Magic Kingdom a Bust last week

[believeinmagic]

We stayed at OKW last week for a few days before the holiday. The resort was great. We even pool hopped to the Polynesian (new Volcano slide) and the kids loved it. Unfortunately we went on Tuesday to the MK and spent $150, 2 hours, and my little guys went on a total of 0 attractions. Way too many people. I asked them who I can write to and they gave me a P.O. Box in Orlando. Not exactly my idea of a real person to perhaps call. Anyone ever deal with this problem before? We never went back that day because we were fed up with all the lines over 1 hour long

[jfulcer]

we just jump to another park if MK seems really crowded. You happened to hit a time where you had the easter crowd coming in, some of the spring break people leaving, and some arriving. We were there March 26-Apr 5 and were shocked at the crowds too at MK.

We normally hop from MK to MGM and then go back to make it up another day(or time).

Besides, since I assume you are DVC, you'll have the next 40 years to go back and try another date.

Jeff <img height="80" width="55" src="http://www.angelfire.com/art/jfulcer/goofhead07.gif"> <img height="80" width="125" src="http://www.angelfire.com/art/jfulcer/vacclub01.gif">
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[tarzanman]

Sorry for your bad luck. It is like that every year during April and spring break... Try another time next year and you won't have the same issues. It is never not crowded during that time!

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[Mary Anne]

We too were there last week. The MK was crowded. It's pretty bad when you have a line for the TTA!!! We did find early entry helped (the one day we did it) and late at night (after 9/10 pm also was much better. -- I know not always an option with small children.

The other parks were quite managable.

I will say we did not spend much time in the parks but enjoyed OKW. It was our first stay as members and I would definately pick it again especially for holiday weeks. It was so nice and quiet and a welcome change from the parks.

[rickster57]

I aways go in October when the kids have a few days off from school. No crowds. Lines about 10 minutes long ecept for the very popular rides may be up to 30 minutes. Best time to go is off season.

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[PamOKW]

The P.O. Box # to write to is standard. They direct your letter to the correct area and you should get some type of a response. I would not expect any type of refund but an explanation.

[KNWVIKING]

Your in a no-win situation. Disney will provide an apology & an explaination- which doesn't really help- but the bottom line is that the MK is jammed this time of year. Only option would be to limit admission,in which case you may not have even been allowed in the park-of course you may have saved $150.00. Funny how everybody I know or have spoken to never go at this time of year,always go in the off-season. Wouldn't that make the off-season crowded. Didn't Yogi say " the place is so busy nobody goes there anymore".

[rbuzzotta]

Friends of mine were there last week too. they said that they spent 10 hours at the MK and only went on 4 rides. They were very disappointed. They went over to Busch Gardens 2 days later and got to see absolutely everything. My friend says she doesn't plan to go back to WDW for at least 5 more years and will go on the "off-season".

We were there the March 20-26! The MK was also very crowded that week too...but we have 41 years left to see it all!! My favorite times to go are early May, mid-October and just before the Christmas rush!!

Rosemary
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[KyBill]

We were at MK with our grandkids the second week of Oct 2000 and it was also a bust. You couldn't hardly walk for the prople. The better rides were out of the question. It was a big waste of tickets. We left after about four hours.

[jjohns]

KyBill, I saw your post about the 2nd week of October - I was under the impression that October was generally a 'light' month, only getting busy in November around Thanksgiving. Was something special going on last year that it was so busy, or am I mistaken about October in general?

[Beachangel]

I know its not easy & can be disappointing but you just have to go with the flow. I don't understand why we would write a complaint letter. What are you expecting the company to do for you? Just curious.....

"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the THINKS you can think up, if only you try." Dr. Seuss

[TnRobin]

October has become the "Convention Month" at WDW. The crowds in October have been on a steady increase for the past few years. We like September and Early Nov.

