EMH... staying on property... go or heck no?

[BellaO]

We're going 10/1-10/9... staying on property... single parent traveling with 13,12, and 4 yr old. Should we go to the parks with EMH or stay away that day?
Thank you in advance!

 

[Barbydoll8]

I would say for MK you may fare better at doing E ticket attractions by attending EMH. Like 7DMT, Peter Pan, Space Mtn, Thunder rail road etc. Even with fast pass they can have longer wait times and EMH helps avoid that.

 

[PSUGuy]

When our 3 were still living with us and I was paying for the whole thing we did rope drop at the EMH park except that back then it was all Early Entry, no evening EMH until 2005. We were out to milk the Disney Experience for all it was worth. In 2005 we arrived on New Year's Day and started park touring the 2nd. This was our first trip without the kids and the 2nd was the very first EMH and it was evening in MGM as it was called then. Parks were un-crowded so we didn't do any EMH days that year or any time since. We enjoy our evenings and the extra hr of sleep and we hit RD at a non-EMH park.

Bill From PA

 

[100acreHiker]

We do our best to make regular rope-drop, but morning EMH are too early for us. If you do decide to give it a try, my best advice to you is to hit the morning EMH, and then hop over to another park that has a lower-crowd prediction. In my experience, evening EMH tend to feel more crowded because no one is required to leave the park, only prove they are on-site guests to ride the rides.

 

[reisdawg]

This all depends upon how your family tours the parks. Early hours are great if you can get to the park at such an early time but usually we would have to return to the hotel to rest in the afternoon. In the hour, you can ride a lot biggest attractions but you will be on the go from a very early time. Forr next trip, we will try our first evening hour and have avoided all early hour parks (the challenge of teenagers who we can't wake up early anymore).

 

[justme0729]

We're going in the summer so we're planning on AM EMH whenever possible so less time in the heat, go back to the pool in the afternoon, and to a different park at night

 

[Jubaby]

I would say it depends on your own habits. We are morning people and rise early, so we've always done EMH and enjoyed the smaller crowds for the first hour, riding several attractions, and then slowing down, and taking an afternoon break. If you and your children don't like to get up early, then you'd probably want to skip the morning EMH, and do the evening ones instead.

Another option is going to the 9 o'clock rope drop at a different park than EMH. You get to sleep an hour later, but still get to be the first ones at the park, and in the lines there.

 

[MrsDuck]

We always do EMH. We are a married couple with no kids and can get a ton done during that extra time. I know it's fairly taboo on the DIS but we love it. If it works for your family's schedule and habits, I would do it.

 

[starjazz]

If I was going that time of year, I'd skip EMH. We don't park hop (too expensive), so I like the lower crowds of the non-EMH days. During busier seasons, I'd probably use EMH to get the extra hour. But I think part of the benefit is that people, generally, don't go that early (or, not as many as show up later in the morning). We did EMH just a couple of weeks ago, and compared to the other mornings, we did plenty, BUT I felt like EMH during Spring Break was more crowded than a non-EMH rope drop during a slower season like early Oct. (some will argue there's no such thing, but I feel pretty confident that early Oct is MUCH less crowded than Spring Break).

 

[amesJ_erderW]

I used to HATE my parents for making me get up for EMH... Now that I'm an adult, if I went alone I'd probably get up for them, LOL!

 

[Lothlórien]

Yes, go. EHMs are no where near as nuts as they used to be....other than Animal Kingdom.

 

[sharadoc]

As long as you have park hoppers, my recommendation is to go to MK in the evening before Wishes and through the evening EMH. Most rides are a walk-on, other than 7DMT, possibly Space Mountain. Many people leave after Wishes/Fireworks and the park empties considerably.

 

[Hockeyfan17]

We go to EMH as we find we can do a lot in the first couple of hours at the park. The first hour is great, but the second hour is also pretty good as many are still just arriving. If the park opens at 8:00am on an EMH, we would usually try to schedule our first fastpass around 10:00am. This way, we can usually finish them by around 1:00-1:30, get an extra one for the evening, and head back to the resort for some down time through the afternoon. If/when we return for part of the evening, we have a fastpass to another attraction at least.

 

[mindeola]

If you like to get up early and have park hoppers- absolutely! You can leave around ten when it starts getting busy. I would not do it if you can't hop though.

 

[KimK2006]

My 21 and 17 yo kids are NOT morning people...except in Disney! They insist in getting up early to beat the crowds. (Then, we go to the room early afternoon for a rest when the parks are really crowded.)

 

[sbrost13]

I'm a huge fan of AM EMH. We do it religiously. However, we also go at crowded times and it's typically extremely hot. We always have park hoppers, so the ideal plan for us is to go hard up until lunch, then slow it way down. Sometimes we take a break and do a different park, but we also just go until we're wiped then spend the rest of the night at the resort.

My favorite is Magic Kingdom for AM EMH. If you time it right, you can be at the rope drop for Frontierland at 9:00am and knock out Splash Mtn. and Thunder Mtn. Railroad with very little wait.

I will say my family doesn't enjoy getting up and being at the bus stop by 6:45am, but they love the feeling of getting all those rides done in the first 3 hours.

 

[amesJ_erderW]

My 21 and 17 yo kids are NOT morning people...except in Disney! They insist in getting up early to beat the crowds. (Then, we go to the room early afternoon for a rest when the parks are really crowded.)

I agree - it is a lot easier to get up early at Disney!

 

[Oneanne]

Also a fan of AM EMH, and usually avoid the park with PM EMH. I've also had good results hitting RD at a park the morning after it's had PM EMH.

 

[amesJ_erderW]

Also a fan of AM EMH, and usually avoid the park with PM EMH. I've also had good results hitting RD at a park the morning after it's has PM EMH.

Agree! Only PM EMH I've ever found effective is magic kingdom when it's after midnight (1am/2am is great). Otherwise blah...long lines...too many people.

 

[bffdisney]

I didn't find PM EMH cleared out the park very much, especially at HS and Epcot. Not enough rides to spread people out. Still lots of people at MK even hanging out and eating, etc.

LOVE AM EMH though! If you are THERE for them. If the park opens at 8, be at the gate by 7:30 to be in the front of that line. If it opens at 8 and you get there at 8:30, you missed a lot of prime touring time.