Just back yesterday- could not believe the crowds

[jennilouwho]

My kids would be mortified to have been in a stroller at the age I see some of the kids at WDW and DL. I didn't even bother with Fantasyland on last trip as it was impossible to walk around there.

And I have also noticed that some families seem to place a higher priority on vacation then they do on attending school! Our school district doesn't allow kids to be out for such a reason!

We have year round school in our district. We go 45 days on, 15 days off. I am sure we aren't the only school district in America that does it. Met lots of families from Georgia this week on break. Several Aussies as well. Parks are busier than I was expecting, but we have still had fun and done almost everything we wanted to.

 

[KJal1]

Since 2001 (20+ trips) we've been every month except Oct and Feb and it was pretty crowded this past Monday. We went to MK and Epcot and both had long waits for the big rides and there were kids everywhere which I didn't expect considering it's only Sept. We went to AK, MK and Studios on Tuesday and wait times were much better but trying to get into a sit down restaurant for dinner at Studios without a reservation wasn't as easy as I expected. We ended up booking a 5:15 reservation around 3:30 at Brown Derby which was probably only available because you'd have to use 2 table service credits on the dining plan. We went to Epcot today and wait times were fine, not walk on for everything and we only rode Soarin (no FP), Test Track (w/FP) and Maelstrom (w/FP which we didn't even need) and walked around WS for Food and Wine -- it was still busy, definitely not packed but definitely not empty. Looking at wait times now at Epcot and Soarin is 45 min and Test Track is 60 min, at Studios RnR is 40 min and TSM is 70 min. IMO not really a slow week at WDW unless you're very strategic about what parks you go to and happen to have park hoppers.

I have to say I'm not a big fan of DDP or FP+, it's changing the way people vacation at WDW and not in a good way. I'm an uber planner but being made to decide what rides you're going to go on and when a month in advance and planning multiple meals months in advance during peak times (and obviously "slow" times now) is a little much, especially if you have little ones in tow.

 

[MommyMK]

I love how many complaints there are in this thread about KIDS being at Disney World. How dare they?

 

[To the honeypots]

We have been here since the 13th. It is much more crowded this year than last.

 

[ppony]

My kids would be mortified to have been in a stroller at the age I see some of the kids at WDW and DL. I didn't even bother with Fantasyland on last trip as it was impossible to walk around there.

Please don't judge books by their cover. Honest to God, WHY do people CARE what others are doing?! Some people have REASONS for why they are using them and you simply don't know them. No matter what those reasons are, even if it's because their kids are just tired, why would it concern anyone else? I have to admit it's a very sore spot w/ me the judgments of people on what they see and think they know. Not only do we use our stroller for you soon to be 7 year old son as a way for him to make it through park days w/ low muscle tone, it's also a safe place for him with his ASD (autism), a buffer between him and others, a place he can calm down when he has an "episode", a place to keep our stuff because both DH and I can't carry everything we need and for me, it takes the place of a walker because my back can't take walking for long and I have bone spurs. You couldn't know any of that to look at us, but there it is. So just give people some grace, OK?:little angel:

I have to say I'm not a big fan of DDP or FP+, it's changing the way people vacation at WDW and not in a good way. I'm an uber planner but being made to decide what rides you're going to go on and when a month in advance and planning multiple meals months in advance during peak times (and obviously "slow" times now) is a little much, especially if you have little ones in tow.

I TOTALLY agree. I've never been fan of the dining plans since their inception and now having used FP+ all I can say from experience, I HATE it. I'm tired of planning down to the minute. My life never goes according to clockwork and I can't stand being forced to try and make it when I have too many variables. I'm getting too old for this planning down to the second stuff they're trying to do for the sake of "convenience". it's been anything but and I used to love planning too. Not this way.

 

[FootracerJ]

It felt very crowded this past week -- though I judge by difficulty of getting around the park, not ride wait times.

I hate to say it, but I found myself getting extremely annoyed by all the strollers and scooters. I was constantly dodging them and almost getting run over!

