F&W crowds -- WS only?

[julirina]

I've asked this internally in another thread but I figured it would be best to post it as a separate question. We arrive midday on 9/29 -- the first Saturday of F&W. We'd love to hit Epcot for a few afternoon/evening hours but everything I've read says that weekends during F&W are nightmarish. Will we be ok if we stay in FW and skip WS altogether? We'll have at least another full day at Epcot to take in all the WS attractions and F&W booths that interest us.

If the huge crowds and drunken revelry are confined to WS, I'd love to do FW -- The Land, The Seas and Spaceship Earth are family favorites. But if there will be tons of spillover from the weekend F&W crowds, we might just hit DTD instead, as AK & DHS both close at 6pm (DHS has the Tower of Terror run that night) and we're spending the next day at MK.

Any input on the "overflow factor" of the WS crowds into FW during F&W weekends?

 

[figment_jii]

I've asked this internally in another thread but I figured it would be best to post it as a separate question. We arrive midday on 9/29 -- the first Saturday of F&W. We'd love to hit Epcot for a few afternoon/evening hours but everything I've read says that weekends during F&W are nightmarish. Will we be ok if we stay in FW and skip WS altogether? We'll have at least another full day at Epcot to take in all the WS attractions and F&W booths that interest us.

If the huge crowds and drunken revelry are confined to WS, I'd love to do FW -- The Land, The Seas and Spaceship Earth are family favorites. But if there will be tons of spillover from the weekend F&W crowds, we might just hit DTD instead, as AK & DHS both close at 6pm (DHS has the Tower of Terror run that night) and we're spending the next day at MK.

Any input on the "overflow factor" of the WS crowds into FW during F&W weekends?

I wouldn't quite describe it as "nightmarish"...very crowded and full of people. I haven't seen the falling down drunk, throwing up, hordes that some describe, but there does tend to be a lot of folks and some are pretty loud and buzzed. That being said, the crowds seem mostly confined to WS (especially in the front). You'll probably be fine at SE, Seas and the Land (albeit, Soarin' is probably pretty crowded regardless of F&W because it's a Saturday).

 

[OKW Lover]

The F&W people will all be in World Showcase (except for a brief stop at the Festival Center) and have essentially no impact on the rest of Epcot or the other parks.

Even in World Showcase its not a "nightmare" though. The people are either standing in line at a booth or around a table (or trashcan) with their samples. You can easily do the different countries around WS.

 

[TDC Nala]

Even in World Showcase its not a "nightmare" though. The people are either standing in line at a booth or around a table (or trashcan) with their samples. You can easily do the different countries around WS.

I'm differing with this. Although I haven't seen the groups being staggering drunk or vomiting, only a bunch of really loud people outside the British pub, toward the evening the crowds are very thick and it's actually difficult to walk through, especially if you are in the vicinity of the American pavilion when a concert lets out or you're down around England/Canada close to the commencement of the Party for the Senses. There are lines for everything in WS, including the bathrooms.

 

[julirina]

Thanks for this input. With a newly-pottytrained 3yo in tow, bathroom lines will present a whole 'nother challenge I'd rather avoid if possible.

 

[disnut8]

If the huge crowds and drunken revelry are confined to WS, I'd love to do FW -- The Land, The Seas and Spaceship Earth are family favorites.

I think you will be fine with just Future World. We've done the Festival for the past two years - the first year arriving on a Saturday and my husband insisting we go. Well, he learned his lesson! We did walk around but just looked as the lines in World Showcase were way, way too long.

Anyway, Future World is OK and there's not that many people who are there for the Festival that will wander down and go for a spin to hear Judi Densch or Nemo or Crush or Timon and Pumbaa.

And I will chime in about the "drunken revelry". Saturday nights are worse than other nights and there will be people there to party. However, "drunken" can be taken so many ways. I've been to the Festival four times now and I have seen one person falling down drunk. I have seen people enjoying themselves but the "drunken" reference is very subjective.

 

[sare]

We are planning to take in the F &W on a Saturday. I see that the PFtS is that night, are the kiosks still avail throughout WS since we wont be attending the PFtS?

 

[TDC Nala]

Yes, the kiosks will be available. PFTS is a separate ticketed event in the World Showplace and has no bearing on the availablity of the kiosks. However, you should note that it WILL be crowded.

 

[g-dad66]

Last November, we did Future World only on a Saturday, and wait times for the rides were low. We did World Showcase later on a weekday.

This schedule worked well for us.

 

[kaligal]

Nightmare depends on how much much crowds and drunks bother you. If you don't mind it being crowded and can live with a few couples fighting and swearing as well as the occasional loud person/group acting like drunken goofs, it is not a nightmare.

I'm not a fan of F&W to begin with. My drinking days are long over and I'm not very big on eating odd stuff...toss in a few drunks and...I just avoid it and leave it to those who enjoy all that.

But FW, for the most part, is just like it always is.

 

[gracielou]

I'm differing with this. Although I haven't seen the groups being staggering drunk or vomiting, only a bunch of really loud people outside the British pub, toward the evening the crowds are very thick and it's actually difficult to walk through, especially if you are in the vicinity of the American pavilion when a concert lets out or you're down around England/Canada close to the commencement of the Party for the Senses. There are lines for everything in WS, including the bathrooms.

I have to second this...except I definitely have seen the staggering and vomiting drunks. I may have experienced the rare exceptions, but I will definitely never go into WS on a Saturday night during F&W again! We check in on Saturdays each year and, with F&W being one of the main reasons we go each year, it's hard to resist skipping it our first night. However, during the 3 trips we (meaning I...DH has way too much restraint!) haven't been able to stay away that first night, I always saw at least one person puking into one of the temporary, cardboard box-type trashcans they have set up during the festival.
(And I say this as someone who loves F&W more for the "W" than the "F"!)

 

[BuenaVistaBound]

We were there the third week in October last year. On Friday 10/21 we did all the attractions in FW and walked around the showcase, had ADRs at Le Cellier. Crowds were fine, no bad behavior. We went back that Sunday to do some of the Kim Possible missions and it was definitely more crowded, but we were able to have our fun without much trouble. We're planning a similar schedule this year, although we'll do FW on Wednesday, Agent P on Sunday.