Help! DH is freaking out....

[crazed'boutmaryP]

Don't want to make you more nervous but a lot of NJ and NY schools have off the 21st-27th. I tried for almost 2 weeks to get a room at Poly, CR or GF for 1 night and nothing was available until the end of last week after calling multiple times a day. Having said that, just plan the right park-the right day, and follow the other advice here esp. doing rides when the parades and fireworks are going on. During Jersey Week 2006, we rode Dumbo as the fireworks were right above us, and pretty much had Fantasy Land to ourselves. In all of our trips we have never waited more than 20 minutes.

Other tips- if you get on a popular ride early, get a fast pass too if you want to ride again later (ie Soarin). We plan 2 days at our favorites so we can take advantage of less busy times and do things we missed the first time.

With some planning you will be fine.

 

[DISPrincessMom]

Hi, OP. We, also, will be at the World the same time as you but I don't see what your hubby is freaking about. Those are not 9's and 10's on the crowd calendar...8 for one day is as bad as it gets.
Mostly, we will have 6's and 7's - very, very manageable. Plan well and you will be fine

 

[mickey0624]

Been to WDW over 25 times. I hate to scare you, but the one time we ever went in April, we experienced the WORST crowds I've ever seen. Vowed to NEVER go at that time again. FYI - Schools in the northeast are closed that week in April for Passover/Spring break. Most schools are only closed for a long weekend for Easter in March.

 

[eliza61]

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???

How about simply picking out 1 or 2 "must do" and then going easy for every thing else. If it is a heavy park day don't expect to do every thing. Pick what you are willing to wait for, take advantage of FP and then enjoy some of the minor attractions and shows.

Do you have any flexibility in your plan? How about park hoppers, if the park your in is for some reason super busy you can easily transfer to another one. I see more people at WDW have major freak outs because their plans get out of wack and they're obsessed with sticking with them.
This will give you a reason to come back.

 

[Omma]

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.

I know! I'm a first timer. I thought "preparing" him would be a good idea. Boy was I wrong! I'm looking over our plans and ADR's this morning. I originally picked this week because I thought spring break would be long gone. (Is there a DUH smiley?) I have until Wed. to change our trip w/out penalty. Still trying to figure out what to do.

 

[Omma]

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

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

Hi! Are you in FtC too? I'm considering changing to May as well. I picked that specific week in April because the kids would only miss 3 days of school. In May I'm running into ballet recital issues. I'm starting to think my best friend who homeschools has the right idea. I'm glad I haven't told the kids we are going yet!

And yes - 70 degrees on Sat was HEAVENLY! I wish it would last all week!

 

[Selket]

I agree with another poster - check out Tour Guide Mike. I've used his advice for spring break/Easter and July 4th trips (among others) and had a great time.

Considering how much $$$$ this vacation costs, another $20 (or whatever his price is now) is the best money you'll spend.

 

[tycopj]

Hi! Are you in FtC too? I'm considering changing to May as well. I picked that specific week in April because the kids would only miss 3 days of school. In May I'm running into ballet recital issues. I'm starting to think my best friend who homeschools has the right idea. I'm glad I haven't told the kids we are going yet!

And yes - 70 degrees on Sat was HEAVENLY! I wish it would last all week!

HI, I'm in Colorado too, but in Denver. We too will be in Disney World in April, the 19-27. I was thinking it would be a good time because of Easter and I thought most schools would have spring break in March.

Hopefully it won't be too crowded!

 

[DISNEY FIX]

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???

Leave him home. No lines there.
Good Luck.

 

[Chellymouse]

My DH is a total line snob so I feel your pain. I don't care to spend the better part of my WDW trips waiting in line either. Use your morning EMH and loosely plan your days so that you can get FP. If you have an idea in mind and use FP, you WILL cut your wait times. DH and I have it down to a science and we haven't waited longer than 30 minutes in any line the past 4 trips because we know where everything is and we are good at utilizing FP and EMH. Evening EMH tends to be more crowded, but MK and HS do turn the FP back on which helps out tremendously. Usually (especially if they are late) EMH crowds thin out after the first hour with the exception of AK. We are proof positive it can be done! also....try to ride around parades, shows if you can. Line times usually drop significantly during those times. First thing in the morning is the best time to ride and pick up FP at all parks.

 

[micmacmissy]

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

Debbie

Google "unofficial guide crowd calendar" and the website will come up. You're not allowed to post it on Disboards for some reason. They list crowd calendar for free for the next 30 days- any more in advance, and you pay a small fee. It is worth the money - there is lots of great planning advice.

As for the UG being "wrong" this year because Easter is early, I guarantee you that is wishful thinking at best. The UG people do a TON of research before they create those calendars--taking into account holidays, school vacation calendars all over the country, WDW events, and actual crowd counts.