I told my wife I couldn't imagine how dealing with a stroller the entire time would be worth it; I'd rather wait until the kids could walk.

The scooter transfers held up many rides. One woman held up a line while she was trying to turn her scooter around in a tight spot (while cussing in front of little kids). The she finally got off and LIFTED the back of her scooter off the ground to turn it around.

I know Disney wants to be inclusive -- I guess we just have to be patient.

 

[RealBlast3]

I think Disney will always appear "crowded" no matter what the calendar says, whether it's a "1" or the lowest time of the year or a "10" and the worst time of the year. You gauge the attendance by the wait times for the rides. Those who are expecting a "1" to mean a barren wasteland with tumbleweeds blowing around instead of people are just not being realistic. This is Disney World - it's always crowded.

As for all the strollers and scooters, it's been that way for years now, you should be used to it. If it's like your first time in Disney or first time like 20 years or something, than I'm sorry for the shock, but it is what it is - I think we all feel a certain way about them when we see them in front of us boarding a bus or get cut off or near hit in the walkways, but in the end, it is all par for the course in navigating your way around a Walt Disney World Vacation. I say, smile, take a deep breath, be patient, and remember, you're in Disney World, and don't sweat the small stuff.

 

[ppony]

I hate to say it, but I found myself getting extremely annoyed by all the strollers and scooters. I was constantly dodging them and almost getting run over!

I told my wife I couldn't imagine how dealing with a stroller the entire time would be worth it; I'd rather wait until the kids could walk.

The scooter transfers held up many rides. One woman held up a line while she was trying to turn her scooter around in a tight spot (while cussing in front of little kids). The she finally got off and LIFTED the back of her scooter off the ground to turn it around.

I know Disney wants to be inclusive -- I guess we just have to be patient.

And by the same token, as a scooter user a few weeks ago, I NEVER ran a single person over nor into them (nor have I with a stroller in all my years), but I had countless times I had to stop instantly for those cutting me off and let me tell you, NO ONE lets you continue on your way until your scooter is moving. Sitting and waiting for someone to stop so you can go forward is futile. People just keep going and going and no one lets you in. Going through the park on a scooter was a PITA and nightmare for me. I barely got to do anything I like to do and people were, well, mean! Also, to quote a friend of mine, scooters corner like 18 wheelers. I actually did that once w/ my scooter the best I could. Don't assume that because someone could lift that scooter, they aren't without need of it. I'm got tremendous upper body strength (or used to) but I needed that scooter to even traverse the park in any way. I can walk short distances but not far and I can't stand long w/o shaking. People in scooters don't like them anymore than you do, so again, how about a little empathy. How dare Disney be "inclusive" to the inconvenience of those w/ perfectly healthy bodies. I'm sorry, but I find your callous commentary very mean.

 

[Josh125]

We are here now arrived Tuesday evening. We have been following Josh's calendar and it's been super low crowds. MK especially, it seems. The light rain is probably adding to that. We rode Splash twice in a row this evening without even having to get off the ride.

Most headliners have 20-35 minute waits with the longest I've seen being Mine Train with 40 earlier today and Splash yesterday (via the app). We walked on many things so far this trip. We have been getting to the park early, using our fastpasses and heading back to Bay Lake around 2 and then back out in the evening. Aside from the sketchy weather it is the lowest crowds I've seen in years and a great trip. It's all about knowing which parks to go to and being flexible in your plans! Tomorrow it's AK is the morning then just cruising around Epcot and then to MK for the 11PM-1AM (ha, right) magic hours.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I think anyone who thinks that the parks are crowded right now have unrealistic expectations of "low crowd" levels. This is the lowest the crowds are at Disney at any point during the year. If it's too crowded for you now, don't try going any other time...it only gets worse!

 

[skatalite]

My wife and I have been here since Sept. 10, and we leave tomorrow.

We thought the crowds picked up this week, with Magic Kingdom being the most crowded during the days we went (Wednesday, Sept. 17 and Thursday, Sept. 18). We couldn't believe how many people there were. (We also went Friday, Sept. 12, and crowds were low, even during MNSSHP, which we also attended.)

