Summer morning EMH- yes or no?

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

Are we better off getting to the parks at opening with NO EMH
OR
Going to the parks at opening of EMH?

If a park has EMH, would the first hour of opening to general public/after EMH (EMH at 8, park "opens" at 9) be about as quiet as a morning w/o EMH?

That probably sounds really confusing... but with the crowds during summer, we really like getting the most of the quiet mornings!!!

 

[Robo]

We ALWAYS go to AM EMH.

The best times we have at the parks.

We have gone dozens of times.

 

[kcminnie]

We don't usually do EMH. But in the summer we do the morning EMH to beat the heat. It gives you an extra hour before it gets really hot.

 

[jimenyfan]

Anytime we do EMH its in the morning. By the time the big crowds are getting to the parks we have already done the big rides that are open and are holding FP for the ones that havent opened yet. You can get on a ton of rides in that first hour and thats what we usually concentrate on.

 

[donac]

We always do it for the MK. You seem to get so much more done that way and it does beat the heat.

 

[beattyfamily]

YES.

We love doing the AM EMH, especially when we went in August. Then we'd leave by 12:00p and cool off and then return to a park after 4:00p as it cools down a bit.

 

[kaboule101112]

Are morning EMH better (ie: less crowded, get to do more) than evening EMH? Some days, I see are scheduled with one of each (ex: AK am EMH, then MGM pm EMH). Which should we try to plan for?!!?
We're going last week of April and we're looking to skirt around the crowds!

 

[Robo]

Are morning EMH better (ie: less crowded, get to do more) than evening EMH? Some days, I see are scheduled with one of each (ex: AK am EMH, then MGM pm EMH). Which should we try to plan for?!!?
We're going last week of April and we're looking to skirt around the crowds!

Each EMH experience can be different.

I always go to AM EMH (virtually every day of the trip that we did not do a PM EMH late the night before)... never ONCE regretted an AM EMH... they are amazingly empty and easy to ride the open attractions.
If that park THEN starts to fill 2 to 3 hours later...
Were happy with "doing" that park for the day and we can HOP elsewhere or do lunch and take a rest until later.

PM EMH's are a mixed bag. I've been when they were PACKED... but on other nights (sometimes within the same trip), the crowds were basically so low that it was like "free rides" on all the open attractions.

Those who have attended PM EMH's and say that "they are TOO CROWDED" are right... but ONLY for the nights they may have attended.
I can say, from personal experience, that they CAN be EMPTY, or FULL or somewhere IN-BETWEEN for attendance, often within the same week.

It can change so much (either way), that saying it was "like X" on a given night, can be meaningless on another night in the same time-period. So, you simply don't KNOW unless you go. Its similar to saying that you attended on a given night and it rained, so guests should never go on that night because it will probably be rainy.

The rule seems to be, it is far easier for guests to STAY UP at the end of the day, than it is for them to GET UP at the start of the day.

But, considering EMH's are FREE to attend... if its busy, just people-watch or hit the exit (where ELSE are ya gonna go at 10pm, anyway?)
But if its not busy... you're ALL SET for EXTRA FUN!

 

[kaboule101112]

Thanks for the info. DDs are always up early but also, staying up late at a park to do rides then see fireworks or parade at 10:00 or 11:00 pm just seems so "unbelievably cool!" Just wanted to know if I should bother trying to talk DH into staying up!

 

[MiniGirl]

See, I have had a different experience. Everytime I have done AM EMH I have found the park to be more crowded earlier than usual. Now, I have not done AM EMH all that much, so my experience may not be the norm. We are early risers and have had great luck opening parks that had PM EMH the night before. I guess the resort guests were at the same park late, so even if they get up early, they go to a different park. That strategy has worked well for us.

 

[Robo]

See, I have had a different experience. Everytime I have done AM EMH I have found the park to be more crowded earlier than usual. Now, I have not done AM EMH all that much, so my experience may not be the norm. We are early risers and have had great luck opening parks that had PM EMH the night before. I guess the resort guests were at the same park late, so even if they get up early, they go to a different park. That strategy has worked well for us.

At (and following) the "regular" opening time at the AM EMH park (say, at 9am at a park that opened at 8am for EMH,) that would logically be the case... its been open for an hour already.

But we always HOP out of that AM EMH park about an hour or two after it opens to regular guests... were "done" for the day at that park.

Then we can then choose to go to a park that all the "EMH-avoiders" are in with its low crowds, too.

But getting to a park gate 30 minutes before it opens to ANYONE... and being among the FIRST to enter that park, we can accomplish much more, and more quickly than at any other time.

 

[kcminnie]

When we do AM EMH at MK we have late breakfast at CRT or Crystal Palace or head over to CR for Chef Mickey. We get a FP before the breakfast & then do that after breakfast & maybe one or two other attractions that aren't very popular. We never stay in the park very long after EMH.

 

[MEM]

We go every year the last week of August and every year, we do EMH mornings at AK and MK. We are able to do all of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland before the rope drop at the other "Lands". We have not found a need to do Epcot or Disney Studios for EMH mornings.

EMH evenings we have avoided because they are too crowded and in our experience, the CMs do NOT enforce the wrist-band requirement.