Checked out early - Parks too crowded.

[stinkpickle]

I monitored wait times quite a bit from my MDE app yesterday just because I was curious, and for the most part in the middle of the afternoon waits were under 60 minutes for most attractions. Except 7DMT which at one point hit 140 minutes but was down to 45 minutes around dinner time. So maybe the crowds thinned out by Sunday? I will monitor today to see what they are like.

Yep, TP's actual crowd levels dropped from a 10 on Thursday, down to 9 on Friday, 8 on Saturday, and 7 on Sunday.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you're a FL resident and have a FL resident pass and can come back at any time (as the OP stated), then yes...going home is an option that makes sense. It wouldn't make sense for me, as we'd have to change flights (and incur that expense), etc....but for someone who lives within a relatively short drive to WDW? Why wouldn't going home be an option, especially when you're using a FL resident pass for tickets and can come back at any point during the period of the pass?

If I had a season pass to a park that was within even a 3 hr drive for me, and we went for a "vacation" (actually getting a hotel and staying multiple days, rather than just going for the day) - I'd have no hesitation at leaving early if it was as crowded as described and coming back again sometime later. That's part of the beauty (and freedom) of having a pass like that.

Home is boring. Being at hotels and having activities all around is not boring. I like traveling even if I'm 10 minutes from home. If I could find a travel writing job I'd take it and travel 51 weeks out of the year if I could.

We all have our own perspective. The OP asked if anyone ever did what they did. Nope, I haven't. Wouldn't.

We got very very sick at wdw in early 2014 and though we were miserable and it changed our whole experience, not one did I think "I'll put on a mask and get in the plane and go home." I'd rather be miserable in a hotel room if the other option is being miserable at home. The ONLY things I missed from home were my chiropractor to help my immune system function closer to 100% and my health food stores. Whole Foods had to fill in there.



And the OP did NOT leave with the intention to come back soon because they are local. That might be another person's perspective and reasoning, but it's not the OP's reason or plan from their first post.

I wanted to come back in Fall to try Pandora but now we are not going to bother and let our Passes lapse in November.

They just left, period.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Home is boring. Being at hotels and having activities all around is not boring. I like traveling even if I'm 10 minutes from home. If I could find a travel writing job I'd take it and travel 51 weeks out of the year if I could.

We all have our own perspective. The OP asked if anyone ever did what they did. Nope, I haven't. Wouldn't.

That's your view. And that's fine, but I wasn't debating your view. You said to someone else "Then the other option is just to go home? Makes no sense." It was a generalized statement that the option of going home makes no sense. I was simply disagreeing with the idea that it doesn't make sense. There *are* situations where it can absolutely make sense, even if it isn't something Gyou would do. I wasn't making any comments about your personal view.

And the OP did NOT leave with the intention to come back soon because they are local. That might be another person's perspective and reasoning, but it's not the OP's reason or plan from their first post. They just left, period.

I never said the OP had the intention to come back soon, though I can see how it sounded that way. My intent was pointing out that *having* a FL resident pass and living in FL as the OP does make it a different scenario, in the "making sense" department, than talking about having to fly home somewhere. Yes, the OP is choosing not to come back ever - a personal choice. If they change their minds before November (when their pass expires), they can return to Disney if they want. That's a different scenario than someone who has bought 5 day tickets and has to use the days within 14 days from first use.

That was really the crux of the point I was making. That being a FL resident, having a pass makes the conversation about whether or not this move "makes sense" VERY different from the vast majority of people who travel (via flights, 10+ hr long drives, etc) to WDW. Whether this specific OP actually chooses to return or not was really immaterial to what I was trying to say.

 

[kittyab]

Heck I would rather hop the monorail to a resort that has good view of the fireworks then deal with crowds. BUT we dont check out and leave early.

Nope, if the parks are too busy.... I like to go shopping in Disney springs..... Go for ice cream, or hang out in the pool. There are other ways to have fun and relax.

 

[WhispyPixie]

Update from my last post a few days ago..

• It has warmed up..cool at night, but hot during day! So nice!
• Crowds seem like regular Spring Break crowds. Totally managable!
• Transportation has been good.
• Food has been awesome! Last meal tonight at Ohana and heading home tomm!

Will work on a trip report after I get home!