There is a very interesting section in the book and website about how they come up with their crowd calculations. It is totally scientific, and in my experiences, has always been accurate.

That said, Omma, if you can change your dates, do it. I agree with your husband. I feel a trip to WDW (unless you go all the time) is very special, costs a lot of money, and you should get the most out of it as possible. We plan our trips around the crowd calendar and only go when crowds are low. (Yup, we pull our kids out of school, too!) But we only go once every 2 years, so it's easy to do that.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[labdogs42]

Google "unofficial guide crowd calendar" and the website will come up. You're not allowed to post it on Disboards for some reason. They list crowd calendar for free for the next 30 days- any more in advance, and you pay a small fee. It is worth the money - there is lots of great planning advice.

I agree with the UG's awesomeness. I love their touring plans, too. Buy the book or use the site and you will spend the least amount of time in lines.

 

[marivaid]

Hi, OP. We, also, will be at the World the same time as you but I don't see what your hubby is freaking about. Those are not 9's and 10's on the crowd calendar...8 for one day is as bad as it gets.
Mostly, we will have 6's and 7's - very, very manageable. Plan well and you will be fine

I second this, we'll be there April 18-25 and most days are between 5-7. We had 5-7 levels crowd in October and it was perfect. We barely had to use FPs.
I trust the UG's crowd calendar, it's been dead on for all our trips.

Remember the approximate wait times they give are for the headliners at peak time. If you do the headliners early in the morning and leave the smaller attractions for afternoons, you won't have a problem.

 

[SunnyMama]

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

Have a great trip!!

Agreed. I also told DH that I would take DS4 and DS1 myself to the park sometimes if he needs a break. I may be crazy, but I think that would be easier that dealing with a whiny DH!!!!

 

[~April J~]

We don't know much about Disney as this is our first trip but I think I will take the advice on getting to the parks early and using fast passes for the bigger rides. I don't plan on spending my trip standing in long lines all day either. I think its going to be busy however I won't have anything to compare it to so I already imagine the worst, I hope to be surprised at how smooth running things are. Hey I can dream.....

 

[labdogs42]

Here's another idea! Designate your DH as the fastpass runner for everyone!!

 

[DISPrincessMom]

ITA, marivaid! The one time I went against UG was also the last! On the one crowd level 8 day of our vacation, UG cautioned against MK. We went because we hadn't had a chance to see Spectro due to Grad Nights.
It was mobbed! Only a few days before, we had gone in early evening and walked on to many rides with 10 min. for BTMR and Splash M. This day, early evening, you could barely move.

This trip, we have the same plan for some early evening touring, dinner and Spectro on a 5 day. Hoping it will be much better!
The good thing about April is that, even though lots of schools have vacation, different areas of the country are off on different weeks. So, you don't have EVERYONE converging on WDW at the same time as you do at T-giving and Christmas.

This will be our third April trip and we have never had a problem doing everything we've wanted with a little advance planning
Whenever you go, have a great time!

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Been to WDW over 25 times. I hate to scare you, but the one time we ever went in April, we experienced the WORST crowds I've ever seen. Vowed to NEVER go at that time again. FYI - Schools in the northeast are closed that week in April for Passover/Spring break. Most schools are only closed for a long weekend for Easter in March.

Yep. ITA. Passover Week. ALL NYC schools are off this week and everyone seems to head down. Went the same week in 2005. I have NEVER seen soooooo many people at MK - it was wall to wall. Knew at least 6 families down there at the same time. Ran into my COUSIN at Epcot who I didn't know was going. Seemed like everyone I knew was there.

That being said the lines weren't too bad. MK just had LOTS of people clogging the pathways, kwim. We went early and left early - we were gone by the time the crowds got bad.

We are going AGAIN this year - better than staying at home. The weather at this time is BEAUTIFUL and if the crowds get bad, we will sit and have a mickey bar and just people watch.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I leave my DH in the dark and don't tell him anything other than the resort we'll be staying at.

I even tried to tell him he'd have no internet access so he shouldn't bring his laptop. That didn't work - rats.

This is only my 2nd time planning using crowd calendars, best days and touring plans so I'm going to be interested to see how much of a difference it will make, if any.

We've always used fastpass and gotten to the parks early which made a huge difference.

 

[carrie6466]

Also in NY here, we have no school that week, either. That's why I picked the beginning of the month, not realizing that FL schools are off that week I guess it can't be any more crowded than when we went last year 6/27 - 7/2. This year we're going for DH's bd. Last year was DD's bd. One year we ended up there Memorial Day weekend for my son's bd and mine. We're done doing bd's at Disney I think