Holy Crowded Mickey

[kurtech]

Just back from 7 days at SOG. I've learned an expensive lesson..don't plan WDW in June. We spent 2+ days at the parks, and my daughter came home with an empty autograph book. The parks were so crowded you couldn't get near a character.

We went to AK for early entry, grabbed a fastpass for the safari and ran to Expedition Everest, got on with a 20 minute wait. When we exited EE, it was 9:05 (5 min after opening) and the wait was over 50 minutes. Safari Standby was over an hour, Kali River Rapids was 70 minutes, well, you get the picture.

Extra Magic Hour at Epcot saw a 70+ minute wait for Soarin at almost 11PM. MK for Space Mountain, we never got on, wait was over 45 min everytime we checked.

One great idea that we happend upon, we were on Dumbo as Wishes went on. You get to hear the "Wish Upon a Star" song and the fireworks are right over your head. Not a better place in the park to see the fireworks from.

 

[OhMari]

Sorry you didn't get any autographs. Some people have given up and go to character meals. I know they are expensive. Plus you see on here that some people really know the in/out of knowing exactly where characters are.

I used to be one of those people that as soon as school was let out, we were gone on vacation. Maybe this is the type of crowds you ran into.

 

[GOOFY D]

I used to be one of those people that as soon as school was let out, we were gone on vacation. Maybe this is the type of crowds you ran into.

I think you are correct. We just got back (6-9 to 6-17). The crowds at MK on 6-10 were not too bad. We were able to do most of what we wanted on that day. Sunday, 6-11 at MGM was manageable as well (with use of fast pass as ToT and RnR lines got long quickly). After dodging rain Mon-Wed from Alberto (although not thinning the crowds much), Thursday and Friday were unbearable. The crowds were enormous and it got very hot (and I am from near New Orleans, so very used to heat). Friday in MK was terrible. Lines were very long, exceeding 60-90 minutes on Space and Splash regularly. We also noted that at Epcot, Soarin' lines are ridiculous. They were at 2 hours and that was on a rainy day. Fast passes were gone very early in the day. Also, as a first timer seeing the new stunt show at MGM, my suggestion would be to skip it if it is a long line. It really was not that special IMO.

 

[kurtech]

We tried to get into character meals when we found the parks crowded but all meals were full for the entire time we were there...oh wait. there was room at the grand floridian for breakfast at 8am the day of our departure. We were there 6/10 to 6/17. I agree, we found that fast passes were gone for the day by noon or 1PM. It was pure chaos. When we go next time we'll be pulling the kids out of school.

 

[Princess89]

I had gone once in June and agree that it is so packed as opposed to our regular vacationing time in August. I never understood it until someone told me that school is back in session in August. We start after Labor Day, and usually vacation the last 2 weeks in August. Since my DS doesn't necessarily look forward to the start of school, much less the end of summer its one big bang before school starts for him again. The crowds are much more manageable then too. Sorry you couldn't get on much or experience everything you wanted.

 

[drgnfly30]

We were there from 6/10-6/17... I was expecting worse but maybe we just hit the right parks on the right days? The worst wait was 50 minutes at Soarin (the of evening 6/11) .. We used Fast Passes when we could & single rider lines when available.

I think a little karma was in play too... we gave away several Fast Passes that we didn't use at AK & MGM and at Epcot one night we got paid back in the form of 4 Soarin & 4 Test Track Fast Passes!!

ETA: I agree about the character lines though... I usually love to get my picture taken with characters but this time I didn't get even one... lines were too long & I figured I give the little kids a chance this time around

 

[KathyRN137]

What a lovely way to see Wishes and end your day at MK!

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

Really? :-( I'm so sorry your trip didn't go well! We were there at the same time and had very little trouble with lines and saw bunches of characters! Maybe we just had lucky park picks. We did find Epcot rather crowded on the day it had EMH evenings, though.

Just a quick character suggestion - the Magic of Disney Animation building in MGM hosted TONS of characters in air conditioning with only one or two people in line at a time! It was fabulous - we got lots of pictures there.

Your Dumbo experience sounds great - we saw part of Wishes from the TTA ourselves.

 

[edcopp]

We were in MK on Thursday, June 15th - it was hot, it was kinda' crowded, but with the help of FastPass and a 9:15 arrival at the park we rode every ride with virtually no lines. Our biggest wait was for the Stitch ride.

I was blown away with how easy it was to get character autographs - especially Mickey's. GO TO MICKEY'S TOONTOWN FAIR!!!! No kidding, we were standing with Mickey, taking pictures in less than 5 minutes. I don't think that 80% of the people in the MK know that the Judge's Tent in Toontown even exists. We waited longer to get autographs from Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.

 

[goofymom23]

Sorry you didn't have a magical time. We have gone in July and it is very very busy. We usually go at the off peak times now. One thing if you go during the peak times is the crowds tend to move together so if you start off with crowds in one park chances are you will be in the crowds the whole time unless you leave and try other parks. We have gone to MK and it be packed, left and gone to MGM and had no problem with crowds so then back to Mk the next day and it was bearable. Don't give up it is the best place to be.

