Rethinking and Worrying about 8/18 crowding help!

[Janet11779]

I'm going 8/18 -25...free dining..cbr.


I went 6 years ago, when it first started. NO lines, no crowds, nothing.

I went two years ago, same time, couldn't even get the meal plan for free, and came 4 days earlier than it started. It was crowded, waiting on lines, etc.

ANyway, I"m old, lol (50), two kids 10 and 13 and hubby. We are downgrading to CBR, still looks nice.

I went online yesterday to see if my SIL could come with her family.

ONly two hotels available , maybe three. I"m panicking. I couldnt' take the crowds last time...maybe because I wasn't feeling well. I cannot believe the CBR, AKL. WL, all budget...are sold out.

I'm going from a tues/tues. NOt doing anything the first day, should we?

We want to have a more "relaxing" time, and not see every park, every day.

Any advice? I'm sorry I sound so old and cranky, just We had beginner's luck first time and the no lines, never needed a fast past first time had me spoiled. I never once needed a fast pass. Stayed at AKL

Just looking for times , days ..etc. to go. Better times..or just too bad, so sad...lolol

We are going early am to Disney on the 19th, and early Epcot on the 20th.,..
after that...it doesn't matter.

I already made my ADR's, so no stress there.

Thanks for any input on trying to avoid (LOLOLO) the most crowded time.

P.s. Should I rent a car for a few days so I don't have to wait for the buses?
Two years ago, WL was a disaster with the buses. Otherwise, buses have always been pretty good. MOrnings are a disaster>....

thANKS AGAIN.

[Kristineamb]

Touringplans.com rates you dates 5-7 (1 being the least crowded, 10 being most crowded.)

[Princess Disney Mom]

First off relax. Plan to go to the parks only 1 or 2 days. Go to a water park 1 day. Remember anything you do early will have less crowds.

If you really want to avoid crowds stay away from any park with EMH. We did this once and really we walked on most everything and this was in June during good economic times.

We go to the parks 1 day for every 3 days were are there because we want to relax.

[pixie2416]

I wouldn't worry too much. Even though Disney has done a good job of selling the free dining, a lot of the hotels in the area have loads of availability at dirt cheap rates (which means they're struggling to fill rooms).

Restaurants will of course be crowded. But w/ a good touring plan you'll be fine.

[ExBellhop]

Originally Posted by Janet11779

I went 6 years ago, when it first started. NO lines, no crowds, nothing.

We want to have a more "relaxing" time, and not see every park, every day.

6 years ago, I feel you may have still been experiencing the crowd fallout that happened post-9/11. So, yes, that may have been "lucky" (don't read into that for a political statement, because that's not what I'm getting at).

We always end up going in August, and always have a "relaxing" time, exactly as you described above. And yes, it's pretty darn crowded. But, if you're there to not do "every park, every day" then you're likely to not be bothered by the crowds. Get some of the bigger things done in the morning, take a nice break in the afternoon, and then head back out in the evening.

That's our strategy, at least

Enjoy!
ExBellhop

[Janet11779]

Gee....

I went in the pool, came back and realized how stupid I sound! I just think
I had a very stressful year with my dd and some medical issues. I just so much want to relax and thought I always had to run to a park everyday.

Thanks for taking the time to reinforce that I CAN do 3 days out of a 7 nighter and still have a great time!


Thanks .....

[dbmarie]

Honestly the crowds in August are nothing compared to Spring Break or Christmas. I wouldn't worry too much just go and have fun .

[Gina35]

Originally Posted by Janet11779

Gee....

I went in the pool, came back and realized how stupid I sound! I just think
I had a very stressful year with my dd and some medical issues. I just so much want to relax and thought I always had to run to a park everyday.

Thanks for taking the time to reinforce that I CAN do 3 days out of a 7 nighter and still have a great time!


Thanks .....

Great advice! We go every other year in the summer, usually August; and we do not feel the need to go to the parks every day. We are going this August with our year-old DGD, and we will probably be hitting the parks more often this year because of her. Some days we'll do "kiddie" things, and other days we'll do what we've always done with the rest of our family. However, before this, we never felt the need to visit the parks daily. We always spent several days in the pool and/or DTD, one day at the waterpark or some water activity at CR marina, etc. On the days you DO go to the parks, go nice & early so you can get a lot done before the extreme heat & crowds.
We also went to MK for EMH (eve) and hit most of the major attractions at that time. Just take it nice & slow, and let your tolerance be the guide for when you should call it quits for the day. There's so much to do around Disney that it's quite enjoyable (and VERY relaxing) to skip the parks some days. Good luck; have a fabulous trip!

[erinch]

We'll be there the same week as you. Just think of all the people in restaurants rather than on attactions

FastPass is your friend. Repeat that 50 times. Do the headliners in the morning, then do the Tiki room types in the afternoon.

Make the crowds your friends. (I'm 50 too ). Write a trip report, and make up stories about the people around you to put into your trip report. If you take a little notebook to jot down details you want to write up, then it all becomes fodder.

Maybe somebody can answer your question about car rental. The disney bus situation drove us crazy at both AKL and POR and we ended up driving more than taking busses.

[Gina35]

As far as the car is concerned, it depends on what you will need it for. I don't know much about how the bus situation (to the parks) is to CBR early in the a.m. When we stayed at SSR, the buses came regularly and worked quite well for us...but we didn't really go 1st thing in the a.m. We usually stay at BC, and we find that renting a car is great for our needs. We go to the resorts' restaurants quite often, and we go to CR marina for water activities. It's much easier to drive a car from resort to resort.

[CanadianPaco]

I'd stop worrying about what I can't control and just make some plans about how to do what you want and have fun.

[DebbieB]

I don't think hotel occupancy at WDW resorts relates directly to crowds, you also need to take into consideration offsite hotels. During the peak times, they are probably all filled. But during late August, I would bet the offsite hotels are not full, people are going to stay onsite to get the free dining. Plus also factoring into crowds are people who live locally, within a days drive. Late August is probably not a popular time for them because kids in the south start school early. So I would not worry.