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[Geubux]

You must believe in magic if you went at spring break and expected to find no lines. Let's face it, Disney built a mecca for tourists and it shows in the peak seasons, which is beginning to be year round. Let's hope they invest in their feature park, FL, in the next several years so they can handle the even bigger crowds that will appear.
If they weren't busy, they wouldn't make money, they would have to cut even more people, then you and I would be complaining because they don't keep the park as clean as they used to. Go figure.

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[jcodespoti]

Do you think the crowds were crazy in October of 2000 because of the 2000 Celebration thing? I was there in late November the crowds were not to bad at all.

Joe In CT

[rbuzzotta]

We have been during Columbus Day week in October several times. Only once did we go to the parks on the weekend and boy was it crowded. After that we learned to spend the weekend relaxing at VB then up to WDW to do the parks during the week. Lines were only about 15 minutes and we did alot.

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[rkington]

We always visit Disney in March (coinciding with our School Spring Break). This year we were there March 10 - 17 and found the crowds to be lighter than any other year we had visited. That included all 4 theme parks and Downtown Disney. We were really happy at how manageable the parks were this year.

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OKW 2001

[believeinmagic]

I wrote Disney today and asked for a future pass to MK. When I told my 4 year old to "go with the flow" as someone wrote, he didn't quite see it that way. Only kidding, but I do expect some compensation. My neighbors had the similar experience an Animal Kingdom and they provided them passes for a future visit. The fact was that after 2 hours we did not go on a single attraction. Most tourists are there for several days and they have park hoppers. I was there for 3 days and didn't have much of a choice.

[KNWVIKING]

Believeinmagic, why don't you have Florida res pass ?

[believeinmagic]

I don't go there enough. Spend some weekends at Vero. Kids like the pool.

[Jimbo]

Did you use Fast Pass? A friend was there last week with her family, and she said it was crowded, but that they got on a decent amount of rides by using Fast Pass. She thought it was at least manageable.

BTW, she said Universal was so crowded that they stopped giving out their version of Fast Pass by noon.

[LisaR]

believeinmagic,
I am sorry to hear how disappointed you were with MK. Personally, it is my least favorite park and I would skip it altogether if I didn't have a 3 and 6 year old.

That being said, I can not imagine Disney compensating you because the park was crowded and the lines were long. That is how Disney is in April. Would restaurants need to give you a free meal because they had long waits also?

We were at WDW in Feb during Pres. Week. It was very crowded in my opinion. We went at the exact same time last year and this year was far worse. The day we had planned for MK was sooooooo crowded. We spent about 6 hours there and managed to ride Buzz, do storytime w/ Belle and see the Parade. I don't think 3 things in 6 hours is exactly worth 4 admission tickets to MK. However, we finally had enough and went to Epcot. I did feel like it was a waste of time and money but I do not feel like Disney owes me anything. I chose MK that day. I could have picked a different park.

Anyway, good luck with your letter to Disney. I learned long ago that while I love Disney (so much so that I plan on going 2x a year until 2042), it really ISN'T perfect. You have to make the best of every situation because the unexpected can get thrown upon you at anytime. Good Luck!
Lisa

[jennybobenny]

I really can't imagine Disney compensating you because of the crowds but I wish you luck with your letter and complaint. We were in WDW for MLK weekend in January and unfortunately we made the same mistake in attempting MK even though we knew the crowds would be high. After going from one end of the park to the other and having yet to get on a ride we gave up and switched parks. It was just dh and me though, so we didn't have to explain the change in plans to our 6 year old. ;)

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[believeinmagic]

At 12 noon, the Winnie the Pooh attraction had fastpass starting at 5:30pm that evening. 5 1/2 hours!

