Anybody there RIGHT now? How are the crowds?

[mickeysaver]

Just back tonight. We had a great time, even with the minor things that happen even with the best of plans. Disney was wonderful....as usual. Lots of pixie dust. I will post a more detailed report later. Crowds were not a problem from Sunday through last night. Just follow the Best Days guide and you will be fine. Maggie

 

[back2disney]

We were there from the 5th to the 12th, and it was pretty busy...in the past we would have walked right onto rides...definitely not the case this year it was a 100 minute wait for TT (we fastpassed), 90 minute wait for Soarin (FP again), Peter Pan was 60 minutes, Pooh 60 minutes, Space Mountain 90 minutes same at the big attractions at MGM

Pop Warner - definitely made a difference in the park!

 

[Feralpeg]

I just returned this morning (Sunday) from making a delivery to WL. I have never seen the lobby so crowded. You could barely walk through. I had to wait five minutes for cars to clear so I could drive out. One of the CMs said this next week there were totally booked.

 

[cleo]

The place is packed. We stopped by for a few hours and were astonished that some of the more 'out of the way' dining (at resorts) was booked completely (this was around 8pm). Places you wouldn't think would be full!

Downtown Disney parking was a nightmare, the Boardwalk was humming, and we were surprised at how little Christmas 'stuff' was going on. Nice decorations in the resorts, but precious little on the Boardwalk itself, which seems a natural location for some cool holiday touches. There was a choral group, but that's about it!

 

[znjmom]

We just got back home from a day at MK and the night at CBR. The MK was absolutely a crazy place!!! I have never seen so many people. We went back to the resort at about 8:30 pm. There was no way we were waiting until the parade and Wishes were over!! We'll go back in January when everyone else goes home!!

 

[lookingforward]

We got back on Saturday, spent a few nights at POP. On Thursday the crowds at Epcot were light, no major waits for anything except Soarin (which was 25 minutes). It was great. Friday the crowds picked up a bit, but still no major waits on any rides at Magic Kingdom or MGM. On Saturday it looked as if the crowds had doubled. YIKES! But this was just my observation at the hotels and downtown disney. I waited 35 minutes to buy a sandwhich at Earl of Sandwich. Very crowded!

 

[The6ofUs]

We just got back yesterday (Dec 11 - Dec 17) and it was perfect! Low crowds, very little to no wait for most rides. But we hit all the major attractions in each park before lunch. Crowds seemed to pick up in the afternoons. We found that when the ride said a 20 minute wait, it was really about a 5 to 10 min wait, and when it said anything less than that it was really a walk on ride or just a couple of minutes wait. We never waited more than 5 or 10 minutes (at the max) for anything at all four parks. Cast members everywhere where cheerful, kind, and professional during the whole time we were there. The weather was great; it rained one time while we were at Epcot, and it was light. The temps were in the mid 60's to low 70's for most of the day.

 

[luvsTink]

We were there Sunday Dec 11 - Friday Dec 16. The most crowded was the Disney Store in DTD!

No waits, except for Soarin in the pm. I would do this week again anytime!

anne

 

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

So..... what kind of crowds do you think we should predict for this Wed. in MK? and this Fri. for MGM? Probably chaos?

 

[MiamiBeach]

Were there Dec 15-18: Thurs, Fri, Sat, came home today (Sunday). Unbelievable difference in crowds on Saturday!!!! Thurs and Fri were great, Saturday was AWFUL at MGM and in the hotels. Guess it coincides with school letting out, but it literally changed overnight. We were feeling pretty claustrophobic Saturday. We stayed at the Swan which was serene on Friday, like a kindergarten by today. We drove to the lobbies of Grand Floridian and Wilderness Logde on our way out, crowds were terrible. GF was in "lockdown" - they were turning people away at the gate if you weren't checked in there or didn't have a restaurant reservation. Ugh.

