Getting nervous about the crowds? anyone just back who can give some insight?

[ejt3197]

I have been reading that the crowds have been huge, i guess some schools were out and the long weekends.. Leaving on Thursday, any ideas on how crowded it's going to be.. I dont mind waiting 30-45 minutes for some rides, but over 1 hour.. that would not be fun with 4 1/2 yr old twins..

 

[justhat]

We were there the 15-20 and it was much more crowded than I expected. It was pretty similar to President's Week (excluding President's Day itself) and waits could be long, but were variable. What I mean is that we walked by Peter Pan's Flight and the wait said 70 minutes and the wait for Small World was 15 minutes. We skipped them and went to Haunted Mansion, which had no wait, then took a bathroom and rest break, went back to Small World which now had no wait, then Peter Pan, which was down to 45 minutes (we had a FP for it anyway). It was really hard to plan out our days though since you never knew which attraction would have a big line at which time. This was pretty much the same in all the parks, especially when ToT reopened and had 90+ minute waits, but RnRC only had a 35 minute wait. The weather was great though and we didn't have rain at all during our trip.

 

[PaintedStuff]

<p><font face="Comic Sans MS">Just returned on Saturday. It was crowded but not too bad. The few times a line was in the neighborhood of an hour (Buzz Lightyear, Haunted Mansion, Space Mtn, Peter Pan) we grabbed a fast pass and came back, but that was rare. Walked right into Muppets 3D which I thought would have been crowded. Live shows at MGM had more of a wait.

We were visiting MK and MGM only - can't speak for Epcot where they're holding the food festival right now...so watch for that.</p>

 

[jackmac]

We were there the 15 through the 19. The lines were unpredictable, but longer than other Octobers. Splash Mountain said a 35 minute wait but was close to an hour, Pirates was about 10 minutes, no wait at the Haunted Mansion. Epcot lines were also variable. All in all it was manageable, but heavier than expected. CM's that I talked to said that the crowds have really picked up in the last couple of weeks.

 

[AZKathy]

Just remember, a crowded day at WDW is still better than a quiet day at work!!!!!!!!!!

Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dawgfan]

My sister just returned from WL Villas over the Columbus Day Holiday and said that the crowds were awful. I suppose you can expect this for any holiday. Schools are beginning to vary off times and many fall into this time of year with breaks and holidays.

 

[Chad&Janet]

AZKathy,

AMEN !!!

 

[DisneyDiver]

DawgFan...

I was there over Columbus - I can't say I agree at all. The only MASSIVE queue was at ToT, and that was because they were down to one side only because of the Refurb.

We went to Typhoon Lagoon on the monday - there were about 200 people there at the opening, and it was quiet all day - did all the rides in an hour, did the pool for 2, sunbathed, and then all the rides again with only one queue over 2 minutes.

I was there for 10 days from the 9th - Crowds were minmal throughout.

 

[swatts1]

We were there from Oct. 15-21. The crowds were much bigger than previous Octobers. Nevertheless we did everything that we wanted to do by getting to the parks at opening and utilizing fast pass.

An interesting aside: on Saturday night we ate at Citricos in GF and then went to MK to watch the fireworks (which were fabulous). We left the park after the fireworks, via Tomorrowland. We cut through the cafe right by Time Traveler to return to Mainstreet. As we got to the little tables outside of the bakery there was a big sign that said "Exit" and a castmember said that Mainstreet was in gridlock. A whole line of people were sent out through the cast entrance/exit, through a parking lot in the backstage area. We had previously seen this area on the Keys to the Kingdom tour. Castmembers were stationed all along the route and we reentered MK next to Tony's at the beginning of Mainstreet. I've been to WDW 15 times including 3 times at Christmas, and I've never seen them allowing guests to go backstage.

 

[Praise2Him]

They also did this after the first showing of Wishes on the 9th. Unfortunately DD and I were in the bathroom and when we came out they had stopped letting people out that way (DS's waiting for us told us about it), so we had to fight the crowds on Main Street.

 

[justhat]

We also saw this backdoor exit after Wishes on the 18th. The park was open till 11 and there was a Spectro at 9:30 I think, but after the fireworks at 8:30 everyone was packed onto Main Street trying to leave/go towards attractions. We decided to stay awhile since we knew the buses would be mobbed, so we hung out by the Crystal Palace, but CMs all over that area were telling people to follow the sign for a faster exit.

 

[snyderla]

We were there Oct. 11th through 17th and it was much more crowded than I expected. DH and I had been there 2 years ago at that same time and the crowds were much smaller. We chose that time specifically to try to avoid crowds, but that didn't work out for us. It wasn't as bad as summer or NYE of course, but it was still not what I was expecting. The biggest disappointment crowd wise for me was MNSSHP. I guess I was expecting something similar to E-Ride Night. While the wait times for rides were pretty much non existant, the streets were crowded.

But, as stated earlier, I would MUCH rather have a crowded day at WDW than be at home!!!

Lori