Difference between a 9 and a 10 crowd

[taraaplin]

I am so nervous for our weeklong trip Saturday. This is our first trip ever. I am so glad I found this site. We have a plan if action, are using Josh's park recommendations, hitting ropedrop, and going for fast passes upon arrival.

The posts this week about closures and extreme crowds are scaring me! When we are there the parks are at 9s. Are 9s pretty similar to the 10s? Or do you think we will catch a little break?!

 

[mesaboy2]

I am so nervous for our weeklong trip Saturday. This is our first trip ever. I am so glad I found this site. We have a plan if action, are using Josh's park recommendations, hitting ropedrop, and going for fast passes upon arrival.

The posts this week about closures and extreme crowds are scaring me! When we are there the parks are at 9s. Are 9s pretty similar to the 10s? Or do you think we will catch a little break?!

There isn't much difference. Prepare for large crowds during your dates.

 

[GovieMom]

There isn't much difference. Prepare for large crowds during your dates.

At least you'll know what to expect; forewarned is forearmed. Best of luck!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

In a "9" you have room to breathe.

 

[Barahona6]

I asked the same question to my cousin once. She said the difference between a 10 and a 9 is either being turned away at the gate or pulling out your hair.

 

[johde]

I was at the MK Jan 2nd. Both EasyWDW and Touring plans called it a "9" day. I took this picture at 3:30.

By comparison, this was the crowd at 11:30 waiting for the Midnight Illuminations at Mexico on NYE. The Mother of all "10" days. I'm a good 4 rows from the railing and this is looking beside/behind where I'm standing.

That being said, I'd take Epcot on NYE over the log jam I ran into Jan 2nd. Disney knows New Years Eve is going to be packed. They've taped off traffic flows completely around WS. Also, back stage areas were for people to move. Grassy areas normally behind fences were opened up for people to lay out blankets and enjoy the evening. As long as you didn't want to ride the headlines it was crowded but manageable. For being most likely the busiest day of the year, I'd give the EPCOT team an A+.

By Contrast, at the MK, you could hardly move. To get anywhere you were constantly dodging and weaving.

 

[Pakey]

I was there for my 25th WDW vacation for Christmas this year. I had 10 days of parks at 9s and 10s. I did both MK and Epcot for NYE; Epcot is definitely the easiest park to deal with the crowds. I think AK is the worst. I never noticed the difference between a 9 and a 10. It's crowded.

You are ahead of the game because you have done your research. Many of the people who are there will be clueless.

Rope drop is essential. The parks are not bad until after lunch. Get done in the mornings what you really want to do. Hopefully you planned your meals for the time of the day when the parks will be at their peaks.

I didn't find the long lines for rides/attractions too bothersome. What bothered me was the constant jostling, trying to stay with your party, etc. I'm sure it was due to the crowds but I witnessed more rude behavior on that trip than I had on my 24 prior trips combined.

So get in there early and if it gets to you, leave the park. We found it easier to take bottles of water and snacks purchased outside the parks in with us than to stand in those long lines. We did more resort CS than ever because the in park lines were so bad. We dropped one TS breakfast to take advantage of shorter ride lines that early in the day. We went to DTD and saw a dine in movie at the theater one afternoon to get away from the crowds. Our resort pool (BWI) was not very crowded and we enjoyed an afternoon there. We chose to skip parades but managed to enjoy both Wishes and Illuminations.

Have a plan but be flexible. I can't believe how much we changed our plan once we got there. You can have a great time even with the crowds.

 

[786boxer]

Yeah i tiink they different

 

[hunteraub]

 

[laughinplace199]

If you get to the parks before they open and use fast pass, you should be fine. We just got back last night and the crowd levels were 10s all week. Every day, we were at the park entrance about 20-30 min before the parks opened (we took advantage of EMH mornings as well, so we were up and out of the hotel room very early).

The combination of getting there early and using FP was great. We didn't wait in any lines longer than 25 min all week. We also left the parks after lunch most days to go back to the resort to swim and/or rest. We went back to the parks on some nights after dinner to ride a few rides, but we knew not to expect to get as much done in the evenings as we did in the mornings.

Let me know if I can answer any other questions for you.

 

[kangaroodle]

I was there last week during the week-long, Phase 3 closures at MK. Like others have said, get to the park before rope drop and use the Fast Passes to your full advantage. MK was probably the worst for crowds, especially Fantasyland (mostly old area)...it looked very much like the picture above. The CMs did a wonderful job with crowd control and kept everyone moving so you never felt sandwiched in. They had people positioned on one side keeping people moving toward Liberty Square, and the other side toward Tomorrowland. It was like 2 lanes of traffic.

