Am I crazy? Please help me understand.

[BlueGreen5]

Hi all! My SO and I went to WDW the week of December 1st and stayed at VGF. We spent one day at EPCOT and 3/4 of a day at MK (due to party hours). And, I need a reality check here from you knowledgeable folks.

We have been to WDW countless times over the past decade. I don't love crowds, but I understand they are a necessary evil.

When I say it felt "crowded" that week, I mean it felt REALLY, clostrophobically crowded by (what I thought were) my own WDW standards. I mean that we waited over 30 minutes in line to get popcorn at MK. I mean that the standby line for HM stretched past where you used to get on the Liberty Belle. I mean that, in the middle of the day, there was more than a literal boatload of people waiting with us at the gold launch from MK. I mean that we had to cut through Emporium because we could not move down Main Street. I mean that there was not a seat to be found at Cosmic Rays. I mean that we skipped dinner at EPCOT because just about every line in World Showcase extended past the roped off queue and into the walkway. I mean that we waited for Tambu lounge at Poly for over an hour before we got out of a line that was clearly not moving (similar experience just trying to enjoy a drink at CR). I mean that trying to get around the lobby of any of the monorail resorts was a painful joke. [Sorry, that paragraph got longer and more repetitive than I expected]

Which, okay, I get it during some times of the year. And, maybe the first week of December has quietly turned into one of them. But, then when I go look at the historical crowd calendars from one of the popular sites for those two days that we were there, that's where I feel like I'm being gaslighted (gaslit?) or something. Or am just losing my mind. On the day we were at the respective park, Magic Kingdom was a 2/10 and EPCOT was a 3/10. And these scores were LOWER than expected, per this particular site.

We have been there when they were 6s, 7s, and 8s without complaint. I usually consider a "6" to be a relatively easy going day, especially at MK. A "5" is a "drop what we were planning to do, we're doing MK that day" type of lucky find. On a day not too long ago when MK felt like a ghost town because of a threatened storm, it was still a "4." I cannot recall a time when I was there when it was a "2."

But, I know what we experienced that week. It was chaos and it was not fun.

The only explanation I can come up with is that yes, other than the HM issue (which maybe was breakdown related?), the actual ride wait times were rediculously low. For example, at one point we walked on IASW simply to get a short reprieve from the crowds (which is basically the opposite of every other experience I have on that ride...). So, perhaps many people were not there those days to ride the rides? And, if that was the case, perhaps these crowd scoring sites - which appear to be based entirely on wait time - would be misrepresentative of what a "feels like" type of score would have been. Is that a thing? Is early December known as a time when there are many people in the parks who are not there to ride rides? Seems plausible, epsecially because we were at MK on a party day and EPCOT on a CP day - both being events where I could see there being a large contingent of people who are not there to ride rides (or, with respect to MK, at least during park hours).

If not, what am I missing? What happenened? Please help because right now I am in the fetal position in a dark basement closet, questioning everything I thought I knew about WDW.

 

[zackiedawg]

I was at Disney World from Dec 12 through 16 - and the experience was the same. I can compare very easily to other times of year and even past early Decembers because I am at Disney every 3 months or so, at least 4 times a year...and my trips are always in late Jan/early Feb, early June, mid-September, and early December.

Yes - the first weeks of December tend to be more crowded than the other times of year I go - and it's not always about ride lines. Many people go to see Christmas decorations so often the streets and paths are much more crowded than the ride lines or restaurants. I've gone in thinking 'uh oh, I won't be getting on any rides' - only to find after squeezing my way through crowds that the lines for rides are 20-40 minutes at most. This also happens in September at Epcot where it feels amazingly crowded, but it's more around all the paths and food booths for Food & Wine - the rides and other areas aren't bad.

BUT I will say the trip a few weeks ago was definitely more crowded than any past December trip in at least 10 years. Ride lines at all 4 parks exceeded an hour for many rides, lines that are normally 10-20 minutes were 40-50, lines at all quick serves and food carts often extended 40-50 people deep. And yes - many times it felt like you couldn't even squeeze yourself through some areas like Main Street. Compared to last year, when I was there Dec 6-11, the crowds this time were significantly higher, and getting a simple drink from a quick serve cart or stall was a chore, waiting sometimes 25 minutes+ for a coke.

I am hoping it was a fluke. There are always significant numbers of South Americans here in December as it's their summer, but maybe the fact that the dollar is weaker than previous years is encouraging more foreigners to travel to the US - I felt like at least 1/3 of the crowds were Spanish and Portuguese speaking. Next year, my plans are to be there Dec 2 - 7. I'll be back at Disney World in early February, early June, and mid-September in 2026 as well. Hopefully, all with less crowds!