Crowds at the end of June??

[mjkwt]

How crowded does it get at the end of June once school is out? Coming down June 21-29. Is it better to go to certain parks at the beginning , middle or end of week?

Thanks

 

[Aunt K]

I'm anxious to read an answer to this question myself. We arrive June 28 and leave July 2.

 

[Bruce in PA]

You can count on good-sized crowds from
day one of your trip, with numbers going up
the closer you get to July 4.

Probably won't be as large as Easter Week,
but -- assuming that summer patterns hold --
there will be large numbers of families hitting
the parks starting in mid-June.

We visited in late June in '99 and we're going
down again this year, actually on the same
day that you are. Are you flying? Maybe we'll
see you at the airport...

Our strategy will be to take it easy as much as
possible, get out early, do what we want
and get back to the pool before the hordes
arrive after noon. Then go back in late afternoon/
early evening for Round 2.

If you're early risers, pick the Extra Magic Hour park
for your morning visit, then switch parks as the crowds
begin to build. This should help you avoid the worst of
things.

Good luck...see you in Orlando!

 

[kevind65]

It is usually extremely crowded beginning with about the third week in June through july. It will also be very hot and humid during this time period. If you're staying on property, by all means take advantage of early entry. EE combined with fastpasses are a life saving strategy during busy times. We employed that strategy to get through this last week and never waited more than 20 minutes for any attraction. The worst part of the crowded times at the parks is just trying to walk through the mass of people, especially later in the day when everyone is tired. You will have longer hours during this time of the year which helps to manage the crowds as well. I don't know about specific days at specific parks except that in general, whichever park is the early entry park will usually be extremely crowded by late morning to early afternoon. try to avoid the early entry park during these times. A good strategy to employ is to hit the parks early in the mornings and later in the evenings. If you like the water parks; try going after 4pm. the water parks usually start to clear out after 4pm as people are getting ready for dinner plans. We get more done in 2-3 hours in the early evening than we would by standing lines during the heat of the day. generally the last 1 to 2 hours you will have the parks virtually to yourself. Also, during busy times at magic kingdom; try riding major attractions during the early spectro and fireworks and then watching the second spectro parade without having to fight for a good viewing area. hope this helps some.

 

[Aunt K]

Thanks for the information. We were expecting it to be pretty packed. We are big believers in "fast pass" although we have trouble doing that early entry thing. It's not me, it's the pokey slow folks I travel with who won't get out of bed in the morning.

Bruce in PA - We are flying in from Michigan. The reason we're going during that time frame is b/c I found an incredible value on flight - we got RT for $113.50 (it's usually more like $280 to fly in from MI).

We also got a deal on WL using the codes - so between cheap flight and cheap sleep we all agreed that we wouldn't complain about heat and crowds. Afterall, we will be at Disney - and what could be better than that?!

 

[tmeyer]

Bruce in PA - We are flying in from Michigan. The reason we're going during that time frame is b/c I found an incredible value on flight - we got RT for $113.50 (it's usually more like $280 to fly in from MI).



Just curious where you found that flight price from. The cheapest I can find from Michigan is $205 for a RT

 

[Aunt K]

tmeyer - We got the flight on Delta. It was one of those internet specials where you had to act very quickly. It was the morning of the day the war broke out. I called my sister and asked her if we should book knowing what was coming with the war and all. We decided that the world just has to go on - so I went ahead and booked it and hoped for the best. A few hours later I checked the Delta website again, and ticket prices were up to $326 for the flight I booked. We're flying out of Detroit.

I've periodically found those great specials when I look at Yahoo's travel section and do not specify dates - just ask for the cheapest fares available for the next 3 months. The lowest I've ever seen is $108. This is the first time I've ever been able to book based on what they have available though! From what I've been reading about the airline industry, I guess flights are going up so maybe we won't see anymore specials like that.

 

[Bruce in PA]

Aunt K -- sounds like you got a *great* deal on
your airfare. What a bargain!

We're flying out of Philadelphia and not leaving until
8 o'clock at night on Saturday 6/21 due to a possible
Little League game (it's playoff time and we could
end up with a game at 3 PM that day -- won't that
be interesting...)

My comment about flights was actually directed to the
original poster, whose signature says "SE PA," which
is the same area as us. Since they are also starting
out on 6/21, there's always a chance we could be
traveling on the same flight. But for their sake, I hope
they're leaving earlier than we are.

 

[mjkwt]

Thanks for all the info. And Bruce, sorry there are certain people in our 4-some that won't fly so we will be driving. Leaving Chester County around 6 pm on Friday night the 20th. Should be in town in 14 1/2 - 15 hours. No sit down meals until we are in town. i have made that trip about 6 times now. Driving the van and all the seats recline so we all get some rest.

 

[jsmla]

It's really hot at that time of year so we do mornings and nights and rest during the midday heatwave. This works best for our family of parents and teens.