It’s January!!! This is crazy!!! The crowds are insane. Hi

[Farro]

I have no idea how that got into the thread title.

I loved it!

 

[snappy]

Wait times for Mine Train were 150-180 minutes. Just to get into the fast pass line was 5-10 minutes to scan.

Thunder Mountain reached an 80 minute wait time and I believe Haunted Mansion hit an hour plus. That seems pretty high for January. Walking was difficult in both parks.

Sounds awful! Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

 

[mom2shayleeandlogan]

I loved it!

I did too it made me giggle

 

[ccbloom]

I loved it!

Maybe the servers at Misner’s were serving me just enough! LOL!

 

[kathy884]

Spent Yesterday (Saturday) at the MK crowd level 9 (really busy). There was even a 14 minute wait for the People Mover and the Carousel of Progress was almost full lol. Can't remember ever seeing either of those. We are home now, but stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn by SeaWorld, for the past week. The week wasn't as crowded as the weekend. As another poster alluded to, maybe it's the Pro Bowl that is one factor affecting crowds. We tend to hang at the hot tub at our hotel if we aren't doing a morning to night park day and for the past few days it seemed everyone we met or talked to was here for the Pro Bowl and doing some theme park days too.

 

[AngiTN]

Welcome to the new era of Disney. Anyone trying to compare it to a past trip will be in for quite a surprise.

 

[AngiTN]

In regards to your comment that they are never truly gone, I use Touring Plans Lines app. If their app says "Distribution Done" or "Gone" is it possible more can become available later in the day? I've always wondered that.

I am a fan of Touring Plans but their FP status is always inaccurate. It's one of the more worthless parts of the site. I get what they are trying to do but it's too fluid/constantly changing for their site to keep up with it

 

[scottandtisha]

Wait times for Mine Train were 150-180 minutes. Just to get into the fast pass line was 5-10 minutes to scan.

Thunder Mountain reached an 80 minute wait time and I believe Haunted Mansion hit an hour plus. That seems pretty high for January. Walking was difficult in both parks.

???

I was at MK today from 8:30-3:30. Splash was a walk-on at 1p. Big Thunder was 10 minutes at that time. POTC was 5-10 min. HM was 10 min. iasw was 10 min.

Could have gotten any FP except for BTMR and 7DMT.

Not sure where you were, but I didn't see any significant lines on this crazy, rainy day!

Today, we rode ...
7DMT standby
Buzz x2 standby both
People mover
Carousel
Splash x2 standby once
BTMR x2 standby once
HM
Winnie
Hall of Presidents
POTC standby
iasw
Laugh floor

 

[pens4821]

I knew to expect crowds, but was still a little surprised how crowded the last week was. I went to MK Sunday thinking Monday (MLK) would be a little more crowded, but that thought wasn't true. Although, Monday may have been more crowded. The FP line for BTMRR was backed up out of the line down the walkway halfway through the stroller area. It took us a good while to get through. I didn't time it, but I'd say 25-30 minutes. The posted wait time was over 2 hours. This was about 2ish. We had some time to kill, so ended up getting in lines we usually wouldn't. Pirates was posted at 65 minutes, but only waited about 35. Small world was posted 45, and it took maybe 35. Aladdin was 50 minutes, so we didn't attempt that (the line didn't look bad, but FP was backed up). Walked into Tiki room and Country bears. Got a FP after 7D (line wasn't too bad) for Under the Sea, but there weren't many options. Buzz was still over an hour at 7ish.

Monday at Epcot, the FP line for SE was about a 20 minute wait. Test Track was backed up to where you scan to get in line. We did end up riding MS and TT in the last 45 minutes-1 hour. Friday for EMH we did some thing then headed to BTMRR. Got there about 920. The posted time said 30 minutes. We weren't moving at all. Then I looked on the app about 10 minutes in, and it said 70. We ended up waiting about 45.

We noticed there was a lot of times the FP lines were quite long. We also waited in long FP lines for Buzz and RNRC (about 25 minutes each). TOT we had a FP from refreshing and got in line at 715. The park was closed when we got off (and we started almost through the door to go inside. People mover was backed up the couple times we were thinking of riding although we didn't notice a wait time.

It just felt crowded too. Not just wait times, but trying to walk around. Every park was just so congested the whole week (minus maybe the first hour or so in the morning).

Having said that, we still had a blast! We did some things that we don't usually (did more shows/entertainment than usual), and just sat back and relaxed sometimes. We still got to do everything we wanted, and the ones we wanted to do multiple times we did. I had planned for crowds with our plan of attack, and for the most part it worked out well.

 

[DisneynBison]

???

