So Disney recently added an EMM to the day we’re planning to visit MK. I was very interested in doing the HEA dessert party, but this EMM presents an opportunity to get a good jump on the day, knock out some attractions without waiting, thus keeping the kiddos in a good frame of mind. We would also leave the park around 11ish to get some pool/nap time. The idea of the dessert party and a primo spot for HEA is also super appealing and low stress as well. Don’t know what to do, but can’t do both. Help!
My post from last June:
Just got back from our trip and It was definitely a success! I’m glad I didn’t cancel any plans and just continued on. From 7:45AM to 11:30PM our family of five did just about everything you could do. By having the EMM we got such a head start on the day! While my wife took our daughter to meet princesses, me and the boys got Buzz and Tomorrowland speedway done for each boy and in time for us to meet back up for Dumbo then to Friendship faire, back to Main Street for our daughter to meet Mickey who doesn’t talk now. Boys and I do our fast passes for BTMR and SM with rider swap passes so they can do them again with mom. Last day for paper passes… then we used our last FP for jungle cruise like you suggested(thanks!!!). Tried pecos bill which was not really edible and $100. While my wife did btmr and splash with the rider swap my and daughter watched the parade. Back to AOA for a one hour nap and shower and back at it around 6 with a Buzz FP then a laugh floor FP then the dessert party! The view and comfort is great but the actual dessert and food is just meh. For us it was just about the view and stress relief. After the show we found it easy to just keep going with rides and knocked out tea party, barnstormer, people mover, little mermaid and carousel. Boys were scared of HM first thing in the morning after waiting in line do we didn’t try that again and we didn’t do Space Mountain or pirates. All in all we had a whole day and a rest of a trip with FOP twice, kali three times, fea twice, soarin, EE, test track, Navi, and so many more and never waited more than 20 minutes for an attraction! Great trip!
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We did both on our last trip, and if I could only choose one, I’d choose EMM. Having free rein of those three rides plus breakfast was really great. My answer only changes if you don’t care about those rides.
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If this is your only MK day, I would do EMM. Without it, leaving at 11 am wouldn’t give you much time to do rides. (We did 9-12:30 and 5-8 our entire trip.) You don’t mention how old your kids are, but we brought snacks and glow sticks for the wait for HEA and that worked really well for our toddler.
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I can’t justify the expense of a dessert party. We did EMM last Oct and can’t wait to do it again!
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We really enjoyed EMM at MK. If you only have one day at MK, then EMM is the way to go. The dessert party is nice, but there is probably more value in EMM I think.
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The boys are 2 and 6. We are planning another 3/4 day at MK. However, our first day will be our only chance to watch HEA. Even before EMM was announced, our plan was going to be:
Day 1
Morning- Fantasyland
Afternoon/Evening - Tomorrowland
Day 2
Morning/Early afternoon - Adventureland, Frontierland/Liberty Square
At those ages, I’d probably vote for EMM. But here’s my plug for the dessert party. If you want to be in the hub with a great view of the projections, I won’t do HEA any other way than a dessert party. I watch the sea of humanity around me and absolutely cringe at how squished in people are. And the idea of having to stake out a spot an hour in advance and hope that some inconsiderate person doesn’t step in front of me and my son doesn’t appeal to me at all. The whole thing is ripe for my anxiety and it’s just not worth it to me. However, if you’re not looking for a prime spot and don’t really care if you see the projections, there are plenty of other spaces around that will avoid the hub craziness.
Just thought I’d give you another perspective. We’ve done the HEA dessert party 3 times so far. We do EMM quite a bit too, so I do love them both!
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I would do EMM, if there was any way I could get my DH out of bed early… 
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That’s so funny because we’re the other way around. When we’re in Disney I’m like a kid at Christmas morning. DW likes her sleep and I’m sure I’d have to fight to wake her up at 6am.
I would make touring plans without emm and see if you can do everything you want then if you can you can do the desert party. Remember you can usually get lots of same day FP at magic kingdom.
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If you choose EMM take note though: EMM admission starts at 7:45am and lasts until 10:00am, BUT the park opens at 9am (1hr 15min private access). You may be best served riding what you can before 9am then heading to breakfast at Cosmic Rays which would be until 10am. It’s a little misleading for some when they don’t notice the actual park hours then are suprised to find a crowd after 9.
Thank you. I’m aware and definitely being taken into consideration since we’ll have a 2 year old in tow. On one hand he could slow us down a bit during that hour and 15 minutes and keep us from maximizing time (parking stroller, potential diaper change, etc.) On the other hand doing EMM should mean a better experience as we’d just walk onto those 6 rides and not have to wait. Then leave the park before it gets nutty for some pool time at Wilderness Lodge and a nap.
Why did they move the breakfast from Pinocchio Village Haus to Cosmic Rays? Breakfast in Tomorrowland during Fantasyland EMM? Oh, and it’s not a buffet anymore?