is off peak the new peak

[dwight16]

So something's I have noticed I have prided myself at only going down during times of the year when it's supposed to be less busy jan-feb non marathon. May non star wars end of aug September non Labor Day and early December. Things have been changing in my option. Just got back from an early May week and boy there were a few ruff days with the crowds. My sister sells disney trips and this free dining in September and October is about to sell out meaning forget about missing crowds then. I tried to think about a long weekend in early December only 3 weeks into the 7th month window and it's all I mean every resort is sold out even Saratoga for a studio. I was blow away. I know it's popular but man it's just getting harder to find a moderately busy time. I guess I am just wishing for them to end all these discounts and start to earn more off less people!!!

 

[disneynutz]

Disney has a renewed push to make the entire year as busy as possible. Their 1.5 billion dollar investment in MDE and MB's which gives them added crowd control and forecasting capabilities is pretty good proof.

We hope for the best but expect the worse. Bought contracts at out favorite resorts and book at 11 months 99% of the time.

Bill

 

[Chuck S]

So something's I have noticed I have prided myself at only going down during times of the year when it's supposed to be less busy jan-feb non marathon. May non star wars end of aug September non Labor Day and early December. Things have been changing in my option. Just got back from an early May week and boy there were a few ruff days with the crowds. My sister sells disney trips and this free dining in September and October is about to sell out meaning forget about missing crowds then. I tried to think about a long weekend in early December only 3 weeks into the 7th month window and it's all I mean every resort is sold out even Saratoga for a studio. I was blow away. I know it's popular but man it's just getting harder to find a moderately busy time. I guess I am just wishing for them to end all these discounts and start to earn more off less people!!!

Early December and most of January (not MLK Weekend) is still a relatively low time for the parks. But it is very popular for DVC room reservations because of the lower points required. Low park attendance is different from low DVC resort demand.

 

[drusba]

May was defintiely a surprise this year. We have been several times in May and this year we were there May 11 to 22. From May 11 to 17, the park crowds were huge. Not just larger than normal for May, but mid-summer, hard to walk around, 90 minute and longer stand-by lines for popular rides, huge. Disney even made a command decison and simply extended MK hours to midnight a few nights during that week because of the crowds. Inexpicably, everthing changed back to a more normal mid-May beginning Sunday, May 18, when crowds became quite manageable and stand-by lines plummeted. I have yet to determine why that first week was so crowded since as far as I know it was not free dining. There seemed to be a very large number of foreign visitors but there has to be more to it than that.

There does seem to be no time of year anymore when the parks are not crowded like they used to be not crowded in off seasons long ago. Last part of Jan after MLK day and first two weeks of Feb seem to be about the lowest crowds these days but still heavy. Much of Sep is usually also good but free dining has an impact. Oct just keeps getting more and more crowded although it is still well short of summer time or key holiday periods.

 

[dwight16]

Oh I know you can still get rooms all of September and end of aug but I have a feeling it's going to be busy in the parks. Just surprised my guess it's going to be busy all 12 months from now expect from time to time.

 

[LoveKermit]

Although, we just booked a Boardwalk view for Labor Day weekend at the beginning of May. I am hoping that's a good sign....

 

[dwight16]

i think the DVC schedule is starting to divert from the general booking. free dining does not have an impact on us like the marathon or food and wine has a major effect but its more of an older crowd. my next extended trip will be going for the last 2 weeks in august backing on locals being back in school and people in the rest of the country already taking their summer vacations.

 

[nuts]

May was defintiely a surprise this year. We have been several times in May and this year we were there May 11 to 22. From May 11 to 17, the park crowds were huge.

Strange, we were there from May 11 to the 14th and found no problems with the crowds. Most rides we were on in 10 minutes.

 

[HarvardAce]

Strange, we were there from May 11 to the 14th and found no problems with the crowds. Most rides we were on in 10 minutes.

