Seriously Big Park Hours Update 8/29-11/2 - Daily AM EMHs added for DHS, DAK, & MK

[IluvMGM]

I think I need to re-work my whole itinerary. LOL

 

[Spudsie]

I'm another "excited September Disney trip" member. LOL I had intentionally booked an early September trip to AVOID the GE crowds. D'oh! When the opening dates for GE were announced I considered changing the trip for about a split second. And then decided to celebrate the change. I'll be one of the very early guests to see GE. I get to stay at a hotel (Yacht Club) within walking distance from GE. And..........I booked the room at a discounted rate! SCORE!!!!

And now I get even more hours in the parks for my trip! I feel like it keeps getting better and better.

I'm not a hot weather person. I'm not an overwhelming crowd person. So this is going to be everything outside of my comfort zone. But it's Disney.....so I'm embracing it!

(Someone please remind me of this when I'm dealing with 118 temps with 98 percent humidity and elbow to elbow crowds. LOL)

 

[agavegirl1]

October trip planner here and I will be changing some things around for earlier bedtimes and hopping options. I don’t like all the curve balls I’ve been thrown the last couple of months since I had a pretty solid plan already done. I am neither “thrilled” or “disappointed”. It is just another thing to plan around.

 

[CouponGirl]

Yes. More then likely, sometime between 4:30am and 5:00am.
We went to the MK for a 6am opening on Christmas morning. The first bus left POFQ at 4:51am.

Just curious... what were the crowds like at a 6am opening? I know it’s no indication of how it will be, but am very curious as that seems really early for a lot of people to be there and have never been to that early of an opening.

 

[Disneylover99]

Just curious... what were the crowds like at a 6am opening? I know it’s no indication of how it will be, but am very curious as that seems really early for a lot of people to be there and have never been to that early of an opening.

Surprisingly packed. We missed the first bus so we didn’t actually get to the MK til about 5:35am. It was a sea of humanity at that point with massive lines for security and turnstiles. It would have been much better if we caught that first bus.

We’ve been to the MK on Christmas Day on a few other occasions when it was a 7am opening. It seemed way less crowded then.

 

[Spaceguy55]

I am not interpreting this as “it’s going to be SO busy, we need to increase capacity”. I genuinely still believe that hotel bookings are soft & with no FP’s being available and no reservations for onsite guests they are running out of incentives for people to stay onsite.

I agree that this is an incentive based on soooo many rooms still available. A quick look today and still every resort and almost every room category still available thru september and a good part of October ...we'll see what it looks like in another week or 3 but I bet another Mickey bar that fall discounts will be out within a month or so.

 

[Wishfuiiy]

We already booked our ADRs, and now I am annoyed cause I wanna adjust now cause of all the planning I did LOL

 

[gharter]

This update worries me that they are epecting HUGE crowds during our week in October.
I understand HS, staying later, but EMH 6-9 am every day? Ok, I get that SWGE will be popular.
Then MK with EMH 7-8 daily and openng at 8 instead of 9 and and AK EMH 7-8 daily, opening 8 instead of 9.

Is this over reacting on the part of Disney or will the crowds really be that bad.
We're not changing dates, so we'll just deal with what the crowds are, same as everyone else.

 

[ballonewb]

Will the hs parking lot be open early to allow on site guests that have a car to enter. Or do you have to take the bus to get in.

 

[Mom of a princess]

Looks like we will be changing our November trip to October.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Will the hs parking lot be open early to allow on site guests that have a car to enter. Or do you have to take the bus to get in.

The parking lots never really close, they just don't staff the parking booths at some point overnight. If you arrive early enough you just drive on in and park. Although I'm assuming Disney will be staffing the lots full or mostly full time until the initial hype subsides a bit.

 

[Disneylover99]

This update worries me that they are epecting HUGE crowds during our week in October.
I understand HS, staying later, but EMH 6-9 am every day? Ok, I get that SWGE will be popular.
Then MK with EMH 7-8 daily and openng at 8 instead of 9 and and AK EMH 7-8 daily, opening 8 instead of 9.

Is this over reacting on the part of Disney or will the crowds really be that bad.
We're not changing dates, so we'll just deal with what the crowds are, same as everyone else.

I think it’s a good thing. Disney’s just being proactive and trying to spread out the visitors. I don’t see it as something to worry about. I figure they’re trying to get onsite visitors to hit the parks early and then get out, while offsite people will visit later in the day/evening, when everyone who was up super early are relaxing at their resort.

 

[capegirl]

We decided to avoid the mass of humanity at DHS on August 29 and head to EPCOT for Food & Wine. I wonder if the early EMHs at the other parks will lighten the crowds at EPCOT. Well maybe not, but I can dream.

 

[CouponGirl]

Normally we are just a single park per day group, but this schedule change does make me wonder if hoppers would be worthwhile.

The fun of planning a Disney trip... every time you think you have it all figured out they go and make a change that has you rethinking everything!

 

[Davey Jones II]

We have a trip from October 19-26 that we scheduled before the GE opening date was announced. That trip will include a visit to Harry Potter World and Kennedy Space Center. This announcement will make for some interesting discussion and planning before our FP day comes in August.

Hogsmeade, and Diagon Alley. There`s no such thing as "Harry Potter World".

 

[Davey Jones II]

I have two comments about this orgy of EMH:

a) I hope the crowd calendars will revamp their forecasts now, especially since they`re largely based on the EMH schedule.

b) evenings should be even quieter, given how many people got up at 4-5 a.m. for EMH and will be drifting (sleepily) out of the park around midday, or aft.

 

[Davey Jones II]

We decided to avoid the mass of humanity at DHS on August 29 and head to EPCOT for Food & Wine. I wonder if the early EMHs at the other parks will lighten the crowds at EPCOT. Well maybe not, but I can dream.

Very likely, except maybe on Saturdays, since that is when locals come for the fests.

 

[Davey Jones II]

I checked the crowd level calendar and the weekends have been increased to a level “9”. Not sure where you saw “1”.

Yeah but a girl can always try! As much money as we are spending, my efforts are all in!

Do you mean a crowd level 9 at DHS every weekend?

 

[Rach3975]

This update worries me that they are epecting HUGE crowds during our week in October.
I understand HS, staying later, but EMH 6-9 am every day? Ok, I get that SWGE will be popular.
Then MK with EMH 7-8 daily and openng at 8 instead of 9 and and AK EMH 7-8 daily, opening 8 instead of 9.

If the reason for all the EMHs is that bookings are soft, maybe they needed an incentive for people to spend their entire trip on site instead of just 1 night for HS.

 

[georgina]

Hogsmeade, and Diagon Alley. There`s no such thing as "Harry Potter World".

Oh, please. Lots of us call it Harry Potter World. I do, and I am a Universal AP holder.