How Bad are the Crowds, Really?

[lovethesun12]

My DD did the DCP last year. I know that she was hired for the Summer season (a lot of new hires started with June dates - college finishes up in May) So I'm guessing that once Summer hits, hopefully extended hours (for free!) will come back!

Extended hours would be really nice in summer but if there were any last summer it wasn't while I was there (middle two weeks of July). Most parks were 9am-9pm. MK had 9am-10pm hours.

 

[yulilin3]

My DD did the DCP last year. I know that she was hired for the Summer season (a lot of new hires started with June dates - college finishes up in May) So I'm guessing that once Summer hits, hopefully extended hours (for free!) will come back!

It's early and I'm still working through my cup of coffee so I might still be half asleep, I'm not sure I understand the correlation between CPs and extended hours?

 

[disneysteve]

It's early and I'm still working through my cup of coffee so I might still be half asleep, I'm not sure I understand the correlation between CPs and extended hours?

I think the point is that they hire extra staff during the summer in the form of CP students on break from college.

 

[yulilin3]

I think the point is that they hire extra staff during the summer in the form of CP students on break from college.

Well I'll wait for the quoted poster, but no. The college program runs year run, cp winter just started in February and cp cm are being trained now. The CPs are not extra staff

 

[disneysteve]

Well I'll wait for the quoted poster, but no. The college program runs year run, cp winter just started in February and cp cm are being trained now. The CPs are not extra staff

Yeah I wasn’t sure either. I was just speculating.

 

[Boopuff]

I'll stick with what I posted. They do hire DCP to staff all over. The largest bunch is usually summer and Fall. I know my DD worked long/late hours during her Summer stint. Now that could be changing as time marches on. Perhaps there won't be as many DCP kids and Disney is really cutting back hours.

 

[finedice]

I have to say I was very anxious just prior to our trip a week ago after being so attached to the boards prepping for this year's trip. We got home on 2/29 after 7 1/2 park days. Yes, it seemed busy and crowded. I also think it must have been less so than the previous few weeks up to the 22nd or so when we arrived.

Getting around the parks was difficult (but we were pushing a wheelchair), QS dining was insane - many were sitting on the ground to eat, lines for women's restrooms were the overwhelming norm and wait time at Merch cash registers was more than we were used to previously.

What is missing is any sense of personal space, the ability to stroll through the parks without weaving through heavy traffic, the attention you used to get from some CMs (because they are so busy with a line of guests), and even the ability to slow down and take a few photos without feeling like you are holding others up. Photo ops without a big crowd of people in the background are super rare too!

All this being said, you can still get in all the attractions you want to if you know the strategies. The crowds make it uncomfortable, but not un-doable. We were able to have our fill of major attractions - multiples on all the biggies. That required a lot of planning, early mornings, and unfortunately, having our faces in our phones refreshing for extra FPs more than is ideal. In a week, we had 4 rides on FoP, 2 Na'vi, 3 RotR, 5 ToT, 5 RnRC, 4 MFSR, 3 SDDs, 3 TSMs, 5 or 6 EE, 2 safaris, 2 Dinos, 5 Space Mountains, 5 BTMRRs and 2 Splash Mtn, and in limited EPCOT time, 4 Sooarin', and 5 TTs (but only 1 FEA - which is plenty for us).

Sprinkle in everything else we did and it was a success. We also had afternoon resort breaks everyday, got to Disney Springs twice, and had several TS meals. Overall, I did feel the crowds people are talking about, but we made it work with our experience and the help of you all here!

 

[Disneyhanna]

I have been here since the evening of 2/25 and have had a very pleasant time. The cool weather was fabulous for the parks. Lines have been longer than during my past travels but the crowds themselves have been very tolerable and not nearly as bad as the photos I was seeing for Presidents/Princess that made me nervous.

My advice would be move up your FPs if they are not already before 1PM so you can take advantage of the abundant same day FPs. If you can’t find any, search for parties of 1-2 and overlap times. I’ve found the website works better than the app and you can change the zoom size to fit in more attractions on the same page to make refreshing more efficient.

I haven’t had to wait in long lines for QS or bathrooms but the trick is to eat at slightly earlier/later times and mobile order, as well as use bathrooms that are more off the beaten path. If a line is long open the app and chances are there is a restroom only a few steps away without a wait. Obviously this might not work with little kids but I found a lot of great restrooms this way.

In terms of crowds there were the usual spots that get backed up (entrance to TSL, Harambe) but for the most part there was plenty of room to move around. I’m not sure if they have added more benches everywhere or if I’ve just noticed a lot more empty benches than usual.

