Pandora Predictions and EMH Quandary

[Cuchman]

Hello Folks,
I am looking ahead to our next trip the first week of September and find myself faced with a pseudo-philosophical trip question.
For our last several trips, we have taken Josh (easywdw) and other's advice and strictly eschewed EMH parks. I think the argument in favor of this approach is strong. We haven't done park hoppers in many years and have had great success avoiding some of the crowds by dodging EMH's.

So, to my quandary - I am concerned about Pandora crowds - both overall and specifically in wait times for the rides. Will the throngs still be so huge that it will be worth attending a generally more crowded park just to get an hour of lighter Pandora crowds? I realize it is hard to predict what will happen with a new land that far in advance. In previous years, we have enjoyed "lighter" crowds that first week of September - though I know that the reality of low crowd periods is nearly gone these days.

So, I'd like to hear your thoughts. Will the EMH's be worth it for Pandora alone - in spite of higher crowds in the rest of the park? Or will I be able to deal with rope drop crowds in Pandora on non-EMH days? Or should I just shell out for park hoppers this time? (not cheap, as we will be a group of 7)

Thanks!

 

[Robo]

Will the EMH's be worth it for Pandora alone...

Yes.

 

[HydroGuy]

My two cents. Like you I have always avoided EMH parks.

I think at this point, EMH at AK is not part of that normal pattern. In other words, forget that idea for AK and go to EMH but keep the philosophy for the other parks. At least until Pandora calms down which is out there at least 6-12 months from now.

 

[Cuchman]

Looks like we're gonna get hoppers - UT has a discount on exactly what we need (7 days) and we talked ourselves into it. So I think we'll do the old school "show up for EMH and BAIL after a couple hours" approach that has worked for us in the past!