Crowds lately

[KatieCharlotte]

I've been surprised to read descriptions of relatively light crowds over the past couple weeks at DL/DCA, even over the holiday weekend.

I'm curious -- Is this perception of light crowds correct? Are people waiting for the new Fantasmic, and to a lesser extent the railroad and Rivers of America? Is it the weather -- which seems odd to me, having done Florida theme parks in July when it was 90+humid? Or do the local pass blockouts make that much of a difference, especially when many summer tourists came last summer or are waiting for Star Wars? I don't want to start a debate about APs, but I'm curious about what kind of crowds to expect on our trip in early Aug. Since everything will have reopened by then, I'm expecting heavy crowds -- but maybe not?

 

[bdiddy]

I'm curious about this as well. We'll be there in 2 wks. I feel like I've seen the worst of crowds and weather at WDW so I'm trying to picture how bad it could be comparatively.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I think it is the blockout dates for the APs. I was there a couple weeks ago and the woman I dined with said weekdays were a lot busier than Saturdays and she thought that was because of the passes being blocked. Now, the 2 lowest level of passes are blocked until later in August.

The high heat lowers the crowds, too.

 

[coasternut22]

As a signature AP holder, it was lighter Saturday than it was Friday. Seems strange, but it makes sense from my sig AP lens. You can tell everyone was from out of town. More people who didn't know how things worked, like immediate Fastpass. Saw lots of people go straight into a 30 minute line walking right past the FP machines. To me, the majority of the crowd was much more leisurely, like they know they'll be there for a few days and are taking it all in, and not power rushing it through one day. Other than a few cheerleader groups who were well behaved, I didn't see many packs of people. The restaurants is what got me - no waits at peak dinner time. I really do believe this is due to the So Cal blackout dates. We're planning on returning the first weekend in August because of this. We think Fantasmic will have a minimal impact. I do note, however, that hotel rates are more expensive in Aug than they are this weekend. Could be those end of a Summer trips people are planning. Other than the heats, it's a fantastic weekend.

 

[Jedi Mouse]

We just returned and we're in the parks for 6/30 through 7/7. We had fairly light crowds over the weekend before the 4th, then picked up on the 3rd and then stayed busy from the 4th through the 7th.

AP blackouts now seem to be they key as best as I can tell.

 

[BayouQueen]

We've been in the parks a variety of days lately, since the summer AP blackouts, and I'd call the parks busy, but quite tolerable. There is that line that is sometimes crossed where people seem like they are wandering around aimlessly, unable to do anything, tired and cranky. Right now things are lively and busy, but people seem to be still having fun. Don't know if that makes sense, but it probably does to Disney park fans. We're enjoying our DL summer.

 

[Jimbo1229]

Man, if they got rid of AP just imagine how much more people could enjoy the park.

 

[22Tink]

This sounds great! Hopefully it continues for our trip next month.

We've been in the parks a variety of days lately, since the summer AP blackouts, and I'd call the parks busy, but quite tolerable. There is that line that is sometimes crossed where people seem like they are wandering around aimlessly, unable to do anything, tired and cranky. Right now things are lively and busy, but people seem to be still having fun. Don't know if that makes sense, but it probably does to Disney park fans. We're enjoying our DL summer.

 

[calilou]

We noticed the same when there on Friday 6/30. Definitely less crowded than our trips in April and March.

 

[wowsmom]

We noticed the same when there on Friday 6/30. Definitely less crowded than our trips in April and March.

We noticed it that day as well, and the next, although the next seemed a tiny bit more crowded. Last Saturday (7/8), we noticed how low the waits were & hopped in the car and headed over in the evening. We rode Soarin' and Indy, using FPs - and hadn't arrived until 7:00 pm!

I was actually wondering if a lot of the FPs being mostly instant return is helping or if there are just less people going right now.

 

[dina444444]

We noticed it that day as well, and the next, although the next seemed a tiny bit more crowded. Last Saturday (7/8), we noticed how low the waits were & hopped in the car and headed over in the evening. We rode Soarin' and Indy, using FPs - and hadn't arrived until 7:00 pm!

I was actually wondering if a lot of the FPs being mostly instant return is helping or if there are just less people going right now.

There are less people in the parks. Over the past few years or so I've felt that the peak/off seasons have shifted. For example, I was there on a Tuesday in October of 2016 and it was significantly more crowded that day then what the crowds were this past Saturday.