[twinglefam]

You have to make the best of every situation because the unexpected can get thrown upon you at anytime. Good Luck!<<<
You never know how the crowds will be until you get there....just like anything in life...you have to roll with the punches. DH and I were just at VWL on 3/27-29 and it was empty...the parks, the lodge. It was great. The calm before the storm I guess. We're planning on going during the Feb. break in years to come to avoid taking the kids out of school. I'm sure it'll be crowded at times, but with proper planning (early entry, using fast pass, alternate plans ready) we'll make it work. That's what makes owning so nice; you always have a beautiful, comfortable place to spend time relaxing.:)

Here we go...........

[dznymom1]

In my experience it really is not cut & dried that in peak seasons the lines are so long you should automatically avoid certain parks. I have encountered very long lines at off times and have been very disappointed. I have been pleasantly surprised a few times by short lines during traditional busy times. Although my worst frustration was experienced at Universal a few years ago, it was enough to really ruin a day we had planned for months.

There are things Disney could do to give guests a better idea of what to expect from day to day. One thing would be to have the board with wait times posted outside the turnstyles. Given that knowledge, folks could make a better decision and could choose to go elsewhere if they wanted. Especially with a one day one park pass, once you are through the gates it is too late to make a choice. For on property guests, they could have a hotline that would give updates or even projected attendance figures. When we know what we are getting into, it is much easier to go with the flow.

[RAD]

Why not go farther with the idea of posting the times outside the gates and put a channel on the resort TV system showing times at all the parks? That way you could check from your room, before you leave, how bad some of the lines are. They could put this on the channels that are just rebroadcasting the distant radio stations so they wouldn't even need to add any channels.

[FarmerJohn]

5 of us went into MC on Monday the 9th early open went straight to tomorrowland got speed pass for space mnt.did alien encounter,buzz lightyear,tomorrow transit,walked right into space mnt. with speed pass,then went into timekeeper!!!!! Walked over towards frontierland via liberty square 10 min. wait for haunted mansion,dropped two people off at diamond horseshoe to wait for table for 12oclock show wile the rest went on to splash mountain to get speedpasses. After diamond horseshoe lunch walked right onto splash mnt. went back to boardwalk villas for afternoon swim & sun. Cooked dinner in room then back to MC for nite.Went to swiss familly treehouse , jungle cruise , pirates of caribean Then thunder mountain!!!! Watched the fireworks from main street by the circle then walked toward the train station to watch the parade at 11... Back to the Boardwalk for a midnight dip & soak in sauna.. You can get to see a lot if you plan your day!!! ;) ;)

[KAMLEM]

Geubux, what are you referring to when you say they should invest in their feature park, FL? Am I missing something?

[Halle]

We have gone Feb break and Easter break for the past ten years (except this year all kids are now in college). It is very crowded at those times. We have found that you have to get up early and get to the parks 30 min. before they are scheduled to open and have a game plan. Generally we are able to do 5 - 7 major rides before it becomes unbearable. We head back to OKW by 11:00 and relax by the pool. Sure wish I was fighting the crowds this year!!!

[steve_w]

Just got back from 11 days at OKW this afternoon, and we were actually surprised that MK was fairly manageable (with one exception). Of course, we took full advantage of early entrance (wasn't easy with 3 tired kids and 2 tired parents) but we did MK 3 times and did Dumbo, Peter Pan, Mad Tea Party and Pooh each time, with the strategy of going on Dumbo first (I'd go get a fast pass for one of the other two while DW was waiting on line with the kids). Did Big Thunder Mountain once with the kids with fastpass, and Space Mountain once by myself. Also did Buzz Lightyear and Astro Orbiter twice. The only thing I wasn't able to do was Splash Mountain - we couldn't line up the fast pass return times with our dinner plans, and the standby time was ridiculous (at 11:00 at night it was 80 minutes). The only other really long wait we saw was for Test Track at Epcot (a fun ride IMO, and not at all scary (my 5 year old kids probably would have liked it) but not nearly worth the wait), but we got in early and I got a fast pass for that too.

