Hi, I’m visiting WDW for 7 nights at the end of May and it seems like Disney are going for mostly evening Extra Magic Hours during my stay. This is probably a no-brainer, but I’ll ask anyway - are the evening shows (Fantasmic, Happily Ever After etc) extra-crowded on EMH nights, and less crowded in the other parks? I’m wondering if it would be better to avoid the EMH nights and go to the evening show at another park, as I’m not sure if my daughter will be able to stay up late enough to benefit from the EMHs (especially as we will be coping with jet lag from the UK). But it seems a shame to waste them! What would you advise?
Why are Disney doing this? Morning EMH is so much better for families (but presumably less good for Disney…)
IME - Yes. The shows at EMH are more crowded than the others parks on the same night. At the end of night shows you have a mix of ppl who have been there all day and ppl who have park hopped late to go to EMH. However, if you stay after the show and take advantage of that extra time to do rides you’ll see the queues are much lower. This is because a majority of families filter out after the fireworks leaving the queues during that EMH time much lower.
I never advise anyone make their child stay in the park past their usual bedtime. I know going to WDW is a big investment and you want to “get your moneys worth” by staying at late as possible. However, IME, you’ve made your next day that much harder with a tired and cranky child. Try to keep them in as much of a “regular” routine as possible.
As you guessed morning EMH are more popular than evening EMH. Plus, the crowds at RD have been coming earlier & earlier - to the point where WDW is having put staff in place 2+ hours earlier than usual. By moving EMH to evenings this is a way for them to try an keep less ppl from overcrowding the parks first thing in the morning.