How Busy are the Parks During March Break?

[shaycamp21]

We have done a room only reservation during March Break after cruising but have never been to the parks so I am just wondering how busy the parks are?
We usually have gone in mid to late August (during free dining) so I am wondering how the March crowds compare? We will be there a little before our March Break starts from the 5th-12th so hoping we will avoid some of the crowds.

 

[CanadianPaco]

i would like to know too!

 

[Ted in Halifax]

You will find that in the first part of your trip (the 5th and 6th) the crowds are okay ... But beyond this .... The crowds are very heavy! My advice is to hit the parks early on the busy days. Take a peak at the undercovertourist crowd calendar ... That will show you the pattern. Also, there is almost no comparison to August. Although not nearly as hot ... The crowds in that last part of your march are very high.

 

[keaster]

March break is definitely busier than the end of August (we usually go both those times).

As PP said, the beginning of the trip will be okay, but expect biger crowds as you go. Texas gets the same March break as us (we have met several Texans in the parks and on DCL when we are on March Break!)

 

[souris]

I've been mostly in March... We love it! Here is why:
- crowds are not too bad ( with a good plan, and following suggested parks)
- weather is fabulous (very little rain, comfortable temperatures)
- long park hours
- one less week of canadian winter!!! I'm usually fed up with winter by March!

We've been once during August FD but it was not for us. Extreme heat, daily storms made long days at the park difficult.

 

[dis_guy]

- one less week of canadian winter!!! I'm usually fed up with winter by March!

Amen! We decided we weren't going to go in March this year. Add a week of cold, snowy weather that had our schools closed and our cars stuck in snow drifts-twice-we booked on Friday for a Saturday departure. Tricky getting reasonable flights but two one-ways solved that. Forget any kind of discount or free dining too, but we had a great time! Booked 2014 as soon as we could!

 

[Maddysdaddy]

We were at WDW last year over the two week period leading up to Easter. The crowds during week one were managable, but during week two were insane.

The way we coped during the second week was to be in line a half hour or so before rope drop and to run around trying to cram everything in during the first 2-3 hours the park was open, and then go back to the hotel and spend the rest of the day at the pool, or go shopping, or to see some spring training baseball. The trade off is that you have to get yourself and your family up crazy early, which can lead to a fair amount of grumpiness.

Ultimately it all depends on what you are used to (and are willing to put up with). We normally travel off season, so we consider waits of 15+ minutes to be long. During week one, we were dealing with 30ish minute waits, but by 10 am or so during week two, waits were over 60 minutes for the 'worst' rides and 90+ for the 'better' rides - those wait times were our cue to exit the park.

 

[bankr63]

We only travel on March break and rarely find touring the parks difficult, but we also follow the advice and planning in Unofficial Guides. If you tour with a plan, March break is a breeze!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Just a heads up. With Easter being April 20. So expect the crowds to be heavier in April rather than March for 2014.

 

[CanadianPaco]

We only travel on March break and rarely find touring the parks difficult, but we also follow the advice and planning in Unofficial Guides. If you tour with a plan, March break is a breeze!

Best news all day!

 

[140JustinC]

We have gone both march breaks for the last two years and then the last time was march break 4 years ago. The difference in the amount of people is incredible. It is not Christmas busy there (parks to capacity) but it can be pretty packed. Make sure you make reservations ASAP for dining etc.

 

[kuhltiffany]

Is it the same for Disneyland? We have the Fantasy booked for March Break 2014 but are planning ahead for March Break 2015...

 

[Ted in Halifax]

We have gone both march breaks for the last two years and then the last time was march break 4 years ago. The difference in the amount of people is incredible. It is not Christmas busy there (parks to capacity) but it can be pretty packed. Make sure you make reservations ASAP for dining etc.

Nice photos! and a Pats fan too!

 

[bababear_50]

I have gone during march Break for the past 7 years and love it.
I follow a touring plan but to be honest I am so happy to see roses blooming that there could be thousands of people around me and I wouldn't notice them.