Epcot has been fantastic since this was between festivals and it just was not popular at all. The skyliner is great and takes 20 minutes from Epcot to HS if you don’t experience any delays. The buses have been the best I have ever experienced, I am averaging 3 parks a day with an afternoon break and the longer I have waited is 15 minutes (resort or park to park) and I am averaging probably five minute waits.

Just wanted to put something positive out there! I have never traveled this time of year and was concerned but it has been great. Obviously things may differ if you have a large group or no park hoppers but if you are flexible I think you can have a great time even with long wait times.

 

[Remy is Up]

I think the point is that they hire extra staff during the summer in the form of CP students on break from college.
[/QUOTE]
They have DCP year round. Not just summer. January-May, May-August or May-December and AUgust-December. Not sure of exact dates but my daughter said somethign tot hat effect when she was considering it. CP has no bearing on park hours. Crowds and business plan determine that ( more business plan as of late).
My daughter was going to do DCP as a route into the company while she was in school and then got offered a FT job at Disney so she decided to go that route and balance it out with her last semester of classes for her degree.

 

[MBR2010]

We stayed from 2/8-2/12 and it was busy, but we had a great time staying at GDT-Club level and using our 4 day park hopper. We were able to ride FoP 2X, 7DMT, EE, BTMR, SM and all of the other headliner rides. This was our first trip without a stroller and it was awesome, much less stressful for sure. We had everything planned out but only rope dropped 1 day for FoP. I will say that HS was super, super busy, but all of the other parks were fine, not nearly as busy as our XMas trips on 2016 and 2018. We will go back again during XMas 2021 and go back to GDT-Club level, it was amazing.

 

[Dreamin of Dole Whip]

Hey All!
I was in DHS today for the first day of my six day vacation. I’ve been following the Boards on the horrible crowds and was getting super nervous ahead of our trip. I even thought about avoiding DHS all together because I’m not a super huge Star Wars fan, but my friends talked me into giving it a try and seeing for ourselves.
DHS was full of people today, but nothing remotely unmanageable. I think maybe crowd level 6 or so. Lots of seating for breaks and quick service, very little crushing crowds outside of right after rope drop.

We started our day rope dropping star tours, which is totally genius because NO ONE goes to star tours. We got lucky and got a boarding group, No. 16, and then walked on the ride. After star tours we did bfast at ogas cantina. While at Ogas we switched a Star Tours FP to a RnRC that opened up and our BG was called about 930. We walked on to ROTR, literally took 20 minutes to get through the line. After Rise we took about an hour break from 11-12 to have coffee and chill. That was critical, because it gave time for the crowds to disperse more fully and other stuff to open. We then went and did the 12 o clock Indy performance. After Indy, we had a TSMM FP and then saw the line had gone to about 60 min for MFSR. We did single rider and waited 25-30 min. Then we grabbed a beer at Docking Bay, and FPes ToT. There was a 60 min wait for SDD, we decided to skip that in favor of drinks at Brown Derby but we did a RnRC FP right before dinner. After dinner, another round of TSMM and off to MK AH! (In line now actually) 35 min wait.

honestly, not bad! We maybe didn’t have the most efficient day, but we went with the flow and had a ball. I was traveling with people who’d never been to the parks before and they didn’t feel uncomfortable or have a bad time. We hit every headliner except Slinky Dog and had plenty of time for breaks and relaxation. So, my recommendation is, if you’re thinking of going but nervous about the crowds, don’t be! You don’t know until you get there what it’s gonna be like. Go with an open mind and be ready to pivot, but you may find you have a great day!

 

[CastAStone]

Here is a take from the crowd experts: https://touringplans.com/blog/2020/03/02/crowd-calendar-update-for-march-coming-soon/

Spoiler alert they say the crowds are “unprecedented”

And more frightening they indicate that they may adjust their numbering to make some of these 10s into 9s and 8s (lending credence to the “that’s just how it is now” crowd).

 

[mirandag819]

Hey All!
I was in DHS today for the first day of my six day vacation. I’ve been following the Boards on the horrible crowds and was getting super nervous ahead of our trip. I even thought about avoiding DHS all together because I’m not a super huge Star Wars fan, but my friends talked me into giving it a try and seeing for ourselves.
DHS was full of people today, but nothing remotely unmanageable. I think maybe crowd level 6 or so. Lots of seating for breaks and quick service, very little crushing crowds outside of right after rope drop.

