How horrible is spring break

[El&Asmom]

We have typically traveled during low seasons as I hate crowds though I don't think there are many low seasons anymore. We often go over MLK week as I have a conference then but hate the possibility of cold days. How bad is spring break time? As the kids are getting older we're trying to avoid taking them out of school. For MLK week we go from Friday till Wednesday so they only miss 2 days. For spring break we could do an entire week or 8 nights.
Are the crowds really that much worse over spring break time vs MLK holiday weekend?

 

[Alesia]

It depends on when you're spring break is.

 

[prudence64]

If your sping break is tied to Easter, yes it will be much busier. If your break is another time in march or aprilwont be too bad.

 

[soniam]

Other than week of Good Friday and the week after, mid-March for us was about like most summer days, crowd levels 6-8, maybe a 9 on an EMH day. We had no problems, but we always go in summer or this time, Spring Break.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

We're at WDW right now, and it's the busiest I've ever seen it!! We typically visit the first week or two of October, the week leading up to Christmas through a day or two after, Spring Break (which varies), and sometime during the summer. Personally, I think this is worse than Christmas because the heat slows everyone down and makes them grumpy.

 

[JennyDrake]

I have been Feb 25-March 3 (2014), March 16-20 (2015), March 25-April 1(2012), April 25-30 (2103). All were busier than I expected. The most crowded were March 25-April 1 and (surprisingly) Feb 25- March 3.

I AGREE that there are no *slow* times as we once knew them!!

MK and AK were traffic jam, congested, and just not fun after lunch time. For all of the trips, headliners had wait times of 50-70 minutes by noon.

 

[Chitownpeeps91]

Last week our Springbreak was very busy. We made it work but don't think I would do it again.

Plus side at least MK had longer hours each day. I wish more had later night hours. For instance Epcot should stay open till 11 each night. It was only on Friday that it was. That would spread out the crowd better.

 

[Mrs. Max Goof]

I went for spring break in high school with the marching band. We arrived the day after Easter and stayed through Saturday. To be honest, I didn't find it any more busy than traveling in the summer months!

 

[El&Asmom]

Thanks for the opinions. Doesn't sound like a time I want to attempt. That and it's the highest point season for DVC. January is the lowest point season. Maybe we'll stick with January and get out of the Chicago cold. A crowd level of 6-9 sounds horrible.
We just came home from China with our new son. I don't want to have a first time miserable trip with high crowds with him. Thanks again.

 

[Chitownpeeps91]

We used to pull the peeps out of school but with teens can no longer do it.

As I saw how crowded it was especially for Wishes I thought if I had younger kids would never come during Easter week.

We did everything we wanted up at 5:30 am for rope drops and at the parks late.

Enjoy your trip

 

[momimouse27]

I have been Feb 25-March 3 (2014), March 16-20 (2015), March 25-April 1(2012), April 25-30 (2103). All were busier than I expected. The most crowded were March 25-April 1 and (surprisingly) Feb 25- March 3.

I AGREE that there are no *slow* times as we once knew them!!

MK and AK were traffic jam, congested, and just not fun after lunch time. For all of the trips, headliners had wait times of 50-70 minutes by noon.

Oh, this scares me a bit! We're attempting the end of April/first of May for the first time this month. The crowd calendars have that week as 4-6 so that's seemed pretty good. Now I'm wondering if I screwed up. I am not a fan of crowds.

 

[JennyDrake]

Oh, this scares me a bit! We're attempting the end of April/first of May for the first time this month. The crowd calendars have that week as 4-6 so that's seemed pretty good. Now I'm wondering if I screwed up. I am not a fan of crowds.

I'm going to echo what I said in the OP--there are no *slow*/low crowd times as we once knew them, so I think you need to not beat yourself up that you "screwed up."

March and early April are Spring Break, then you get into end of the year/senior trips and cheer week is the end of April.

It is still very manageable with rope drop and FP for major attractions. Be there at rope drop, with breakfast in your belly, ready to go. Head to what is most important to YOU; schedule your FP+ starting around 11:30, do all that then take a break, go back to your room and rest until about 4, when crowds begin to decrease. I"m a big fan of having park hoppers and hopping to a different park when one gets too crowded, especially MK.

 

[staceyrhood]

2 weeks ago (Friday March 27th to be exact) on the local nightly news they said Test Track reached a 500 minute wait that day!!! As a PP said...March and April are "Spring Break" here. It is MUCH busier than MLK weekend.

 

[momimouse27]

We have been the second week of May in the past. It was not bad at all, kids are still in school and Memorial Day is a ways off. Are people really taking end of the year/senior trips the last week of April?? This is a senior trip for my daughter, but she's homeschooled, so we aren't the norm. Our schools here in GA go until the end of May, and late April/early May are important times with school kids gearing up for finals.

I'm not doubting you, just taken by surprise. Never heard of cheer week but that doesn't surprise me at all.

Might change and push it back a week as I don't do rope drop (not a morning person) and I can handle some crowds-a 4-6 as reported is fine but I'm not down with big ones.

I know slow times are not really what they used to be, but

 

[Xennia]

Nothing is as bad as summer.

 

[El&Asmom]

We went the last week of April beginning of May one year. At that time we had a 5m old, 3 year old and 5 year old. I thought it was insanely crowded compared to the Sept visits we were used to. Now our kids are 11, 9, 6 and 2 and it stinks trying to fit trips in w/o our kids missing too much school. The first week of Sept was the best. We literally used to walk on to every ride.
I think we'll stick with MLK week. The weekend is busy but the end of the week isn't too bad. Even if it isn't swimming weather, it's better than Chicago in January. Then again a few years ago when we were there when I ran the marathon, it was in the 80s and we swam every day. Sounds like a better idea than spring break.

 

[madelyn]

We went this year for the first time for our Spring Break (mid March). I would go again during that time frame. With teens our preferred time is early June but now that my son has started going to summer school, the only month that leaves is July. We have been once in July and I would not want to go again in July - too hot and crowded. The mid-March Spring Break time did not seem any more crowded than the times we have gone in the summer and it was not nearly as hot and we didn't get as much rain. The time we went to Blizzard Beach it was much less crowded than when we have gone in June and July. One negative was that airfares were sky high and we didn't have as many days available to be able to drive like we would during a summer vacation.

 

[tcherjen]

With planning, it is not bad at all. We go every year.

 

[skuttle]

We check out tomorrow. We've been here since the Wednesday before easter so we've had 8 full days. We haven't found it too bad at all and we'd come again at this time. We've had no rain other than one short shower one day, and the heat hasn't been nearly as bad as when we went in the summer.

It took a lot of planning, but we were able to ride everything more than once using morning EMH (7am) and FP+. Evening EMH were still very crowded. Mine train did have a 45 min wait at 7am, but we were able to ride space mountain 3 times in a row!

We'd definitely come back this time of year again with the right planning and enough days to make it work.

 

[IheartRapunzel]

I went during my spring break (March 7-13) and it was great. My only issue was our last day there. That was the only day I noticed the "sping breakers". They seemed to be everywhere that day and their behavior was just awful. Throwing rocks at the buses, running through the flowers at the flower festival...ect. Surprisingly no one told them to stop. I know when my cousin went to Disney for spring break she got in a lot of trouble for throwing things in the stores. (As she should!!)
So as far as the crowd, it wasn't bad at all. I even got to go to bog twice! And only one of those times was with a reservation. The only problem I saw with spring break was their behavior.