For those going soon...

[pjhootch]

We did a one day trip last week. Stayed at the Marriot, took ART, got to park right after general opening.

The crowds were heavy but manageable. We rode space mountain first, and the fast pass was already showing a return of 3:45 p.m. We crossed over to Indiana Jones and grabbed a fast pass for that. Then we worked our way through fantasy land. We went back to Indiana Jones and were very happy we had gotten a fast pass early. We returned at 2:20 and the fast pass return at that point was after 7:30 p.m. We wound up walking a lot more than normal, because we crossed over and back around the park several times to cover rides that were less popular. The wait time for Big Thunder was really reasonable considering the crowds. Pirates was a nightmare so we skipped it until around dinner time. We were heading back by during the fireworks, and walked right on for second ride. It was too good to pass up...

The strollers were pretty hard to deal with. My daughter and I are veterans so we weren't in any panic or rush. It was a spur of the moment trip and I knew crowds would be bad. The park stayed open until midnight but we bailed about 10:30 p.m. and had managed everything we wanted to do except Peter Pan. Our last visit was to WDW, and I have to say I saw far fewer frantic screaming parents then we see in Florida. Maybe because it wasn't too hot? I don't know, but we managed to have a fairly relaxing day despite the crowds and overall people seemed to be having a good time without massive meltdowns and temper flares.

Having a laid back attitude and reasonable expectations helps makes the trip enjoyable. For any of you going in the next few weeks, take it slow and be prepared to improvise instead of trying to stick to a schedule.

 

[AussieDisneyNut]

Thank you for your positive words of advice. We are going to be there next week and I was beginning to stress over the reports of how crowded it will be. I am now trying to relax and just accept what will be will be!

 

[GeneralTso]

Spring Break sounds as nuts as summertime! Sheesh.

 

[pjhootch]

Aussie, don't stress about the crowds. Here are a few tips:

1.Don't eat meals at regular meal times.

2.Try the most popular rides at parade/show time.

3.40 minutes or less is not a bad wait time for a ride. More than that... try another time or get a fast pass and come back.

4.If you have little ones that NEED to do everything in fantasyland, go straight there and start working your way around. If you must do Peter Pan, go to that ride first. The line builds up quickly and doesn't get short until very late in the evening.

5.If you have teens that NEED to do the exciting rides, start with Space Mountain, Matterhorn, grab fast pass for Indiana Jones and then get in line at Big Thunder. Go back to Indy after lunch or at your fast pass time. This requires crossing back and forth across the park some, but it also doesn't need to be at a dead run

6.The terrace restaurant in New Orlean's square (forgot the name) has some healthy lunch things and healthy kids meals and tastes pretty good.
Have a great time.

7. If a line looks to long, don't agonize over it, just move on it and check it again later on. Even during really busy times, the lines fluctuate quite a bit and sometimes very quickly.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Thanks for the report!

When we get there at/near opening we definitely get FP for Space. Then we will usually go ride Indy using the Single Rider line. Love it! By then we can get a FP for Indy (if we want) or one for BTRR. Then we will usually cross over the DCA. That's what works best for us.

We were there the other day and started to get into the line for Matterhorn on the TL side. There was a CM standing there telling everyone that this side was taking 30-40 minutes but the line on the other side (FL) was only taking 20 mins. We went to the other side and sure enough it only took 15-20 minutes. It was nice that there was a CM there telling the guests.