Is there a "slow" time?

[Faithful Raider]

We will be there late Jan / early Feb as well, for our first WDW trip. Just looking at how scarce ADR's were at 60 days out for me (not staying on property so booking daily) compared to how they looked just a few weeks ago, and compared to mid January, I am already planning on it being VERY busy. For our family, rides are low on our "to do" list (well, rides are high on my list but not so much with the rest of the fam), so we are making tons of ADR's and are going to enjoy eating at some cool spots, drink and snack around the parks (especially EPCOT for the festival), swim, play, and enjoy the weather (currently prepping for some snow here in SLC).

And then there's the crowd trackers and predicters. Over the last week, they have "predicted" the parks at 3-4 out of 10. Go look at the "here now" thread for reports of what these "3-4" days look like (these predictors are saying they were accurate on these days as well). I saw 110 minute wait for Jungle Cruise and Peter Pan in the last few days. Right now I see 80 minutes for TSMM and 75 for MMRR. So I'm guessing the folks on that thread saying "It's crazy!" and "It's so packed" are right. What do the crowd calendars say for the so-called "slow times" of late Jan / early Feb? Mostly 5's and 6's (with one 3 and a few 4s). So they are anticipating it'll be even busier on our dates than it is currently at the parks. And based on ADR's, I absolutely have to agree.

But again, no one knows. Lots of talk about Omicron, and if we get a surge, it could certainly be in Jan/Feb. International travel is just opening up, but will it stay open? Lots of variables still. I'm still planning on it being more crowded than I'd like, and if it's not, then great. But crowds or no crowds, I'm gonna be livin' large that week!

 

[gharter]

Over the years, Disney has worked hard to fill the quiet times. Whether it be festivals, large group activities. January, February and early December used to be quieter, but not in the last few years pre-covid. Going forward is anybody's guess.

 

[sponica]

The thing with that is, we do not know how many of them were planned for that period already, or a trip that has been postponed several times and they don't want to postpone again.
Then we have people who haven't been on a holiday for two years and have saved up, maybe staying longer this time around.

It's going to take a few years before we might be able to establish some sort of pattern again.

For Disney World and Disneyland it's now: Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

Hi, that's me. We normally do 4 to 5 day trips at a moderate, well this time around it's a 7 park day trip at the polynesian....

 

[PaladinButters]

We will be there late Jan / early Feb as well, for our first WDW trip. Just looking at how scarce ADR's were at 60 days out for me (not staying on property so booking daily) compared to how they looked just a few weeks ago, and compared to mid January, I am already planning on it being VERY busy.

Funny I was doing the same thing. Watching the dining daily thinking we would have no issues and then our dates came up it looked awful at 60 (luckily we are on site).
When we booked *ages* ago we could not have gotten our same room package for first week Feb and had to bump it back to Jan just to book.

We always go that time of year for the weather (can't handle Florida in September) and I wouldn't call it low crowds but I would have said moderate crowds (even a slow day at Disney is still tens of thousands of people after all). This time around with staffing as it is and people eaters still closed we are preparing for high crowds, prioritizing no E-ticket rides, and hoping for the best.

 

[bsmcneil]

Is there a best time, other than September? And do you think my kids can swim? Be reference we live in Indiana, which is not the coldest or warmest area.

We're going the same time, from Bloomington. Pools are usually heated, fwiw

 

[revdon64]

Disney has scheduled promos and events around the calendar that fill up the "down times" that we were all used to. Expect crowds. Got a mental picture? Double it. Now you're in the ballpark.

 

[KTwiegs]

We will be there same time. We have also traveled this time in the past.
yes covid will put all this up in the air but in the past the international guests were much more numerous so I am think with travel into the country a bit harder maybe less?
who knows.. I just excited to get back.
positive thoughts for all of our trips!

 

[Upatnoon]

Over the past few years, the trend has been busier times in spring, fall and winter and slower in summer.

People are following the weather more than ever. People don't like being miserable in the heat at Disney. Schedules are more flexible now for many people, so they take advantage.

I think the expectation for many visitors in January and February is that they will see low crowds -- making the shock of what they find worse.

 

[Bobb_o]

Haven't kept up with the thread but there's two considerations: Wait times and crowds

During slower times there may be less people but wait times could be elevated because of not running at full capacity. A good example is Star Tours which has 6 simulators but (far too) often only 3 will be running.

So if you're looking to minimize being around large crowds look for Jan/Feb/Sep but if you want the lowest wait times that may happen during the summer

 

[CanucksRock]

Many travelling in the same time frame ...or maybe I'm just seeing that because I'm going for two weeks end of January/Beginning of February As others have said, it depends on what you are comparing it to in regards to crowds. It is lighter than Summer Break and Christmas, but I'd say September is less busy; but can still be stupid hot. I think this will be my 4th trip in this time frame - the last being in 2020. The trip that will forever stand out as that's when Shanghai Disney closed, and this Covid thing started seem like it might actually be something...

We go in January because its the dead of winter at home. Its not too hot. It could be shorts weather, but usually I'd say jeans/t-shirts with a hoodie for mornings/evenings.

