Help! DH is freaking out....

[Omma]

I just sat down and went over my current plan for our trip April 19th through the 25th and showed my husband the UG crowd calendar predictions and he freaked out! LOL! And I quote, "WHAT? Where is the magic is standing in line all day? Do people really do this? I don't want to spend thousands of dollars and stand in line all day." Um...sorry to break this to you sweetheart but from what I have been reading April is going to be more crowded than normal!

I just got the, "I don't want to go if we are going to be standing in line an hour or more for each ride. Heck, I don't want to stand in line for a half an hour w/ the kids. We'll go bonkers. So figure out how to make it shorter or I don't want to go." WHAT? I have put SOOOO much time, effort and EXCITEMENT into planning this trip. Are you kidding me?! I guess he'd better make a heck of a lot more this year so he can rent the whole place for himself!

What do I do now? Anyone have spouses who "don't get it"? How do you handle that???

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

Ignorance is bliss. Corey hates crowds, but has learned to trust me on the park planning. She knows that I know what I am doing. She has never waited with me for over 20 minutes for a ride except for a 40 minute wait for PoC once because we were the next to load and they had a maintence issue that held us up.

Just plan to take it easy. Make those top 5 lists and then everything else is gravy. No, you won't do it all, but you won't wait hours either with use of FP and an early start each day.

Tell him to chill out! He's in good hands.

 

[SoonipiLady]

My DH wants to know which day I've planned for us to hang out at the pool at Windsor Hills




I just let him know, any day he wants. The kids and I will join him for a few hours before we head to the parks.

He thinks I'm kidding, poor foolish soul!!!

I'd rather be standing in line at Splash Mountain than "hangin" by a pool any day! To each their own.....I'm sure if DH was just like me, I'd want to strangle him most days!

Karen

 

[EpcotMatt2]

Quite simply, FastPass. It's your Key to the Kingdom, so to speak.

 

[dmslush]

For what it's worth, I have NEVER EVER stood in line for an hour. I refuse to spend any trip doing that. Go early in the day, utilize fast passes and know what your plan of action is and you will be fine.

 

[Prissymouse]

Maybe the book UG is not taking into account that Easter is very early this year. Historically, April is so busy because of easter/spring break.

I hope so, because that is the same time I am going.
Same week
Please say it isn't true....

 

[McDISer]

I think April too is going to "the best kept secret this year." With Easter in March, you will not have the Holiday crowd and usually all the crowds go home after Easter and the last 2 weeks in April, usually are not busy. I think the UG is wrong this year.

 

[LilGMom]

Good luck!

April might still be busy because I think that is when most FL school have their Spring Breaks. I am in NW FL and ours is the first week April.

 

[jcb]

So figure out how to make it shorter or I don't want to go

Well, if telling him the lines will be even worse than you said isn't an option. . . . . secure from him the promise that he'll get up early to be at the parks when they open and he will be at your beck and call to run down fastpasses. Getting to the parks when they open saves so much waiting in line at most rides (possible exception - Soarin').

If he is a late nighter, use evening EMH (good at MK and EPCOT - not so good at DHS and AK because they typically close earlier) and get fastpasses when EMH starts.

Hope an attraction manager takes pity on you and gives you a complimentary fastpass.

 

[Belleandtinker]

We are arriving on April 29th with a 2 year old and are not planning on standing in line all day.

Easter and Spring Break are in March, so I agree less crowds and less school-age children.

Use the extra hours, use FastPass and have a plan!

Email us after you come back!

 

[Omma]

Well, if telling him the lines will be even worse than you said isn't an option. . . . . secure from him the promise that he'll get up early to be at the parks when they open and he will be at your beck and call to run down fastpasses.

LOL! I like that - at my beck & call! We are early morning people - kids never sleep past 6am and we are used to Mountain standard time so I'm likely to have kids up EARLY while we are there. I don't see getting up as a problem.