We got to all the parks before rope drop and it was fine. My family grumbled the first day but stopped grumbling after they saw how much we got done. We arrived at MK for the 7am rope drop and got all this done by 10am....

ETwB
Ariel
Space Mtn
Buzz 2X in a row
Splash Mtn 2X in a row without having to get off!
Big Thunder Mtn
Pirates
Haunted Mansion
We even had time to poke around Gaston's tavern and take pictures in his big chair with no one else around and look through a few of the new gift shops. We ate lunch at 11am, saw the 1230 parade and rode Space Mtn 2 more times with Fast Passes. We were out of there by 4pm.

I would also advise lunch at 11am sharp. The lines get crazy long at CS the closer you get to noon and then there are no tables available either. We ate at 11am everyday and walked right up to the counters.

You'll be fine with a good strategy. We also used Josh's park recommendations.

 

[preschoolmom]

A year ago, we were there for spring break. There was a HUGE difference, IMO, between a 9 and a 10. At 9 - Rope Drop, Fast Passes, and an afternoon at the pool worked just fine. At 10 - Rope Drop was scary. The first hour of the day, EVERYTHING had a line. I was quite amazed by it, actually. We did just fine, and did all that we wanted to do - but there was definitely a difference.

You will be better prepared than most - but it will still be very, very crowded. I do agree with a previous poster that Disney brings it's A game on those very, very crowded days. They let us walk out behind Main Street after Wishes, and had a ton of buses to transport everyone.

I just want to be honest with you and say that while it was fine for one day - I wouldn't want a week of solid 10. 8-9 crowds are a lot, lot more manageable, IMO.

My trip report is in my siggy.

 

[mm1971]

I am so nervous for our weeklong trip Saturday. This is our first trip ever. I am so glad I found this site. We have a plan if action, are using Josh's park recommendations, hitting ropedrop, and going for fast passes upon arrival.

The posts this week about closures and extreme crowds are scaring me! When we are there the parks are at 9s. Are 9s pretty similar to the 10s? Or do you think we will catch a little break?!

The difference between 9 and 10 is 1.

Usually on days at 10, there are level 3 park closures, see threads from last week where the park entry was closed off by lunch time at MK. With a 9, it is less likely, but still possible depending one the day. Either way, plan on RD and use FP as much as possible. It's going to be crazy busy.

 

[DisneyMama21]

My advice is just go prepared for large crowds. Use your fastpasses, and don't expect to get everything done. I don't take too much stock in the prediction numbers...been there on days predicted 5 and met huge 10 level crowds. Been there on days predicted 9 and got 5 level crowds. It can go either way. Just be ready

 

[dmccarty]

We have done a couple of Spring Breaks that had 9 and 10 days.

Our trip plan is to go to the park WITH morning EMH. On our Spring Break trips, the parks opened two hours early for EMH which made waking up hard, very hard, but we did it. Hit the park at RD and hit the big rides and get FPes. By 1100 or 12 we would have ridden what we wanted and were heading back to the resort for lunch, nap, and a swim.

One trip we had family members at WDW at the same as us. We had a great time. They did not because the wife would not get up early on vacation. They were getting to the parks about the time we were slowing down or leaving. They arrived with the crowds while we were leaving the crowds behind.

Park visits with 9 or 10s are doable and enjoyable if you get there early. Using evening EMH might work but we have not tried.

The WORST part of our two Spring Break trips was the drive to/from WDW. What is normally a 10 hour trip was 12 hours of white knuckle bumper to bumper traffic. HORRIBLE!

Your plan sounds good! Have fun!

Later,
Dan

 

[bwang123]

yawning Tiger Woods totally photobombed you.

 

[lakohls]

We're at MK today as well. Arrived about 7:10am & the kids did complain about having to get up even earlier than on a school day. Castle was all shriuded in the mist. But we rode Space Mtn x2, Buzz x2, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Big Thunder Mtn all before our 9:30am reservation at Crystal Palace when we met up with the boys.

Left CP about 11:00 and rode Aladin, Pirates, and Splash Mtn. Then decided it was too crazy and left about 1:30pm. We'll try going back around 7p to do a little more when at least it won't be so hot, even if the crowds will still be bad.

Either 9 or 10, need to be there EARLY.