Looks like evening EMH will be returning in 2005

[lentesta]

Disney's travel-agent website was updated last night to describe their new packages for 2005 (a separate topic in its own right). One of the items mentioned was Extra Magic Hour (now renamed as Extra Magic Hours:

Extra Magic Hours: Each day, one of Disney’s magical theme parks opens one hour early exclusively for resort guests, or, as a new feature, stays open up to three hours extra after regular park hours ......

So, good news for Disney resort guests. Schedules have not yet been posted, but I expect this will be done later this month, as the program begins in 2005.

Len

 

[n2mm]

I'm glad to hear it. But as a CM family, there is still nothing posted on the official employee website yet. No mention of it anywhere in an article nor is it reflected on their official calendar for January. I check daily. Since we're going in January we would like to know. We are heading down next week, so maybe we'll hear something then.

 

[iwannabeminnie]

Yippee Ki Yi YAY! Woo hoo! (can you tell I'm excited?)

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

Great news!

Thanks Len.

 

[luvsTink]

This could be great...but...it is making planning very difficult! I have ps's that will need to be moved about if emh changes. I am not sure if I should be happy or frustrated or both

Anne

 

[goofydad621]

Yeah We will be ther in January to try this out

 

[10nis]

I got this off of another website..directly from Disney's press release in regards to their new program "Magic your way"....


Extra Magic Hours: Each day the gates of one of Disney's magical theme parks open one hour early or stay open three hours later so Disney Resort hotel guests can enjoy select attractions. (A valid theme park ticket and Resort ID are required.)


I sure hope they are going to announce the schedule quickly bcs I need to re-arrange PS! Very frustrating but I am thrilled with the night time magic hours!

 

[liznboys]

Thanks for the info.!!!

 

[n2mm]

Yes there is finally information about this on other sites. But after reading all of the changes coming to WDW in terms of park hours and ticket media this is a drop in the bucket. Hold on to your hats because the ticket changes are major! It will take a lot to get use to and most of us will have to be retrained in terms of our ticket knowledge.

 

[NCRedding]

wow, don't leave us hanging like this! Does this mean that the park hoppers I now have are not going to be usable? Please give us more info.

 

[kbhehl]

Len, you're our hero! SIL and I are going in Feb. and it's hard enough to get her to the parks by 9:00 a.m., let alone earlier. Thanks for the great news!
n2mm, you're scaring me! What is this about? It's not going to make current hoppers invalid is it? I know DVC just added a perk for members to get $100 off of annual pasees, so those should still be around, right?
(Don't panic, don't panic....)

 

[luvsTink]

It appears to me (through my reading) that the major changes will come in the way of UPH's and also being able to "add on" to park hoppers in a variety of ways. but, I have been wrong more than once.

I have no doubt but that our current PHP's will be honored.

Anne

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Wow! I like all the changes regarding evening EMH hours. Disney has its ways of enticing me to return . All the changes in ticket media that I read about in another thread sounds good, but I fear that it's going to mean a significant increase for 4-5 day parkhoppers like my my family of four.

 

[lentesta]

The devil's in the details. It'll be interesting to see how the ticket changes are implemented. Disney's said they'll provide some sort of online automated ticket price calculator for travel agents, and we'll probably update our online version once we know more about options and pricing. I'll probably have to rent a spot at Starbucks while the programming gets done.

IIRC, one of the new options was to allow "park hopping" during the same day. So the first question I'd ask is whether the default ticket option will now be "one park per day" going forward. If there's a discount for doing that, I'm fine. (Or put another way, if all the basic park hopper tickets still cost the same as today, that's okay too.)

I'm going to have to go back and re-read the TA site better this evening.

Len

 

[Miss Park Avenue]

Wow the extra EMH hours sound terrific! I hope that the early morning hours and late night hours are on the same day. I was planning on hitting MK for EMH in the morning. Now we can take a mid-day break and know that there will be extra hours for us in the evening. What a great way to beat the crowds and heat!

As for the new ticket media structure. Well, it sounds like a big adjustment. We have some leftover hoppers we were going to use. Disney has always honored old tickets before, I don't see it being any different now.

 

[n2mm]

There is lots of news about this new ticket media and also the May 5 celebration of DL's 50th B'Day. Click over to disneyworld.com and check it all out. You'll love the pre-show of Walt if you click on the Celebration info.

BTW--all old tickets will always still be good. Don't panic all is well. It will take us veterans awhile now to get use to the NEW ticket ways. I see lots of benefits in this program. And all prices being quoted are the gate prices. I'm sure the advance prices will be less (according to what I read from my sources). This is a good thing! APs are not affected and FL. residents get discounts too.

 

[Tbella]

Len,
Do you think that this will change the crowd-level calendar and will you update that on the trip planning site?

 

[DiznEeyore]

What I'm wondering is how will they determine who gets to stay in the parks after closing? At the MNSSHP/MVMCP, there are wristbands given at the gate, but how would that work with something as general as "resort guests"? Will the parks close and then re-open or something?

 

[SnackyStacky]

What I'm wondering is how will they determine who gets to stay in the parks after closing? At the MNSSHP/MVMCP, there are wristbands given at the gate, but how would that work with something as general as "resort guests"? Will the parks close and then re-open or something?

I wasn't there for the tests, so I could be wrong, but I believe you could go to Guest Relations at the park, or Guest Services at the resorts, show your Resort ID, and get a wrist band.

I thought I remember reading that that's the way it was done.

 

[PrincessDadx2]

When they did the test in May they set up stands in the park (and probably the gate) where they gave out wristbands when you showed your resort ID. Non resort guests could stay in the park, but not enter attractions without the wristband.