Early Mid March (10-15) - Is it gonna be THAT bad?

[austinelsa]

So Im starting to get a little worried about how crowded its gonna be during our trip March 10-15.

Initially when we booked our trip in the fall I thought a few things - we can handle crowds (we've done DLR at spring break twice), we know G+/ILL strategy well and plan to use everyday, and it wont be as bad as late march and april will be.

Now im seeing the crowd calendars (specifically touring plans) and sold out hotels and thinking OMG am I going during spring break peak b/c of the local schools? I didnt know about the local spring break dates until recently.

Will it be that bad? I mean, isnt the point of the rezzie system to plan for staffing accordingly? So maybe it wont "feel" as packed as it is? Is this wishful thinking? Or is it going to feel the same level of crowded everyday anyway so i should just chill and focus on using G+ and early/late hours to my advantage and just have fun?

I am an over planner i guess?

 

[js]

I think you should plan on it being very crowded. I have been during the height of spring break, and during the first two weeks of March. The parks, for instance Epcot, get so crowded, they put stanchions in the walkway so one side is
going one way and the other side the other way.

It will feel very crowded and will feel the same level every day. I would focus on using G+, be at rope drop at least 45 minutes prior to opening to be in the front of the crowds. For me, I don't go back at night and use that time for
relaxing and dinners and drinks (even when our kids were small).

It's good you are an overplanner, it will help but you can most certainly enjoy yourself!

Have fun! We leave two weeks from today!

 

[austinelsa]

Meh, my husband is going to be displeased as he is neither a planner nor as into disney as i am.

We were planning on using the early entry option some days, and do plan to stay til closing as well. We will do breaks in the middle of the day to try to avoid the total insanity of the afternoons and rest. Hoping that helps a little bit.

Im just worried that the crowds will be so bad that you cant comfortably even walk around park to soak it all in. Like what you are describing for the world showcase. If you've been to DLR, the New Orleans Square area can get so crowded its almost dangerous and it makes the experience of being there 1000% UNFUN. like a chore instead. Want to avoid that.

 

[pens4821]

We were there that timeframe this year and it was very crowded. We went MLK week a couple times and end of February and it was much more crowded than the other times we have been. It was hard to walk through the walkways often and the wait times were ridiculous.

However, with a good plan we were able to ride all the headliners and everything we wanted a handful of times. Early entry allowed us to ride a few rides without waiting hardly, and we then stacked LL and did buy ILL twice for rise in the evening. Two days we tried sleeping in and getting to the parks around 10/11 but everything had huge lines by then (even non headliners). We did usually wait in a long line once or twice a day (1-1.5 hours) which we’ve never done before but it is what it is.

The LL lines moved MUCH quicker than our previous visits with FP though. We hardly waited at all until the merge point, whereas with FP we regularly waited 20/30/40 minutes MLK of 2019. So those 5/6 rides a day we got done very quickly!

Mobile order we had a lot of issues with. We would click here and wait 20+ minutes for our food. We noticed people walking up and ordering seemed to get their food faster so we ended up just doing that after the first few days.

I’m not going to lie, it was a more stressful trip than we were used to. But that’s the timeframe that works best for us now. We still had a lot of fun and did everything we wanted, but it alot took longer (walking around,eating,rides). We will be back in 2024 that week, but hoping now that we know what to expect we won’t be as stressed/annoyed.

 

[DisneyElite4]

I was at WDW at this same time last year. I did not find it to be overly crowded or hard to walk around at all. The weather was fantastic and it was our best trip yet! I have been to WDW at all times of the year, and the early March spring break time frame didn't feel any more or less busy then any other time. We didn't do rope drop at all, though - we slept in and got to the parks around 10-noon each day, then stayed until closing. (Which was often late because of spring break.)

Have fun!

 

[austinelsa]

I was at WDW at this same time last year. I did not find it to be overly crowded or hard to walk around at all. The weather was fantastic and it was our best trip yet! I have been to WDW at all times of the year, and the early March spring break time frame didn't feel any more or less busy then any other time. We didn't do rope drop at all, though - we slept in and got to the parks around 10-noon each day, then stayed until closing. (Which was often late because of spring break.)

