Here now and it is packed :(

[mmhoward76]

Y'know......it's OK to just believe the posts about it being super crowded with long waits. They really aren't making it up or mistaken. Other posts about the crowds being low are correct as well, they were obviously in a different part of the parks or in another park, or there at another time.

Obviously the wait times posted are wrong for the times the OP was there. Obviously the parks were packed for the people who were in the packed areas at the packed times.

You don't need to show evidence to disprove the OP. They are the ones who would know, they were there.

OK, done with my "rant"

Thank you !!!!!!!

 

[mmhoward76]

I agree, I am here now and I have never seen the parks this crowded!! We normally travel to WDW in the summer so we don't have to pull the kids out of school. This year we decided to pull them out thinking the parks would be less crowded, but we were wrong! The crowds are more manageable in the summer months. I was thinking this would be a good week because F&W would be over, and Jersey week ended. Live and learn

Thank you

 

[cassie58]

I'm here now too, and although it can be packed the rides have been manageable. At MK yesterday we rode Splash Mtn 3 times, BTMR 2x, Space 3 times. Today at HS we rode TSMM 3x, ToT 2x, and RnR 2x. We actually had unused FP+ for ToT and RnR as well.

For riding TSMM 3x, did you ride standby at opening, pull a FP- , and use your FP+? Just curious, as that is our usual plan(minus FP+ of course), and were hoping to do it again on EMH day if we can still pull in 2 weeks. We also will hop one nt., and made our FP+ for DHS as our 2nd park, and may hop in line near close to try and get 2 rides that nt.

cassie58
11/08-ASMo & Timeshare
8/09-CSR
11/11-CSR
11/13-CSR & AKL Jambo

 

[Q-man]

One thing to remember about the low season is that shorter lines for rides mean more people wandering around on the streets and packing into shops and restaurants. These are people who would normally be trapped, standing in the lines.

So it can "feel crowded" despite the actual numbers of guests being much lower.

Also, the number of people in any one park can fluctuate a lot more dramatically in the low season, due to the limited hours and nighttime entertainment. Basically, everyone ends up flocking to the same park, leading to localized crowds.

This. The common areas 'feel' varies little with crowds. Crowded and folks are in line and out of sight for 45mins or more per attraction and in lower crowds they are back out in the common areas in less than half that time.

Wait times are the best gauge of how crowded it actually is not 'feel'.

OP went to the least recommended park yesterday and today HS got hammered from being closed tomorrow evening thus forcing many of those that want to see Fantasmic or the Osbourne Lights to HS today. Anytime there are 2 F! shows in a night means Disney knows HS will be busy. If you don't care about seeing F! or Osbourne then tomorrow should a great day to go to HS.

Also, if you want to avoid crowds stay away from the week before or the week after a 3 day weekend as people frequently either come a few days early or stay a few days after. It is the we can spend a X days at Disney and only use Y days of vacation draw. After Labor Day is likely the only time this doesn't apply since that is the very start of the school year.

 

[disneyerin]

Or the "it wasn't busy" folks could have been there in the exact same location and exact same time. Two people's perceptions can be wildly different, especially if one has only travelled in September, while the other has experienced Christmas crowds.

Also, the OP is quite measurably wrong, in terms of pure numbers. While it may have felt crowded to the OP, there simply aren't as many people in the parks this time of the year, as there are at other times. Disney's own historical crowd levels prove that, and it's highly unlikely we had a bizarre crowd surge these past two days that's turned everything on its head. We'd have been hearing about it, if there was!

I sincerely hope the OP checks out Josh's crowd calendars, in order to make the most of their remaining trip.

When a person walks up to a ride line, looks up, and sees a sign that says 105 min for standby, it's not "just their perception". It's a one, and a zero, and a five. Are you saying they should have checked out Josh's crowd calendar, been told that actually the line was 15 min, and believed him instead?

I'm not saying that this was your intent....but your post implies that the OP was lying, or less perceptive than other people who see the crowds as they REALLY are.

Saying stuff like that can make people, who were actually there, and can both read their watch and recognize numbers on a sign, feel pretty crummy....

 

[BadgerGirl84]

We are here now...our last day of vacation...tear!!!


We have been the week after Labor Day for the past 3 years....one of the lowest crowd weeks of the year. We knew to expect more crowds this past week with some extra jersey week people, Veterans Day crowds and people who wanted to see the last weekend of food and wine.

MK last Friday was a madhouse...a struggle just to walk anywhere but line times weren't all that horrible. It was the most recommended park on easy wdw.