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I have been once during Aug and found the heat tooooo much for me.
I have gone many times in Dec and Jan and enjoyed myself but the crowds are a bit high especially during Marathon.
The weather in March is lovely.
I just made my reservations for early breakfast in Magic Kingdom although sitting on a park bench eating a dole whip would be great also.


My Dole Whip Breakfast



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I have already booked a reservation for the Wishes Dessert Party which was nice because usually it is a month in advance to book this event--kind of nice to be able to do it now.I don't do sidewalk wishes viewing anymore.



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Last year they had small booths around the World Showcase (Epcot) where you could buy small samples of food--kind of like what they have during food and wine-I really enjoyed it. The flower and garden festival is a must for me every year. I always find something to bring home for my garden.


My garden stake souvenir



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Here is last years review of the 2013 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013/...stival-food-pictures-booths-menus-and-prices/


Here's this years info link 2014

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/epcot-international-flower-and-garden-festival/


http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013/...cot-international-flower-and-garden-festival/


Keep in mind that Magic Kingdom is going to be packed due to the new Fantasyland expansion --I would make ADR (advanced Dining reservations ) for this park.

We also find the Water Park not overly busy during March Break _But hey we are Canadians and anything above 60 gets me into the water-it is after all heated. Also it's nice that AKL and OKW have hot tubs.

Take a few pouches of hot chocolate and popcorn and enjoy the evening movies by the pool.

This year I am doing a split stay at AKL and OKW.
I can't wait.

Here's a link to where I look when making my plans

http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/03-march-2014/


This is a link to last years weather March 2013

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/orlando-fl/32801/march-weather/328169

Downtown Disney usually has a half decent movie and afternoon matinee prices are reasonable
Link here
AMC Theatres / Dine In

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/downtown-disney/amc-downtown-disney-24/

https://www.amctheatres.com/movie-theatres/amc-downtown-disney-24-with-dine-in-theatres

Happy March Break planning
Hugs Mel

 

[mtmbyck]

You've already got your answer but I'll chime in as we have done March Break for the last 7 years. Your first few days (the 5th-7th) should be very manageable but that second week will be Very Busy! Like we are talking park gets closed to crowd capacity almost daily. The trick for all days is to show up at least 20 min before park opening, get on your favourite rides, fast pass those you want to do again, make meal reservations, take a break mid-day and go back for very late closing a - most parks will be extended to close at 11. But we tried riding things when we returned to the MK one year and everything was nuts - Peter Pan 90 min, space mountain FP gone and 120min wait.......we rode the people mover and did Buzz and that was about it.

Love the comment about one week less of winter. Weather in March is "usually" quite pleasant.

 

[shaycamp21]

Thanks everyone for the advice. My ADRs were booked at the 180 mark so I don't have to worry about that. In past trips, we always arrived before rope drop and toured with a plan to avoid long ride waits. Since we will be travelling with our 2 yr old we will definitely need to take midday breaks. We used to collect fp to use later in the day but now with the times being reinforced we obviously can't do that and I am sure by March the whole FP+ will be rolled out and no more paper FP. I think it is going to be tricky though to only be limited to 3 per day and I guess it would be wise to schedule those for later in the day or possibly the evening?

 

[surfer_ed]

Remember that between mid feb and end of March it is "March Break" somewhere. Plan ahead and you will be OK.

 

[krazy4crusing]

We went to WDW in August 2012 (last week of summer leading into Labour day weekend) and March Break 2013 Monday to Friday. The parks were busy both times but March was much more comfortable weather wise. Bring a sweater for the mornings because they were cool ie less than 10 degrees celcius but the afternoons were about 20-25-very nice. The summer was unbearably hot (and I LOVE the heat).

We went to the parks first thing every morning and it was fairly quiet. It was raining on our Magic Kingdom day and no one was there. We went on the new Belle attraction and had a 10 minuite wait. We ate at BOG and there was a 20 min wait. We expected it to be much worse. Epcot was a zoo however because of the flower festival but it was awesome! The morning was quiet but the afternoon was very busy. We did Disney Quest and it was quiet and also Typhoon Lagoon which was also very quiet.