Which is better? EMH or crowd level calendar sites

[Guinevere]

We are planning to be at Disney the beginning of this May. This will be our third visit during May. So I know the crowds aren't too bad and wait times are decent. My dilemma is, should we plan around EMH days, or follow suggestions from websites like Undercover, Touring Plans and Easy WDW?

We will have 4 adults and 4 kids ages 5, 7, 7, 8. On our last trip, I tried to follow Touring Plans and it didn't work for us, since we would leave the parks after lunch and take an afternoon break, so we switched to EMH days.

What has worked for you and why?

[disneynarula]

Can't you do a combination of both? We used the touring plans but we also went in October when the lines were not super long.

Even the touring plans themselves claim that the park you use is not as important as you plan to "attack" it.

We don't tend to use the morning EMH hours anyway. That may change with the new FP+ system.

[Bruegge]

I have Touring Plans... bought it in Feb. for our upcoming trip in June...

I think it has some good ideas... but... with the new fastpass system I'm afraid a lot of the "Crowd Planning" data from years gone by will be a little skewed.. I mean using 10years of data to predict crowds ...Now?? With FP+ being such a major change in park behavior??

I've watched it for the last week and while they rate park crowds from 1-10 they have been off lately by a little usualy to the low side... picked 5 turned out to be a 6 etc...

Not sure if FP+ is causing the "uptick" in crowds which is mainly fueled by wait times... but I'm watching carefully...

I'm not slamming nor endorsing the service... just putting out info..

FYI: Intercot is still the best place to get DW info...

[Janmac]

I'm not sure I understand the question.

Even when we went to the early EMH park - back when EMH meant early magic hour - we left the park at noon-ish to swim/nap at our resort. During this time frame we also ate 3 sit down meals every day and covered all we wanted to see and do.

Recently - in maybe the last 8 to 10 years - we have avoided EMH parks, still arrive at or before rope drop, leave about 11 to noon for our resort. Now we typically have a character breakfast in the park, ADR as close to 8 am as possible. Sometimes we have a sit down supper, and sometimes the breakfast is our only sit down meal.

We still do Epcot most evenings, because the walkways are less crowded there and it's our favorite park.

Jan

[BigB]

I recommend using a crowd calendar, Easy WDW is my favorite. Everyone flocks to the parks with the magic hours and unless you are doing the morning hours it is just a pain. More people are up and out at night than they are during the morning hours. I would rather wait less in line and ride more rides than stand in lines late at night.

[natedog24]

For morning EMH, I definitely go there, but then I'll leave that park after a couple hours and head to the "crowed calendar" park. Of course, it depends on the length of my trip, what I've already seen, or what I "NEED" to do that day.
As far as evening EMH... Usually head over to those parks, but only after the regular closing time.
It's not a perfect system, but it works for me!

[KAJUNKING]

For morning EMH, I definitely go there, but then I'll leave that park after a couple hours and head to the "crowed calendar" park. Of course, it depends on the length of my trip, what I've already seen, or what I "NEED" to do that day.
As far as evening EMH... Usually head over to those parks, but only after the regular closing time.
It's not a perfect system, but it works for me!

we do pretty much the same thing. Spend most of the day at the park the crowd calendar recomends and doing just the magic hours at the parks that have them

[Bruegge]

I have Touring Plans... bought it in Feb. for our upcoming trip in June...

I think it has some good ideas... but... with the new fastpass system I'm afraid a lot of the "Crowd Planning" data from years gone by will be a little skewed.. I mean using 10years of data to predict crowds ...Now?? With FP+ being such a major change in park behavior??

I've watched it for the last week and while they rate park crowds from 1-10 they have been off lately by a little usualy to the low side... picked 5 turned out to be a 6 etc...

Not sure if FP+ is causing the "uptick" in crowds which is mainly fueled by wait times... but I'm watching carefully...

I'm not slamming nor endorsing the service... just putting out info..

FYI: Intercot is still the best place to get DW info...

Yes, I just quoted myself

If you use TP.. the Crowd Calendar just got a major update... All my June dates (8 days) ADDED 1-2 crowd levels (6-7, 6-8, 7-8 etc.)

Not sure of other dates, weeks or months. I'm only "Tracking" my week.

This a pretty good time for them to update (for me anyway)... I can't get FP+'s for 30+ days.

If you are leaving soon you might want to do some tweaking now.

[SBETigg]

For my past few trips, I have found the crowd calendar estimations to be way off. I mean, not just a little off. Way off. I always get the park hopper and rely on my instincts. Of course, that's a little trickier now with FP+ and you do have to try to judge planning ahead.

I wouldn't plan my FPs in an EMH park. I find that choosing the park that had EMH the night before is usually a good bet, but not always. It's much harder to predict now.

[Snow's Mom]

I used to be somewhat of an expert at planning Disney trips, and have used both EMH's and touring guides. Both worked well. Now, things have changed so much.....I'm not even sure I want to go back!

[DisneyDINK]

I have used TourGuideMike the last 3 trips and for my 4-5 day trips it worked REALLY well. I skip the morning EMH and make the rope drop for another park then leave 11am-1pm and do whatever I feel like in the evenings. I also visit during the slower times of the year which also makes the trips much more relaxing.