MK EMH Fiasco

[alhurricane]

This was our first time ever trying EMH this morning and it will be our last. First we waited 45 minutes for a bus at POR and we got there just before 7. There was a long line of people waiting that didn't even make it onto that bus. Why does Disney not cycle more buses for the early park open?

We finally make it to MK and the scanners were not working right. That took another half hour of our time. By the time we got into the park we were easy behind the rest of the pack. We ended up only being able to ride one attraction in the EMH.

We've had a great time up until this experience so don't take it that I'm just complaining. We're just disappointed the morning has gone the way it has so far.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Why does Disney not cycle more buses for the early park open?

They do. They should do it more efficiently I guess.

Apparently due to other posts there is some kind of computer glitch today, and then the Mine Train broke down. Hopefully other EMH days will go smoother.

 

[wareagle57]

I have this bad feeling the mine train is going to be one of those rides that breaks down ALL the time. I saw it reported closed a few times yesterday and already today. Not a good thing.

 

[GillianP1301]

Sorry about your bad morning, it sounds pretty craptastic.

Your example of the bus fiasco is exactly why I rent a car. I know that some people love Disney transportation and swear by it, but one wait like what you had could ruin a trip for me. Overreaction? Maybe, but I know how I am and it's not worth that risk. Not saying rental car is always the solution for everyone, just sharing my personal approach. I totally agree with you that when using Disney transportation, you should be able to rely on it being efficient & well managed.

OP - what was going on during the 1/2 hour it took you to get past a non functioning scanner? Was it just more time to manually process each entrant or was there mass confusion? Standing around waiting to just get past the entrance scanner like that would probably make my head explode.

Interesting observations about frequent shut downs of 7DMT in the first few days. Hopefully those are early day growing pans and not an indication of what to expect long term, because that would suck.

 

[bastos]

Port Orleans was one of the messiest bus fiascoes we ever had. It was focal to the reason why EMH parks were NEVER recommended. Whenever we got to the buses late (our arrival date, and one late morning in a week), they were always INSANE.

A cast member also mentioned how buses there were a FIASCO. ALL those people trying to fit onto the buses.

My suggestion? Avoid EMH mornings unless staying adjacent to the park. Boardwalk, Beach Club, Yacht, Polynesian, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge. And I would even hesitate with GF, Polynesian, and Wilderness Lodge - still dependent on transport - but more options. Boat or bus, boat or monorail.

 

[jsbowl16]

Were you staying at French Quarter or Riverside? We stay at French Quarter and if the bus fills up there, then sometimes it skips the Riverside pick up and goes right to the park.

 

[Ariel Oswald]

French Quarter much better from a bus perspective. It even used to have its own bus back from MK. We used to always stay there for that reason before we moved to the EPCOT resorts so we could rely more on our feet ! If you are at Riverside, it is worth the extra walk over to the main bus stop by the lobby building as more of the buses tend to cycle through that stop. We found the one over in Magnolia Bend to be the worst as it seemed to always be the last stop on the route. The Dolphin hotel suffers in a a similar fashion with buses as it is the last stop after Boardwalk and Swan. Once a bus fills up, it goes on to the park which leaves people at the final stop stranded. We often take the shots walk over to the swan on MK mornings to catch a bus! Good luck with the rest of your trip!

 

[2Tiggies]

I have this bad feeling the mine train is going to be one of those rides that breaks down ALL the time. I saw it reported closed a few times yesterday and already today. Not a good thing.

We might need to notify Robo that 7DMT is about to be granted residence in Glitch City.

OP, are you going to try another EMH? The system going down is a pain because it affects so many aspects of the day, but when it runs as it should, EMH is usually quite worthwhile. FWIW, it looks like you did everything right: You allowed plenty of time to get there. So sorry that it worked out the way it did, but it was not down to anything you could have or should have done differently. Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip

 

[nharding20]

Your example of the bus fiasco is exactly why I rent a car. I know that some people love Disney transportation and swear by it, but one wait like what you had could ruin a trip for me. Overreaction? Maybe, but I know how I am and it's not worth that risk. Not saying rental car is always the solution for everyone, just sharing my personal approach. I totally agree with you that when using Disney transportation, you should be able to rely on it being efficient & well managed.

What you said here is exactly how my husband and I have felt, but have not yet taken the step to rent a car. I know exactly what you mean, how one horrible fiasco with transportation just leaves a bad taste in our mouths and I don't want it to ruin our whole perspective. So.... for those of us that feel this way, a rental car may be the best solution. We're staying at the Yacht Club for the first time - due to the walkability of our favorite parks. We'll see how it goes....

 

[jade1]

3 words: Bay Lake Tower.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Sorry to hear you had a bad morning. We had a couple of similar (though not as bad) morning bus experiences when we stayed at POR. Anyway, our last couple of trips we have always taken a cab to the park in the mornings. Costs around $20 but I consider that well worth it to avoid having the day start off waiting around for a bus and getting more and more antsy. For example, we too a cab from Yacht Club to morning EMH at both Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom and it was only a 10 minute ride. We were the first one's in line at the scanners at AK and were on the first safari bus so really worked for us. We will take buses when we leave the resorts in the afternoon if we aren't in a hurry to get somewhere.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Kind of different taking a cab to MK because you have to be dropped off at TTC and not at the park itself. If you take the cab to the Contemporary it's a less than 10 minute walk to MK.

MDX right now has 7DMT as "temporarily closed"

 

[CarlaLovesDisney]

So sorry to hear you had a bad morning! I just stayed at PO Riverside and I am so glad I rented a car. But I wish there was some solution to glitches other than getting your time wasted. We nearly missed a dinner reservation because of MM+ glitching

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

POR has terrible bus service! It's why we won't stay there again! I've had friends stay at POFQ and the buses were fine.... It's rather sad that the Values tend to have a more reliable system than POR! Ive noticed POR bus system is always a mess when we go to WDW... Shame since its a "moderate."

 

[alhurricane]

It's definitely a lesson learned for us. We are at Riverside and this is the first bus issue we've had but it was a significant one. They definitely need to address how they handle buses at this resort. It's a great resort otherwise.

We must have timed our SDMT FP just right as we rode with no issue. We've been by several times though and we have yet to see a train go by.

 

[boltfan]

That's really too bad. We love morning EMH. Always get on everything at least twice that we want to ride. And your issue at POR is exactly why we'll never go there again. On average we waited 30 minutes for the bus every day. Unless you get on at POFQ or the first stop at POR you are not guaranteed that the bus will even get to you. If they fill up there, they go on to the parks and never even go to the other stops at POR. I'll be at POFQ in November and have no worries about getting a bus at any time during our stay. Don't give up on EMH, though. It just sounds like one of those days where everything goes wrong.

 

[mr noodle]

I have this bad feeling the mine train is going to be one of those rides that breaks down ALL the time. I saw it reported closed a few times yesterday and already today. Not a good thing.

Yesterday: lightning in the area once, significant rainfall second time.

Complete fault of the ride! I am calling for a complete rebuild!!

 

[W.E.D.]

Interesting. Our last trip was at POR. We stayed 10 days, and only had one issue where we never saw a bus for EPCOT. I'm not an apologist--Disney makes lots of errors--but I guess its luck of the draw.