Crowd Level 9! Any advice other than 'get there early'?

[Spoisal]

We will be at WDW the week before Easter & crowd levels will be a 9. I know that rope drop & EMH is the #1 piece of advice for a very crowded time at WDW....but with my family, that just isn't possible every day of our trip. We WILL do rope drop 4 of our 6 days, but I promised the grumpier ones that we can sleep in and relax in the mornings on 2 days. So what other advice is there for a crowded time? There must be something else besides rope drop that can make our trip more enjoyable?

So excited to be getting back to WDW!! I know we won't get to see and do everything this time, but I am ready for some sunshine! It has been a looonnnggg winter!!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Follow Josh's recommendations.

 

[hakepb]

Check the recommended parks on easyWDW's calander to avoid some of the craziness.

Keep watching the ride wait times on MDE or easywdw to make sure you are not getting in extra long waits.

On the non-rope drop days, FP+ the headliners and concentrate on lower wait shows.

 

[k1koala]

I am going the same week and wondering the same thing
I think we have to expect the worst and make the best of it! I am wondering whether or not to go to the parks on days with EMH????? It might be a help in the am but the most crowded later on
See you there

 

[hakepb]

I am going the same week and wondering the same thing
I think we have to expect the worst and make the best of it! I am wondering whether or not to go to the parks on days with EMH????? It might be a help in the am but the most crowded later on
See you there

Late EMH is only worth it during the last 45 minutes, so avoid it if your family doesn't have enough energy to close the park.

 

[Carable]

I'll be going that week as well. Our last two trips were more like 5/6 crowds, so this will be more crowded than we've seen before. Our plan is to use the EMH and do what we can before 11am. Grab lunch and head to the hotel to relax, swim (kids #1 priority) and nap if we want. Then head to whatever parks Josh's recommends (which normally will not have EMH that day) for the evening. We are naturally early risers, so that works for our family. Each of the four of us is picking our must-do for each park we visit and we'll schedule FP+ for any of those that are headliners (mostly likely in the evening park). If we get to anything else, that will be bonus this time around. It's all about managing our expectations and hoping we can enjoy more of the spontaneous magic that happens around the park that doesn't require a wait.

 

[ougrad86]

You would probably hit a wall at some point if you tried for rope drop for 6 days straight .

However, our last time there at SB (same time, week before Easter), we went into MK for EMH, rode the big rides we wanted to ride and at 11 am were standing in the stores on MS shopping. This absolute mass of humanity was walking down MS .

A little scary, because we plan to spend the whole day there this time!

For the later day, check for the recommended parks and plan your FP+ accordingly. Be prepared for lines, and try and stay until closing if you can. I double-checked for myself, if you are in line for something when the park officially closes, they will not chase you out, but finish out the line for that attraction, so you can maximize your time. And if the lines are too long, find a place to grab a snack and sit in the shade and people watch. Bypass the rides and see the attractions (like the murals inside Cinderella's castle, or the trails at AK). And see the shows - they usually have big seating areas that swallow a large amount of people at one time). The Unofficial Guide is good at detailing these rides.

We will only have 3 1/2 days so RD will be a must three of our days. We plan to sleep in on Wednesday, and then spend the second half of our trip at Universal...it appears to be quieter the beginning of the week, and crowds slowly build until Easter. Keep in mind, Epcot can swallow a lot of people. MK will always be the busiest.

This said, with DS going to college this fall, I never intend to return to WDW at SB again!!

 

[cheesemouse]

I'm not sure what parks you have planned but if it were me and I had 2 Epcot days planned, I'd do World Showcase on one of the sleep in days. WS doesn't even open until 11. Also, I'd probably use AK as the other sleep in day. You can have pretty good touring success with a later arrival at AK. Check out easywdw.com for his advice on the AK late arrival plan. I wouldn't do MK as a sleep in day. If you can book your FP+ ahead of time, you could probably do ok at DHS with a later arrival if you're willing to wait a while or skip TSMM or RnR. See some shows in the early afternoon and then use your FP+ for late afternoon and early evening.

