How Crowded Are The Theme Parks Right Now (President's Week) ?

[Ohiostatefan606]

We were just there 2/11 - 14. I've done MLK and President's Day/Mardi Gras before. Are the parks crowded? I would say generally yes, but I think it is because of the following:

1. There are a lot of narrow areas in the parks that people funnel through, so that doesn't help.
2. They aren't cramming people into queue lines, so they are lined up out in the park, which then causes bottle necks.
3. Limited dining options, so not as many people sitting down in restaurants to eat.
4. No dining plan, so people that normally would always eat seat down meals are now out in the park
5. As already mentioned, no parades to line up for. No fireworks.
6. No character meet and greats
7. You have to stand in line to get into a shop.
8. Do I think it's as busy as previous years, no. The wait times on the app don't tell the whole story. It is hard to gauge the wait times because some people leave large gaps while in line, others get to close.
9. Did I feel unsafe? No
10. Do I think some people need a lesson in social distancing while standing in line, yes. There is a clear marker on the ground. Stand on it. If you have a large party, then use two markers. But there is no reason to walk right up to the next party in line. Did I give the stink eye to a few people. Yes. But then they stayed on their marker. My favorite was a young man about 14, telling his mom to stop walking ahead and that she needs to stay back on their marker. It was great!
11. Did most people comply with the mask order over nose and mouth. Yes, more than I anticipated. Did cast members talk to people, yes.
12. Gone are the days of the super low crowds. It isn't going to happen while school districts are on break. Any kind of break.
13. It was the Trifecta weekend, President's Day/ Valentine's Day/ Mardi Gras. It was actually about what I expected.
14. Did I waver on going? yes, every day.
15. Am I glad we went? yes, we are from Ohio, it is cold and snowing.

 

[conandrob240]

I am not sure “why” matters. They increased capacity too much. It’s too many people in the parks right now.

 

[kathi]

This really doesn't bode well for the week before Easter. We need to decide if we are going to cancel. That photo does not look fun or terribly safe (although mask compliance is certainly helpful).

 

[conandrob240]

I’m fine, we’re having a good time but I kinda wish I hadn’t dropped the $ for a week like this.

 

[TikiRob]

We were just there 2/11 - 14. I've done MLK and President's Day/Mardi Gras before. Are the parks crowded? I would say generally yes, but I think it is because of the following:

1. There are a lot of narrow areas in the parks that people funnel through, so that doesn't help.
2. They aren't cramming people into queue lines, so they are lined up out in the park, which then causes bottle necks.
3. Limited dining options, so not as many people sitting down in restaurants to eat.
4. No dining plan, so people that normally would always eat seat down meals are now out in the park
5. As already mentioned, no parades to line up for. No fireworks.
6. No character meet and greats
7. You have to stand in line to get into a shop.
8. Do I think it's as busy as previous years, no. The wait times on the app don't tell the whole story. It is hard to gauge the wait times because some people leave large gaps while in line, others get to close.
9. Did I feel unsafe? No
10. Do I think some people need a lesson in social distancing while standing in line, yes. There is a clear marker on the ground. Stand on it. If you have a large party, then use two markers. But there is no reason to walk right up to the next party in line. Did I give the stink eye to a few people. Yes. But then they stayed on their marker. My favorite was a young man about 14, telling his mom to stop walking ahead and that she needs to stay back on their marker. It was great!
11. Did most people comply with the mask order over nose and mouth. Yes, more than I anticipated. Did cast members talk to people, yes.
12. Gone are the days of the super low crowds. It isn't going to happen while school districts are on break. Any kind of break.
13. It was the Trifecta weekend, President's Day/ Valentine's Day/ Mardi Gras. It was actually about what I expected.
14. Did I waver on going? yes, every day.
15. Am I glad we went? yes, we are from Ohio, it is cold and snowing.