We generally did most of what we went there to do, but since my kids are younger we skipped a lot of the more popular rides

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[sumessefui]

We went in October for many years, well before becomming DVC members. The crowds were fairly light. But over the past couple of years the crowds have greatly increased. we went in January this year and it was really good. Of course the cold weather pbobably had something to do with that also. With all the new hotels Disney has (is) building,I think there will be larger crowds,year round.

[mickey7861]

You would have been better off getting the late fast pass for your favorite ride and returning at 5:oo to begin your touring. The park was open late and after 5:00 the crowds are always less. We just returned from WDW and did MK only at night and got on everything we wanted. We got fast passes for Splash and Thunder mtns., all the fantasyland rides had much shorter lines at night, our longest wait was 15 min. for Peter Pan except of course for the 45 min. my kids waited for Space mtn.

[twinglefam]

we tried going very early, doing a few things, eating, then getting some FPasses for later on. Heading back to our room, relaxing, swimming, showering, heading back in for a night at the park. Sometimes we even split it up and go to one park in the morning, jet on over to Epcot and pick up a FP for later, do a little something like lunch or shop, then back to our room and return later. I'm always glad we plan ahead though.

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[Renee']

This intrigues me ~ why should Disney compensate anyone for crowds and the subsequent long lines during holiday weeks?

I can definitely sympathize as I have a 5 year old and an 8 year old (not to mention the 40 year old) and none of them "do lines" very well. But, because someone opts to visit during a busy time of year doesn't place Disney responsible. The closest thing Disney offers in the way of a "no-wait guarantee" is the e-ticket nights. Otherwise, early entry and fastpasses seem to make crowds much more manageable.

<FONT COLOR=Green>Renee'</FONT>
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[This message was edited by Renee' on 04-21-01 at 01:29 PM.]

[BarbOKW]

I think it's a pretty well know fact that the week after Easter is about as busy as WDW can get. Our spring break is always the last week in March. A few years ago Easter was early and we had the Easter spring breakers there the same time as us. It was busy and my husband and I swore we'd never go over our spring break again if it was too close to Easter. Well we were at WDW this year and had such a great time we decided to go again next year, but while making plans I thought I'd better check when Easter is in 2002, guess what it's March 31st, right when my spring break will be. So now we're going on the Disney Cruise, we figure they can't pack more people on the ship. Anyway, I'm sorry it was so crowded for you, I'd write it off to a lesson learned "don't go Easter week".

[Disney Doll]

Tough time of the year to go, between Easter and school vacations. Plus, the MK is a compact park. The few times I've been there when it's been relatively crowded,, I leave and go to one of the other parks where you can spread out a little more.

Disney Doll

[dianthus]

We arrived on Easter Sunday & headed over to MK about 8 o'clock, as they were open to midnight. We rode splash mountain 3 times, no wait, Thundermountain 2 times, Haunted Mansion, no wait. Buzz & Space Mountain were the only waits- about 20 min. each. Saw the fireworks, the parade at 11PM- no crowds. It was like an e ride night! We were amazed! It really depends on how you hit it- there are no guarantees. I was there mid May which is an off peak period & it was packed. We have learned to avoid early entry days... unless you get in early & get out by Noon! I agree with other posters, you really need a plan when you at the MK. Fast pass has made it much better, especially for the headliner attractions.

[travelbug]

We just returned from spending Easter week at OKW. We did MK on 2 early entry days. Arrived at 7:30 and left around noon when the crowds had gotten huge. We also came back over on two evenings from 10:00-midnight. The early morning and late night times are definitely the best. We got on every headliner attraction with little delay and used the fast passes a few times. We even wound up riding a number of headliners 2 and 3 times because we were doing well at getting on them.

I'm sorry you had trouble on your day at MK, believeinmagic! It is probably tricky getting off to an early start with a 4-year-old. (We had along my 10 and 13-yr.-old nephews, so they could do the early mornings and late nights with us.) I hope your next visit is much more enjoyable for you!