Crowds

[Bubbie]

How are the crowds right now? I'm thinking of taking the family to US & IOA next year at this time for about a week. Maybe staying at HRH.

 

[WDWFreak200]

This time of year, the parks are busy. Yesterday, Shrek 4-D was operating at a 50 minute wait.

 

[coffeeguy]

We were at Universal 12/19 thru 12/24
12/19 Low crowds wonderful. Rides averaged 15 minutes except for Spiderman and Posiden which were around 30 minutes. We had FOTL and all rides were walk on.

12/20 Again Low crowds and wonderful. Much like the previous day 10 to 15 minute wait times tops, 30 tops for the more popular rides like MIB and Spiderman but again FOTL was walk on and we never had to wait.

12/21 Yet again Low Crowds wait times were creeping up tho' about 30 minute wait times and the more popular rides were 45 to 60, Spiderman in particular hit 60 minutes but with FOTL yep you guessed it walk on

12/22 The Day the crowds showed up. Everything hit 45 to 60 minutes + with FOTL most everything was walk on. I think we waited maybe 10 minutes to get on Spiderman and that was the longest wait of the day. It truly is how you time it though because after we waited in line for the 10 minutes to board we turned around and went again and didnt wait at all.

12/23 Crowds seemed to thin a bit from the previous day but it was still crowded 30 to 60 min wait times for most rides and with FOTL it was back to walk on status or if we waited it was never more than a couple of minutes.

12/24 The Crowds showed back up everything hit 60+ as this was our last day we hit our favorite rides again spiderman, MIB, Jurassic Park etc and with FOTL again everything was a walk on or only a few minutes wait.

The longest line we stood in the whole trip was Petradon Flyers at 30 minutes and thats because it's one of the only rides in park that doesnt have an Express Pass line. While DD loved it DW and I both agreed it wasnt worth the 30 minutes we waited in line. The only reason we only waited 30 minutes is because we got to the park early and we headed straight for this ride. We checked a few different days and each time the wait was will over 60 minutes and at one point it was 90! No way the ride is worth that kind of wait even with children.

 

[phamton]

If you come this time next year, I would suggest staying onsite. The day after Christmas through New Years Eve are some of the busiests days at all the themeparks in Orlando. I love this time of year but it is crowded. Having FOTL would be well worth it.

 

[Timmy Boy]

yep, i worked today. the highest i heard hulk was at a 95, i heard spiderman at a 75, dragons at a 65.... and even the flying unicorn has a 35.... wowzers.

 

[pomcoach]

We just got back. We stayed on site at Hard Rock Hotel Friday and Saturday Dec. 21 & 22. The FOTL helped a lot, but it was not walk on for us on anything. We rode the Mummy 3 times. On Saturday, it was mostly a 15 minute wait with our FOTL pass. Most rides with the pass were a 15 minute wait or a bit longer. On Sunday we still used our FOTL pass. Mummy was about 10 minutes, but the 2nd time the Express line was so long we just gave up and left. So even with FOTL, the lines can be so long that it's not worth it. We wanted to ride the Petradon Fliers but it was a 75 min. wait and there was no Express line to go through. So we didn't get to ride that.
Many years ago, when the only people who had the Express Pass were the people staying on-site, the FOTL pass was truly worth it and it really meant you would be put pretty much directly to the Front of the line. Now with so many people buying the Express pass, we had to wait for sure 15 min. or longer on just about everything. Still, if you are going to ride anything and not wait for long periods of time, you'd better plan on staying on-site or buying the Express pass, just to have a decent experience.
Have fun.
Pomcoach

 

[Bubbie]

Ty everyone.We will be staying on site for sure now.Looking forward to it even with the crowds.Can't wait till next year!

 

[Flickster]

How are the crowds during the first week of January? Any tips or suggestions?
Thank you!!

 

[mboroky]

We will be there the 3th-7th. How are crowds during this weekend?

 

[spatter1234]

Any insite on the crowd level 1/14 - 1/20. Do you know if there is one day that is better than another to visit?

 

[phamton]

January is usually not crowded.

 

[NewEnglandCamper]

How are the crowds right now? I'm thinking of taking the family to US & IOA next year at this time for about a week. Maybe staying at HRH.

We went 12/27-12/29 in 2006. The crowds were UNREAL. No extra hours at night either. We hardly hit any rides. We would NEVER go back to Universal at this time again. Disney was more reasonable with Extra Magic Hours.

 

[Metro West]

We went 12/27-12/29 in 2006. The crowds were UNREAL. No extra hours at night either. We hardly hit any rides. We would NEVER go back to Universal at this time again. Disney was more reasonable with Extra Magic Hours.

All of the parks here are super busy that week...every one of them. FOTL at Universal offsets the crowds like EMH at Disney (both perks for onsite guests only)...although EMH nights can be just as busy as regular hours. I do wish Universal would stay open longer but since they are in Orlando city limits, they have to deal with the noise levels that Disney does not...there are neighborhoods right behind the parks. I would never suggest anyone coming here during Christmas week...unless you're a glutton for punishment.