Not at all. I booked both for my April trip. My MIL has mobility and breathing problems and we’re only going to be there for 4 days together. Well worth it to do what we want to do and avoid crowds.
I have this for my May trip. Short 2 1/2 days in the park and we want to get a lot in but not stress ourselves.
Well that is super subjective but I loved EMM MK (and booked it in part to ease my husband into the crowds). I would not do EMM TSL as I prefer TSL at night so I’d do DAH HS instead. Now all that aside, I’m not a morning person so I prefer evening events. However I have kids that are a mixed bag - they’ve done great with DAH-like events and not so great (DS2 who is 6 bailed on MVMCP at 9pm ish). With a 5yo I would probably do the EMM events vs doing a DAH event.
If it was just my husband and I - well, I’d consider doing a trip that is only after hours events with no park tix.
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Not crazy, in my opinion!
We did both this past week. It was me, DH and our two DDs (4 and 8), as well as my sister, brother in law and niece (7) and nephew (5), so not cheap. That said, I did not regret the expense one bit! It’s so great to enter an empty park. We got some really great pics (though I was moving everyone along because time is money at EMM. Haha).
At MK, I think we did PP, Under the Sea x 2, 7DMT x 3, and DH took DD4 on WTP. The breakfast was at Cosmic Ray’s and it was fine, nothing special, but definitely edible.
We absolutely LOVED the TSL EMM. It was awesome to be in TSL with so few people. It seemed to me like there were less people than at the MK EMM.
We did TSMM x 2 (and a few of our party rushed for a third ride), Aliens x 2, and my DD8 and Niece did SDD x 4. I also stopped for a few minutes for a coffee and granola bar with DD4. They have a station set up in TSL.
We also all loved the breakfast. The kids loved the doughnut and chicken bowl (it’s vacation after all!) and I had the avocado on toast which was quite good. DH had the Mexican breakfast bowl which he enjoyed.
I would totally do both again!
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I have penciled both in for a trip I haven’t booked yet…next spring. Worked it into the budget so as I get more things planned I won’t shock DH 
Not sure if the TSL will still be around by then, but I’m hoping at least the MK one is!
That’s true.
I sometimes think the cost of everything leads to a lot of the frustration & melt-downs that one occasionally sees on display at WDW. When it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip, there’s a lot riding on it.
In that sense, I think WDW promises more than it can deliver to most of its customers.
Folks spend a fortune just getting there, buying a room (especially those staying on-site) and buying tickets & dining. It shouldn’t take EMM or DAH or club level fastpasses to have a good time, but increasingly it does. I wonder how long this model is going to last, or if it can survive the next global recession.
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Not at all crazy. I have done both EMM at MK and HS and loved both. I will say I liked DAH at MK better than EMM, but it is more expensive.
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Pod, I agree. We had a wonderful time at HS DAH but we are a family of three and it was our Christmas present. Yes, you can still have a memorable trip without EMM, DAH or club level fast passes but it takes a lot more work and patience.
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Or campsites and leading reservations or dessert parties for a seat or. Or. Or.
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While Disney is continually finding more and more ways to charge more for experiences, guests are going to greater and greater lengths to try to afford their Disney trips. Eventually, all of the “tricks” for saving money on Disney trips Disney will find a way to block. I’m just waiting for the day when Disney no longer allows ticket resellers like Undercover Tourist, etc. There are other amusement parks already where they have complete control over ticket availability by not allowing third-party resellers to sell at a price that is cheaper than what they charge on their own website. How long before Disney follows suit? We’re already seeing changes in how DVC resale is handled, for example. Disney has to keep building more DVC resorts in order to prevent that source of revenue from drying out. This also means, however, that more and more of the off-property folks will suffer, as well as on-property because they will continually increase number of bodies in the parks and in the resorts even during off times this way.
As Disney has become increasingly for the well-off, I see a future where it becomes even more so.
So, for now, I’ll enjoy it while I can afford it.
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All it takes is another recession for prices to calm down again. This seems to me to be more of a get as much as you can while you can kind of situation.
My local amusement park still allows for third party discount tickets. AAA, local grocery stores, fundraisers, etc. I just recently looked at AAA’s discount tickets and saw a bunch of discount amusement park tickets: Disney, Universal, Bush Gardens, Sesame Place. I don’t see that going away anytime soon.
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Cedar Fair allows third party resellers…but they are generally not allowed to sell the tickets at a price-point lower than they offer themselves on their website any longer. It used to be that I’d get my Cedar Point tickets from AAA or Meijer at a cheaper price…but now, the cheapest price is always on the Cedar Point website…plus, the Cedar Point website offers discounts/deals that you can’t get elsewhere. So it is making it less worthwhile for third party resellers to bother.
I’ve looked at AAA tickets for years and there usually were cheaper tickets than what they offer, so that’s nothing new. I would also think that the amusement parks would make more money direct, even with a discount, than offering tickets through other sellers. My point is that I don’t think third party sellers are going away anytime soon. It’s still a way to make money, as they can capture those people who think they are getting a good deal.
Over all I agree with @ryan1 and that there really is no ceiling to where TWDC stop. The money grabs continue to amaze me and they seem to have no concerns for overcrowding.
And while I agree here:
I fear that while my family rode out the recession years of 2007-2009 really well, that any upcoming recession will just make the divide between can-Disney and can not-Disney crowd even wider.
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And crazy is relative. Most people on Disney boards think I’m crazy for staying offsite and driving my own car. I think staying in a motel room and riding public transportation is crazy. Throw in that the latter group is paying two-three times what I’m paying and I’d say crazy isn’t strong enough a word. 
I do, too. Disney is a lot like the airlines. Over the years, they’ve made the basic experience almost intolerable, but have priced in several tiers on the high end. In fact, Delta and others have said they are going to make more first class and economy plus seating, and less economy. People WILL pay for a better experience.
The irony is that we all know that both Disney and Delta are responsible for creating the problem in the first place. It’s not like economy class or a basic park entry have always been suboptimal. They’ve made it that way, and if you want better, you have to pay. Apparently many people will.
And maybe, this plan is recession-proof. as @qwerty6 said, a lot of families did well since the recession. It’s counter intuitive, but luxury products tend not to be affected by recessions as much. Maybe Disney is smarter than we think in running up the prices of everything.
I don’t think you are crazy at all! I do think that if you are looking for an unbiased opinion, you are asking the wrong crowd though.
I’ve done EMM at TSL and MK, and also DAH at both. I LOVED all of it!! I think I prefer the EMM though because I’m not a night person, and I really prefer the way the parks look and feel during the day. Also there’s something incredible about walking into a pretty empty, freshly cleaned park. There’s just so much potential for magic and fun just waiting to come at ya. At DAH the parks are at their dirtiest…they’ve been covered in crowds all day. This stuck out particularly in the cues, which makes sense because custodial can’t get to them while the crowds are there.
Of course, the food options are better at EMM. I felt let down by the refreshment options at DAH…maybe my expectations were too high.
Don’t get me wrong, DAH has some awesome things about it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but if I had to choose one or the other it would be EMM. And the more EMMs the merrier! Or should it be “the more, the magic-er?”
I agree. I am at WDW right now and soooo frustrated by crowds. I will not come again without a different plan/model
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The crowd calendar (not that we all rely heavily on that) says its about a 6 today. Would you say that’s wrong? What would you do differently? I’d love to learn what you think to help me in the future!
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