Since then, crowds have been lower every day. We've followed easy WDW recommendations and we've been able to do everything we've wanted to do. We are even lowly off site guests without the MBs.

 

[Mousemommy1]

When a person walks up to a ride line, looks up, and sees a sign that says 105 min for standby, it's not "just their perception". It's a one, and a zero, and a five. Are you saying they should have checked out Josh's crowd calendar, been told that actually the line was 15 min, and believed him instead?

Disney does inflate their displayed wait times. I have had several instances of seeing a high wait time but in can look at the line and tell it's inaccurate. Yeah, we were the family hopping into a 120 min wait time for Soarin' while everyone was looking at the sign in disbelief....we were in and out of there in 25 minutes. We looked at the line and determined there was no way possible it would be 120 minutes.

Sooooo, I don't necessarily rely on wait times to tell me how crowded the park is. Just my $0.02 on that.

 

[disneyerin]

Disney does inflate their displayed wait times. I have had several instances of seeing a high wait time but in can look at the line and tell it's inaccurate. Yeah, we were the family hopping into a 120 min wait time for Soarin' while everyone was looking at the sign in disbelief....we were in and out of there in 25 minutes. We looked at the line and determined there was no way possible it would be 120 minutes.

Sooooo, I don't necessarily rely on wait times to tell me how crowded the park is. Just my $0.02 on that.

Exactly. It's all numbers, just like Josh's crowd calendar. Sometimes they are right, and sometimes they are wrong. That's why, in my opinion, it makes more sense to listen to the folks who are actually there. g

And yes, everyone is going to have a different experience. I guess what is bothering me so much (and I'm NOT talking about you Mousemommy )are folks that seem to need to prove the perceptions wrong or
inaccurate by comparing their experiences to the OP, or showing numbers they get off a computer. It can be hurtful, and doesn't really prove anything.

 

[maxiesmom]

Exactly. It's all numbers, just like Josh's crowd calendar. Sometimes they are right, and sometimes they are wrong. That's why, in my opinion, it makes more sense to listen to the folks who are actually there. g

And we have posters who are all there saying very different things. Some say the parks are not that busy, and some say they are. Which is why how busy it is is a matter of perception. And not a matter of right or wrong. It is silly to think there is any winner to that argument.

With regards to what parks are recommended on what days, people also need to read all of the details. Last Friday for example the crowd level was listed as a 7. Which is pretty high. So no park, even one recommended, would feel empty. And the advise for MK is always to get there at rope drop to get the most done. 9-11 are the golden hours.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Exactly. It's all numbers, just like Josh's crowd calendar. Sometimes they are right, and sometimes they are wrong. That's why, in my opinion, it makes more sense to listen to the folks who are actually there. g

Well, when I was there in September/October, I was amazed at how low the crowds were....I was able to ride Space Mountain 6x in a row on a few occasions...and probably more, but apparently 6 is my limit

But, inevitably, there were people posting at the same exact time saying how crowded it was...

So, yup, it's a matter of perception.

And we have posters who are all there saying very different things. Some say the parks are not that busy, and some say they are. Which is why how busy it is is a matter of perception. And not a matter of right or wrong. It is silly to think there is any winner to that argument.

With regards to what parks are recommended on what days, people also need to read all of the details. Last Friday for example the crowd level was listed as a 7. Which is pretty high. So no park, even one recommended, would feel empty. And the advise for MK is always to get there at rope drop to get the most done. 9-11 are the golden hours.

Agree, as expressed above.

 

[jmrothermel]

For riding TSMM 3x, did you ride standby at opening, pull a FP- , and use your FP+? Just curious, as that is our usual plan(minus FP+ of course), and were hoping to do it again on EMH day if we can still pull in 2 weeks. We also will hop one nt., and made our FP+ for DHS as our 2nd park, and may hop in line near close to try and get 2 rides that nt. cassie58 11/08-ASMo & Timeshare 8/09-CSR 11/11-CSR 11/13-CSR & AKL Jambo

We did standby at Rope Drop, and pulled FP- when we got off the ride. I also had a FP+ booked for later that day.

 

[disneyerin]

Well, when I was there in September/October, I was amazed at how low the crowds were....I was able to ride Space Mountain 6x in a row on a few occasions...and probably more, but apparently 6 is my limit

But, inevitably, there were people posting at the same exact time saying how crowded it was...

So, yup, it's a matter of perception.