Similar experience here. We were there May 8 through the 12th, and with the exception of MK on Saturday afternoon/evening, the crowds were not bad at all. We had FP+ for most of our rides, but there were more than a few times where the standby line was shorter than where the FP+ line merged with the standby line. The only big waits we saw were 60 minutes for Toy Story shortly after DHS opened and a 3+ hour wait to see Anna and Elsa. Everything else was listed at about half an hour or less and usually was 50% shorter than the posted wait time. It wasn't as dead as it was when we went at the end of last August, but it was a lot better than the early summer that we used to do. We did tend to avoid the parks between 1-4 for naps, so we probably missed some of the crowd there. The only time it really felt packed was leaving the MK after Wishes was done that Saturday night.

 

[profdsny]

We were there in mid-Decembe for a week and it was surprisingly light. Until we got up closer to Chrismas, then it really changed. I suspect the week before us was slow also.

 

[DebbieB]

I was there May 18-25. The first 3 or 4 days were not crowded at all. As it got closer to the holiday weekend, it did get more crowded but we used FP+ and really did not have any problems.

 

[sweetdana]

I was unable to get BC exactly 7 months out (and was coming in on a WED!) for a 2 bedroom any type at the BC from 1st week in Dec.. I was able to for 13-21 a few days past the 7 month window, when I changed dates.... I was confused, and excited.

so I feel and also agree with your take on it..

 

[dwight16]

So the last two weeks of August are slow that is my next target.

 

[Minniesgal]

So the last two weeks of August are slow that is my next target.

They are not that slow. We did a split stay in August 2013, I booked my home resort at 11 months and switched to Treehouses and BLT at 7 months but wished I had left some AKV nights in but 1 day after 7 months even Kidini was full. We wait listed and eventually got 2 nights but it took ages. Be careful it isn't that quiet probably because the points drop.

 

[HarvardAce]

So the last two weeks of August are slow that is my next target.

They are probably the slowest two weeks that still correspond to a time when most schools are off (compared therefore to early summer, spring break, and winter break), and the last week is slower than the second to last week. Agree with Minniesgal that it may not be as slow for DVC, but from a crowd perspective at the parks, I think they are usually ranked around a 3 and 4 out of 10.

Keep in mind that the weekends may be a bit more crowded, especially when Labor day falls early in September (like it does this year, on the first).

If you have to line up with when school is off, you don't mind the heat, and are willing to take a small risk due to hurricane season, then late August is a great time to go.

 

[dwight16]

I mean i don't care about taking my kid out of school for 1 week a year so working with that i would rather it ben hit then cold so going in January is not top on my list. I am just trying to find the best time to go for the least amount of crowds. My last 5 times have been early May, wine and dine 1/2 in early November, mid October, mid May, and April after Easter. Now my best luck was April after Easter. I know September was the best time but now with free dining it could be a mess.

 

[eporter66]

We started going in October way back in the late 90's and into the 00's. October always seemed fairly light until 2008, that was the first year we noticed that the crowds seemed to be bigger than normal. Now it seems like October is a fairly busy time. We have figured a few ways around it, and do pretty well hitting most of the rides (and the ones we liked multiple times). I am not sure how the magic bands will effect this, as last october we were still using fast passes.

Anyway - we continue to go in October because it is the best time for us, and we enjoy a bit of summer extension!

 

[vandy]

May was defintiely a surprise this year. We have been several times in May and this year we were there May 11 to 22. From May 11 to 17, the park crowds were huge. Not just larger than normal for May, but mid-summer, hard to walk around, 90 minute and longer stand-by lines for popular rides, huge. QUOTE]

We were there from May 13-22 and had somewhat the same experience. There were days that wait times for RNRC and TOT were 60 minutes or more but other days it was 10-20 minutes. Toy Story was anywhere from 20 minutes to 80 minutes. Same at the Magic Kingdom. It was like this over the entire 10 days and not where the second week was heavier than the first. We've been going at this part of May lately and would agree this year was busier than others. Parks at times did have more people than usual, and more visitors from other countries (ran into a lot of people from the UK!).

 

[bcvlover]

We used to go October... and now that is busy.....

and now our DD in High School, so there seems to be no good time to go except summer - and it's HOT.

maybe the week right after thanksgiving is still slow?

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

December 14-20 wasn't bad last year. The last week of April can be good if Easter is not late.