Current wait time surprisingly low?

[ThankingThePhoenicians]

Hi everyone!

We go to WDW next week () so I have been non-stop monitoring wait times for a few weeks. Over this past weekend, including today, I've noticed that the wait times really aren't that high for what I thought was a holiday weekend? I mean, when I've just checked, BTMR was 20 minutes at 12pm on the 4th July?!

Does anyone know why this might be? Obviously we can't know for sure but I'm up for some speculation - particularly if these low(ish) wait times will stick around for the next few weeks .

Very bizarre but I'm not complaining!

 

[NMBCFangirl]

I have an upcoming trip and have been watching the same thing and hoping the softening of demand continues for the summer as last year it was PACKED when we went.

 

[scrappinginontario]

This is being discussed in the 'Here Now and Just Back' thread also. Hoping we're seeing the end of the pent up travel demand.

You may wish to read this article too: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/summer-crowd-stagnation-surprise-slowdown-at-disney-world/

 

[DLgal]

We went to WDW July 3-14, 2018. It was never very busy the whole time we were there. We rode everything we wanted multiple times, with only going into the parks in the evenings.

I think that WDW was super busy in the summers in the 80s and 90s, but it hasn't been the case for such a long time now. The myth persists, though, for whatever reason. It's simply NOT a busy time of year at WDW or Disneyland.

We are heading over to DL in a couple hours, like we do every year. The wait times look very low, as expected, given how many passholders are blocked out. I say it all the time, July is the best time to visit Disneyland. I'll be at WDW in 3 weeks.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Many APs are blocked out and the weather is pretty terrible (extremely hot). Also weakening demand for X, Y and Z reasons.

 

[ThankingThePhoenicians]

Thank you everyone! This makes complete sense, we’ve never been in Summer before (always went Easter time) so we have no comparison and after our last trip was chaos due to crowds - a post-Covid thing I’m sure - we were nervous but things are (touch wood) looking good? Last trip we went in for our extra half an hour and only managed to get done: Pooh, Country Bears and Tiki Room! So if we can beat that it’ll be a great trip

 

[Narcoossee11]

One huge advantage of going to park at a holiday week is, parks are ALL HANDS ON DECK.
Staffing is high and both sides of attractions are running.

 

[goofyernmost]

I would guess that the temperature in the parks right now is comparable to the surface of the sun.

 

[Traveling on cc points]

I am here now and the crowds really haven’t been that bad at all.

As others have said, it is very, very hot and I think people have been taking longer breaks at the resorts.
The heat is no joke. Be sure to take breaks and stay hydrated.

 

[pens4821]

I always think we should try summer. Especially the last five or so years I read a lot about it being slow (comparatively speaking), and notice the wait times when I check are often lower than when we go. Then I look at the weather, and I just don’t think there is any way my family could do it.

I can deal with the heat. When we go for spring break we will have days in the low 90s. However, I can’t deal with the humidity. In March it isn’t humid so even when it’s warm if you’re out of the sun it isn’t bad. Looking and seeing feels like temps 110 and above is just too much for us. I envy the people that do it. I would much rather deal with the crowds than that heat.

 

[georgina]

One huge advantage of going to park at a holiday week is, parks are ALL HANDS ON DECK.
Staffing is high and both sides of attractions are running.

Hoping that is true for Labor Day weekend!

 

[rdaky]

I always think we should try summer. Especially the last five or so years I read a lot about it being slow (comparatively speaking), and notice the wait times when I check are often lower than when we go. Then I look at the weather, and I just don’t think there is any way my family could do it.

I can deal with the heat. When we go for spring break we will have days in the low 90s. However, I can’t deal with the humidity. In March it isn’t humid so even when it’s warm if you’re out of the sun it isn’t bad. Looking and seeing feels like temps 110 and above is just too much for us. I envy the people that do it. I would much rather deal with the crowds than that heat.

Yes, Spring Break weather is absolutely easy compared to mid-Summer. Most locals avoid daytime during the Summer. Some avoid Summer altogether. And it's smart for you to recognize that even with lower crowds, it's not for you. I think that a lot of people think it's for them, and they can't handle it either. Paramedic calls all day long for people with heat related issues.

I seem to recall Summer 2019 being lighter than Summers in the past. I think that crowds were trending more toward Fall and Spring. And then Covid hit and it seems like ever since October 2021, Disney has been madness with no slow season. I'm hoping for some slower seasons again.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

We’ve got an October trip booked and I’m hoping this continues Funny thing is we we almost booked the week of July 4th but I was worried about high crowds

 

[Slaggslala]

First day at the parks was yesterday ( 7/4). I was worried about crowds so we went with genie plus. Looking at the wait times when booking ll, wait times were not bad at all. We left Epcot around 8:30 and there were big crowds going in for fireworks. It did not feel overly crowded.

 

[Selket]

I just got back from being there June 30-July 4 and wait times seemed low to me as well. Some rides were always high (slinky dog looking at you!) but otherwise it was good. I also spent less time in the park due to the heat and took more breaks in theater attractions. Had a great trip!

 

[ThankingThePhoenicians]

I always think we should try summer. Especially the last five or so years I read a lot about it being slow (comparatively speaking), and notice the wait times when I check are often lower than when we go. Then I look at the weather, and I just don’t think there is any way my family could do it.

I can deal with the heat. When we go for spring break we will have days in the low 90s. However, I can’t deal with the humidity. In March it isn’t humid so even when it’s warm if you’re out of the sun it isn’t bad. Looking and seeing feels like temps 110 and above is just too much for us. I envy the people that do it. I would much rather deal with the crowds than that heat.

The heat is making me nervous! We’re from the UK so not used to really high heat, and we’ve only ever gone at Easter/October so this will be new for us. We’ve planned lots of breaks, lots of evenings in the parks rather than day-time and lots of water/fans/UV umbrellas/air-con time. Still think we’re gonna struggle though!!

 

[loislane]

We were just there Sunday through yesterday. We arrived at Pop Century at 11:30 and our room was ready as soon as we got through the gate. Not a lot of people at the resort at all - pool and food court were never crowded.
We went to AK, MK, and Epcot. MK on July 3 was probably the most crowded park - but it wasn't horrendous. We did use G+ for the day and even with a mid afternoon break, we were able to ride JC, PotC, BTMR, HM (twice), IASW (standby), little mermaid, SM, BLSRS, Monsters (standby), and Tron (VQ and our longest wait of the day by far at about 35 minutes.)

 

[stinkpickle]

Even before the pandemic, summers were thinning out.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

I would guess that the temperature in the parks right now is comparable to the surface of the sun.

 

[Minnie1222]

I also spent less time in the park due to the heat and took more breaks in theater attractions.

Same here. We've never seen so many shows in one trip. Carousel, Amazing Planet, etc. I also wanted to go to Hall of Presidents but forgot how to get there.