 

[NileNellie]

What would your option be? To go home? You can't make the crowds go away. You have to, as you said, find a way to make lemonade out of a lemon. Which to me, is what a suggestion of going to the resort to eat or watch a movie is. Swimming isn't the only option left other than a park. I can understand frustration. Can't understand throwing in the towel though. I'm like you, I'd find something to have fun. And yeah, be disappointed I wasn't in the parks but if it's too crowded, it's too crowded. Doing something about them is out of my control

To me it really doesn't seem that hard to understand. They live in the area, weren't interested in non-park activities, and decided to save their money and go home. I can completely understand foregoing further frustration and spending more money in order to save a bit of your sanity.

 

[lorenni]

Here now. Seasoned Disney family (20+ trips) Have come during peak times and low times. Have been here on days when MK was closed for high occupancy. Have always LOVED Disney and will continue to do so. It has been a good trip, mainly because we choose to see it that way. With that said..

• Each & every park, Disney Springs and Resort (POR) is beyond packed. Worse than on several Christmas Days that we have attended.
• Times for top tier rides all are over 200 mins. Majority of low tier rides are over 60 mins. Several if the FP lines were rught at 30 mins wait time. Likely hood of getting a top tier FP after you use your first 3 are none, low tier FP are possible but slim.
• Bag check is easily 30 to 45 mins and then another time wait through the metal detector.
• The busses have been running consistently and we have been fortunate, but they are struggling to keep up with the demands. When we needed to be a Resort dinner reservation, I just called Uber.
• The stores are impossible to shop in because they are so packed with people you can't move.
• Moving around, walking or even just standing is a challenge within its self.
• QS, and snack type meals, the lines are easily 20 to 30 people deep. We are on the dining plan, but HATE using the QS and snacks because we simply don't want to waste the huge hunk of time necessary to get a snack.
• We park hop when one park is not managable to simply arrive at another is equally unmanageable, so you are better off sticking it out at the first park aND not wasting the travel time.
• There is a HUGE hunk of time being spent getting from one place to another.
• We have opened the parks and used Magic Hours to best utilze the options. We are getting 1 premium ride in and by the time we get out, others are at 45 to 60 mins wait times.
• It is difficult for me to accept someone saying, do a craft at a resort, swim in 45 degree weather or do something off Disney property. That is NOT what is being paid for. Sure those are options, but not my options.

Now with all this said, although very frustrating we are still having a good time, because we are choosing to make lemonade out of lemons. I do understand the OP's frustration though.

Same here. Spent the week of 3/11-3/18 and have never seen MK busier. CMs directing people traffic with "walk to the right" signs; lower tier attractions with lines snaking so far back that again CMs were holding up signs to show where those lines started; easily a 30 minute process to order and get food at CHH/Cosmic Rays/ and even Casey's.

Fortunately DS is still young so once fast passes were done, we managed with lower tier 4th FP, until those were also unavailable (usually all FP for the day were gone by 6pm). Had some luck booking FP one person at a time, rather than in a group of three, but again only for lower tier rides. Also did things like Tom Sawyer Island, Country Bear, Tiki Room - again, little DS so these were all AOK in his book.

March break is a one and done for us as well. From now on we'll be sticking to early May (and taking him out of school) or last week of August.

Edited to add: it was COLD. The pool was absolutely not an option.

 

[Lady Hiss]

IMHO, a trip to WDW is about the high quality - the experience of rides, shows, atmosphere, etc. and a little break from reality. If the experience resembles a visit to Six Flags (hour long wait times or worse on even low tier rides, wall-to-wall people, no places to sit, food lines out the doors, etc.) then in my mind, Disney hasn't delivered the quality expected or paid for. Yes, I believe the fault lies with Disney. Don't they determine the park capacity, park staffing, ride maintenance, etc.? I know they want to fill the parks, but overfilled parks lessen the 'magic' in many ways. I know others have a different POV and I'll agree to disagree.

Back to OP's question: Years ago we were at Epcot on NYE, expecting it to be crowded. It was much, much worse than expected (we'd previously been to the parks during Easter break, F&W, F&G, Memorial Day, Halloween season, summer, and Christmas so not like we were new to the game). The crowds that day were just scary and MK was no better. We caught an early flight home instead of staying - it simply wasn't fun. For me, being swept up in a mass of humanity, feeling like a sardine AND fighting to get from point A to point B in order to use one FP = low quality experience.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

We were there last week and yes it was way more crowded than I was expecting but we still did quite a bit and were very pleased.

But I used Touring Plans app like crazy to see what was going on where and was constantly optimizing my plans and shifting things around.

