Amazing...Three Parks filled to capacity at one time

[oogieboogie]

went by AK and it was closed and that was at 11:15 in the morning. not sure about the other parks

 

[OneMoreTry]

Pirates 3 is out this year. I think I'll buy more Disney stock.

 

[basas]

went by AK and it was closed and that was at 11:15 in the morning. not sure about the other parks

So is that 3 days in a row? Congratulations AK! I wonder what phase it was in...

 

[OneMoreTry]

Pirates 3 is out this year. I think I'll buy more Disney stock.

 

[j_lehr]

We were at the parks from Dec 23-27, followed TGM's advice and had no problems with crowds! The 27th was the busiest but we went to Epcot just to walk around Innoventions and ride Spaceship Earth, we had already done the "big" stuff earlier in the trip.

Every other day, every park, we walked on pretty much everything. It was amazing.

Jes

 

[CaptHook34]

wow filled to capacity, thats crazy!

 

[DHSsenior007]

I'll be going this coming week, 1st from the 7th. I know the crowds will get heavier towards the end of the week due to the marathon, but does anyone know about the beginning of the week? Thanks!

 

[oogieboogie]

last year, it was still pretty crowded the first week of Jan.

 

[disneyfreakjackie]

Wow! That's why I will never go to WDW at Christmas

ME EITHER!!! I LOVE WDW, but that's just CRAZY!!!

 

[TDC Nala]

another date the parks hit capacity is 4th of July, the parks are jamming

I remember MK hitting capacity then, but not the other parks. I was at MGM once and walked onto everything, but it was raining. It only got crowded when the rain quit and people began waiting for the fireworks; but they weren't going on rides.

 

[nhdisnut]

We just got back today - we were at WDW from Dec 23 - 29 - and found the crowds to be very workable Saturday and Monday (Dec 23 & 25). The rest of the week got busier each day....

On 12/23 we were at the MK 'til midnight, did everything we wanted (often more than once) and didn't wait more than 10 minutes for just about everything (except Buzz, the wait time sign said 20 minutes - really was a 40 min wait). We ended the day riding on BTMR and Splash over and over and over - no wait!

Sunday we relaxed at SSR and shopped and DTD so I can't comment on crowds at the parks.

On Christmas Day we had the most relaxing time at AK we have had since EE opened. We waited at most 10 minutes for everything except Everest, but my kids were able to ride EE 4 times during the day (once thanks to a Magical Fastpass they won). Crowds were very light, and it made Christmas day just wonderful. Even the heavy rain didn't ruin the day. By the time it started raining, we had done everything we wanted to do.

After Christmas, the crowds just got heavier and heavier. MK on the 26th was packed when we got there around 3:00, but we were able to enjoy fast loading attractions, Wishes, and the 2nd Spectro without feeling overwhelmed. Same is true for our days at Epcot on the 27th and the Studios on the 28th. We used Fastpass, and just did what we wanted (including breaks at SSR), and took our time just being at WDW. Three parks did close to guests on Wednesday (as mentioned earlier), but resort guests were still allowed entry.

I wanted to mention my experience yesterday (Thurs) at Epcot regarding crowds. The wait for the new ride at the Living Seas with Nemo had a line from the inside of the building, around a queue line outside the entrance to the pavilion, along the side of the walkway toward Innoventions, and extending all the way to the opening near the Fountain of Nations! I've never seen anything like it! I had to laugh when the wait time posted on the main board listed the wait at 5 minutes! Fortunately we followed advice from both TGM and the UG and were able to avoid this type of situation.

Thank goodness we were there for the Christmas experience and not there for our "once in a lifetime" trip to WDW. If we were trying to get everything done we would have been too frustrated by crowds.

Christmas week was fun, but if we could have, I would have gone a few days prior to Christmas and left the day after Christmas.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I wanted to mention my experience yesterday (Thurs) at Epcot regarding crowds. The wait for the new ride at the Living Seas with Nemo had a line from the inside of the building, around a queue line outside the entrance to the pavilion, along the side of the walkway toward Innoventions, and extending all the way to the opening near the Fountain of Nations! I've never seen anything like it! I had to laugh when the wait time posted on the main board listed the wait at 5 minutes! Fortunately we followed advice from both TGM and the UG and were able to avoid this type of situation.

