Just back-thinking of never returning

[Disney Freak Numero Uno]

Please understand that I'm just venting so please don't criticize. I went to the Halloween party on Friday, sept 27. It used to be that these events were not crowded. Now it seems that Disney is packing as many people in as possible making for a very unpleasant experience. I mentioned this to a cm at Saratoga springs and she said that many people were complaining about the same thing.

Also found many of the CMs to be unfriendly or rude. Especially the bartender at the pool at Saratoga springs who couldn't say thank you even after I handed him a tip!

Also, were schools closed last week because there were as many kids there as there are during the summer months.

There used to be times during the year when crowds were low. That doesn't seem to be the case any longer.

 

[Planogirl]

People have been reporting a lot of kids while school is in session for a long time now. I'm starting to think that soon it might be better to go in the summer!

Be prepared for some people to post explaining why you are wrong about your impressions. I'm sorry that it wasn't all that you hoped for.

 

[Schmeck]

Please understand that I'm just venting so please don't criticize. I went to the Halloween party on Friday, sept 27. It used to be that these events were not crowded. Now it seems that Disney is packing as many people in as possible making for a very unpleasant experience. I mentioned this to a cm at Saratoga springs and she said that many people were complaining about the same thing.

Also found many of the CMs to be unfriendly or rude. Especially the bartender at the pool at Saratoga springs who couldn't say thank you even after I handed him a tip!

Also, were schools closed last week because there were as many kids there as there are during the summer months.

There used to be times during the year when crowds were low. That doesn't seem to be the case any longer.

I agree that they are selling too many tickets to the parties. Don't know how many they need to sell to just break even, but I think the profit margin is very high for the parties right now.

Fortunately, I've never encountered a rude CM! Not sure what I would do, but since I'm always happier at WDW than anywhere else maybe I just don't notice, or my happiness expands to envelope everyone around me

Also, WDW is offering lots of perks (magic band/FP+ testing, free dining, discounted rooms) in this traditionally slow time of the year. They don't want a slow time, hence the incentives to stay onsite right now. I tend to think of the 'seasons' at WDW as crowded, super-crowded, and cold/rainy/gross. I pick super-crowded over cold/rainy/gross.

 

[chrishatton]

I know that I will quite certainly be posting any instances of CMs that are not living up to their job description. I fill out cards (nearly) every day for those that provide great service. I certainly have no issues filling out a bad one. Remember folks, these go to the supervisors and managers of those that you interact with.

 

[kydisneyfans]

The kids question can be answered in a few ways.
-Many could be from outside the US on holiday.
-Southern schools get fall break now, the kids were on vacation.
-Parents pulled kids from school to save money.

For the party, I read somewhere that the Friday party was sold out. We've been to several and they have been packed, but not ridiculously packed. We'll see as our party is next Sunday.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Please understand that I'm just venting so please don't criticize. I went to the Halloween party on Friday, sept 27. It used to be that these events were not crowded. Now it seems that Disney is packing as many people in as possible making for a very unpleasant experience. I mentioned this to a cm at Saratoga springs and she said that many people were complaining about the same thing.

Also found many of the CMs to be unfriendly or rude. Especially the bartender at the pool at Saratoga springs who couldn't say thank you even after I handed him a tip!

Also, were schools closed last week because there were as many kids there as there are during the summer months.

There used to be times during the year when crowds were low. That doesn't seem to be the case any longer.

~Awww, so sorry to hear this put a damper on your trip. I hope you had some positive experiences as well. There was a time when I felt just like you, just a few years ago. But, I had to take a step back and make adjustments to my expectations and certain standards from Disney -- since then I've had amazing trips. Disney has changed drastically -- some for the better, some for worse. But, when I compare it with other vacations I take, overall it's still number 1 for now.

 

[wdwlovin'family]

I know some year round schools are out for fall break right now, so that could have contributed to the crowds. That, combined with free dining could be a perfect storm.

 

[MN Disneyfan]

I just got back yesterday. Other then Epcot yesterday and Friday with the food and wine festival just starting we found the crowd level very low. We took full use of our magic band fast passes plus regular paper fast passes so we had a good week and got lots accomplished.

We went to MNSSHP on Tuesday and pretty much walked right on to Splash, Thunder Mountain and Pirates. I would assume on a Friday night you'd have locals at the party where on weekdays there'd be less attending.

We did encounter some crabby cast members but I'm not happy and super friendly every day at work either.

Sorry you didn't have a more enjoyable visit.

 

[chrishatton]

True, you have to remember.......
That just because they are saying "lower crowd levels" doesn't mean that the park is empty. Lower crowd levels meant that you don't have extreme waits for rides, that you might be able to walk a straight line without pausing a hundred times in a hundred yards to get from point a to point b.

In order to understand "lower crowds" one must truly understand what "megacrowds are".

And they are truly scarey!

 

[solstice621]

I fill out cards (nearly) every day for those that provide great service. I certainly have no issues filling out a bad one. Remember folks, these go to the supervisors and managers of those that you interact with.

What cards are you referring to?

 

[Disney Freak Numero Uno]

I have to say that the lines for rides weren't too bad but there were just a lot of people trick or treating. I went to blizzard beach on Thursday and although it didn't seem crowded, it was impossible to find a lounge chair. And animal kingdom on Thursday morning was packed. I always arrive at opening and leave by noon so I know I wasn't even there during the most crowded times.
I guess I'm comparing this trip to others in the past at the beginning of December or after labor day when the parks were empty. Those were very pleasant trips. As a previous poster said, I probably need to adjust my expectations.