 

[Scalemaster34]

Over the past few years, the trend has been busier times in spring, fall and winter and slower in summer.

People are following the weather more than ever. People don't like being miserable in the heat at Disney. Schedules are more flexible now for many people, so they take advantage.

I think the expectation for many visitors in January and February is that they will see low crowds -- making the shock of what they find worse.

I'm just wondering what happens when International Travel really kicks back in.... that and the cheer/sports teams were missing last week, but it was still packed. There was pent up demand domestically, but I'm sure there is some pent up demand from International fans.

 

[Haley R]

We’ll be there for 3 nights the end of January and beginning of February. We’re locals so we can go whenever but the trend of slow times has definitely seemed to switch to summer instead of during the school year

 

[Bullseye]

All other things being equal I'd expect late January to early February to be ideal for lower crowds relatively speaking. Lower, but not low like it used to be.

 

[bmdq89]

Many travelling in the same time frame ...or maybe I'm just seeing that because I'm going for two weeks end of January/Beginning of February As others have said, it depends on what you are comparing it to in regards to crowds. It is lighter than Summer Break and Christmas, but I'd say September is less busy; but can still be stupid hot. I think this will be my 4th trip in this time frame - the last being in 2020. The trip that will forever stand out as that's when Shanghai Disney closed, and this Covid thing started seem like it might actually be something...

We go in January because its the dead of winter at home. Its not too hot. It could be shorts weather, but usually I'd say jeans/t-shirts with a hoodie for mornings/evenings.

You are right. A lot of the posters are saying they will be at Disney during late-Jan/early-Feb. I hope that is just a fluke!

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

We used to go late January almost every year, and it was definitely a "sleepy" time. Our kids were little and either they weren't in school yet, or we could pull them out for a week. These were the days of paper fastpasses, and we'd use those, but a lot of things were walk-ons or at most 20 minute wait anyway. We'd rely on a couple of bloggers to choose our dates and which park to visit on what day--they were spot-on in their predictions.

Over time it started seeming busier, and we realized that WDW had started cutting back on staffing during these times. Only one side of a ride would operate, only one line open at the QS place, etc. The "sleepy" time had just as long waits as any regular time. Not sure what impact FP+ had on those lines or how crowded it felt.

We have been several times since the shut-down, and except for the few months right after it reopened, it has felt crowded all the time. A day when a popular blogger says the park is a crowd level "3" still had long waits. On our most recent trip, a month out, the crowds were predicted to be low, but a week before we left, the predictions shot up to 6, 7 and 8.

What does this all mean? Just that, other than avoiding Spring Break, Thanksgiving and Christmas, I don't think you can plan for a "sleepy" time anymore.

 

[jimmymc]

January after Marathon weekend to before the February holidays, late April and May when there isn't a cheer or dance competition, and late August or September excluding Labor Day weekend are the best chance to have light crowds. It's not slow by 2010 standards, but it's better than what we've seen this fall.

 

[_19disnA]

Over the years, Disney has worked hard to fill the quiet times. Whether it be festivals, large group activities. January, February and early December used to be quieter, but not in the last few years pre-covid. Going forward is anybody's guess.

I agree, Disney has been trying to have special events during the historically 'slower' times to help spread out the crowds. With covid, no one has any better crystal ball to predict the future. Those 3rd parties also have no special insight and their projections of the future are mostly guesswork. People who lost their job/business during covid aren't likely to run out and take pricey vacations anytime soon and international travel still has various restrictions. I expect much of that to continue through 2022. The whole notion of 'pent up demand' is being pushed by the travel industry in an attempt to get people to make their travel plans sooner rather then later. I doubt most people will take 2 vacations to make up for the 1 they didn't do when covid caused most places to close.

How the various Genie options play into this is also too soon to tell. The most popular rides usually have the longest lines and whether you are waiting in a ride line or standing nearby probably doesn't matter as long as the walkways are wide enough to accommodate everyone.

 

[Jennifer S]

January after Marathon weekend to before the February holidays, late April and May when there isn't a cheer or dance competition, and late August or September excluding Labor Day weekend are the best chance to have light crowds. It's not slow by 2010 standards, but it's better than what we've seen this fall.

Does the marathon impact the park crowds?

 

[jaysmom4285]

Just back from seven days at WDW. We have gone to WDW in early December for the last fifteen years or so and have never seen it as crowded as it was this time. Purely subjective opinion, but there seemed to be many more people in the open areas, making it fairly congested a lot of the time, and standby lines were often at least over an hour. Our last December trip was 2019, and we always made good use of Fastpasses and almost never used the standby lines. We chose not to buy Genie+, mostly on principle, and ended up not doing some of the more popular rides because of wait times that were often 90+ minutes. We've done them all before, and it just wasn't worth it to us to wait an hour and a half for something we've already experienced. That, and many of the things that Disney is taking away or just doesn't offer any more, are making us reconsider future visits. Disney has always been fun for us, and the excessive crowds and longer wait times (and requirement to pay up if you want shorter lines) took away a lot of the fun for us. Not all, but enough.

 

[jimmymc]

Does the marathon impact the park crowds?

Yes, in addition to the marathon itself, the parks will be very crowded the days before and after.