Here now, President's Day weekend

[ML_LovesDisney]

We are finishing up another awesome Disney vacation tomorrow, so I wanted to write our experience while it's fresh! We have been here since Feb.14, post cruise for 4 nights. Magic bands gave us zero problems whatsoever, I like them a lot. FastPass+ on the other hand has it's pluses and minuses.

Pros of FastPass+
- No one has to run to get fast passes, DH felt much more relaxed
-Resort guests of Disney owned hotels get priority, which is great. Other family was also traveling with us and we're staying off-site and we're able to get matching fast passes to all of our pre-booked 60 day out times IN THE PARK same day at the kiosks
-The booked FastPass+ are very easy to change quickly, and we did this several times. The app worked well. I was very worried about phone service as we have Sprint and normally their service in the parks has been less than optimal. This time, no issues
- We used FastPass+ for Be Our Guest lunch and it was great. The line for Be Our Guest was insanely long
-Magic Bands: it was so nice to not have to carry around all these cards/tickets/paper fast passes. Also, they were very comfortable to wear and I don't like wearing things on my wrist.
-You don't have to get to the park at rope drop which made us much more relaxed in the morning. We already knew we had our Soarin fast pass on Epcot day, so didn't feel pressured in the morning.

A tip I realized on this trip was to take screen shots with my smart phone of my fast pass reservations so I didn't have to go back into the app each time and kill my battery

Cons to FastPass+
-It sucks that you can only get one headline attraction per day. That is very annoying. A solution though is to get there early and get in line for the other headliner you want to ride that you could not do FastPass+ for. In our case, we wanted to do Test TrAck and Soarin so we went to Epcot a second time after hitting Magic Kingdom early our last day and walking on a lot of rides with short waits.
-you can only use the FastPass reservations in one park. I really hope they change that because we always park hop

The FastPass lines appear longer at first! I think because people are scanning bands, but once you are past that point the lines are very short. fastpass+ kiosk lines are long but moved quickly for our offsite family. That's all I can think of for now, any questions let me know

 

[prudence64]

Thanks for the report. Sounds like you handled the crowds well. I looked at the waiting times this evening and they looked fantastic for a holiday. Middle of the day looked congested though.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

Thanks for the report. Sounds like you handled the crowds well. I looked at the waiting times this evening and they looked fantastic for a holiday. Middle of the day looked congested though.

I definitely noticed that the crowds were pretty light today. The weekend was much busier but still manageable

 

[prudence64]

Funny how the same crowds re perceived so differently by different people.

 

[damo]

Funny how the same crowds re perceived so differently by different people.

A lot can depend on which of the 4 parks you are at.

 

[beckysko]

-A tip I realized on this trip was to take screen shots with my smart phone of my fast pass reservations so I didn't have to go back into the app each time and kill my battery

ahhh! Good tip! Def going to do this!

 

[btk2333]

A lot can depend on which of the 4 parks you are at.

And what your expectations/ past experiences are. For example, if you normally travel at very light times and come this weekend, then everything feels packed; however, if you're normally a peak travel family and you come this weekend, then crowds can feel light.

 

[acc82]

I was about to say - i'm here at the exact same time as the OP and I am thinking the crowds are HORRID!!!! There are wait times right now that I've never experienced. I'm not sure if I should blame that on FP+ or the crowds (which do seem quite bad). I am an annual pass holder so I come quite a bit!!!! Usually in the summer during high times like spring break!!

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

Funny how the same crowds re perceived so differently by different people.

So true. I really never think President's Day week is that bad but I always go then or summer so maybe that's why

A lot can depend on which of the 4 parks you are at.

Exactly. My sister was at Animal Kingdom on Feb. 15 and she said it was insanely packed. At Epcot, where we spent the day, it didn't get crowded until after dark in World Showcase. The lines for Soarin and Test Track were long as usual though, which I always expect.

And what your expectations/ past experiences are. For example, if you normally travel at very light times and come this weekend, then everything feels packed; however, if you're normally a peak travel family and you come this weekend, then crowds can feel light.

Yeah summer and President's day week are our standard weeks to come, I guess we are just used to it

I was about to say - i'm here at the exact same time as the OP and I am thinking the crowds are HORRID!!!! There are wait times right now that I've never experienced. I'm not sure if I should blame that on FP+ or the crowds (which do seem quite bad). I am an annual pass holder so I come quite a bit!!!! Usually in the summer during high times like spring break!!

I think part of it too is that I have small children so if the line is long, we skip it and don't worry about it. We will just go on the rides with the shortest lines and then back to hotel to the pool if lines are ridiculous. I hope you still have a great trip and the lines die down on the weekdays!