 

[chiisai]

We were there last week and yes it was way more crowded than I was expecting but we still did quite a bit and were very pleased.

But I used Touring Plans app like crazy to see what was going on where and was constantly optimizing my plans and shifting things around.

How often did you need to recharge your phone? I'm debating what size battery pack I should get.

 

[Babsy]

I would totally leave if it were too crowded to be fun, at least as long as it was possible to do so.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

How often did you need to recharge your phone? I'm debating what size battery pack I should get.

I was running out of battery about 3/4 of the day through and I left my portable charger sitting on my desk at home. It was very frustrating but we used my husband's when mine ran out of juice. I have a Samsung 6edge

 

[zebrastreyepz]

We are Canadian and went this past week last year. One thing that's not discussed much is that this is the Canadian "March Break." Literally almost the entire country of Canada has 1 week of holidays at the exact same time. And A LOT of Canadians go to Florida on March Break. I haven't seen very many U.S. crowd calendars take into account the 'Canadian Factor.' It certainly lends a lot more crowds than if just a few U.S. states have their Spring Break at once.

When we went last year, they said that MK was at a '10' every single day of the Canadian March Break. We barely survived a day at MK, even with Rope Dropping, fast pass+ and following our 'Unofficial Guide' touring plan to a tee. Most of the day, we couldn't even walk from ride to ride in less than 30 minutes. It was THAT crowded. So we totally understand why you left. We spent only 3 days at the parks, and took the rest of the trip just relaxing by the pool, going to the beach, and doing things away from Disney.

If you are from the U.S. or Florida, I would recommend finding out when the Canadian March Break is, and NOT GOING THAT WEEK.
Maybe crowd predictors need to take this into account more?

It seemed like every other vehicle on our drive down had an Ontario plate the weekend of March 11th-12th. Also saw a lot in the parking lots, out on Irlo Bronson, and at places like Target.

 

[DavidNYC]

I think it all comes down to expectations. OP what type of crowds were you expecting? (not being sarcastic just want to know)

This. While I sympathize with having to go at break time, if your limit on line is 30 minutes - just find a different vacation spot this time of year or adjust your plan. Do rope drop or early EMH, get in your 3 FP, and find other non-line intensive things to do. There are definitely ways to maximize your time in the park even at this time of year but unrealistic expectations can easily ruin the vacation.

 

[chiisai]

I was running out of battery about 3/4 of the day through and I left my portable charger sitting on my desk at home. It was very frustrating but we used my husband's when mine ran out of juice. I have a Samsung 6edge

Thx! Sorry about yours!

 

[Westcoastwild]

Your wording certainly sounds like a directive.

For my family (and everyone else I know), we go to Disney for the parks. If there were no parks, we wouldn't go. There are far nicer resorts for the same price (or cheaper!) in much more beautiful areas of the world where we can spend time. We enjoy the resorts on the days we take a break, but I think it's ridiculous to suggest that someone who plans a Disney trip should be content to do a craft or watch a movie instead.

So I've been following the argument...are you really saying that you never have downtime on your vacations? I mean,at WDW it might be the crowds...in other locations it might be the weather. Not all that much fun to go hiking or hang out on the boardwalk if it's dumping rain. I don't see spending a day watching a movie or resort hopping or heck seeing Orlando- you know, the huge city right there- as any different than finding back up plans due to bad weather on the mountain or at the beach.

 

[kydisneyfans]

We visited last November and ran into crowds we had never seen before. Wait time apps were essential in telling us to leave one park and head to another that was less crowded. We had planned based on crowd calendars and had only one problem in the past, an insanely crowded Wednesday at Epcot. Now I wonder if everyone is using the calendars causing a reverse effect, meaning parks expected to be busiest are empty because the crowd calendars predict everyone will be there.

We did rope drop daily, left for a longer than usual midday lunch/rest, then returned in the evening. Down time was swimming, the arcade, animal talks at AKL, Disney Springs, and just relaxing on the patio animal viewing. Another option is to hit some shows during heavy crowd times-every park has them.

The same folks blaming Disney for crowded parks are likely the same ones complaining when Disney raises prime ticket prices by $5 to attempt to spread out the crowds into off seasons. While I would definitely leave a park with it being too busy, there is just too much to do inside Disney resort as a whole to leave early.

 

[Matty_Disfan]

I was there last week March 11-18. I was the 'planner' for my wife's family, 16 in total, 8 children (4-11) and 8 adults (38-65) we go about once every 5-6 years, so was important to make the most of it.

