Is WDW significantly more crowded this year?

[BabybetterDisney]

We have been going to Disney in September for years. This year September 2018, things were different in that the parks are much more crowded, and the lines are much longer. Case in point: we waited in line for the People Mover. In the morning. Seriously! I had never seen a line at the People Mover in my life! Splash Mountain used to be walk on until about 10:30 in the morning. Now it has a 20 minute line by 9:30 when the park opens at 9.

Maybe September is more crowded now due to people coming for the Halloween Parties? I don't know. I just wonder if other people have the same experience for other months? I'm glad to see more people at WDW, which means they are getting enough business. I'm just curious to know if WDW attendance is increasing generally, or just September.

Also, the free dining for September was only available online for about a week. They it was all gone. Free dining offers used to be available for a couple of months. Does that mean more people are going in September?

 

[TiggerBouncy]

We went in early September - 7th - 12th and the parks were dead. I haven't seen crowds that low in the last 5-6 years.

However, Disney is not the same place it was pre-2010, that's for sure. We used to go during the "quiet" months. There are no more quiet months. There is busy, super-busy and THISISCRAZYBUSY.

The price increases are (I think) partly intended to help lower the crowd levels.

Disney crowds will always flux due to the global economy.

 

[Mpadovani2]

Our family just stayed 9/22 - 9/29 and I found the parks to be empty. I was amazed and enjoyed it. I had talked to some people that were leaving as we arrived and they said the week before us was very crowded. They surmised it was from people fleeing the hurricane....not sure.

 

[snappy]

None of the parks were empty during our stay. Very very crowded. 10.13-10.21.

We did our 3 fast passes and sometimes did a fourth, and then fled to the pool and our balcony for boardwalk people watching and adult drinks. Only returned to a park in evening to share plates at food and wine. We found a lot of good options there. Got by with 1 ADR. Our total food bill was so low I still can’t believe it but we also ordered food and beer from amazon prime now.

 

[tlmadden73]

October, by all accounts, is probably the busiest overall month of the year now.

It is a perfect storm of:
1) More schools have "fall breaks"
2) People want the Halloween experience (and parties)
3) People want the Food and Wine festival experience
4) The weather is relatively cooler
5) People have been conditioned to NOT go in the summer (where they've heard for decades that it is too hot and too crowded).

I had some friends that went the first week of October (1-5) and they didn't complain about the crowds.

I am going Nov. 11-16 -- we'll see how it is crowded then. While it is somewhat on a holiday weekend, I suspect it will be crowded, but not as much as October - simply because it is a week before Thanksgiving. Never know until you get there.

 

[snappy]

At least it should be cooler on October. We were at or above 90 every day except departure day for 8 night stay. But it was sunny and good swim weather.

 

[FrankieWinthrop]

We were there in mid-September and the parks were pretty good, except for World Showcase at night for F&W. We don't care about the food or the wine, so we never made it past Frozen in Norway. I didn't even bother getting my favorite snack - a baguette in France - because there were just too many people back there. I feel like there were more people at the Halloween Party on 9/18 than there were in the parks on any of the normal days. They're definitely selling more tickets to MNSSHP these days!

 

[dakotix]

It's really hard to find the perfect time when the weather is nice and the crowds are low. We're going end of February and first week in March. Who knows what we'll find when we get there.

 

[a4matte]

None of the parks were empty during our stay. Very very crowded. 10.13-10.21.

We did our 3 fast passes and sometimes did a fourth, and then fled to the pool and our balcony for boardwalk people watching and adult drinks. Only returned to a park in evening to share plates at food and wine. We found a lot of good options there. Got by with 1 ADR. Our total food bill was so low I still can’t believe it but we also ordered food and beer from amazon prime now.

