Offsite & EMH MK the week of xmas

[Donald Applecore]

I posted this on the theme park attractions board, but I figured that I met get more feedback over here.

We will be in Orlando this year for the insanity that is the week b/w xmas & NYE. We are staying offsite & I noticed that MK has an early EMH EVERY DAY!!! We usually just avoid the EMH parks when we go. Does anyone have any experience w/ this in years past? How bad was it staying off site and dealing w/ early EMH? I am worried about getting stuck behind the EMH crowds.

TIA!!

 

[TotoToo]

I posted this on the theme park attractions board, but I figured that I met get more feedback over here.

We will be in Orlando this year for the insanity that is the week b/w xmas & NYE. We are staying offsite & I noticed that MK has an early EMH EVERY DAY!!! We usually just avoid the EMH parks when we go. Does anyone have any experience w/ this in years past? How bad was it staying off site and dealing w/ early EMH? I am worried about getting stuck behind the EMH crowds.

TIA!!

To be brutally honest dealing with Disney parks - especially the best of them at MK - at Holiday times (Christmas/New Years being the worst as it combines two in an incredibly popular time) is nothing short of a nightmare. It is packed everyday, traffic around all of Orlando but especially the Disney area of 192 & International Drive grind to a standstill 14 hours a day. That occurs from basically 12/23 or 12/24 until 12/31. Then it's like someone turned out the lights and things are extremely light until late January.

During that 12/23-12/31 period anything you want to do or anyplace you plan to go takes 4 times as long, every attraction has lines well over an hour and simply moving around using any type of transportation means a wait. They often end up closing the park(s) & urging guests to leave. It quickly gets frustrating and makes the whole trip far less enjoyable. After experiencing it we vowed to NEVER deal with it again. Although we tend to do Orlando at Christmas (we have been there 4 out of the past 5 years) we plan an extended stay that usually encompasses the week AFTER New Years. We use that time - which may be one of the slowest of the year - to truly enjoy the parks. We use the 12/24-12/31 time for everything outside the parks and although everything in the area is busy that time of year it is far easier to deal with the general things than the parks. We feel it is a waste of expensive tickets to wait in lines over an hour for everything you try to do.

Bottom line - if you can avoid the parks between Christmas & New Years do it. If not be prepared to wait and wait for everything you try to do.

 

[mrzrich]

If I HAD to go the week of Christmas, I would only do so as an on site guest, using the extremely early EMH to get stuff done. It is crazy that week. The park often reach full capacity, and the first people they turn away is off site guests.

 

[Brian Noble]

I know a few people who have done this. Get there as early as you can; the EMH is *so* early that most people can't make it in time. That it is every day helps spread out the crowds. So, i turns out to be doable.

It would be worth signing up for Tour Guide Mike or TouringPlans.com to pick the best days for each park.

 

[Donald Applecore]

Thanks for the info - We did xmas week two years ago & stayed off site, so we know what we are getting into (FYI - Had a GREAT TIME! - we always had a plan & we knew what to expect as far as crowd levels). Fortunately, we did stay a few days after new years, so we were able to hit MK on a non-EMH day.

 

[Metsoskil]

We just spent the week between Xmas and NYE at Disney this past December and we stayed off-site. We knew what we were getting into and planned accordingly. We were also concerned about EMH every morning at MK, just like you are now.

Here's what we found: because the parks open earlier than when we go during the summer, we thought they were actually less crowded between Rope drop and 10 AM than our usual August trip. After 10AM, though, it's absolute gridlock- in the parks, on the roads, using Disney transportation, etc. As a PP said, get as many FP as you can during the morning hours and use them later in the day to make it more bearable.

My best advice for this time of year is to enjoy the unique holiday experiences and understand that you may not get on every ride you want due to the crowds. As far as EMH at the MK go, get to the TTC early. They will hold non-resort guests there and not let you get on the monorail until about 15 mins. before non-EMH park opening. Be in the front of that holding line so that you can get on the first monorail. We actually got into the park a few minutes before the stated opening time this way and were in front of the crowds who had to wait for later monorails. With only 2 hours in the morning before the park gets mobbed, you don't want to waste 45 mins of it waiting for a monorail at the TTC.