Thanks for the perspective. Those still photos can be alarming but don’t tell the whole story. We are in the cold and snow in Ohio and ready to go back in a few weeks. We are usually rope drop to close folks, but we’ll take advantage of the resorts midday to escape the busiest times.

 

[aokeefe]

We are here now. We are rope drop people so we take advantage of that and are able to get most of our favorites done by mid morning and head back to the pool for the afternoon to avoid long lines/more crowds. Is it crowded? yes but for the most part people are compliant with masks, social distancing (while standing in line) and using the hand sanitizer. . It's impossible to social distance when walking. Everyone's perspective on crowds is different. I was here on Thanksgiving and I think the crowds are pretty similar.
I think posted wait times are all over the place. It's all a guessing game. Mid afternoon (we got stuck in HS in the afternoon due to waiting for our RoR boarding group) times are accurate but morning and evening are usually inflated. We base it on how long the line is (using our trip in Thanksgiving as guidelines).
We are at Grand Floridian and haven't had any issues with transportation. If we are leaving a park and see a bus for the Poly or Contemporary we usually jump on that rather than wait .

 

[Darcy03231]

A big part of the crowd issue is that things that suck up a lot of people aren't open/running - - shows, parades, fireworks, dining, etc. This means everyone is either in line for a ride or walking around.

If you're looking for lower crowds/smaller wait times I wouldn't go during a holiday week, even during COVID. I live in a resort area (not Florida) and it's insanely busy this week at home. Ski passes are sold out, restaurant parking lots are packed, outlet mall parking lot is really busy, etc.

 

[Marissa227]

How is park hopping with these crowds?

 

[conandrob240]

Midday was NOT low crowds

 

[wilkydelts]

I am not sure “why” matters. They increased capacity too much. It’s too many people in the parks right now.

That is totally based on your own feelings and wants. Many people would argue they would rather Disney be open and put up with the crowds instead of having to be closed due to the distancing needs.

People do not have to go if they are uncomfortable but luckily for most Disney is open for those who are willing to go no matter the current situation.

 

[boltjames]

We were just there 2/11 - 14. I've done MLK and President's Day/Mardi Gras before. Are the parks crowded? I would say generally yes, but I think it is because of the following:

1. There are a lot of narrow areas in the parks that people funnel through, so that doesn't help.
2. They aren't cramming people into queue lines, so they are lined up out in the park, which then causes bottle necks.
3. Limited dining options, so not as many people sitting down in restaurants to eat.
4. No dining plan, so people that normally would always eat seat down meals are now out in the park
5. As already mentioned, no parades to line up for. No fireworks.
6. No character meet and greats
7. You have to stand in line to get into a shop.
8. Do I think it's as busy as previous years, no. The wait times on the app don't tell the whole story. It is hard to gauge the wait times because some people leave large gaps while in line, others get to close.
9. Did I feel unsafe? No
10. Do I think some people need a lesson in social distancing while standing in line, yes. There is a clear marker on the ground. Stand on it. If you have a large party, then use two markers. But there is no reason to walk right up to the next party in line. Did I give the stink eye to a few people. Yes. But then they stayed on their marker. My favorite was a young man about 14, telling his mom to stop walking ahead and that she needs to stay back on their marker. It was great!
11. Did most people comply with the mask order over nose and mouth. Yes, more than I anticipated. Did cast members talk to people, yes.
12. Gone are the days of the super low crowds. It isn't going to happen while school districts are on break. Any kind of break.
13. It was the Trifecta weekend, President's Day/ Valentine's Day/ Mardi Gras. It was actually about what I expected.
14. Did I waver on going? yes, every day.
15. Am I glad we went? yes, we are from Ohio, it is cold and snowing.

Thank you for such a detailed recap!

I am flabbergasted that Disney didn't realize that by shutting down park activities and properly spacing ride queues it was going to have an inverse effect and overcrowd everything else.