Have fun!

this is reassuring. I mean, im not expecting uncrowded parks, I just dont want it to be unmanageable.

Im hoping that having a plan, G+, and having been to a crowded DLR many times will help us get thru any crowded situation.

 

[Dulcee]

It is very busy. We were there for March spring break last year and are headed back again this year. That said there are plenty of pockets of "lower" crowd feels, you just need to try to take advantage of those moments when you can. We prefer early mornings and to avoid the afternoon crowds when things feel unmanageable.

The only point last trip that felt truly "insane" (my LEO husband would argue "dangerous" as the better adjective) crowd-wise was finding a spot to watch Enchantment. This year we booked a fireworks cruise to avoid exactly that scenario again.

 

[austinelsa]

It is very busy. We were there for March spring break last year and are headed back again this year. That said there are plenty of pockets of "lower" crowd feels, you just need to try to take advantage of those moments when you can. We prefer early mornings and to avoid the afternoon crowds when things feel unmanageable.

The only point last trip that felt truly "insane" (my LEO husband would argue "dangerous" as the better adjective) crowd-wise was finding a spot to watch Enchantment. This year we booked a fireworks cruise to avoid exactly that scenario again.

ah yeah - ive heard its kind of insane for enchantment. My kids actually dislike fireworks (i know, i dont get it either) so we will avoiding that altogether and taking advantage of that time to go on rides. So theres that at least!

 

[Smugpugmug]

I went this week pre pandemic (as the college I went to had that week off for spring break) and it was VERY busy. I remember Animal Kingdom in particular being very difficult to walk around in due to the amount of people. With that said, it was still manageable in terms of riding the things I wanted to do. The weather was fabulous too and the parks had later hours which really helped.

Post pandemic, I went Christmas + NYE week (which was insane by the way) and I was still able to ride everything I wanted with Genie+ and early entry, so it is doable during high crowd times. I didn't have any issues with mobile order and wait times for food either.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

OP - to your original question, we agree it's going to be busy and crowded around that time - we know because it's a time we go most years (including this year!). On the other hand, your other point is correct, too - it will be even busier later in March and into April and Easter time. So enjoy the busy, but lighter crowds when you go! It's manageable. It's also much nicer not having to deal with summer heat!

And yes - Main Street fireworks can be an experience to avoid. For us, the MK is not the happiest place on Earth 15 minutes before the fireworks start through 15 minutes after they end!! Hope your kids enjoy the rides instead!

 

[austinelsa]

OP - to your original question, we agree it's going to be busy and crowded around that time - we know because it's a time we go most years (including this year!). On the other hand, your other point is correct, too - it will be even busier later in March and into April and Easter time. So enjoy the busy, but lighter crowds when you go! It's manageable. It's also much nicer not having to deal with summer heat!

And yes - Main Street fireworks can be an experience to avoid. For us, the MK is not the happiest place on Earth 15 minutes before the fireworks start through 15 minutes after they end!! Hope your kids enjoy the rides instead!

lol. is the enchantment crowd really centered at the hub and main street? So like which land/lands do you think would be the best for avoiding enchantment?

 

[Dulcee]

lol. is the enchantment crowd really centered at the hub and main street? So like which land/lands do you think would be the best for avoiding enchantment?

Anything behind the castle will be quiet, its a great time to try to hop on rides in Fantasyland and Adventureland. Just plan on staying in the back of the park for at least 15 - 30 minutes post-fireworks ending to avoid the crush that leaves the park.

 

[jemtx]

Over the summer we rode the peoplemover during the fireworks and it was great. We got on (walk-on) just a minute or two before they started and we’re able to watch and get a neat view as we went around. There were good views right behind Tomorrowland speedway and that area. We even happened to be coming around the castle area just as tinkerbell was “flying” down and got a good view of that. The ride is approximately the same amount time as the fireworks show. Just as we were getting off, crowds of people were streaming back into Tomorrowland, so we headed towards the exit.

 

[Yensid67]

My wife and I go every year around March 7 (her birthday) and it's never been overly crowded. There will be crowds, but we've never found it difficult to walk around or do the things we want to do.