PLEASE everyone..... If the poster you disagree with was not actually standing in those short lines with you, PLEASE just assume their experience was just as "true" as yours.

You really don't need to have your "perception" be better than others.....it's a big world, there's room for everyone here.

 

[mom2rtk]

It is entirely possible to be at WDW and feel like it is crowded while others at WDW feel like it isn't. It's a big place, full of large dynamic groups of people, and different people can have different experiences.

This time of year in particular...... ever been to the MK on a party day versus a non-party day? The difference is night and day.

 

[Mousemommy1]

PLEASE everyone..... If the poster you disagree with was not actually standing in those short lines with you, PLEASE just assume their experience was just as "true" as yours.

You really don't need to have your "perception" be better than others.....it's a big world, there's room for everyone here.

Just to be clear ...I never said that my "perception" was better, just different. But that's what perception boils down to "differences in how you percieve things".

 

[Jennasis]

It is NOT a matter of perception. It's all about LOCATION. It can be wicked crowded in one park or one land and empty in another. Plain and simple. Sounds like OP happened to find themselves stuck in the busy part of the resort. It happens. It's happened to me. The fact that the other side of the park is empty does not negate how crowded it is where the OP is.

Perception would be if two people were in the exact same spot and one said "WOW it's crowded" and the other said "WOW it's soo empty."

 

[Mousemommy1]

It is NOT a matter of perception. It's all about LOCATION. It can be wicked crowded in one park or one land and empty in another. Plain and simple. Sounds like OP happened to find themselves stuck in the busy part of the resort. It happens. It's happened to me. The fact that the other side of the park is empty does not negate how crowded it is where the OP is.

Perception would be if two people were in the exact same spot and one said "WOW it's crowded" and the other said "WOW it's soo empty."

All arguments aside (now about our perception of perception, I perceive?? ), your tag says you are from NC...are you sure you're not from New England? (see bolded part)

 

[delmar411]

Yesterday we where at MK. On our Sept. trips we have always rode rides like SM, POTC, Buzz and BTMR multiple times. The only one we were able to ride was SM once and that was only because we had a FP. It also took us 1 1/2 hours to get back to our resort last night. Today we are at DHS. We got here at 8 for a 9 opening. Went straight to JTA. DS was able to be in the first show at 9:20. By the time the show was over we got to TSA by 9:45 and FP were already gone with the standby line at 105 mins. I have just not experienced crowds this heavy in Sept. do I was not prepared . We will see how the rest of the week goes.

Wednesday, MK was dead. Everything was pretty much walk on. Sorry you ended up hitting busier days. I've noticed that the parks are pretty empty but that is comparing it to the past few weeks when it was much busier.

 

[Jennasis]

All arguments aside (now about our perception of perception, I perceive?? ), your tag says you are from NC...are you sure you're not from New England? (see bolded part)

I have been known to park the car in the Harvard yard.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I have been known to park the car in the Harvard yard.

 

[Magpie]

When a person walks up to a ride line, looks up, and sees a sign that says 105 min for standby, it's not "just their perception". It's a one, and a zero, and a five. Are you saying they should have checked out Josh's crowd calendar, been told that actually the line was 15 min, and believed him instead?

I'm not saying that this was your intent....but your post implies that the OP was lying, or less perceptive than other people who see the crowds as they REALLY are.

Saying stuff like that can make people, who were actually there, and can both read their watch and recognize numbers on a sign, feel pretty crummy....

I never said the OP was lying, only that her perception of "crowded" is both subjective, and based on limited information and/or errors in planning.

The numbers don't lie. There ARE fewer people at Disney World right now than at other times of the year. That's a simple fact, which can't be changed by personal perception at all. I also pointed out that during low times, sometimes it happens that everyone heads to the same park, because it's the one park with special entertainment/extra hours, and that can lead to localized crowding.

That's why it's important to check crowd calendar's like Josh's. So you aren't stuck in the middle of a crowd going, "OMG, it's so crowded!" when the actual number of visitors is actually quite low overall.

As far as the OP feeling crummy... well, they can either learn from the advice people are offering and make the rest of their vacation better. Or they can just say, "It IS crowded, I'm right, and you're all MEAN!" and continue to go to the least recommended parks along with everyone else who is visiting this week. It's their choice.

Yes, I could have just said, "There, there, you poor thing. Disney's so busy and there's nothing you can do." But I'd rather see the OP salvage the rest of their vacation and have a good time. They don't even have park hoppers, so carefully picking their parks and touring times is critically important!