HiHoKermitTheFrogHere
06-25-2009, 05:53 PM
My family usually visits WDW during non-peak season. We are used to evening EMH where only certain rides are open and no FastPasses are distributed during EMH. I was at MK on Friday, June 19 -- a much busier time than I am used to. The park was open until midnight and EMH extended until 3:00 a.m. The FastPass distribution machines had shut down prior to the midnight park close, but to my surprise, they reopened just after midnight and began distributing FPs for EMH! That made perfect sense to me given how crowded the park was during EMH.
When entering the "regular" line for each ride during EMH, guests are required to show a room key. (The CMs are not 100% consistent about checking, but they certainly are pretty good about it.) So I figured that it only makes sense to check room keys for entry into the FP return line, too. After all, your park ticket gets you the FP, not your room key. So the first time I returned to a ride during EMH to use a FP, I had my room key out and ready to present along with my FP, but the CM had no interest in seeing my room key. The CM simply looked at the FP and let me through. On all subsequent rides during EMH that night where I used a FP, I did not have my room key out -- only my FP -- and I was let through without a problem every time.
Doesn't this defeat the purpose of EMH being for WDW resort guests only? Any visitor who is not staying at a WDW resort can obtain a FP during EMH as usual -- by putting his park ticket into the FP machine -- and can return to the ride during the FP return window and ride without a problem. This seems to be a flaw in the system.
In addition, and of lesser concern to me, I noticed that while CMs were fairly vigilant about checking resort IDs during the first couple of hours of EMH, my ID was not checked a single time after about 2:00 a.m. Theoretically, that means that a non-WDW resort guest can remain in the park and continue riding the attractions later during EMH, when the CMs become lax about checking resort IDs. As a practical matter, I doubt many people would be willing to stay for 2 hours without being able to ride anything just to be able to ride during the last hour of EMH when CMs become lax about checking resort IDs. But, technically, this seems to be another quirk in the system. (Really, this is just a matter of the CMs remaining vigilant about checking resort IDs for the entire duration of EMH.)
When entering the "regular" line for each ride during EMH, guests are required to show a room key. (The CMs are not 100% consistent about checking, but they certainly are pretty good about it.) So I figured that it only makes sense to check room keys for entry into the FP return line, too. After all, your park ticket gets you the FP, not your room key. So the first time I returned to a ride during EMH to use a FP, I had my room key out and ready to present along with my FP, but the CM had no interest in seeing my room key. The CM simply looked at the FP and let me through. On all subsequent rides during EMH that night where I used a FP, I did not have my room key out -- only my FP -- and I was let through without a problem every time.
Doesn't this defeat the purpose of EMH being for WDW resort guests only? Any visitor who is not staying at a WDW resort can obtain a FP during EMH as usual -- by putting his park ticket into the FP machine -- and can return to the ride during the FP return window and ride without a problem. This seems to be a flaw in the system.
In addition, and of lesser concern to me, I noticed that while CMs were fairly vigilant about checking resort IDs during the first couple of hours of EMH, my ID was not checked a single time after about 2:00 a.m. Theoretically, that means that a non-WDW resort guest can remain in the park and continue riding the attractions later during EMH, when the CMs become lax about checking resort IDs. As a practical matter, I doubt many people would be willing to stay for 2 hours without being able to ride anything just to be able to ride during the last hour of EMH when CMs become lax about checking resort IDs. But, technically, this seems to be another quirk in the system. (Really, this is just a matter of the CMs remaining vigilant about checking resort IDs for the entire duration of EMH.)