)

Glad you had fun, I will work on my mom to try to hit the morning EMH's then, even though we are night people!

Will there be a dining report? =)
 

Thanks! :flower:

That's a good point about the seating capacity and loading times. I think that I will join the mad rush to Test Track first, then.
 
Hey Boston, Western Mass here.

Sounds like a busy time.

You stayed at the Boardwalk? Do they have hot tubs and where are they located?

Thanks
 
We were there Pres Week and are not early morning risers. But we went to MK late (10:30 PM) on a Monday night that it closed at midnight and EMH was Wed - that same Midnight-3AM. Monday night was a walk on to lots of ride. I got the impression that you're better off to play against the EMH nights - especially at MK. And Maybe especially when MK is open to 11PM or Midnight. with regards to your experince with Test Track, I hope you tried walking in and not just looking at the sign. One night around 8:45 we arrived at Epcot and headed towards TT, Stanby line said 50 minutes, single rider said 20. We walked in anyway and sure enough , there was no one there. (we made it for the last car of the night) We found a few times that wait times were really overstated.
 
What time did the MK open to the public? Was the EMH for one hour only in the a.m. or more than that?

Thanks!
 
We just got in from a week at the World. The lines were awful. A lot of 60-90 minute waits. It really spoiled the week. It gets really hard to keep waiting that long over and over everyday. We missed a lot and by the end I was just too tired to stand in anymore hour long lines. We ended up feeling worn out and cranky. Lots of other people were complaining of the same. People were yelling the rides attendents because of the waiting. Only time we managed to get on much was late at night at MK. We got right on the haunted mansion and pirates ride after about 9pm. But there were still a few rides with long lines. We were at Epcot yesterday and the fast pass line was an hour wait. I would never again go at this time of year. Lucky for me I just moved to FL in January and have an annual. At least I can go back when things quiet down.
 
Was fastpass available for anything during EMH? I'm really starting to worrry about our June trip!


Jennifer
 
OMG...we just got back from our 3/20 - 3/25 POR vacation and we hardly ever waited over 10 minutes for any ride...we used fast pass and we arrived when the parks opened. We rode Splash and Space at least 6 or 7 times and only went to Mk twice! We were so nervous about the wait times, but we were pleasantly surprised....use fastpass and go when the parks open!

We did ride TT first thing on Wednesday (before they stopped it due to weather)

The longest wait all week was Mission Space (20 minutes in the Fast Pass line)

Although the crowds were very heavy...we would do it again this time of year as we experienced hardly any wait times!
 
I want details on the characters you met in the parks. The family has been contemplating Epcot but our goal is characters and we want the best experience, especially the villains! So tell me, did you meet villains/characters?
 
Whew, so many things to reply to! Here goes!

kandeebunny: I did a margarita report :teeth: There may be a dining report, if I can remember all the places we went to. We had a different PS every night. Perhaps I will attempt this feat later tonight!

lovemickey: We stayed at Beach Club Villas. Boardwalk does have hot tubs though. There's one in the main pool area right near the Leaping Horse Libations bar. And I think there is at least 1 or 2 quiet pools that probably have them as well. You have to get a wristband to get anywhere NEAR the Boardwalk main pool. We just wanted a drink, not to use the pool, and we got accosted before we had even reached it. The guy was nice to us though and let us in. :)

rpsemont & jammer44: We tried every different method to get on TT, except for standing in the standby line (which without fail always extended at least 50 feet outside the building, past the fast passes, into the courtyard). We stood in the single rider line on Wednesday and were at the very front when it was shut down because of the weather! Then on Friday afternoon, we managed to get fast passes for 2:25pm. It was 2:19pm when the ride broke down permanently for the rest of the day. And then every other time we tried, the standby AND single rider lines were over 60 min each. So it was a mix of baaaaaaaaaad luck and crowds. We did not make a mad dash when the park opened though, so I think for you folks who do this, you'll be fine.
 
Is it just for spring break it's so crowded? Parks open really late? When I go (mid-may) the hours for AK are 5 on weekdays and 7 on saturday... and the others parks close at 9PM ... I guess Spring break is hectic huh?
 
Cruella DeVille said:
I want details on the characters you met in the parks. The family has been contemplating Epcot but our goal is characters and we want the best experience, especially the villains! So tell me, did you meet villains/characters?

Hi Cruella! I'm not a character person unfortunately! I pass them by most of the time, because the lines are usually hysterically long.

I did pass by Snow White (she was in a hidden corner in Germany), and I saw the double-decker bus that the characters often use in World Showcase. I'm no character expert, but I think your best place to find villains is the MK. The other parks have more of the heroes and heroines. In the MK, I've seen the Queen of Hearts, Jafar, and Captain Hook.

Also, I think Pal Mickey might be a great way to track them down. Anyone confirm this as I don't actually own one?
 
kandeebunny said:
Take it easy on the people in the electric scooters! I am one of those who looks able bodied, but can't stand for more than 5 minutes without my knees swelling to the size of canteloupes! (yay for JRA) ;)


I second this! My left knee is swollen like that right now ;) Yay for RA!
 
fitgirlFL said:
We just got in from a week at the World. The lines were awful. A lot of 60-90 minute waits. It really spoiled the week. It gets really hard to keep waiting that long over and over everyday. We missed a lot and by the end I was just too tired to stand in anymore hour long lines.

:guilty: Yup I know what you mean. We didn't stand in those lines though, we would just be like "forget it". Either way, we missed a LOT. I never got to go on TT, Space, Splash, ToT because I wasn't willing to wait.

This is the 4th year in a row I've gone in the 3rd week of March, and this was by far the worst crowds I've ever seen. I think it's because Easter is so early.

For those of you going in other months (June, May, etc), don't get discouraged by this report. I'm sure the crowds will be FAR less.
 
Cruella DeVille said:
I want details on the characters you met in the parks. The family has been contemplating Epcot but our goal is characters and we want the best experience, especially the villains! So tell me, did you meet villains/characters?
a two story bus arrives at epcots front gate each day at various times (check the daily schedule when you arrive). Plenty of villians
 
jsmla said:
Was fastpass available for anything during EMH? I'm really starting to worrry about our June trip!


Jennifer
I wouldn't worry due to the posted trip report. The easter/spring break time of year is maximum crowds. Literally, even the height of summer is not as bad (except 4th of July and Memorial Day).

The most intense crowd levels are XMAS, Spring Break/Easter, Thanksgiving vacation week, 4th of July, Memorial day... I think that is about it. At those times it is wall to wall standing room only crowds. Just a mind blower. on a scale from 1 to 10 those times of the year would be 10s.

June should start at about a 5 maybe a 6 (my observations), and end the month at about an 8 (the UG's observations).

So don't freak too bad - June will not be as packed as Spring break. The vast majority of kids on the east coast (major population centers) will not even be out until late June due to a lot of snow days.
 












Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE













DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top