Empty parks?

[lenshanem]

I've heard the parks are kinda empty and alot of the rides are walk ons right now. I'm guessing due to all the bad weather poor Florida has had?

Is this true?

 

[Mimi Q]

One of my friends and his family went last week, and he said the longest line they waited in was 5 minutes. They have been during the summer several times before and just couldn't believe the attendance levels last week.

 

[sunkissed212]

My boyfriend and I were just there 9/10-9/14. The parks were empty. We didn't wait in line for a single ride! They weren't even using most of the fastpass machines while we were there.

I will most defility be making reservations for the same time next year!

I do think that the weather situation down there had a lot to do with the lack of visitors but I also think that it being the first week after school goes back in session has a lot to do with it too. Most parents that do take their kids out of school for vacations don't do so in the first few weeks of the school year.

I'm already excited about going back this time next year!

 

[chicknoodle99]

The weather might have something to do with it but its also value season and the previous post was correct..the kids are back in school. We usually go in Sept or Jan as the parks are usually empty and we have never had to wait long for anything. We were there last week (9/14-9/18) and never even used fastpass..

It sure makes a difference and DH and I dont like to dodge people and crowds down there so if you are looking for a quieter time to go with not many crowds then Sept or Jan is a good time. The only downside is that the parks close by 8 or so but we think its a small price to pay!

Enjoy!

 

[sunkissed212]

Yeah, the parks closing early is a bummer but if you're staying on site there are tons of things to do on the property after the parks close!

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

We just returned yesterday. I would definately NOT say the parks were EMPTY. The cm's all said the number of guests has increased a lot from the last couple of weeks. In the mornings we could walk onto the rides or wait 5-10 minutes. In the afternoon the crowds did increase. At MK on Tuesday it was pretty crowded for the "value" time. Morning wasn't bad but afternoon the average wait was 20 minutes. Sometimes you would see a ride with a 40 minute wait (we just skipped those). It probably had to do with one of only 2 nights during the week that had spectro magic parade, and wishes at 9 instead of 8. It was pretty darn crowded at the night time parade and wishes. It did take a fair amount of time to get a bus back to AKL. We were not disappointed and had a great time because compared to June the crowds were GREAT! Note: Very few fastpasses were in use because the crowds weren't that big until afternoons.

 

[tygerlilli]

my husband and i were at WDW in Sept. 2001, right after Labor Day..and it was great..no lines at all. We walked right on to many of the attractions. Our travel agent told us that was one of the very best times to go as far as crowds. i'm hoping to get back there in Sept. 2005

 

[Maude4Disney]

We were there 9/16-19 and on Friday the rides were all walk ons... with the exception of maybe one 10 minute wait. On Saturday there was a definite increase in crowds, but the lines were still pretty short or non-existant. Our towncar driver did tell us that they were nuts w/ pick-ups on Saturday and thought the crowds would be picking up (thought maybe people making up missed trips due to the hurricanes).

 

[KarenP99]

We were there last week, and yes the parks were empty. They were not even letting you use fastpass on most everything.

Talking to one of the resort CM's they said that they are going to get slammed in October because they had a lot of re-schedules due to the Sept hurricanes.

Karen

 

[bubba's mom]

That's one reason I doubt I'll ever go to WDW in Aug-Sept. ....the stress of worrying about hurricanes takes all the fun outta it!! (Dealt with Charley this year....THAT was enough!)