We were originally scheduled to be in WDW from 2/6 2/9. When we heard more about the noreaster that was heading in our home area, we extended our trip to 2/11. We are DVC and were staying at the VWL on points. We tried to get a cash room on property, but the only one available when I called on Thursday evening was in the Contemporary tower with a Bay Lake view; that would have set us back over $1000.00 for 2 nights (no discounts available). We called DVC MS to see if any rooms on points were available; all we could get was a 2 bedroom at SSR (we are only 2 adults). Sure, having the extra bathroom was nice; but it was weird having all of that space.
We had a mixed bag with crowds. For the most part, we are not RD people; I will usually get to the parks earlier than DH, but I rarely arrive before a park opens. We also have been to WDW many times over the last 15 years (sometimes 3-4 times in one year) so we dont feel that everything is a must do.
My DH and I went to MK after we checked in at VWL about midday on 2/6; it was pretty quiet. We had no problems getting food or a table at Cosmic Rays for lunch. We were able to do a few attractions in the short time we were there.
On 2/7 we went to Animal Kingdom. We got 1:35 pm lunch at Tusker House through a walk-up to GR. No issues with lines or wait times.
Friday 2/8 we went back to MK. We utilized FP twice and waited in reasonable lines, but we did notice that wait times were longer than Wednesdays. I was a bit intimidated by the line outside of PotC, but it really ended up being only about 15 minutes long. Having gone to WDW in November, we had already done the Little Mermaid ride (with no waits). This time I wanted to do ETWB so my husband humored me while we waited in a 40 minute line.
Saturday we headed to Epcot for the day. We grabbed a FP for Test Track, but the wait times were really long all around the park. We headed to WS and rode Maelstrom, which had a 20 minute wait. We really just walked around and soaked in the atmosphere.
Sunday was our take a break day. We didnt head out until after 3 pm and went directly to DTD. We have DVC PAPs so we stopped in DQ and played a few games. We also checked out the new bowling alley. Despite the bus stop at Marketplace being closed for renovations, the PI bus stop wasnt too bad when we left.
Monday I thought we were just going to relax at SSR until ME picked us up, but my DH wanted to head back to MK. Wow. Wow. Wow. The crowds were even bigger than Fridays. The line for HM stretched back even further than the photo posted by a PP. We had lunch at Pecos Bill; the CMs were walking people with food to tables. I commented to him that for us its not a big deal if we cant do anything except walk around because we will be back two more times this year; I thought about all of the families who might have expected lower crowds in February and planned their big vacation around it. Not everyone knows about websites like the DIS or about touring plans.
Experiences with different types of crowds in the parks vary. We encountered large groups of cheerleaders, who in the past were loud and doing their cheers while waiting in line. Not this time. All of the cheerleaders we encountered were really well behaved. We even had a group of them on our plane home, and they were all quiet once they were seated. We also saw quite a few tour groups, but they were also very quiet. Im not saying that they were all like this; the ones we saw were.
These crowds would not stop me from going in February again; it was my birthday, and I love spending it in WDW.