 

[thptrek]

Planning and research are the keys to enjoying your trip and maximizing your vacation. Sorry you did not have as great a time as you wanted.

 

[summfam4]

Though we have been in June before, only about a week earlier than this trip, I don't remember it being so crowded or so hot even for a South Alabamian! We did do all of the things we had planned and more, mostly by getting to the parks before they open. I will not go in June, July, August, or September ever again. We had a great time, we just took our time and left the parks when we felt the need to.

 

[DHester917]

Just back from 7 days at SOG. I've learned an expensive lesson..don't plan WDW in June. We spent 2+ days at the parks, and my daughter came home with an empty autograph book. The parks were so crowded you couldn't get near a character.

I can just imagine how crowded it was. Been there, done that.

Like others have mentioned, the crowds really thin out in August, compared to June. We've gone during the "teens" in August and while still busy, it's been a lot more manegable....you still get the extended hours and fireworks at night.

We have FL resident seasonal passes now and our Blackout dates are from June 10 - August 17; December 22 - January 5 (07); March 31 - April 13 (07)
These times will be booked heavily for hotels as well as parks and restaurants.

That's really cool about your "Wishes" ride on Dumbo....a lot better than the one fireworks burst by the Castle we saw on BTM as we were zipping around.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

Well its good to know that mid-June is getting crowded so I don't plan for it in the future. We went about this time last year (4th week in June). The lesson I learned from that trip is to use the EMH morning schedule as an instruction of what parks to avoid during the day. Didn't notice that evening EMH having much of a negative impact.

I don't think its really necessary to avoid busy times but if thats when you are going it definitely will pay to figure out how the crowds who haven't planned tend to move. For example I would think avoiding MK on the weekend would be a good idea.

 

[GOOFY D]

Planning and research are the keys to enjoying your trip and maximizing your vacation. Sorry you did not have as great a time as you wanted.

We still had a great time and believe me, I do my research and have enough experience to know how, when and where. I think our experience this time supported what someone posted - that it appeared that the crowds skyrocketted once school's let out everywhere as the crowds increased multiples during our trip. Between the heat and the crowds, there are more preferrable times to go IMO. The longer hours do not compensate for the crowds IMO.

 

[Wendy31]

We just got back late yesterday evening - We were in WDW from 6/13 to 6/20. Last year, we were there in May (the week before Memorial Day), and, honestly, my DH & I both agreed that the only time we really noticed an increase in crowds this past week was in the transportation arenas - waiting for a bus or a boat.

We were in the following parks on the following days:

Tues, 6/13 - Arrival & MK - Quite comfortable temperature-wise due to Alberto... Rode Buzz & Haunted Mansion & IaSW & TTA; we ate dinner at LTT & were seated 15 minutes prior to our ADR time. We had front row seats on Main Street in front of the castle for Spectro & Wishes - got there about 45 minutes before Spectro started

Wed, 6/14 - MGM - We got tons done - way more than last May & the kids saw Mr. & Mrs. Incredible & Frozone & DH rode RNR. The way the shows are staggered it's hard to see all the shows in 1 day, so we didn't see the Muppets show, the Playhouse Disney show, the Stunt Car show, or the Indiana Jones show; however, our kids don't really know the Muppets characters & are really getting too old for Playhouse Disney. We saw The Little Mermaid & Beauty & the Beast shows. We ate lunch about 11:15 am at Toy Story Pizza Planet, and, maybe since it was a little early for lunch, we thought the restaurant was WAY less crowded than last May. After a short swim at our resort, we returned to MGM at 4:30 pm for the parade & had front row seats on the curb. However, Fantasmic did get crowded a lot quicker than I had anticipated. We had a FDP at Mama Melrose's & went to the reserved seating section at 8:30 pm & had a hard time finding seats.

Thurs, 6/15 - MK - did most of Fantasyland (including Dumbo), Buzz, all of Adventureland (fastpassed The Jungle Cruise & rode Magic Carpets w/ about a 5 minute wait) & then rode both Splash & Thunder Mountains before we left for a short afternoon break; returned for the evening & had great places for Wishes in Tomorrowland. We ate lunch at Crystal Palace & dinner at Columbia Harbour House.

Fri, 6/16 - according to the UOG, this was a "best day" for EPCOT, & we both thought the UOG was spot on - the crowds felt "low" all day - we fastpassed Soarin' & The Land Ride & rode Test Track (in about a 30 minute line) stand-by & Spaceship Earth w/ no waiting. We shouldn't have left Epcot for our afternoon break (I was getting hot), but I thought we'd be back in Future World later during our stay. Lunch was at Garden Grill. We returned in the evening & rode the last "Ellen's Energy Ride" of the day & had dinner at the counter service in France & again experienced relatively light crowds in the WS where we rode El Rio De Tiempo & Maelstrom w/ no waiting. We then rode the monorail back to MK so the kids could ride Haunted Mansion & had no wait there either - but MK was crowded since we got there right at the time for Spectro.