 

[fairy8i8]

This is when a touring plan would actually help you. It will save you the most time. I like to read Josh's recommendations on easywdw and then make my own custom plans on touringplans. Playing with the options helps me get an idea of what the day will be like. Of course, things change day to day, but I think going in with an overall picture and plan for your late day will save you a lot of time. You will at least save time not trying to decide what to do while you are in the parks. Trust me, often going on whims creates longer lines and more backtracking than following a plan. Be flexible, though. If lines are longer than expected or your family decides you would rather do something else, then go with it.

 

[Spoisal]

I'm not sure what parks you have planned but if it were me and I had 2 Epcot days planned, I'd do World Showcase on one of the sleep in days. WS doesn't even open until 11. Also, I'd probably use AK as the other sleep in day. You can have pretty good touring success with a later arrival at AK. Check out easywdw.com for his advice on the AK late arrival plan. I wouldn't do MK as a sleep in day. If you can book your FP+ ahead of time, you could probably do ok at DHS with a later arrival if you're willing to wait a while or skip TSMM or RnR. See some shows in the early afternoon and then use your FP+ for late afternoon and early evening.

These are the exact 2 parks I was planning to visit on our sleep in days!

 

[danceteachermom]

We were there Easter week last year. I really think you have a good plan if your sleep in days are AK and Epcot....use your FP+ selections for later in the day.

We went to MK for morning extra magic hours and we were shocked how much could be done 8 AM - 11 AM. We were able to do this two mornings and in the two mornings we did absolutely everything we wanted to do in MK plus our favorites twice. We then had lunch at BOG and headed back to the hotel. We made it a priority to have resort time most days from 1 or 2 until dinner. It ended up a perfect trip and we were not bothered by the crowds much. We did try and regret MK one evening.

Save shows and low wait attractions for later in the day. Take breaks at shows or sit for parades and a snack when people get tired. Keep a budget for grumpy times when popcorn, an icecream, other treat or balloon may be all that is needed to lift spirits.

Do not spend afternoons in morning EMH park...hop to a park that will be less busy.

Avoid evening extra magic hours unless you plan to stay until the very end.

Remember that your kids may value the pool just as much as park time so don't get in the "we must get our monies worth" trap and stay until everyone is unhappy.

Last tip...visit the pool bar often.

Have a great time.

 

[danceteachermom]

I see you are staying at CSR April 2014. You will LOVE it. We have been there 8 times. Lately we are on a VWL kick but I am sure we will be back.

 

[adc]

You can make one of your late arrival days AK.

 

[MommyJack]

If you are going to do Epcot in 2 days Josh has a great touring plan for late arrivals with a 2 day plan. You can utilize fastpass + for TT one day and Soar'n the other to ensure you get into these headliners. This way you may be able to have 3 late days if you also do AK late.

 

[MichelleVW]

Late EMH is only worth it during the last 45 minutes, so avoid it if your family doesn't have enough energy to close the park.

Depends on how late it is. We stayed until 3 in the morning once and after 1 am we walked right on EVERYTHING.

 

[kerri0616]

Eat a really light breakfast (granola bars for our family) and have CS lunch at 10:30. You'll beat the crowds. We use our TS for dinner. And a snack credit would be perfect between the early lunch and later dinner.

Just gotta stay ahead of the pack!

Have fun!

 

[lroger01]

My suggestion is on your sleep-in days visit parks you've already been to once that trip. You'll be much less likely to wait in overly long lines if you've already had a full day there. Just focus on your FP+ attractions, the nighttime shows, shopping and enjoying the parks after dark.

 

[Spoisal]

Some great advice here! Thanks all! When I get home tonight I am going to reread everything and tweak my itinerary. I am especially going to add the part about visiting the pool bar often! LOL!

 

[EasternShoreGal]

Late EMH is only worth it during the last 45 minutes, so avoid it if your family doesn't have enough energy to close the park.

Is this even true anymore now that the extended hours are only 2 hours instead of 3?

 

[EasternShoreGal]

[QUOTE="danceteachermom;50782641" Last tip...visit the pool bar often. Have a great time.[/QUOTE]

Best tip. It will keep you sane!