JimmyV
Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas.
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2008
- Messages
- 8,060
I thought that the crew did a terrific job discussing the "After Hours" event, and I wanted to chime in with my thoughts, (despite the fact that I haven't done it...yet). So what gives me the foundation to comment? Well, like Kevin, I used to enjoy the MK in the 1970s when it was still possible to have the park to yourself. Indeed, these experiences were where I first earned and enjoyed my first dose of independence. Back in the days of my avatar, (or, to be fair, a few summers later, as my avatar photo was taken in 1972), my older brother and I were allowed to go back to the MK at night after dinner at the Grand Canyon Terrace or Pueblo Room. My parents would take my two younger brothers back to our room at the Contemporary and my older brother and I would take the monorail back to the MK and stay until midnight. It was the first time that my parents gave us that type of independence. And man, was it cool. Back then, there were only two onsite hotels plus Fort Wilderness. Almost all of the offsite people left by 10:00 at the latest. There simply weren't enough people staying onsite to make a dent in the MK late at night and it was post-apocalyptically empty. We reveled in the mastery of Michael Iceberg. We rode Space Mountain over and over. We practically lived in the Pirates' caves. But those experiences evaporated into the ether. But now they can be bought back. And if you have never done that, it is something to behold.
So I largely agree with the crew's impressions. If you've never experienced a truly, (and I mean truly) empty park, it can be worth doing once in a while. But there are a couple of points that I would offer for those who are considering this. First, when we used to experience the empty park in the 70's, we did so from 10:00 to midnight, not from 11:00-2:00 a.m.. In their discussion today, I don't think the crew gave enough airtime to that fact. And again, this highlights the difference between local, annual passholders and visiting guests. If you are a visiting guest and stay until 2:00 a.m. and take a bus back to your resort, be prepared for your head to hit the pillow at 3:00 a.m.. You are going to be wiped out for the next day. And if you are on vacation for a week, you have to take into account that you are going to burn one of your days doing very little because you were up until 3:00 the night before. That is not to say that one shouldn't do it. But it is something worth thinking about. Alone time in the 70's were earlier than alone time is now. Today, those fun hours come at both a financial and physical price.
Second, the podcast crew are locals who are not staying at a Disney Resort and therefore cannot avail themselves of EMHs. If you are staying on site, it is worth noting that very late EMHs are somewhat similar to the After Hours event. Exactly the same? No. I've done the empty park thing in the 70's and done late EMHs in the 00's and 10's. EMHs are not the same. But they can come close, especially when EMHs extend to 1:00 and especially 2:00. So it is worth weighing the cost of EMHs which are included in the price of your resort versus $149 per person for the hard ticket. If you are not eligible for EMHs either because you are a local or staying offsite, then this event is absolutely something that should be considered if for no other reason than seeing the MK at least once in its vacant state. Too bad Michael Iceberg And His Amazing Iceberg Machine aren't still around.
Also, the crew was spot on when they said that the After Hours "crowd" does nothing to the park crowd during regular hours. We were there on Thursday and the lanyard wearers were few and far between. Nothing to worry about there.
Is the event a success? It is worth noting that a "success" for guests may not be a "success" for Disney. It isn't a zero sum game. The fewer people who attend, the better for the guest. But bad for Disney. Pete said the number on Thursday was around 1,100. And we know that they are giving out free tickets, and now annual pass holders get in for half price. Obviously this isn't rolling out as Disney hoped. Just lower the price to $75 dollars for heaven's sake and be done with it.
The bottom line for me is that having experienced an empty park numerous times in the '70s, I am content with a mostly empty park during EMHs for no additional fee. But the flip side is, having experienced an empty park in the past, I highly recommend the experience at least once if you don't mind being a zombie the next day.
So I largely agree with the crew's impressions. If you've never experienced a truly, (and I mean truly) empty park, it can be worth doing once in a while. But there are a couple of points that I would offer for those who are considering this. First, when we used to experience the empty park in the 70's, we did so from 10:00 to midnight, not from 11:00-2:00 a.m.. In their discussion today, I don't think the crew gave enough airtime to that fact. And again, this highlights the difference between local, annual passholders and visiting guests. If you are a visiting guest and stay until 2:00 a.m. and take a bus back to your resort, be prepared for your head to hit the pillow at 3:00 a.m.. You are going to be wiped out for the next day. And if you are on vacation for a week, you have to take into account that you are going to burn one of your days doing very little because you were up until 3:00 the night before. That is not to say that one shouldn't do it. But it is something worth thinking about. Alone time in the 70's were earlier than alone time is now. Today, those fun hours come at both a financial and physical price.
Second, the podcast crew are locals who are not staying at a Disney Resort and therefore cannot avail themselves of EMHs. If you are staying on site, it is worth noting that very late EMHs are somewhat similar to the After Hours event. Exactly the same? No. I've done the empty park thing in the 70's and done late EMHs in the 00's and 10's. EMHs are not the same. But they can come close, especially when EMHs extend to 1:00 and especially 2:00. So it is worth weighing the cost of EMHs which are included in the price of your resort versus $149 per person for the hard ticket. If you are not eligible for EMHs either because you are a local or staying offsite, then this event is absolutely something that should be considered if for no other reason than seeing the MK at least once in its vacant state. Too bad Michael Iceberg And His Amazing Iceberg Machine aren't still around.
Also, the crew was spot on when they said that the After Hours "crowd" does nothing to the park crowd during regular hours. We were there on Thursday and the lanyard wearers were few and far between. Nothing to worry about there.
Is the event a success? It is worth noting that a "success" for guests may not be a "success" for Disney. It isn't a zero sum game. The fewer people who attend, the better for the guest. But bad for Disney. Pete said the number on Thursday was around 1,100. And we know that they are giving out free tickets, and now annual pass holders get in for half price. Obviously this isn't rolling out as Disney hoped. Just lower the price to $75 dollars for heaven's sake and be done with it.
The bottom line for me is that having experienced an empty park numerous times in the '70s, I am content with a mostly empty park during EMHs for no additional fee. But the flip side is, having experienced an empty park in the past, I highly recommend the experience at least once if you don't mind being a zombie the next day.
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of adult beverages, as Ryno would say in that cute way of his. 