Sat, 6/17 - MK in the morning, CRT for lunch, & then our resort in the afternoon/evening - It was hot, but we rode several rides in Fantasyland & rode Goofy's Barnstormer in ToonTown twice in a row & fastpassed Space Mountain before we we went back to our resort to rent Sea Raycers & swim

Sun, 6/18 - AK/EPCOT - according to the UOG, this was a "best day" for AK, but I thought it felt very crowded; DH, however, thought it was less crowded than last year - but, we did NOT ride EE, unfortunately. We rode Dinosaur & the "Dumbo" Dinosaur rides w/ no wait, fastpassed Kali River Rapids, & rode Safari in a 30-minute stand-by (which was really about 20 minutes). The kids played in Dinoland & we also rode the train to Rafiki Planet Watch. We had an 8:30 am ADR for Donald's Breakfastasauras, & we had to wait about 15 minutes past our ADR time before we were seated. Lunch was at Flame Tree, and we were able to get a table by the water. We went back into Epcot for Illuminations &, again, thought the crowd was "low" - had no problem getting an excellent viewing spot for Illuminations after our dinner at San Angel Inn (waited an extra 30 minutes for a table by the water/pryamid) & we were on the first boat out the Int'l Gateway after the show

Mon, 6/19 - MK (supposed to go to EPCOT too, but we slept in too late - so I never made it back to ride Soarin' again or do Turtle Talk) - we fastpassed Thunder Mountain & Mickey's Philharmagic & Buzz later in the evening. Lunch was at Tony's Town Square, & we were seated 20 minutes before our ADR time. Dinner was at WCC, and, again, we were seated about 20 minutes before our ADR time.

In MK, we rode TTA several times (nice "break"), rode the train to get around the park, and saw CoP twice.

Tues, 6/20 - Departure & DTD - hot, but not very crowded (except for EoS - but isn't it always crowded?)

It was HOT - but not completely unbearable. Alberto cooled off Tues (6/13) & Wed (6/14), and it was cloudy on Sun (6/18). Evenings were pleasant, we thought. The hottest days were Thurs (6/15), Fri (6/16), Sat (6/17), & yesterday (6/20). The absolutely hottest was sitting on Main Street waiting for the afternoon parade on Mon (6/19)!! Ay yi yi!!! We enjoyed the brief rain showers & even thought Alberto on Tues (6/13) afternoon in the MK was kind of fun...

We fastpassed more than we did last year. And the only things I regret are that my DH didn't get to ride EE, and that we didn't get back to Epcot to ride Soarin' again or do Turtle Talk & the Nestle Cooking Class.

We had several character meals, & the kids only stood in line for characters for whom we either didn't already have their autos or w/ whom we weren't dining at a character meal - so they stood in line for Mr. & Mrs. Incredible, Frozone, Friar Tuck, Baloo, Captain Hook, Rafiki, & Brer Fox. We thought about standing in line to see Max, but it was always too hot & the lines were too long. We saw Aladdin at our AAA Storytelling Experience.

I'll be doing a Trip Report & Dining Reviews later. But, all in all, we had a great trip! I'd go in June again, but, if we can go earlier in June next year, we probably will because, again, we did notice more crowds (as compared to last May) while waiting for boats & buses.

 

[byoung]

Go in July or early Auguest, or Christmas Week, Easter Week and see how crowded it get's.

 

[AnneMcD]

I was there at the same time as you (June 8-15) and had no trouble getting pictures with the characters. The character connection at Epcot wasn't crowded in the morning either time I was there. Camp Minnie/Mickey at AK was pretty deserted in the evening too. Maybe I just lucked out. Yes, it was crowded at times but I didn't have any trouble with getting fast passes for Soarin'. Sorry to hear things didn't go well for you.

 

[GOOFY D]

Go in July or early Auguest, or Christmas Week, Easter Week and see how crowded it get's.

Never! We have been in August once and will not go back at that time. We have also gone in May which was not too bad. We were not crazy about June. September was pretty good However, we really enjoy November or early December.

 

[teentoddlermom]

I think that it is getting so that there is just about NEVER a really slow time of the year to visit WDW! It is just getting so popular because Disney just does everything so well! My neighbors came back from a January 2006 trip, (January used to be a very slow time for Disney) and said it was unbelievably crowded. Years ago, fall used to be a slow time to go. But people figured out that it is also a beautiful weather time to visit, and they now take their kids out of school to visit. Disney sets up all kinds of events and festivals to get people to visit during slower times,(marathon, food and wine festival, free dining, super soap, etc...) and they have really pulled us all in! I think the thing to do is try to tour judiciously, subscribe to TGM and follow his suggestions, fully expecting that it still may be crowded!!!!!