Is there a "slow" time?

[jimmymc]

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.

I think this year's early December crowds are an exception. The US just started allowing European tourists again in November, and many DVC or other frequent travelers have been pushing back trips. I'll probably try next December to see how it is and enjoy some better weather.

 

[bmdq89]

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.

Sorry to hear that.

Do you have any idea what the wait times were with Genie+?

 

[Miffy]

Sorry to hear that.

Do you have any idea what the wait times were with Genie+?

G+ pretty much guarantees that you won't be waiting for the attraction. But that's not the issue. The issue is: Can you get a G+ for the attraction you want at a time that you want? The answer we've found this week is: sometimes or rarely.

Why? Because you can book only one G+ at a time and you can't book another one until you've either used the one you booked or it's 2 hours since the last one you booked. We have had very mixed luck getting a 2nd or 3rd G+ that we wanted. Nothing at all like FP+ or even FP. And all the desirable rides on G+ are sold out by early afternoon.

Of course, at the time you're going this may not be an issue. Maybe the parks won't be very crowded. If that's the case, you won't even need G+. But there are no guarantees right now. A lot of people have pent-up vacation needs.

Also keep in mind that in Jan-Feb some rides are closed for refurbishment. Check out AllEars.net--they should have a current listing.

Swimming? The pools are heated, but you have to get out of the pool and get back to your room. That can be challenging in 55-degree weather. Ask me how I know.

Weather? Could be anything from keep-your-winter-coat-on-the-entire-trip to it-might-as-well-be-summer. Impossible to predict. We had an early-February visit that was so cold and rainy we never came back at that time of year again.

And . . . 30 years ago? You are in for a completely totally hugely different experience. I mean, you've never been to Animal Kingdom, for example.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

been a few times this year. The only time it was "slow" was the end of August/beginning of September, crowds were a bit higher on Labor Day weekend. went to DHS on a Monday in August and rode almost every ride in the park (pre-Genie). Last Monday at DHS had no plans to ride anything.

 

[bmdq89]

What time has the lowest crowds?

 

[spot28]

We are going to the park from late January to early February. Our thought was that this will be the "sleepiest" time at the parks. But I have been hearing there is no lull at the parks. It is always extremely busy, and the parks are only getting busier each year. What are your experiences? I don't want to be shoulder to shoulder with tons of people!

It used to be September October than it was first part of December I’m starting to think there’s never a downtime because as soon as there is, they add some event to attract people to come…I think attendance overall has increased each year Over the course of the last 20 years. My conjecture people used to do Disney maybe once every five years or so and now I think our generation goes like every yearI’m starting to move to every other year but better dining or hotel versus every year. Quality over quantity

 

[spot28]

We once went during a tropical storm and the lines were great!

 

[easyas123]

We once went during a tropical storm and the lines were great!

We once coincidentally booked right after a hurricane- it was empty. Great!

 

[Scalemaster34]

2004.... Disney was a magnet for Hurricanes. We evacuated in the Panhandle of Florida to WDW for Ivan that had been predicted to hit WDW, but track changed. At same time Jeanne was heading in well below Orlando. Caught one day of rainy windy weather and then it was beautiful, and walk on for everything for about two or three days. During the last economic "bust" 2006 - 2008, things were somewhat slow...

I do miss the days when TT was always a 13 minute wait, even if it was only 5 or 10 minutes... but that's been a decade or more in the past.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I remember going right when Galaxy's Edge opened and there was this hurricane approaching. I believe the day after the grand opening at GE. No one was there. Rode the Falcon four times in a row. Yes, we did end up with a half-day park closure later in the week when the hurricane arrived.

 

[miss0033]

2004.... Disney was a magnet for Hurricanes. We evacuated in the Panhandle of Florida to WDW for Ivan that had been predicted to hit WDW, but track changed. At same time Jeanne was heading in well below Orlando. Caught one day of rainy windy weather and then it was beautiful, and walk on for everything for about two or three days. During the last economic "bust" 2006 - 2008, things were somewhat slow...

I do miss the days when TT was always a 13 minute wait, even if it was only 5 or 10 minutes... but that's been a decade or more in the past.

My girlfriend (now wife) and I went in early April 2010. It was DEAD. She really needed a break from Grad School, I had just been laid off and had zero prospects of getting a new job. I told her we could go if she could find a way to do it for less than $400 each. We went for 4 nights. There was a "Give a Day - Get a Disney Day" offer. We volunteered at a local hospital to get free magic kingdom tickets in return. Everything was a walk-on, we might've waited 15 minutes for Space Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain, but that was it. We did Magic Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Epcot, and Islands of Adventure, with 4 nights off site and flights for less than $400 each. (Flights ended up being miles from a credit card sign-up), Hotel was a priceline deal that had a "complimentary" shuttle, something like $48/night in Kissimmee. They were begging people to travel and come.

We've been back 4 times since at different times of the year and it has been more busy each time we have returned. That just seems to be the trendline.

 

[jimmymc]

What time has the lowest crowds?

September is the lowest crowds. Very few people take their kids out of school that early in the year, and the weather is still very hot and humid, even by Florida standards.

 

[jimmymc]

My girlfriend (now wife) and I went in early April 2010. It was DEAD. She really needed a break from Grad School, I had just been laid off and had zero prospects of getting a new job. I told her we could go if she could find a way to do it for less than $400 each. We went for 4 nights. There was a "Give a Day - Get a Disney Day" offer. We volunteered at a local hospital to get free magic kingdom tickets in return. Everything was a walk-on, we might've waited 15 minutes for Space Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain, but that was it. We did Magic Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Epcot, and Islands of Adventure, with 4 nights off site and flights for less than $400 each. (Flights ended up being miles from a credit card sign-up), Hotel was a priceline deal that had a "complimentary" shuttle, something like $48/night in Kissimmee. They were begging people to travel and come.

We've been back 4 times since at different times of the year and it has been more busy each time we have returned. That just seems to be the trendline.

I saw in a recent video that WDW attendance has grown about 25% since 2010, and the parks have not increased capacity at the same rate.

 

[stinkpickle]

What time has the lowest crowds?

Midnight to 8am.



Sorry. I couldn't help myself. But crowds are usually lowest in September.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Midnight to 8am.

In reality, right now that might be the only accurate prediction any of us can make!! Trying to figure out slower times at WDW right now is nearly impossible, with so many outside factors involved.