Instead of 35% capacity it sounds like they should be at 10%. Which likely meant that they should close the parks. Which they probably should have done. Distancing is everything, and there is no distancing in the parks right now.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

also just saw this photo on Twitter. That's a hard nope for me.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1361722048691724288

I can't believe what a difference a few weeks can make.
We were there 2 weeks ago, and there were maybe 1/4 of the people in that walkway at the height of the "crowds." That's crazy.

 

[rileyz]

Here now and it’s crowded in certain areas. I feel pretty safe but what I don’t understand is why more people aren’t using the disinfectant gel dispensers. For example we got off Dumbo and the only people who used them were us and one other family. This is a ride where you touch a seatbelt and lever to go up and down. Why would you not disinfect after that? I feel safe because we are diligent with our mask, spacing and hand sanitizer/washing. People wear the masks because they have to but I don’t see a lot of the hand washing. And some do have problems following the line spacing but overall most have been good, MK guests were the worst with this.

 

[ryman471]

We were just there 2/11 - 14. I've done MLK and President's Day/Mardi Gras before. Are the parks crowded? I would say generally yes, but I think it is because of the following:

1. There are a lot of narrow areas in the parks that people funnel through, so that doesn't help.
2. They aren't cramming people into queue lines, so they are lined up out in the park, which then causes bottle necks.
3. Limited dining options, so not as many people sitting down in restaurants to eat.
4. No dining plan, so people that normally would always eat seat down meals are now out in the park
5. As already mentioned, no parades to line up for. No fireworks.
6. No character meet and greats
7. You have to stand in line to get into a shop.
8. Do I think it's as busy as previous years, no. The wait times on the app don't tell the whole story. It is hard to gauge the wait times because some people leave large gaps while in line, others get to close.
9. Did I feel unsafe? No
10. Do I think some people need a lesson in social distancing while standing in line, yes. There is a clear marker on the ground. Stand on it. If you have a large party, then use two markers. But there is no reason to walk right up to the next party in line. Did I give the stink eye to a few people. Yes. But then they stayed on their marker. My favorite was a young man about 14, telling his mom to stop walking ahead and that she needs to stay back on their marker. It was great!
11. Did most people comply with the mask order over nose and mouth. Yes, more than I anticipated. Did cast members talk to people, yes.
12. Gone are the days of the super low crowds. It isn't going to happen while school districts are on break. Any kind of break.
13. It was the Trifecta weekend, President's Day/ Valentine's Day/ Mardi Gras. It was actually about what I expected.
14. Did I waver on going? yes, every day.
15. Am I glad we went? yes, we are from Ohio, it is cold and snowing.

Great info thanks! I know it is just opinions at this point, but do you all think this will change by Mid June? Will be my daughter's first, maybe only, trip. She is 11 and planned last summer and want to do before she is a teenage so we are really wanting to keep reservations in June. Do you guys think they will have any parades, fireworks, dining, fastpass, etc (anything that was taken away) by June to help free up ride lines and enhance the experience?

 

[SarahC97]

Great info thanks! I know it is just opinions at this point, but do you all think this will change by Mid June? Will be my daughter's first, maybe only, trip. She is 11 and planned last summer and want to do before she is a teenage so we are really wanting to keep reservations in June. Do you guys think they will have any parades, fireworks, dining, fastpass, etc (anything that was taken away) by June to help free up ride lines and enhance the experience?

I think there's a possibility that fireworks could be coming back, at least at EPCOT. They were testing them this week. But Disney hasn't confirmed anything. But your guess is as good as any of ours as to what will reopen and at what pace. I do not see Fastpass returning this year. TBH, if I was planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip, I wouldn't go until it opens back up fully, but I do understand wanting to go, especially if you've been planning for a while.

 

[Mr. X]

From what I saw with wait times and reading posts it looks like this past weekend was a cluster and Disney was not prepared for the higher crowds. Wait times so far this week have dropped significantly.

I agree we could see some fireworks return towards mid-April. The show area at Epcot is massive and ample space to spread out.