We started our day rope dropping star tours, which is totally genius because NO ONE goes to star tours. We got lucky and got a boarding group, No. 16, and then walked on the ride. After star tours we did bfast at ogas cantina. While at Ogas we switched a Star Tours FP to a RnRC that opened up and our BG was called about 930. We walked on to ROTR, literally took 20 minutes to get through the line. After Rise we took about an hour break from 11-12 to have coffee and chill. That was critical, because it gave time for the crowds to disperse more fully and other stuff to open. We then went and did the 12 o clock Indy performance. After Indy, we had a TSMM FP and then saw the line had gone to about 60 min for MFSR. We did single rider and waited 25-30 min. Then we grabbed a beer at Docking Bay, and FPes ToT. There was a 60 min wait for SDD, we decided to skip that in favor of drinks at Brown Derby but we did a RnRC FP right before dinner. After dinner, another round of TSMM and off to MK AH! (In line now actually) 35 min wait.

honestly, not bad! We maybe didn’t have the most efficient day, but we went with the flow and had a ball. I was traveling with people who’d never been to the parks before and they didn’t feel uncomfortable or have a bad time. We hit every headliner except Slinky Dog and had plenty of time for breaks and relaxation. So, my recommendation is, if you’re thinking of going but nervous about the crowds, don’t be! You don’t know until you get there what it’s gonna be like. Go with an open mind and be ready to pivot, but you may find you have a great day!

I think you got lucky, with lots of people waiting to visit HS later in the week when MMRR opens. Touring plans showed today’s actual crowds as a 4 (vs the 6 they predicted)...there have been lots and lots of crowd level 10s lately, which is what most people are talking about when describing how crowded HS has been. Glad you had a great day, I’d love a day like that when we visit in 2 weeks, but I know it’s not realistic.

 

[wendow]

I'll stick with what I posted. They do hire DCP to staff all over. The largest bunch is usually summer and Fall. I know my DD worked long/late hours during her Summer stint. Now that could be changing as time marches on. Perhaps there won't be as many DCP kids and Disney is really cutting back hours.

My dd is down there now in the DCP. She checked in Feb 3 which was the last check in date for the spring program. She is there until early Aug. Typically, Disney opens up a summer only program for DCP alumni but I read it is not being offered this year due to 'funding'. Disney may have plenty of kids staying through the summer like my dd or kids who are doing the fall program but arriving early to work through summer or they may be planning on not extending hours as much for summer. I sure hope that isn't the case.

 

[slpeters]

I'm always curious to see what it will be like. I came to this whole thing sort of late. My first trip was three years ago and people were already saying that the magic was gone, the crowds were insane, there were problems with staffing--and indeed TP bumped most of our week up to 9s or 10s after the fact. And it was a wonderful trip--so much so that we've already taken two more and planned two more on top of that. The next year we did Universal and just went to the Christmas party at MK. Again we heard that the parties were oversold and just miserable--and we hade an AMAZING time. Last year we went to Disneyland which was awesome. Our next trip is to WDW in the fall. Maybe this time it really will be awful--I guess we'll just wait and see...

 

[sam1998]

So obviously we know that ROTR is having a tremendous impact at DHS. Is that carrying over as bad to the other parks? I know I am seeing reports of them being very crowded, but is it at the unprecedented level that DHS is? I wasn't really sure if guests who come for Star Wars are visiting the other parks at the same rate.

 

[Remy is Up]

I'm always curious to see what it will be like. I came to this whole thing sort of late. My first trip was three years ago and people were already saying that the magic was gone, the crowds were insane, there were problems with staffing--and indeed TP bumped most of our week up to 9s or 10s after the fact. And it was a wonderful trip--so much so that we've already taken two more and planned two more on top of that. The next year we did Universal and just went to the Christmas party at MK. Again we heard that the parties were oversold and just miserable--and we hade an AMAZING time. Last year we went to Disneyland which was awesome. Our next trip is to WDW in the fall. Maybe this time it really will be awful--I guess we'll just wait and see...

