What are the Extra Magic Hours Like ??

[lovmy2girls]

We have never been to the parks on EMH days. I have always scheduled our days not to be there on those days, but that was during summer hours.

We're going for the weekend Jan. 28-30th, and will be going to all 4 parks, hitting the highlights, and will be at some of the parks on EMH days.

When and Where do you get your wristband?
Is it really crowded?
Can you really tell a difference in line waits? good or BAD?
What happens to non-wristband people, do they have to leave the park?
Do CM's really check to see if you have a wristband?

Thanks

 

[teacher31]

We have never been to the parks on EMH days. I have always scheduled our days not to be there on those days, but that was during summer hours.

We're going for the weekend Jan. 28-30th, and will be going to all 4 parks, hitting the highlights, and will be at some of the parks on EMH days.

When and Where do you get your wristband?
Is it really crowded?
Can you really tell a difference in line waits? good or BAD?
What happens to non-wristband people, do they have to leave the park?
Do CM's really check to see if you have a wristband?

Thanks

Hope I can answer some of your questions.

If you are going for the morning you will show your resort IDs to get through the gates. For the evening you get them starting 2 hours before closing. There are signs all over the place showing you where to get them, so don't worry on that. As far as being crowded, if it is, I still think it is definitely worth it. The non-wristbanded people are not allowed to ride. There was a group in front of us at AK waiting to go on Primevil Whirl and were turned away. They had a few choice words, but they didn't have the bands so they weren't entitled to extra hours. So YES, they do check the bands. I read here someone went to purchase an item without a band and were unable to since it was after their hours. So basically the people who don't have the bands are bored out of the park. We thought it was beneficial, especially at Epcot. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Loves Disney]

The EMH was not very different from regular park times for us. It was just as crowded if not more so during our trip this past July. We thought we would try Soarin' during the EMH and waited in a line that was exactly a 75 minute wait. (We timed it to see if the Stand-by time was accurate lol) We found that during the EMH the crowd level grew at the Magic Kingdom compared to a regular night. Example: During EMH we waited in line for BTMRR for about 15-20 minutes (not bad). Then during a regular night we had no line at all and rode the thing 5 times in a row walking right in. (that was an exceptionally good night though. The crowds are usually large.) I suppose it depends on the time of year you go and whether it is during an event such as the "Happiest Celebration on Earth" like when we were there.

I would rather have them bring back the ERides. It certainly limited the crowds considering you had to pay for the tickets. EMH is not very good IMHO.

 

[bytheblood]

My experience has been that the morning hour is a waste of time, but the evening EMH is certainly worth going to. True, that people staying on property do visit and the parks are crowded, but those not staying on property leave and those will smaller, tired children usually leave.

You do see those dragging their children along so they can enjoy the hours, but I did not see many children under 7 or so as the hours got later.

I found the MGM was the least crowded EMH evening while we were there, with 3 Fantasmic showings.

Give it a shot, I think you will be glad you did.

 

[Robo]

My experience has been that the morning hour is a waste of time...

My experiences over the years is the exact opposite.

I can get more "done" with less hassle in the first hour or two (whether it is EMH or not) than at any other time.

Most people just can't (won't) get up and around that early... MORE FOR ME!

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

My experiences over the years is the exact opposite.

I can get more "done" with less hassle in the first hour or two (whether it is EMH or not) than at any other time.

Most people just can't (won't) get up and around that early... MORE FOR ME!

We've had good experiences with the extra morning hour too.

 

[Sing4MeMickey]

We usually hit MK with the oldest (5) and we can get so many rides in, it makes it worth the late night.