 

[jwfla422]

We're here now and definitely noticed a SIGNIFICANT jump in crowds from Friday to Saturday and this was in Epcot. Although it wasn't too bad this morning in Epcot by the afternoon, it seemed like the F&W Festival again it was so crowded! Christmas is here and so are the crowds. Both days "Soarin" FPs were not available by noon. Wondering if they had them at all. We walked by TT about 1:00 and the FP return time was 4:30-5:30 so I'm sure those ran out a little later.

We haven't had much problem with the restaurants as I did make ADR's even as close as last week and got all the times I wanted. The only place I thought was VERY busy was Cape May. The buffet (at dinner) was constantly busy with lines and they were out of so much half the time.

We're staying at the Swan and it's been really comfy here. Not too crowded like the WDW resorts. Although the "holiday" activities at the Dolphin were busy tonight but it was still manageable to do them.

 

[holcomb-mania]

Thinking ahead about planning a trip next Dec, so this thread is of interest to me. My idea is for a Sat-Tues trip (9-13), with a MVMCP thrown in and a visit to Universal/IOA. Maybe I'll try UO/IOA on Sat/Sun and WDW on Mon-Tues.

As a park visitor, I kinda dread excessive crowds with all the waiting it brings, but as a DIS shareholder it sounds wonderful!

 

[fitgirlFL]

We just got home yesterday afternoon. The first couple of days it wasn't too busy - 14th and 15th. Thursday we went to MK and it was okay. Busy, but not unbearably so. There were short waits for some rides but nothing to bad. Friday it picked up a lot, we were at Downtown Disney and it was really busy there in the afternoon. Lines were long everywhere and it was hard moving around. Saturday we were at MGM and by the end of the night it was crazy. Just too many people. TOT and the Aerosmith coaster had an hour wait.

We were staying at POP and we noticed a dramatic increase in the number of people the past couple of days. Lots of them arrived on Friday and Saturday. The food court yesterday morning, the 18th was a mob scene. There wasn't an empty table to be had. We were very glad to be leaving. I would not want to be there this week at all.

 

[SparkleBambi]

We got home late last night. Stayed 12/11-12/18 at POR.....and the crowd levels were wonderful ...until Friday! My DBF kept commenting how happy he was that we were there last week and just finishing up our trip, instead of first checking in. We waited no more than 15 minutes for ANY ride...and only used FASTPASS 2x...once for SOARIN & once for Peter Pan. The second time on Soarin we were lucky enough to walk right on. Rode TOT 3x and Rock N Roller Coaster 4x with NOOO waits!!! I will NEVER go back to WDW again in July, after this wonderful December trip...NO COMPARISON!!! PO-Riverside was nice and relaxing with no crowds all week as were the parks....but when Friday 12/16 came....crowd levels I would have to guess tripled!!!! If you're planning a December trip next year....I'd say the 2nd week was a great time to go...but unless you want crowds- avoid the week after!

 

[mydisneykids]

Hi! Were there from 12/13-12/17 and were amazed at the lack of crowds. We usually go during the NJ teachers convention and have become used to the crowds that week. The only time we had to wait in any lines was at the Mickeys VMCP on Thursday night. Other than that we never waited more than 5 minutes for a ride. Am already planning on going back with the kids this time the same week next year.

 

[FSUGrad97]

My DD and I went over to WDW today( Monday, 12/19), and it was PACKED. It took a while to get into MK, but once you got in, it didn't seem too bad. However, as the day went on, the crowds increased.

We also went 12/1-4, and while the weather was nice, it seemed to be a little crowded.

 

[goodeats]

We just got back from our 12/10 - 12/17 trip. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and thought the Lodge was pretty crowded. I think people come to see the lobby, so the lobby always has people in it! I don't recommend arriving or departing on a Saturday and definitely stay away from MK on a Saturday.

The wait times were generally manageable, but there seemed to be lots of people in the parks. Our only 'long' line was on TOT, where the stand-by said 20 minutes, but since they kept letting FP users in it ended up taking 40 minutes. Also, the shops in DTD were very crowded even on a Monday!