I think it is always a matter of perception. People who have been going for 20 plus years ( I am in that crowd) all have fond memories of "quiet days" or "off season". The issue is, the majority of that crowd has failed to move forward and realize this is not WDW 20 or 10 or 5 years ago. ( Im NOT in that crowd). They have certain expectations and feel Disney is not meeting those. Whether one is being unrealistic in those expectations is based upon ones own perception and the past experience has an effect on perception. Some have learned to use the system, navigate things differently than we used to, and still have a great time because we also know, the vast majority of park goers are not 20 plus year veterans of WDW who have gone every year or locals who go once a month or more. Their bread and butter is not that crowd. While it may be the most loyal crowd, it is not where they make their money and is less than 10% of the overall gate entrances. Ive been an out of state AP holder forever it seems and now a resident AP holder. Ive learned it is never slow at Disney and even when we wake on a Saturday and say eh, lets go to WDW today, we know exactly how we want to approach it, we know what our expectations are on crowds etc and we understand what the park hours are and how to navigate. But we adapted and dont feel the need to slam WDW for every decision they make because at the end of the day someone will complain about anything they do. We choose to be positive and enjoy the experience each time we go. I am thrilled you enjoyed your trip because for all of the negativity saying Disney will make people miserable and its terrible now because of hours, crowds, prices, etc. Thats life and you have to adjust. You had a great trip but Im sure someone will come along soon and tell you that you are the exception or like someone already did and tell you that you got lucky. If thats the case there are an awful lot of lucky people who are exceptions. Or it could be more likely, all the negativity is limited to a very small section of people. There are reasons CMS dislike most AP holders or people who go a ton. The sense of entitlement and the attitude to go with it. Just enjoy the trips you have, make the most of them, and if its that miserable stop going.
Again, glad you had a great trip. Welcome to the positive side of WDW

 

[disneysteve]

People who have been going for 20 plus years ( I am in that crowd) all have fond memories of "quiet days" or "off season". The issue is, the majority of that crowd has failed to move forward and realize this is not WDW 20 or 10 or 5 years ago. ( Im NOT in that crowd). They have certain expectations and feel Disney is not meeting those.

I think that's a really interesting observation. Yes, I'm in that crowd that has been going since the 70s. Things have changed - dramatically - since then. A trip to WDW is not the laid back, relaxing experience it used to be. I don't necessarily blame Disney for that, but I do think Disney has done things that have contributed to the problem (shorter hours, FP+, more festivals, etc.).

Traveling to WDW has also become far more common in our society, whereas in the 70s and 80s it was still rather rare. I think I was the very first of my friends and family who had ever gone there. And it's a major international destination, too. Heck, when I was in high school, our senior trip was to Washington, D.C. Today, it seems like pretty much every school on the east coast does their trip to WDW.

I don't think I have a sense of entitlement. I still love going and we have just modified how we do things and tempered our expectations. But I do also miss the way things used to be.

 

[Remy is Up]

I think that's a really interesting observation. Yes, I'm in that crowd that has been going since the 70s. Things have changed - dramatically - since then. A trip to WDW is not the laid back, relaxing experience it used to be. I don't necessarily blame Disney for that, but I do think Disney has done things that have contributed to the problem (shorter hours, FP+, more festivals, etc.).

Traveling to WDW has also become far more common in our society, whereas in the 70s and 80s it was still rather rare. I think I was the very first of my friends and family who had ever gone there. And it's a major international destination, too. Heck, when I was in high school, our senior trip was to Washington, D.C. Today, it seems like pretty much every school on the east coast does their trip to WDW.

I don't think I have a sense of entitlement. I still love going and we have just modified how we do things and tempered our expectations. But I do also miss the way things used to be.

Id say you are an exception to the rule and in a good way. Like us, you have gone a ton and certainly we miss the way things were. We all miss that freedom to just walk on to whatever. Heck, we even remember the ticket books haha. Im with you on all of that. You can certainly miss things and remember how things were, but, you also cant change the current state..Which you realize and are fully understanding of. You work around things, plan or attack the park differently, and still enjoy your trips. You are NOT one fo the "entitlement" crowd. So apologies if you felt like the post was directed at the long time traveller like you. Thats what I am when it comes to Disney. But even with all the warts and missteps, if you plan and understand how things are in current state, there is still a good time to be had. My point was aimed more at the they are doing this wrong, this is awful, Crowds are terrible ( Im all for more price increases to lower said crowds) im not going back if they dont do X or Y, etc etc. The inundation of the negative Disney is awful posts gets tiring. People like you and I will plan and still have a good time while recognizing that the crowds are larger because of a number of factors. We realize its not the same but the magic still exists if you go with "reasonable" expectations and just have fun. Complaining on a blog or board isnt getting anyone anywhere. Decide if its still for you or not and go from there. It isnt perfect, no company is, some decisions make things tough, But it isnt as bad as the small segment of complainers make it out to be. They just make the most noise on the boards.

 

[Heather07438]

Crowds are terrible ( Im all for more price increases to lower said crowds)

That's reasonable but only to a certain point. When WDW reduces operation hours and staff, they are in essence manipulating a more crowded experience for guests. That's where I'm starting to feel defensive. The more we are paying, the easier it is to become dissatisfied. I'm willing to pay more; I'm not willing to pay more and have an incrementally worse trip each year.

It's kind of like having their cake and eating it too. You can't raise prices near 50% over 5 years and explain the intention is to ease congestion while you also cut back opex significantly making crowds and park flow worse. Just doesn't fly.