 

[roadtripper]

I'm here now too--as we have been nearly every Pres Day weekend for 12 years. I booked a REALLY late start at MK for yesterday--4:10 for our 1st FP. MK was not recommended, of course, but I snagged a BOG reservation for dinner so I planned around that.

Long story short--I was AMAZED at the low crowds last night. FP for Little Mermaid, FP ETWB, dinner, FP Buzz (they let us go twice b/c there was no line and it's DS' favorite) walk on for Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Aladdin (also 2X). Walked out of the park after parade and before Wishes. Years ago, we had to be rerouted backstage in order to avoid the crowds on Main ST. Last night, we strolled down the sidewalk--with wheelchair. Minor lines for the monorail--took the resort instead and got out of there fast. Actually the MOST relaxing night we've ever had at MK during President's Week.

On the other hand, we went to Epcot for noon, and saw a HUGE line at the FP+ kiosk in Future World. We headed to World Showcase, where Anna and Elsa were 5 hours but Maelstrom was 20 minutes.

 

[summermac]

I can vouch for AK being CRAZY on Saturday. Wow. I have never seen it like that. It was so packed that they were literally waving ppl through Safari, telling us not to even scan our bands for FP.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

I'm here now too--as we have been nearly every Pres Day weekend for 12 years. I booked a REALLY late start at MK for yesterday--4:10 for our 1st FP. MK was not recommended, of course, but I snagged a BOG reservation for dinner so I planned around that. Long story short--I was AMAZED at the low crowds last night. FP for Little Mermaid, FP ETWB, dinner, FP Buzz (they let us go twice b/c there was no line and it's DS' favorite) walk on for Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Aladdin (also 2X). Walked out of the park after parade and before Wishes. Years ago, we had to be rerouted backstage in order to avoid the crowds on Main ST. Last night, we strolled down the sidewalk--with wheelchair. Minor lines for the monorail--took the resort instead and got out of there fast. Actually the MOST relaxing night we've ever had at MK during President's Week. On the other hand, we went to Epcot for noon, and saw a HUGE line at the FP+ kiosk in Future World. We headed to World Showcase, where Anna and Elsa were 5 hours but Maelstrom was 20 minutes.

Totally agree, very relaxing trip! I cannot imagine waiting 5 hrs for Anna and Elsa, I'm really glad my kids didn't notice them! Ha

 

[Minnie222]

I'm here now too--as we have been nearly every Pres Day weekend for 12 years. I booked a REALLY late start at MK for yesterday--4:10 for our 1st FP. MK was not recommended, of course, but I snagged a BOG reservation for dinner so I planned around that.

Long story short--I was AMAZED at the low crowds last night. FP for Little Mermaid, FP ETWB, dinner, FP Buzz (they let us go twice b/c there was no line and it's DS' favorite) walk on for Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Aladdin (also 2X). Walked out of the park after parade and before Wishes. Years ago, we had to be rerouted backstage in order to avoid the crowds on Main ST. Last night, we strolled down the sidewalk--with wheelchair. Minor lines for the monorail--took the resort instead and got out of there fast. Actually the MOST relaxing night we've ever had at MK during President's Week.

On the other hand, we went to Epcot for noon, and saw a HUGE line at the FP+ kiosk in Future World. We headed to World Showcase, where Anna and Elsa were 5 hours but Maelstrom was 20 minutes.

I always wonder how people could do it leisurely in a high crowd day.

May I ask how do you plan the time for FP Buzz? How much time did you allow for dinner? And how was the walk from BOG to Buzz? With high crowd, how long does it take to walk to Buzz? I am really worried because we will be there during March Break.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

I always wonder how people could do it leisurely in a high crowd day. May I ask how do you plan the time for FP Buzz? How much time did you allow for dinner? And how was the walk from BOG to Buzz? With high crowd, how long does it take to walk to Buzz? I am really worried because we will be there during March Break.

I will let roadtripper answer the FastPass time question, as I just went with the time MY Disney Experience gave, but the walk from Be Our Guest to Buzz is not very long, 10 minutes tops I would guesstimate

Minnie, doing it leisurely in a high crowd day I suppose is a state of mind. We get there early (at MK) and ride what has the shortest waits, and if lines are too long, we just don't go on. We go to Disney once or twice a year though so that adds to my feeling of, "I'll just get on next time". If it is your only trip or once every several years, I can totally understand that feeling of stress and would definitely feel less relaxed and more pressure to get everything done. I hope you have a great trip though!

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

ahhh! Good tip! Def going to do this!

It helped also to be able to then text message the FastPasses to DH who was not using the app and also to my offsite family so they could book their FastPasses at kiosk for same times and rides