I just paid for TGM in hopes of making this as smooth as possible. He's grumbling around the house (he's not a grumpy guy - that's why this caught me off guard). He just wants magic for us and is worried that's not how it is going to be. (Notice he wants the magic w/out any of the work! That's my job! )

 

[ragtopday]

I just paid for TGM in hopes of making this as smooth as possible.

I highly recommend TGM! Follow his advice and you'll be fine.

Have a great trip!!

 

[Not so Dumbo]

This could be a good thing. He'll be in a better mood when you are actually at the parks b/c he'll be thinking the worst. I think UG is off too with Easter being early this year. In a recent poll on the DIS most people said their Spring breaks were done by this time. Tell him his trip will be what he makes of it regardless of how busy it is.

 

[luvmy3]

We are arriving on April 29th with a 2 year old and are not planning on standing in line all day.

Easter and Spring Break are in March, so I agree less crowds and less school-age children.

Use the extra hours, use FastPass and have a plan!

Email us after you come back!

Actually Spring Break is in April for us this year. Because Easter is early our school district and many others are only giving 2 days off for Easter and a one week break in April. So the crowds may still be high.

 

[mickey&minniealways]

For all of you that think that there is will be no big crowds in April, sorry but you are so wrong. This spring will be my 14th trip since 1976. Spring break for most colleges is in March. Doesn't matter what the holidays are. I live in the northeast. Vermont,Maine, Massachusets,NH, RI, and CT all have either the 3rd or 4th week in April. If you are trying to avoid the majority of crowds think time of day, not time of year. If you are staying on property think extra magic hours. If the park you want has early monrning hours go then, the lines are much smaller, also better for early risers. Then once everyone else is let in the park go to a water park or your resort to swim in the am. If you don't feel you have to see every parade attraction lines are almost non existent during a parade, but you have to plan your route to avoid the parade. So get ahold a a park map give it to a cm and ask them to hightlight the parade route. Then there is the extra magic hours in the evening. Same thing as in the morning. You just have to remember to get a bracelet before you leave the park. Check to see what parks have what extra magic hours and on what days. Unfortunatley these are only accesable to those that are staying on property. Hope this helps.

 

[te2077]

we went over presidents week. All we heard was how crowded it was going to be. Follow TGMs best days to go and you will be ok. We never waited in line for more than 10 minutes our entire stay.

 

[jcb]

He's grumbling around the house (he's not a grumpy guy - that's why this caught me off guard). He just wants magic for us . . .

Speaking as a genuine grumbler, perhaps he needs to "help" plan how you'll avoid the lines. That will reassure him. Then again, I could be completely wrong.

 

[dizplanner]

Omma - just wanted to say Hi - don't see too many people from Fort Collins on here. I hope you have a great time.

My daughter and I are going May 3-7. Originally I thought of going April 18-22 because she has the 18th off, but I realized by reading on here, many East coast schools have that week off. So I switched to a couple of weeks later.

I've gone our spring breaks a couple of years, which as you know are in March. The parks are busy, but certainly managable. I expect April to be similar for you since Easter is in March this year (the reason I am not going on spring break this year).

Generally, if you get to parks at opening and get the long line rides out of the way and use Fastpasses, you won't have to wait in long lines. TMG will give you the guidelines of which rides to get done right away and which can wait for later because they don't get long lines.

Most of all, relax and have fun.

PS - Crazy weather this weekend, isn't it? 70's yesterday and freezing today.

 

[LeapYear Debbie]

How can I access the crowd level information? We are going the middle of April and I am curious what they predict?

Debbie

 

[disnut8]

..... and showed my husband the UG crowd calendar predictions .....

Why the heck did you do that? Crowd calendars should be kept under lock and key by the planner. Planners never say a park will be busy. Planners never say the group is eating at the planner's second choice of restaurant because the first choice was full. Planners have to keep all these secrets to themselves and let the rest of their party think the vacation was entirely effortless. It's the cross we have to bear.

About the only thing you can do now since you let the cat out of the bag is to tell your husband that you posted here and were told that the guide book was wrong this year because of Easter being early. It still could be crowded but he won't go into the vacation with the mind set that it's going to be mobbed.