 

[Sugar Jones]

We were there this past week from September 21-28th.

The beginning of the week was great crowd wise. On Sunday at Magic Kingdom we walked on everything and really didn't even need our Fast pass plus. It was crazy how dead it was.

Same with Epcot on Monday, and Animal Kingdom on Tuesday. On Thursday we were at Magic Kingdom again and there was a profound difference from Sunday! There was a ton more people! Waits of more than 50 mins for most popular rides. Peter Pan was at 75 mins at one point!

I also found a few cast members to be outright rude. Mainly servers at restaurants. T-Rex service was terrible and O'Hana's was not friendly at all. However the good ones did outnumber the bad.

I hope you were able to have some high points during your vacation ((hugs))

 

[chrishatton]

What cards are you referring to?

You can fill out cards that will be of great benefit to Cast Members that provide excellent service at Guest Services in any park. You can also find them at the front desk of the resort you are staying at. I think we even had some in our room last stay.

Cards that have questions, concerns or complaints are dealt with in an equally valuable manner.

 

[Belle & Ariel]

I have to say that the lines for rides weren't too bad but there were just a lot of people trick or treating. I went to blizzard beach on Thursday and although it didn't seem crowded, it was impossible to find a lounge chair. And animal kingdom on Thursday morning was packed. I always arrive at opening and leave by noon so I know I wasn't even there during the most crowded times.
I guess I'm comparing this trip to others in the past at the beginning of December or after labor day when the parks were empty. Those were very pleasant trips. As a previous poster said, I probably need to adjust my expectations.

We spent the week at the waterparks. Saturday and Sunday were not bad. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday they were deserted. It was overcast, rainy, and sometimes almost too cold to be walking around wet. On Tuesday or Wednesday I overheard some cms talking about only keeping one of the two open. At TL cars were only in the first three rows where on the weekends the entire front section was full.
I think the forecast Thursday was good and everyone who had been holding off for a warm sunny day hit the waterparks. Friday and Saturday were back
to typical crowds.
We did MNSSHP Tuesday. We debated until Monday night about buying tickets because the forecast was so bad. The first parade was delayed and abbreviated. One cm said the parade and fireworks were cancelled but thankfully she was wrong. I think a lot of people there for the week went to the Friday party instead of Tuesday because of weather.
The weather was not the best last week and I think crowds were heavy in your experiences because EVERYONE waited for the best weather to do things.
We stayed at OKW and AKL and I felt the bus stops were never crowded, so I think the crowds were low. There were a couple times we were the only ones on the bus.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

It was mentioned in the big MNSSHP thread that Friday was the "final" night where CMs were offered tickets to the party at a discount, so that pretty much explains the sellout and the crowds at the party.

 

[mom2rtk]

We were there this past week from September 21-28th.

The beginning of the week was great crowd wise. On Sunday at Magic Kingdom we walked on everything and really didn't even need our Fast pass plus. It was crazy how dead it was.

Same with Epcot on Monday, and Animal Kingdom on Tuesday. On Thursday we were at Magic Kingdom again and there was a profound difference from Sunday! There was a ton more people! Waits of more than 50 mins for most popular rides. Peter Pan was at 75 mins at one point!

I also found a few cast members to be outright rude. Mainly servers at restaurants. T-Rex service was terrible and O'Hana's was not friendly at all. However the good ones did outnumber the bad.

I hope you were able to have some high points during your vacation ((hugs))

Sunday was a MNSSHP night at the MK. Thursday was not. There is always a profound difference in crowds on party vs. non-party days. You cannot gauge overall resort crowd levels based on attendance in the MK this time of year. Crowds are really concentrated on the non-party days.

 

[nkereina]

For the party, I read somewhere that the Friday party was sold out. We've been to several and they have been packed, but not ridiculously packed. We'll see as our party is next Sunday.

We went to a party on 9/27 two years ago (was a Tuesday then). Afterwards, I read our party was sold out so if its true yours was too, I can attest to the fact that the crowds somewhat ruined the party for us. While it was still fun, nothing was walk-on and wait times tended to be higher than they were during the day at that time of year. Walk on rides would have helped us justify the expense better.

 

[Sugar Jones]

Sunday was a MNSSHP night at the MK. Thursday was not. There is always a profound difference in crowds on party vs. non-party days. You cannot gauge overall resort crowd levels based on attendance in the MK this time of year. Crowds are really concentrated on the non-party days.

Sunday was not a MNSSHP night, there were EMH until 1:00am though. I just found everywhere getting busier as the week went on. Nothing terrible, just much busier than the beginning of the week.

 

[momtotwoteens]

We were there this past week from September 21-28th.

The beginning of the week was great crowd wise. On Sunday at Magic Kingdom we walked on everything and really didn't even need our Fast pass plus. It was crazy how dead it was.

It's so funny how different people have different perceptions of crowds. We were at MK on Sunday the 22nd and thought it was very crowded. We didn't get much of anything done at rope drop (which is normally when we get a LOT done). Fantasyland seemed like a zoo to us that morning, but we utilized FP+ and regular FP that evening and got a lot done. Glad you had a good day!

 

[momtotwoteens]

Sunday was a MNSSHP night at the MK. Thursday was not. There is always a profound difference in crowds on party vs. non-party days. You cannot gauge overall resort crowd levels based on attendance in the MK this time of year. Crowds are really concentrated on the non-party days.

I believe they were referring to Sunday the 22nd and it wasn't a party day. The MK was open until 1am or something that night.