Lots of Changes on EMH!

[dvcgirl]

Yes, you'll need a hopper pass to go to one park before entering a park with extended hours in the evening. Which is why the parks that offer the extended time will be *packed* on that day. Another poster...OCDisney I think, mentioned this. The new ticketing system actually discourages park hopping....because they're making you pay for it. I'm not saying that in of itself is a bad thing. It's another choice, and that's great. But people who don't add park hopping but do want to visit the park with extended hours can *only* go into that park on that particular day. As it is, the park with early magic hour is more crowded throughout that day then it normally would be. But now, with more people choosing not to park hop, it will be worse.

 

[DHSsenior007]

Question:

Will they be handing out wristbands to every single resort guest that asks for one or will there be a limited number of wristbands like they do for E-Ticket nights?

 

[momof2inPA]

I'll be there in Feb., but I thought they weren't participating in the late night hours. Does anyone know what will happen with that? If they are participating, the change will be great for us, because we are late night people. Otherwise, we'll make due. I wonder how this effects my Wishes cruise.

 

[dvcgirl]

The only reason that e-ride nights were limited is because you had to *pay* for that. This is the same as the Early Morning Hour.....free to all guests. So I don't see how they can limit it.....which is why those parks will be very crowded.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Wait a minute...previously onsite guests got 7 extra hours a week...Disney are now extending that to 20 hours a week, nearly three times as long - for no extra charge...and it's still not good enough? I think that's a great onsite perk!

I guess that you can never please all of the people all of the time... Personally I think extra park time in any shape or form can only be a <b>good thing</b>, especially when it doesn't cost me any more

:thewave: I'm so excited about the evening hours, I can't take it. I almost told my kids but then I remembered this is a surprise trip, oops almost blew it, where's the duct tape?

 

[scoutsmom99]

I'm so excited about the new nighttime magic hours! I have never been an Early Magic extra Hour user even though I always stay on property (too early for my blood!). Of course I planned my trip Wed-Tue so I will miss the night hours at AK (that would have been neat!). I guess that means I just need to plan another trip!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Now my head hurts, too!

I wasn't going to move around the days I planned to go to each park. BUT the point about the parks being absolutely PACKED with people who can't hop is very valid. Grrr!

We only have four days, Wednesday - Saturday. Being MLK weekend I am assuming Friday and Saturday will be ugly. I want to go to MGM on Saturday, but what if it's packed?

I wasn't going to change my PS's, but it is looking like a better and better idea to change them! But change them to WHAT? This is not how I want to spend the next 38 days!!

 

[princesslibby]

WE arrive 1-2-05. although this sounds exciting it's back to the drawing -I mean planning- board for me.

libby

 

[2ofUs]

I looked over the WDW February schedule for MK more carefully and found:
Mon 2/7 = 7pm SPECTRO only;
Tues 2/8 = 7pm WISHES only;
Wed 2/9 = 3pm parade only;
Thur 2/10 = 7pm SPECTRO only;
Fri 2/11 = 9pm WISHES only;
Sat 2/12 = 9pm WISHES only.

Based on this, it would appear that during slow weeks they are alternating Wishes & Spectro. And with MK open late on Wed with no EVENING spectaculars, maybe they intend spread things out a bit among the parks? If they were to put in a later Wishes/Spectro on this night, what would the attitude of non-resort guest be? If they could not enter or remain in the park after 7 and would miss an opportunity there could be many complaints. So the non-event late night must be specifically for rides!

In going over my itinerary, I have discovered that I really don't need to make very many adjustments after all. I had planned around 'non-busy' park days and, even with the possibility of 'jammed up parks' due to the 1 park-1day rule for the new passes without PH, our schedule still seems to work. This is especially nice since we have planned for Fantasmic on Wednesday evening and maybe the resort guest will be enjoying their extra 3 hours of rides and we won't have a crowded theater?

So, now our only hope of Spectro is Monday 2/7 at 7pm. If everyone else would please be kind enough to make a little room for us there we would be eternally grateful.

But, looking at the silver lining, I have never seen Spectro so, if I miss it this trip, at least I won't know what I'm missing, right? And, no, I'm not ROFL - I am throwing a hissy-fit and going crazy.

Big group hug for all of us 'planning freaks' who are going to WDW in Jan & Feb and THOUGHT we were all set, huh? Well, maybe after viewing your plans you will find it is not really so bad, too!

 

[crisi]

A lesson here for compulsive planners.

Be flexible. Sometimes Disney changes things. Sometimes the weather is lousy. Sometimes hurricanes hit. Sometimes one of the kids gets sick, or your seven year old decided to spend the entire vacation in the pool. Sometimes you get a great deal on airfare, only to discover if you'd waited a week, another airline had an even better deal. Attractions close - sometimes even unexpectedly. Husbands decide your carefully planned PSs aren't "what he is in the mood for." And unexpected expenses seem to hit you from out of the blue.

