crowds question for April 1-7

[3kidsmommy]

I know, I know it is Spring break time...but this is the only time that it wouldn't be too hot for us to go that we CAN go. With dh's MS we have to worry about heat and with ds we worry about crowds, etc. So..how bad is it usually during this week? What should we expect? We are planning on a GAC for autistic ds to hopefully alleviate the biggest issue for him--being in a que line with tons of people around him and feelign enclosed. Boy, do the screams start then. So..just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to the usual first week of April crowds and also if anyone has any advice on which park to do which day? We will have 6 days at WDW...will arrive around 1ish on Sunday the 1st...Was thinking about maybe hitting MK for a few hours then? What do you think?

 

[SueM in MN]

We have been to WDW over Spring break for the past about 8 years. A lot depends on when Easter is; it gets busier the closer you get to Easter. This year Easter is April 16, so you should be OK.
Even when it's at the busiest, if you can get to the parks early, you will find a lot smaller crowds. It's too hard to get my youngest DD going in the morning, but my DH has gone to the parks early with my older DD and other members of our party - by 11am, they had been on all the Fantasyland attractions and a couple in other "lands" too.
I don't know which park is supposed to be "busier' which days - we usually pick our park more on what the weather is and how tired we are (for example, since we have to lift DD onto a lot of attractions, we don't want to go to MK on a day we are tired to start with).

 

[JohnnySharp2]

We have been late March and early April before - if you miss Easter the crowds will be not too bad at all.

I actually think this is an ideal time to go, the weather will be nice but not too hot also.

 

[Selket]

I have never been in April (I'm currently planning an April trip - we also hope to go the week after you're there which is our Spring Break). I have been in August and in July which are busy times.

My son's issues are different but we still try to avoid the crowds. I belong to the Tour Guide Mike website (http://www.tourguidemike.com) and that has helped me immensely with finding the least crowded parks for every day of the week we're there and his plans on how best to tour the parks. He is a sponsor now of the Theme Park Attractions board - there is a banner there to click on with perhaps a discount? It costs about $20 to sign up...so about the cost of a guide book. All of his info is online however and you have to be willing to do some digging. If you do searches you can find lots of posts with the pros and cons of his site but I've used it our last 3 trips and it has made all the difference for us. He has a money back guarantee if you don't like the site too.

Let's hope that spring breaks will be spread out enough this year because of the late Easter that not everyone will show up the same week!

 

[3kidsmommy]

Thanks so much for all the information, guys! SueM, question for you...will Chandler be able to stay in his wheelchair (it is one of the Convaid Cruisers--so a stroller wheelchair) all the way until it is boarding time? Life is much easier then. He is getting to be a heavy booger! How about an ECV? Will Darrin (my dh) be able to be on it until boarding time as well? (If not, I think we will bring the wheelchair for him instead.)
SelKet--am going to check out hte TourGuideMike site...JohnnySharp2--GLAD I am getting in before the rush, then. We just CAN'T WAIT!!! And the countdown begins...

 

[SueM in MN]

question for you...will Chandler be able to stay in his wheelchair (it is one of the Convaid Cruisers--so a stroller wheelchair) all the way until it is boarding time?

Yes. But, because those lool a lot like strollers to most people, you should get a Guest Assistance Card (GAC) that allows a stroller to be treated as a wheelchair, which means it is allowed in buildings and attractions where strollers are not allowed (right up to boarding). (Check into the disABILITIES FAQs thread abut GACs).
They were experimenting recently with a way to mark the stroller so that the CMs could tell at a glance. I don't know if they also give a GAC in that situation. Probably someone who has done it will post and let you know.

There are some attractions where someone with a wheelchair can stay in the wheelchair and have it actually loaded onto the ride car. That usually is not the case with the special needs strollers - they are either not a good size, can't be fastened down or sit to low for that to work on most rides.

How about an ECV? Will Darrin (my dh) be able to be on it until boarding time as well? (If not, I think we will bring the wheelchair for him instead.)

For most attractions, he will be able to. There are some where the line is not ECV accessible, but it is wheelchair accessible. For those, they have manual wheelchairs available at the entrance to switch to. If you go to the disABILITIES FAQs thread (again), there is a link to the official Disney website's disabilities information pages, which have a list of those attractions.
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[LMC]

Check your PM's. I'll give you our experience w/ our DS who was walking part of the time then in a wc the end of the trip.