I was at MK today from 8:30-3:30. Splash was a walk-on at 1p. Big Thunder was 10 minutes at that time. POTC was 5-10 min. HM was 10 min. iasw was 10 min.

Could have gotten any FP except for BTMR and 7DMT.

Not sure where you were, but I didn't see any significant lines on this crazy, rainy day!

Today, we rode ...
7DMT standby
Buzz x2 standby both
People mover
Carousel
Splash x2 standby once
BTMR x2 standby once
HM
Winnie
Hall of Presidents
POTC standby
iasw
Laugh floor

It was also raining all day long yesterday.

We have been coming for years this time of the year and just got back from a 11 day trip yesterday. We rode what we wanted but had to work at our fastpasses. It was really busy some of the days. I think it might be a every other year thing now for us. Time to bank the DVC points. We had fun but wasn't as enjoyable having to constantly stare at phone to work for the fastpasses. We actually left parks early many days and hung out at the hotel. The next step is probably start spending a few days off property and we are ok with that.

 

[Timothy02359]

Welcome to the new era of Disney. Anyone trying to compare it to a past trip will be in for quite a surprise.

Exactly!

 

[crayon3448]

We've been here since last Wednesday and we here this weekend (weekend after MLK day) last year.

We were unable to book FP in advance because we had some old tickets to upgrade. It has been a lot harder to get FP than any other time I can recall (even spring break I thought was easier) but by refreshing day of and using rope drop we've gotten done most everything we wanted to do.

Saturdays are always busy at MK, so I don't think this week is busier than any other. Thursday it rained right until rope drop at MK and it took about 2 hours for people to really be in the park. We rode BTMR three times, splash once then space with no wait. We were at Epcot Saturday until about 2 in Future World and don't think the lines were longer than any other times we've been. We spent yesterday (Sunday) at MK all day which was rainy and cold but everything was pretty much walk in, or you could easily get FP (saw multiple 7DMT available in the app).

 

[WaterLinds]

I'd blame it on the locals, but surely they don't flock to the parks when it's cool and rainy?

They probably don’t anymore, with the era of high crowds, but when I was a kid this was definitely a thing locals did. I remember my mother shaking me awake to announce that it was a rainy day and we were going to Disney World to avoid the lines. Spoiled brat that I was, I complained nonstop about these trips!

 

[only hope]

Local passholder. We went to MK Saturday and thought it was less crowded than a normal Saturday. Arrived around noon, stayed til the fireworks were done. Booked fp in the car on the way over and more in park after we used the first three. Didn’t do standby for anything except People Mover since there is no fp. There were a few long fp lines, some because a nearby ride was down, but the cm kept it moving fast; we didn’t wait more than 10mn for anything. We even got a second row spot for the parade about 15 mn before it started. People Mover was about a ten minute wait too but Space was down. We stood halfway back Main Street for the fireworks and there was a lot of empty space. Walkways had plenty of room except at choke points and in the main part of Fantasyland, as always.

 

[ccbloom]

???

I was at MK today from 8:30-3:30. Splash was a walk-on at 1p. Big Thunder was 10 minutes at that time. POTC was 5-10 min. HM was 10 min. iasw was 10 min.

Could have gotten any FP except for BTMR and 7DMT.

Not sure where you were, but I didn't see any significant lines on this crazy, rainy day!

I was referring to crowds on Friday and Saturday. Sunday with the rain, we didn’t even go in the parks. It’s just not worth the misery to me to be cold and wet.

 

[casperthegm]

Friday and Saturday were very busy. We hit MK on Friday. With rope drop and strategic fp use we did ok, though just navigating through the crowds was challenging. A nearly full seating for Carousel of Progress and winding lines for People Mover? I don't recall seeing that in late January before. AK was very busy on Saturday as well. We mistakenly thought that it would be the slowest of the four parks. And maybe it was, but it was still much busier than the last time we'd been there (just prior to opening of FOP). Still, an early arrival got us through fop within 75-80 minutes. FP's for everything (other than bug's life) were gone by early to mid afternoon. It was a busy day for sure.

 

[Texans_loyal]

we were there 2 weeks ago and the crowds were insane. It didn't bother us because we expected it. What bothers me is 8 PM MK closures when the park is packed.

 

[Buzzsgramma]

AGREE we come down every year around this time....AK was sooo crowded on Friday...and now today DHS was the same....Thankful for fp ad ADR's....tomorrow is MK!!!!

 

[1lilspark]

Pro Bowl but FWIW last January it was noted here lots of rides were being run at half capacity

 

[NYCANC]

we were there 2 weeks ago and the crowds were insane. It didn't bother us because we expected it. What bothers me is 8 PM MK closures when the park is packed.

Was it the night of DAH? 1/17? DAH was 8-11pm that evening.