You got to be kidding!!! I walked on the new Nemo ride back in early November, and the queue on the inside of the ride is so long!! It seemed that I walked and walked through that queue just to get to the actual loading platform, and that was with no one in front of me, too! So if you are seeing a line outside the building and down the sidewalk, ACK!!!! I can't imagine how long that wait was!

 

[jwfla422]

last year, it was still pretty crowded the first week of Jan.

That's interesting because I heard the complete opposite about the first week in January last year (my db and his family were there then and said it was empty although they did leave that Friday prior to the runs).

I expect it to be busy this year because many FL and SE schools are still on break this week. Hoping for the best and not too terrible (like the past few days or we may be returning home early because I just can't deal with park closing crowds).

 

[bytheblood]

Yeah, that sounds like Christmas week. But three parks - WOW!

 

[cjb71870]

It's really not that amazing. It has actually happened quite a few times.

 

[Disney Parrothead]

I too just returned from our trip from Dec 25-29, and experienced largest crowds I've ever seen at AK and Epcot. I expected large crowds from what I read on these boards prior to leaving and warned everyone about them, but this was crazy! I think we've been there at least once in every month except January, and this was by far the most crowded I've seen. MK on 12/26 was manageable - got there early and it was overcast and rainy all day, but everyone got to do what they wanted. Went to Epcot that evening and crowds thinned out considerably after Illuminations, so we enjoyed EMH. Before that, we just walked around the Worlds and nibbled on assorted treats from each of the countries, so didn't deal with any of the "big" attractions in Future World. AK on 12/27 was nuts - wall to wall people. Despite that, still able to get in all attractions on everyone's "must do" lists. Planned MK that night, but were wiped out by crowds at AK, so decided to skip it and try again Thursday night. Epcot on 12/28 started out quiet (again, early arrival). Went right to Soarin for FPs, then walked right into The Seas/Finding Nemo. Kids then went to Mission Space and Test Track while adults went to The Land to wait for them for our Soarin FP time - all done within about 70 minutes with wait times. Upon our exit from The Land, we saw the line for Nemo extending all the way toward the Fountain, and could not believe our eyes. We all agreed we'd never wait in the line and were VERY glad we had done that first. As we made our way around World Showcase, the crowds increased drastically, and by the time we left at 3 p.m., we were again walking shoulder to shoulder with fellow guests. By then, we were all "parked" out and decided to skip MK that night, so didn't get to see Wishes or SpectroMagic since we were leaving before nightfall on 12/29. Oh well - had a lot of laughs and made the best of our visit despite the crowds. But I'll never go again during Christmas week, that's for sure! Happy New Year Everyone!

 

[NewEnglandCamper]

Wow! Maybe we hit it at a good time then 12/22-12/26. It was busy but not that bad then. With Fast Pass we were able to get on most rides and attractions. Also they have expanded hours during this busy time right?

Perhaps Disney... time to build a NEW Theme Park??? One with more rollercoasters.

 

[4lilpoohs]

We were there the 13th-26th. The crowds weren't bad at all. The longest we waited for anything was 20-30 minutes. We took advantage of fast passes and child swap. We rode rides over and over. I was worried about the 23rd. We took a needed break in the morning and went to MK at about 4 till close. I have no idea why I worried. The crowds were so low. Christmas day at Epcot was fine. I think that is because it was raining. We got sick of the rain and left around 4:30. We went to MK from 9-1:30. Again the crowds were low.

 

[electroretro]

Just returned from Florida and was intrigued by the christmas week crowds and manged to talk my wife into taking the kids until 10am on Dec 26th before our character breakfast at Chef mickeys.

Although it seemed busier we managed to ride Space mountain, snow white, small world, buzz lightyear, haunted mansion AND splash mountain by 10.15 am!!!

And to top this my in laws went to Epcot the same morning and managed to ride Soarin' THREE times by 10 am

It just shows you it can be done

 

[JulyGirl]

I As we made our way around World Showcase, the crowds increased drastically, and by the time we left at 3 p.m., we were again walking shoulder to shoulder with fellow guests.

Wow! Epcot is the one park I've never felt too crowded in. Thiis coming from a girl who can only go to Disney in the summer!