Disney have published opening hours for our trip (7th-18th April 2019) and the morning EMH at Magic Kingdom have switched from Friday 12th to Sunday 7th April, I think because of the Star Wars run? We won’t make it for opening on the 7th and there aren’t any other morning EMH hours at MK until Friday 19th April - very frustrating as all the advice I’ve read says that morning EMH are most valuable at MK. It’s also a very busy time of year due to spring break and Easter holidays.
I have heard that Disney often change regular opening hours, especially at MK and open earlier. Do they also ever add more EMH closer to the time? Particularly when it’s so busy?
I’ve managed to book a PPO breakfast at BOG on Friday 12th as it’s currently showing a 9am opening, but I’ve a feeling we’re going to miss out on our onsite perk of morning EMH and then they might change park opening to 8am and we’ll miss out on that advantage too! I won’t need to firm up the park days until February when our FP window opens but is it likely they’ll add any EMH by then or is it more likely to happen at the end of March when it’s too late to alter plans?!
This is very true. We go in April every year, and every year the times change from 9am open to an 8am open for the week leading up to Easter. Every year our pre RD BOG becomes useless so we cancel it. As for EMH, they used to offer it every single morning at MK in the week before and after Easter, but they stopped either this year or last. I would expect the open times to move to 8am beginning around 4/14 for the week. EMH is really not that big a thing, you will be fine with an 8am open time to get lots of things done, especially since you have a long trip. At this point, all you can do is book multiple days of ADRs and hope for the best.
Not anymore. They used to like I mentioned above around Easter. Now you just get one a week. I am surprised they have EMH on both 4/5 and 4/7 and none again until 4/19. They will probably add one, but no way to know what day. We used to always go to the parks with morning EMH, but finally realized this past April that the parks with EMH tend to be really busy all day as those without park hoppers cannot switch parks. We now prefer the days at MK with the later 9am start and less crowds overall for the day. You have 12 days I think, you will be fine even if you never go to any EMH while there.
Lately Disney has been posting official hours in the middle of the month before, so yes it could be added March 15th. They used to almost never change things after they were posted at 180 days, but that is not their way anymore so it does mess up your carefully made plans.You will still have a great time!
It seems like most people get BoG PPO for the access to the rides? We got it for the meal also but based on many conversations like this one, it seems like it’s not worth it?
When is Easter next year? I don’t have dates to hand.
Then you can look at the park hours for this year for the “same” timeframe. So if that week is leading up to Easter, you look at the week leading up to Easter for this year, and see what the hours were. I know it’s different because of Spring Break, from day a fixed time of year like Christmas though.
Look at it this way. For Christmas they add EMH @8am for every day at MK between Christmas and NYE. Then they add extra EMH @ 7pm just a couple weeks (2, maybe 3) before. Happens every year, so a lot of people know about it, but for a first-timer it will come as a surprise.
Yes most people do it for the rides. Reviews of the food vary but it is horrendously expensive oop. Most people share meals or buy kids meals to keep the costs down and get out faster. You do get a tray of pastries per 4 people. And of course it’s a beautiful place to eat, though I hear it’s noisy at breakfast and lunch.
We are at WDW around the same time and I found the switch of EMH days annoying too, we only have 2 mornings in MK so the extra hour would have been useful, however I think we will do Mk on the 6th and avoid trying to get there during the half marathon. We’ve done breakfast at BOG and enjoy it, however I wouldn’t go if we weren’t on the DDP. Currently MK opens at 9am on the 6th, but as main street will already be full of spectators I am wondering if they will bring forward the opening time.
We weren’t planning on eating breakfast at BOG before I realised that there were no EMH on the Friday of our trip, I’ve booked lunch there for 7th April. We have the free QS DDP so I thought it would be fun to see in the castle but I wouldn’t have paid OOP for it. I’m happy to go there for breakfast (my kids are so noisy I doubt I’ll notice anyone else’s noise, lol) but wouldn’t have wasted morning touring time for it, I’ve just heard it’s a good way be at the front of the queue for 7DMT and as we’ll be in the park early we might be able to get some good photos of the castle on the walk up to the restaurant. But I think there’s a strong possibility they’ll switch opening time to 8am without EMH. (They have switched morning EMH from Sunday 7th to Friday 12th at DHS.)
I was replying to @ApolloAndy about his query rather than addressing your specific situation. But I think it’s a good idea for you as long as they keep to a 9am opening. They may well change to 8am though.
Easter Sunday is 21st April. (We fly home that afternoon so are not planning on going to the parks that day.) We’ll use our park tickets for the first time on Sunday 7th April but are travelling over from Universal so won’t get to MK for rope drop, hoping we’ll get there for mid/ late morning as we need to check in and pick up our magic bands as they don’t ship them to the UK. One of my sons is insistent that MK is our first park although I appreciate it will be crazy busy!
The equivalent to Friday 12th 2019 was Friday 23rd March 2018, there was a regular park opening of 8am and EMH at 7am. (Same on 16th March, presumably due to Spring Break?) We were hoping for this as have heard that in the first couple of hours you can get so much done and the jet lag would work in our favour!
We can’t arrive earlier as we’ll be at Universal. A friend who went this year at the same equivalent time (Easter in March) did a Friday 7am EMH start at MK and said it was great as they got so much done in the first couple of hours, then did FPs and then could head back to the resort early afternoon when everyone was tired and the crowds were big. It sounded like such a good plan!
Yes, you can cancel up to the day before without penalty and I’ve heard, but have done personally, that you can reschedule/modify for a day further out in your trip and then cancel if you want to do it same day.
I’m hoping the week beginning the 8th will experience a lull in crowds as it’s between the spring break and easter holidays. Unless there are tons of Brits like us coming. Where are you staying at Universal & WDW?
Thanks for all the info! I guess we’re all here 'cos we’re planners and it does seem as quickly as I make a plan I come up against another obstacle We’re fortunate to have a decent length trip but we’re planning to go offsite for a few days and were also hoping to use EMH to get lots done so we can be slower-paced later in the day. And as first-timers who might never manage to get back we don’t want to miss out on anything!
As you say I’m sure we’ll have a wonderful time whatever, once I’ve calmed down and stopped obsessing about the details!
Thanks. We’re doing it on DDP, mostly for the PPO but also because we’ve never been and we wanted to have at least one meal in there to look around. We’ll keep our expectations for the food on the low side.
Angela from TP has done a video on breakfast at BOG which is on youtube if you’re interested in looking at the food. As the family veggie I’m always the awkward customer but I can’t pretend to be excited about a vegetable quiche for breakfast
I’m assuming that crowds will be insane, I’ve no idea how my DH is going to cope with it! We’re at HRH for our Universal stay, plans have been scuppered there as well as just found out that Grad Bash is on for the two consecutive nights of our stay so we’re going to miss out on precious park hours but most importantly Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Castle after dark We’re at POR for our Disney bit, really excited already, it looks beautiful and like there’s lots to do there too! Where are you staying?
Final night of Mardi Gras is 4th but BOTH the 5th and 6th are Grad Bash so BOTH parks close early to other guests, even if staying onsite. We booked in May but even now there’s no mention of this on the general Universal website, I discovered it totally by chance…… Rather frustrating as it’s an expensive stay
We’re fortunate to have a decent length trip but we’re planning to go offsite for a few days and were also hoping to use EMH to get lots done so we can be slower-paced later in the day. And as first-timers who might never manage to get back we don’t want to miss out on anything!
so we’re going to miss out on precious park hours but most importantly Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Castle after dark 
We’re at POR for our Disney bit, really excited already, it looks beautiful and like there’s lots to do there too! Where are you staying?