Plan for EMH in a post-Covid world?

[summerw]

I rescheduled our May trip to June 19. It seems very unlikely, but no other time is good for us until next March so we thought we’d try. FP day is tomorrow. Normally we take advantage of every evening EMH we can. I was thinking about it though and It seems like if something might need to give, evening EMH would be one of the first because they might need extra time to clean at night. Also if they do a staged opening starting with resort guests and/or AP, EMH don’t make sense. In the end I know the likelihood of cancellation is very high, but it seems silly to focus planning around EMH. If you’re just theorizing, what do you all think?

 

[patty57]

Just speculation of course, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Disney use this to get rid of EMHs. They seem to have been slowly heading in that direction over the past few years by both shortening them, and having them less often.

 

[720L]

We also rescheduled from May to June 20 arrival. If there are EMH I'm thinking it would be a very limited # of tickets. Actually I think they will only be selling a certain number of tickets for the day. Maybe FPs won't even be needed? I really wish we could get some kind of idea what the parks are going to be doing.

 

[nkereina]

If there are EMH I'm thinking it would be a very limited # of tickets.

EMH is already restricted to on-site guests. To restrict it further than that would have a larger snowball effect because the only fair way to do it would be to align the benefit with deluxe resorts, for example. I don't see that change happening with everything else going on and all the other changes they will have to implement. However, I could see them "suspending" EMH if need be.

 

[wdw&sonny]

I'll theorize that you are, at best, looking at reduced hours, not EXTRA. Shanghai is still closed, 3 months later. We still have more unknowns, than knowns about the future with this virus. I think it is optimistic to hope for partial operations, limited experiences, reduced hours. You will certainly need to practice social distancing and maybe wear a mask. You may have to go through temperature screening or present proof of antibody test. I think there are just so many uncertainties still.
I feel for your situation. Good luck.

 

[Kaadk]

Assuming the parks are open, and the EMH are still running, then I'd still suggest planning for EMH. Two factors will still be in your favour:

1) It was hot as ..... in Aug the year we went. If June is only moderately cooler, then even at that, it's still gonna be hot mid-day. An EMH plan will help you avoid the heat by bailing mid-day in the parks.
2) There are people who need sleep (like my kids when they were younger) that don't take advantage of EMH, even if that's part of the perks of staying onsite. Or at least, don't take advantage of the full time there. Even if only resort guests were allowed into the parks, you should still find less people the longer EMH goes on than you do in the middle of normal hours, simply because they're too tired to keep going.

 

[CastAStone]

Nothing wrong with planning!

I assume that, if Disney reopens before we have an effective treatment or a vaccine, Disney will reopen to resort guests only. That would make EMHs superfluous. Even if its resort guests and AP holders I can't see them moving ahead with EMHs. I'd plan the parks on the days you want to go to them.

 

[summerw]

Thanks, everyone, for your best guesses and thoughtful comments. I agree about them possibly being ended permanently or at least temporarily, but I couldn't help myself and still planned for the few we would be sad to miss. I may end up regretting that later since others will have planned that way and those parks may be more crowded, but I just couldn't not plan for MK evening EMH and a few others.

I knew when I rebooked that info would be scarce and the trip is more likely than not to be cancelled, but all this definitely made my hypothetical trip difficult to plan. Normally it's my favorite part but that's because I'm nerdy and love poring over past crowd levels, FP availability and projections. Nothing but conjecture and wild suppositions for this one. Lol.

 

[summerw]

And I'm just plain scared of how hot the end of June will be. I love going in March/April and was stretching it to go in May because that was the most convenient for us. I was so sad to move from May to June because I am such a baby about the heat and humidity. There will be lots of pool time, if I don't melt.

 

[micheleq]

but I just couldn't not plan for MK evening EMH and a few others.

We are scheduled for June 20-27 (DVC members staying at RIV) and MK evening EMH that week is my birthday. I'm holding onto a glimmer of hope that the trip is still a go and if there's EMH then its icing on the cake.

 

[summerw]

We are scheduled for June 20-27 (DVC members staying at RIV) and MK evening EMH that week is my birthday. I'm holding onto a glimmer of hope that the trip is still a go and if there's EMH then its icing on the cake.

I will be hoping we will both be there that night, hope against hope, watching some fireworks.

 

[ejdmomma]

And I'm just plain scared of how hot the end of June will be. I love going in March/April and was stretching it to go in May because that was the most convenient for us. I was so sad to move from May to June because I am such a baby about the heat and humidity. There will be lots of pool time, if I don't melt.

We were scheduled for mid-March and are now rescheduled for mid-July. Honestly just thinkging about melting in the summer heat and humidity make me want to cry!!!

 

[HuskieJohn]

If the parks are only open to resort guests then EMH is no longer a real perk.

 

[Kaadk]

If the parks are only open to resort guests then EMH is no longer a real perk.

The 'perk' of it being supposedly lower crowds due to only resort guests being allowed in has pretty much gone away anyways. Hotel capacity far exceeds park capacity, so even during EMH, it's not really an exclusive thing anymore. What you do still get, is extended hours. So, I wouldn't say it's not a perk at all if it's only resort guests, just not as big of one.

 

[MomOTwins]

Given the limits on fastpass that have been reported, I think that rather than planning days around park hours, better to plan them so that harder to get FPs like FOP and the new HS Tier 1s are farthest out.

 

[summerw]

We were scheduled for mid-March and are now rescheduled for mid-July. Honestly just thinkging about melting in the summer heat and humidity make me want to cry!!!

Me too. I’m a whiner about heat and will skip the beach if it’s over 100. This is gonna be rough.

Given the limits on fastpass that have been reported, I think that rather than planning days around park hours, better to plan them so that harder to get FPs like FOP and the new HS Tier 1s are farthest out.

That’s what I ended up doing, except MK PM EMH. I love that one too much.