Although its a good idea to plan your Disney vacation (huge fan here of deciding what parks which days and making PSs!), it isn't a good idea to be so attached to those plans that the park opening an hour later throws you for a loop or the sudden closing of Tower of Terror for maintenance ruins your trip.

We got caught in the "no EE" post September 11. We still had a great trip. While this schedule is far from perfect for my "early rising/early to bed" family - it is a windfall to those people who can't get their family out of bed until 9am - particularly those from the West Coast.

 

[famcruisefun]

Questions I haven't seen answered:
Does the Swan count as on-site for the extra hours? We are not early risers, so haven't used early entry - but the late nights would be right up our alley!
Will the extra evening hours be available even during "high season" when the hours are already very late?
Thanks - trying to plan/replan for March.

 

[drumflower]

Since I don't plan to buy the hopping option, I am going to go to the parks were they don't have a special hours thinking that tons of people will go for the special hours and will be very crowded! I am going to zig when everyone zags!

 

[stich626]

Wow so much new information!! Hopefully they work all the kinks out befor my trip.

 

[simzac]

We are going Jan 1-5, and I see no reason at all to make any changes in our plans. In fact, we were going to go to MGM on Sunday the 2nd, and now we will have 3 extra hours in the park. Crowds do not bother us, not going to WDW at all would bother us a whole lot more. Just relax and have a great time, after all, everyone is on vacation, right?

 

[n2mm]

I am pretty sure my info says SOG and Swan/Dolpin are included in all EMH. I left everything at work (that's where I do my best trip planning). I can't remember if the hotel village is included though.

Just remember in terms of parades and fireworks, everything is always subject to change. Resort occupancy has a huge impact on times and events.

 

[TammyC]

Questions I haven't seen answered:
Does the Swan count as on-site for the extra hours? We are not early risers, so haven't used early entry - but the late nights would be right up our alley!
Will the extra evening hours be available even during "high season" when the hours are already very late?
Thanks - trying to plan/replan for March.

Good questions.. It seems like I have seen hours posted for MK with closing at 11 pm or after during peak or holiday season. So would MK really be open til 2 am???

 

[MrShiny]

I think this is great - they are baasically giving e-ride nights, which I gladly paid for in the past, free every week. True, if you happened to be planning a 2005 trip, it may be slightly diffrenty now. For the poster with the 9:55 CRT, I'd still get there early. They migh be able to seat you and then you'd be out into Fantasyland still relatively early.

Personally, I much prefer evening hours than morning. Maybe I'll even sleep in!

Look, I've planned out trips step by step. Now I've seen all the major things I wanted to and eaten at all the places. You can actually be spontaneous at WDW and can actually have fun that way too!

Try this - get one of the little fridge magnets that picks a park for you (about $8 at the stores at WDW - assuming they still have them). That could be a really fun day!

 

[jay-nee]

we used to plan commando style, missed so much of the true maic...

And ditto for things just happening that you can't plan (sickness, hurricane, etc).

WDW could have changed the regular early morning schedule, it happens periodically anyway...

Slow down and enjoy fellow DISers... Life at WDW is so cool! As my DH says when we are at WDW, flow...

 

[swilphil]

Questions I haven't seen answered:
Does the Swan count as on-site for the extra hours? We are not early risers, so haven't used early entry - but the late nights would be right up our alley!
Will the extra evening hours be available even during "high season" when the hours are already very late?
Thanks - trying to plan/replan for March.

Yes, the Swan (and Dolphin) do receive EMH. I also believe the DTD Hilton does too.

I also am trying to plan for March, and wonder about the late EMH's. I do know they did E-nights periodically during the summer, where they would open the parks until midnight. With little kids, we didn't partake. This July most of the the parks closed at 9 p.m. I think on weekends some may have stayed open until 10 p.m. Around July 4th, they were open a little later.

I wonder if they are doing evening EMH since so many people don't use the morning EMH because of the big crowds, and it isn't a big enticement for people to stay onsite.

 

[DutchsMommy]

I'm looking at it this way: From everything I have heard, Jan and Feb are really slow times (except for MLK weekend - but that is to be expected) and I have to assume that, even though we now have morning and evening options, the overall attendance levels won't be anything near "peak" times so I am really not concerned things will be "packed". I am going to stay with my original plan, and just tack on some additional hopping as a possibility. I am going in with only a few PSs - for key things I don't want to miss - and will take my chances with the rest. I think if you have every breakfast, lunch and dinner planned out it really ties you down to a specific schedule anyway, which could be disasterous with a 3yo DS!

So, for me, the new hours are a plus - the biggest being the late night at MK - and all I have to do now is figure out whether to keep my PHPs or trade them in for the MYW tickets, and THAT will not be easy 'cause it involved MATH!!!
LOL