I am freaking out!! Are the crowds that bad?

[slavike]

I am freaking out!!! We are Disney regulars and always choose this time of year to go. We leave September 20th and come back onthe 25th. I have never before had such a hard time getting any ADR. I have to eat dinner at crazy hours.
After reading some posts I have 2 questions.

With the free dinning, is there anyway to walk up with out a reservation (are the holding some tables behind the scenes)?

If not, is the park going to be super crowded? We always go in the fall because the weather is pretty good and the crowds are gone.

I am taking my 2 1/2 year for the first time and I can't imagine Disney with Crowds.

How bad is it or will it possibly be?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!!

Slavike -

Disney Vet of 25+ times.
Poly - Sept 20-25th
Contemporary - Feb 25 -28th.

 

[JimMIA]

I can't help you with crowd estimates, although there are a lot of folks just back who can.

As far as walkups, I would't count on it. They don't hold tables back. We had a real problem last December due to the CP packages, and many of the restaurants were so oversold they weren't even doing waiting lists at all.

What you can do is keep calling, even during your visit. Some people are considerate enough to cancel if they see they're not going to make an ADR, and you might be able to pick one up that way.

 

[masters58]

We were there last month and a lot of the restaurants were NOT taking walk ups. One thing that I did notice (at MGM, anyway) was there was a little booth that had a chalkboard that listed which rests. still had available tables. I believe they had CMs there to help you make adrs if any were available. I really didnt pay too much attention (we had already made all of our ADRs) but I do remember a mom yelling to her family to "hurry up and go because our reservations are in 10 minutes!" So if you do go without adrs, look for that booth or start calling now. Esp with a 2.5 year old.

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

We just returned on 8/28 from the free dining and luckily we had all of our ADR's in place . . the restaurants were full . . .

The parks however, were not bad at all . . .no more than 20 minute waits at the most . . .

Hope this helped . . .

 

[DiszyDeanette]

I am taking my 2 1/2 year for the first time and I can't imagine Disney with Crowds.

Looks like you are at odds with the Disney executives, since it is their goal to make sure there is no time without crowds. They want people there, lots of them, and are doing anything they can to make sure it happens.

 

[MissMichelle]

I don't think it'll be that bad...probably more crowded then you are used to, but not unbearable....

The DDP made all these restaurants hard to get into b/c everyone HAS to make ADR's in advance now...Most places won't take walk-ups.

I still think the end of Sept will be a great time to go (see the mind games I play with myself??!!! LOL)

 

[kamanda]

We just got back from Pop today after spending 5 days. It was A LOT less people than when we went during Spring break. Our wait for the buses were less than 10 minutes always. The parks were not too crowded - when we went to MGM to SCI FI for lunch they were still taking walk-ups. We did find MK to be more crowded than the other parks. With free dining I was expecting a lot worse so I was a bit surprised at the level of attendance. Maybe that's why they extended the free dining back when they were running the promotion - not as many people purchased as they expected. Frozen coke machine was always working and there were numerous choices for snack credits (3 pancakes for 1 SC).

Please ask if any questions.

 

[ElizabethB]

We've gone to WDW during about the same week in August every year for the last 6 years. Last week was the most crowded, by far, that I've seen it. Sunday in MK was very busy and Extra Magic Hour that night was so crowded it was pretty much a waste of time. Pirates had a 50 minute wait. We didn't even get in line for that or Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. People were complaining some rides had hour waits. I felt that Extra Magic Hour was so crowded, it was a waste of time. It lasted from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. It got a little better after midnight, but by then we were pretty tired. We actually got on more rides later in the week than we did during Extra Magic Hours.

Overall, we thought the parks were pretty crowded and the waits much longer that we've experienced previously in late August. Soarin' always seemed to have a stand-by wait of at least 60 minutes.

I don't even have to mention the restaurants -- the 1 TS places in the parks were absolutely mobbed. It didn't look like you'd have any chance at all to walk up -- even if you were willing to wait for hours. Restaurants (both 1TS and 2TS) at the resorts were not so crazed, just merely busy.

 

[lsg1]

We just got back today, and I have to agree that most of the restaurants we ate at were not taking walkups. We were able to get an ADR on the same day for LTT on Saturday for Sat. night.
We also were at the EMH sunday night at MK, and it was so hot and humid and crowded. The rest of the week was not bad though. There was only 10 min waits at Mission Space and not more than 45 on other rides.

 

[Mike in NC]

Good Grief! I had no idea this was going on. I guess it's a good idea to monitor these boards. We leave on Monday and haven't made the first ADR. We never do the first week in Sept. and the spontaneity has always been a lot of the fun. I almost never try to walk in, but a lot of times I'll call in an hour or two before the desired time. Guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow.

 

[aubriee]

We were there last Sept 17th-24th, during the free dining period. The parks were not crowded at all, but all the TS restaraunts were packed and almost all were turning away walk ups. We'll be there this year Sept 22nd-30th. I've been able to make several ADR changes in the last few weeks, but most have taken several phone calls and I've been stuck with some later times than I'd like.

What concerns me is that Disney is calling people this year to tell them to make their ADRs, that they are having restaraunts open an hour earlier and then stay open later to accomodate more people, that they have opened the Tomorrow Land Noodle Station as a buffet that doesn't take ADRs, and that they are offering the chance to let people trade a TS for a CS (plus a gift). Last year we saw alot of people who were VERY upset that they had the free dining and couldn't get into a TS restaraunt. I guess Disney is trying to prevent scenes like we saw last year.

