I'm freaking...will crowds drop after FTP

[Steve Hurley]

DW and I are going 12/12 - 12/16 and I've been horrified by the crowd reports over the last two weeks. FTP expires on 11/20/03... will the crowds go back to off season, low numbers after that.

I hope so!!!!!!!

 

[tigger&tigerlover]

We also just got back, and I thought the crowds were moderate at worst. If you go to the parks early, and do some planning, use fast pass as needed, you'd be fine even if the levels don't drop at all.

We were there 1 week, and rode *everything* that we wanted to ride...some things, like Mission:Space, more than once! We walked onto many rides between 9am and noon.

Don't worry, you'll be fine.

 

[tinawv]

Hi Steve. Like you, I am hoping the crowds go back to the typical "low" season numbers that you normally see for certain times of the year. We are going December 13-20th. The main reason we wanted to go in December was to see the Christmas decorations, but also selected those dates because they typically have low crowds. I did go to the WDW web site and did a check for room vacancies for our dates of travel, and found that all types of rooms were available for most of the resorts. Hope that means low crowds. Of course the downside is the parks will close earlier. I guess you can't have it all.

 

[katerkat]

I certainly hope so! I'm pretty much counting on the week of Dec. 14-19 to be quiet.

 

[DisneyMSF]

We just got back (were there Oct 18-25) and I didn't think the crowds were bad at all. We used Fastpass when necessary, and the longest we waited in line for anything was about 20 minutes. Even for the stuff we fastpassed stand-by waits were only in the 30-35 minute range most of the time. And many times we rode stuff with 10 minute waits or less.

I believe historically, December is even less crowded then October, so crowd levels will probably be fine when you go.

 

[WDWisTheBest]

For the sake of those employed by WDW, I hope the attendance stays consistently steady. That way cast members won't experience cut backs or reduction of hours. It is always manageable to visit the theme parks if you do some planning, use fastpass when necessary, and take breaks.

Visiting the theme parks is normally more fun when they are moderately "crowded", but not overwhelming so as during New Year's Eve.

Enjoy.

 

[mickeysaver]

We will be there from 12/14 to 12/21. I think it will be fine. I can't wait to check into the POP! Mickey

 

[boling]

what is FTP ?

 

[katerkat]

Originally posted by boling
what is FTP ?

Fairy Tale Package - it was something like book 4 nights, get 3 for free. Or something like that. BIG draw for people, apparently.

 

[shelleyz]

We were there the 18-25th too for our first trip and we didnt think the crowds were bad. Longest we waited in a line ride was about 15 minutes. We did wait 40 minutes though to meet Ariel in her grotto. We did EMH for Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. Glad we did, we got a lot done in that extra hour. I thought it was going to be crowded from the reports before we left but it was fine.

 

[mepoozer]

I have heard alot about x-mas and new years as far as the crowds but what about from 11/24-11/29, over the Thanksgiving time? Any suggestions? Thanks alot, Karen

 

[WDWisTheBest]

That is one of the most appealing times to be at WDW. There should be large crowds during that period of time.

 

[nowellsl]

We were there 10/24-26 and I agree, the crowds weren't nearly as bad as we were anticipating. I don't think it will be bad at all in Dec. until Christmas. We've been 4 times in Dec. and crowds were great!

 

[Tracie]

I returned home from WDW last night. I was worried about the crowds before my trip, because when I checked the resorts there were not many rooms left and our plane from DFW was full. I was surprised when we got to the airport and most people waiting to board our plane looked to be mostly business travelers, there were alot of people at the Swan and Dolphin (both were full) there for conventions and I met some people playing hooky from thier seminars on mission space that were at the Contemporary, plus the golf thing was going on.......so if the hotels are full it doesn't mean the parks will be. The crowds were not bad at all the 22-27 we only got up for EMH for the AK and only used fastpass 2 times in 6 days.

 

[aesalsa]

I think crowds will get better, although they were not horrible from 10/15-10/20. They were a lot lighter from 10/21-10/24. I think many people were there for the new attractions and the start of Food and Wine Fest. Since DH and I like the smallest crowds possible, we will be going to WDW in early to mid DEC. in the future. Wonderful time of year!