Working on my Trip Report here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/wdw-march-11-18-2017-16-people-one-house.3583222/

It was bananas, but totally doable. We rope dropped most days, then left around 1:00-2:00pm and returned for 7:00pm. Got it all done, I could make a short list of what we didn't do.

-Rental cars: had to wait 1 hour to get to the staff at the Budget rent a car desk. Avis was completely out of cars.
- Traffic was always stop and go on the 192 and almost always backed up along the stretch of Buena Vista Drive where they are working on the Epcot Centre Dr. Overpass. Getting in and out of Disney Springs was always hard.
- Morning RD traffic was light, and the one day we went to MK later (9:45am) it was backed up down World Drive giving a 15 min wait to the parking gates, and then another 10 min to the parking spot.
- Rope drop crowds were robust but manageable.
- RD at HS we were there when they opened the park but still had to wait 35 mins in a lineup for Jedi Training, and our first available spot was 2:10pm. I mean we were waiting with guests for the tapstiles to open and still this is what we were left with.
- RD at MK was in the park for 7:35 with a 8:00 am opening and headed directly over to the 7D side and got into the group as deep as we could, got on the ride at 8:27am.
- Bag Checks were fine at RD and in the evening, not an issue. One day we went at 12 noon after a Park Fare Brunch, the bag check was also fine, MAYBE a 5 min wait.
-Strollers were always plentiful.
- congestions in the parks was bonkers, the walkway between Fantasyland and Liberty Square: always the worst. But only encountered one rude guest, and it was leaving AK at 9:45pm. North American, tired, grumbled because we stopped with our group to wait for a missing couple.
- Waits were insane, but that's why you have a plan. We rode all headliners except FEA (were offsite so couldn't get a FP and used our Epcot RD on Soarin with our FP for Test Track). Rode Splash 3 times, Rode Thunder 2 times. Road Buzz 3 times, road Soarin 2 x, road Safari 2x, Kali 3x (not really brag worthy: was so cold), Star Tours 2x.
- It was COLD: that actually beat me up worse than the crowds. We were unhappy. Left Canadian late winter to enjoy warmth. Could have happened any time, sad that it happened to us. Water parks closed, pool only useable by the kids.

FPs and rope drops helped.

Let me show you, in 5 park days we DIDN'T ride or see the following:

AK: Rafikis Planet Watch, Gorilla Falls, Boneyard (we even did the little carnival games in Dinoland)
EP: Turtle Talk, Ellens, Circle of Life, O Canada and France Movie and El Rio and FEA
HS: Disney Jr., Fantasmic, Great Movie Ride, Muppets, Little Mermaid show, Star Wars Show.
MK: Monsters Inc, Stitch, Carousel, Astro Orbiter, Enchanted Tales, Riverboat

I think I would be disingenuous if I suggested we didn't have a very fruitful touring experience, and the cold weather made the parks very tolerable during the day.

 

[Flamingeaux]

If it was supercrowded I wouldn't leave. I would just hit a park at RD and get the headliners done and then do all the attractions with short wait times. CoP & HoP come to mind.

 

[Dismama2boys]

So I've been following the argument...are you really saying that you never have downtime on your vacations? I mean,at WDW it might be the crowds...in other locations it might be the weather. Not all that much fun to go hiking or hang out on the boardwalk if it's dumping rain. I don't see spending a day watching a movie or resort hopping or heck seeing Orlando- you know, the huge city right there- as any different than finding back up plans due to bad weather on the mountain or at the beach.

Oh good lord. If you've been following, then you would have seen where I said that we enjoy our resort on our days that we take a break. I travel with 2 - soon to be 3 - very young children. We have lots of down time, and we plan it that way. What I didn't appreciate was being told that "making a craft" (or anything else one can do at home for pennies) was an acceptable replacement for park time when taking a several thousand dollar vacation. Some backup plans are acceptable and make reasonable sense. As I've said several times, there are plenty of backup things to do that are more fitting, that are not things one can do at home. Say you had a reservation at California Grill and it got cancelled. Would you be fine with someone telling you to go to McDonalds and be happy with it? Really? No, I assume you would try to find somewhere else unique to WDW and comparable in quality to eat instead. If you think McDonald's is an acceptable substitute, great. I (and MANY others) disagree. I'm truly baffled that there are a few who don't understand this, even if they don't agree.