Are crowd calendars really accurate? What are crowds like Mid-September?

[Andie Savoie]

Last year we went by the Undercover Tourist crowd calendars (they were all we knew at the time) to plan our trip in early May... we thought the crowds were still heavy when we were there....

So we are scheduled to be there in 2 weeks, and almost all crowd calendars are showing a "2" so we are wondering how accurate that really is? And also, what are the best, most accurate crowd calendars?

I am just really curious!

 

[PantherPete]

Ever read the fine print on a mutual fund - "past performance does not guarantee future results"? The crowd calendars are kind of like that. They are based on what historically has happened.

I would be inclined to believe that they are pretty close to what you can expect though, unless there is some game changer going on, i.e. new attraction opening or new festival, where history can't be a reliable predictor.

 

[BrianL]

They are pretty well accurate, but you need to pay attention to their reasoning too and the recommended parks of the day. I tend to use EasyWDW, and for example, on an overall "2" day, if MK is the least recommended park it might feel like a 5 there, but all the other parks are virtually deserted. That is theoretical of course and varies with the reasoning. Honestly, with a 2, you have little to worry about as it will seem much less crowded overall.

 

[amy1115]

I really like to use the crowd calendars at www.easywdw.com. You can click on any month that is available and he also explains his reasoning on the best parks to go to on certain days.

 

[JennyDrake]

I go to WDW 4 x/year and I check crowd calendars AFTER the trip. I rarely find them super accurate. It's crowded now almost ALL the time--and I don't travel during peak seasons. The *SLOW* times as we once knew them no longer exist. RD is your best friend no matter when you go! Frankly, I haven't seen a park below a 5 for at least 2 years.

 

[andie325]

I go to WDW 4 x/year and I check crowd calendars AFTER the trip. I rarely find them super accurate. It's crowded now almost ALL the time--and I don't travel during peak seasons. The *SLOW* times as we once knew them no longer exist. RD is your best friend no matter when you go! Frankly, I haven't seen a park below a 5 for at least 2 years.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is RD?

 

[BrianL]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is RD?

RD = Rope Drop, aka Park Opening.

 

[JeninTexas]

We used Touring Plans for our last trip of 11 days. Although many of the days were predicted to be level 2 or 3, it was packed every single day at MK, and most every day at the other parks. We had one day at EP that I would have considered a 2. Other than that, everyday seemed like it would be somewhere between a 5 and an 8. The PP was exactly right when she said there are no slow times anymore. The two Disney crowd levels are now crowded or packed!