I was there the 12th-15th. Friday the 12th was waaaaaay under the crowd level we usually have on our October trip. Not So Scary was even switching the signs from Sold Out to Tickets Available (unless they accidentally put the wrong ones out at first, but we were standing right there as the CM was switching the signs). Not So Scary that night was reaaaallly empty then. We did the dessert party that gives you the place to sit in the astro turf and only a handful of people showed up. We think that might have all been because of the hurricane that just went through the panhandle and was working its way up through a few other states.

Saturday the 13th though... holy crap were the parks busy.

 

[snappy]

Yea, we went to MK on our arrival day, 10.13. It was awful, even with fast passes. We couldn’t wait to leave. We have no interest in the Halloween parties so I can’t comment on them except for how busy MK is on the nights that do not have a party scheduled.

 

[Animal]

At least it should be cooler on October. We were at or above 90 every day except departure day for 8 night stay. But it was sunny and good swim weather.

I've been looking at the weather observations for early to mid October. Our late July - early August trip was cooler!

 

[Animal]

It's really hard to find the perfect time when the weather is nice and the crowds are low. We're going end of February and first week in March. Who knows what we'll find when we get there.

You will find nicer weather and lower crowds.

 

[dreiwhit]

We went from 4-8 February this year, and the parks were very crowded. 30 minute FP waits crowded. Rope queue lines set up at guest services crowded.

Our two previous trips were 29 Feb - 4 March 2016 and the week after Thanksgiving 2016. The February 2018 trip was definitely the most crowded of the three.

I'm at a loss to figure out when to go back.

 

[snappy]

I was at wdw during that time frame both 2017 and 2018. I was surprised to find it both times extremely crowded.

 

[snappy]

It’s hard. You have to plan way ahead. We book DVC at the 11th month window most trips at WDW, but have picked up a day or two less than 7 months out. We have been very lucky to never have had to cancel and lose points. We have had to cancel but not at the last minute. It’s problematic with an infirm parent. I have wonderful siblings.

 

[Oliviaxxx]

We just got back from WDW. 10/15-10/20. It was our first visit so we have nothing to compare it to but we didn't think crowds were that bad.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I went in late August/early September as I have a number of times and while there are a lot of people there are not that long of lines.

Mid September/all of October/first half of November have actually become very popular times to go when they used to be slower times and now July/August is the new low crowd season.

About the People mover line it was likely that the moving walkway had to be stopped either due to someone needing assistance or too many people at the top not getting in the cars fast enough.
That backs up the line but once its cleared up they try to continue to move people on and off the ride as quickly as possible.
Even an extremely long line at the bottom has never taken me more than a few minutes to get through.

Free dining was released in April 24th for travel dates in August/September/November/December.
You could book free dining until I believe August 2nd. And as per usual nearly all of September was included in the travel dates.
So I have no idea what you're talking about that it was only offered for a week.

Overall I don't think FD impacts crowds as much as it mostly just impacts how many people are eating at TS locations.

 

[disneyseniors]

It's really hard to find the perfect time when the weather is nice and the crowds are low. We're going end of February and first week in March. Who knows what we'll find when we get there.

We did the end of Feb/first week of March this year. It was great! The weather was 70's and no rain. Perfect. The crowds were moderate due to the post marathon crowds,which I did not expect but happened. It was doable though. I hear weatherwise, that it is a crapshoot as to what you get. We went mid February 2017 and the weather was about the same. Good luck

 

[Amy11401]

None of the parks were empty during our stay. Very very crowded. 10.13-10.21.

We did our 3 fast passes and sometimes did a fourth, and then fled to the pool and our balcony for boardwalk people watching and adult drinks. Only returned to a park in evening to share plates at food and wine. We found a lot of good options there. Got by with 1 ADR. Our total food bill was so low I still can’t believe it but we also ordered food and beer from amazon prime now.

We were there October 14-20. I would love to know what the crowd levels were but I do not have a paid subscription to touring plans.

 

[snappy]

We were there October 14-20. I would love to know what the crowd levels were but I do not have a paid subscription to touring plans.

Me neither.