 

[wiskband]

I went last last during the free dining and found that the crowds were not bad (waiting on lines for rides) I was fortunate to get the DDP free so I was able to dine out more that I would have normally, and did find more folks dining (obvisously) but nothing seem to be a problem. I did have ADR so that helped. My friend is currently in WDW and I have spoken with her a few times and she says it is NOT packed. I am leaving Monday and am anticipating the same as you are. I am have been thinkig along the lines of not that many people knew about the free DDP last year and now everyone is talking about it. But, really no matter what they do (promotions etc.) I think this time of year is just always going to be slower, with school already n progress there and starting everywhere else, not to mention hurricane season. All of this components are probably why they came up with Free DDP during this time of year. I am sure you'll be fine. have fun
renee

 

[GrumpeyMom]

We went last year during Free Dining and found that the crowds were not bad at all. We went from 9/16-9/25 and had no more than a 20 minute wait for anything - and that was for Soarin'! It seemed the restaurants were busier than the parks due to the Free Dining.

That being said, I hope that it's the same this year. I think that now, with the Free Dining, it's just a matter of people that normally eat CS are now eating TS meals. I'm crossing my fingers to not find mobs of people on 9/21 when I get there...

 

[ktbugsmom]

My sister and I just got back on Sunday. This is the third August trip I have taken and this was definitely the most crowded. Last Thursday (the 24th) at MK (it was early morning entry day), we waited 20 minutes to just place our order at Pecos Bills at 11:15am! It was a nut house! I have never waited that long for counter service at that time in the morning. But, I think the EMH had something to do with it.

At Animal Kingdom, the lines never seemed long for counter service. We ate at Rain Forest (not on DDP) and were able to get a table within 5 minutes - and that was at about 12:30pm.

My sister went to the Luau and said there were empty tables - but when I called a couple days before to add me and my daughter, they told me no availability... so go figure. I also tried to get an ADR for Sci Fi for Saturday (the 26th), and the earliest lunch time I could get for 5 people was at 2:40pm. I called two weeks out, so I expected it... so, we skipped MGM this trip.

It just seemed more crowded to me. Soarin had waits of 105 minutes one evening. I got to Space Mountain with my daughter on Saturday the 26th by about 9:15am, and we still waited 15 minutes. However, when we went over to Splash and BTMRR, at 9:45am, those were walk ons... So go figure.

But, flexibility and fast pass made it just fine. Be willing to try some new restaurants and go with the flow. It will be fun.

 

[Microcell]

I am going the 9th through the 16th so I will look for this thread when I get back, but I have to think that the parks will clear out after Labor Day when school starts again. I think other posters are right, the restaurants will be busier because of people like me who are taking advantage of TS credits. Would I go to Le Cellier without it, nope. I have ADR's at LTT, and Ohana that I normally wouldn't have either.

 

[nowellsl]

We've been going in Sept. for years. Last year during the free dining it did seem more crowded than past years, but not bad. It seems to me on these boards that the last week in Sept. might be pretty crowded. A lot of people going in Oct. moved their trips up to include the end of Sept. in order to take advantage of free dining. It still shouldn't be as bad as the beginning of the free dining promotion when the kids were still out of school. We're going on 9/15, I'm expecting moderate crowds.

 

[n2mm]

We went last year during fee ddp and it was not so bad, but you could not get into any place without an ADR. FAST forward: we just returned from this year's free DDP and it was much, much more crowded, the wait times were horrible and EMH was a joke (the wait times doubled when it began). No places will take walkins and when checking into the resorts the CMs are telling you, you need to make ADRs. The line for dining reservations at Pop was longer than the checkin line (anyone who has ever stayed at Pop will know, that is long). Lots of angry people everywhere we went. Angry people at guest relations trying to get dining ADRs, angry people at restraurants podiums, hungary kids crying....wheww. I had a great time BTW! Can't wait to do it again! 6 weeks can't come fast enough...ddp again, but this time out of my pocket.

 

[jonimce]

We went last year during fee ddp and it was not so bad, but you could not get into any place without an ADR. FAST forward: we just returned from this year's free DDP and it was much, much more crowded, the wait times were horrible and EMH was a joke (the wait times doubled when it began). No places will take walkins and when checking into the resorts the CMs are telling you, you need to make ADRs. The line for dining reservations at Pop was longer than the checkin line (anyone who has ever stayed at Pop will know, that is long). Lots of angry people everywhere we went. Angry people at guest relations trying to get dining ADRs, angry people at restraurants podiums, hungary kids crying....wheww. I had a great time BTW! Can't wait to do it again! 6 weeks can't come fast enough...ddp again, but this time out of my pocket.

Have to agree with you here. We just returned, Aug 13 -24. We saw people try to check in saying they had ADR's but the hostess could not find them in the system. When she asked for their ADR # they didn't have one. So if you have adr's be sure to have your #'s with you.

 

[deltachi8]

Crowds at the parks were noticeably smaller starting Sunday compared to Wed-Sat last week. On Tuesday at MK for example, wait times on Splash Mtn were only 5-10 minutes after lunch! We basically walked onto Test Track Monday mid afternoon.

Dining was still booked for the TS places. Make sure you have your ADRs before you get there, arrive 15 mins before your time and you should be fine. We were there 8/22-8/30 and other than it being busier that last year at this time, it wasnt bad at all. We had no issues with our ADRs and the longest wait we had was at San Angel Inn (20 mins).

The only time, dining wise, it seemed "nuts" was at Everything POP around 10 PM - it seemed like a zoo as everyone was returning from the parks getting snacks and CS meals. One idea is to stock up on your snacks that are not "fresh" and keep them in your room - boxes of doughnuts, bags of chips, etc. The refilable mus were handy with that as well.

Due to Ernesto, MGM seemed deserted yesterday - with no rain while we were there (9:30-3).

 

[DisneyMagic73]

We go in Sept and have been there during Free DDP and we call ahead and make ADR the night before and have no problems with times....we are a party of 2 so I am not sure how it is for large parties.