Standby wait times we saw yesterday at MK:
- 60 minutes for Peter Pan
- 30 minutes for It's A Small World (the standby line extended outside of the queue)
- 70 minutes for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- 40 minutes for Haunted Mansion
- 60 minutes for Splash Mountain
- 40 minutes for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- We had a 6:30 p.m. Be Our Guest reservation but weren't seated until 7, and didn't receive our food until 7:45. Place was super busy with lots of free dining folks.

Then a nighttime rain storm hit and people began filing out around 9 p.m. So many people, my goodness. My wife and I are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge and the line for the bus extended past two other bus stops. The cast members in charge of the buses had to call in two buses at a time so people weren't waiting for hours just so they can get back to the resort.

In all honesty, this week has felt just as crowded as the time we went in June 2012 (16th through 26th). We still enjoyed ourselves and liked the FastPass+ system, and we did everything we wanted to do, so no complaints at all! We just found it odd that it got as crowded as it did, especially after hearing so much about September being the best time (crowd-wise) to visit the World.

 

[RealBlast3]

I think anyone who thinks that the parks are crowded right now have unrealistic expectations of "low crowd" levels. This is the lowest the crowds are at Disney at any point during the year. If it's too crowded for you now, don't try going any other time...it only gets worse!

Actually the lowest crowds are supposed to be the first 2 weeks of December, according to all the sites.

 

[FootracerJ]

Those who are expecting a "1" to mean a barren wasteland with tumbleweeds blowing around instead of people are just not being realistic. This is Disney World - it's always crowded.

Well, it wasn't quite 20 years ago, but in Jan 2011 it was all tumbleweeds and walk-ons for us -- through I knew we had hit it lucky.

I didn't care so much about ride wait times, because we had well timed fastpass+ for anything that had a long wait. I cared that getting from one place to the other was challenging.

These things certainly didn't ruin my trip; not by a long shot. Just an observation of interesting annoyances.

I'm sorry, but I find your callous commentary very mean.

I'm sure you are courteous in the park and I would not want to deny people with a disability the fun of enjoying Disney World.

I'm talking about the callous person who was cussing at their scooter and cussing at the cast members (for not helping enough) in front of my kids, or the mean one who ran over my foot while I was standing in line and just looked at me without saying a word.

And, I can't sugar coat the fact that I was annoyed that they stopped Splash Mountain for 5 minutes while I was sitting on the up-slope of the final drop while they were trying to transfer someone into the ride. Glad that person got to enjoy it -- still can't pretend it wasn't frustrating.

Again, these were minor in comparison to an awesome vacation. Yet, if nobody points out things that could possibly have a better solution, then nothing would ever improve.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Actually the lowest crowds are supposed to be the first 2 weeks of December, according to all the sites.

"All the sites?" Which ones?

This is a quote from the Touring Plans link that was posted above:

"Another Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom on Friday kept waits very low during the day, a level ’1′ for every attraction! Pretty safe to say that September 12th, 2014 is the single lowest crowd Magic Kingdom will see all year."

http://blog.touringplans.com/2014/09/17/disney-world-crowd-report-september-7-13-2014/#more-73224

Easywdw has 1s & 2s with 4s &5s sprinkled in through the month of September

http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/09-september-2014-crowd-calendar/

vs mostly 4s with some 6s & 7s sprinkled in during the first two weeks of December.

http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/12-december-2014-crowd-calendar/

Those are the most accurate sites out there. I'd have a hard time trusting any site that says that December is less busy than September.

 

[ppony]

Those are the most accurate sites out there. I'd have a hard time trusting any site that says that December is less busy than September.

We're regular early-mid Dec. goers (DVC) and I just got back a week ago and I can definitely say it's NOT lighter in Dec. than Sept.. Much the opposite. It's getting very popular to visit then. And w/ DVCers, it's THE most popular time.

 

[ppony]

I'm talking about the callous person who was cussing at their scooter and the cast members (for not helping enough) in front of my kids, or the mean one who ran over my foot while I was standing in line and just looked at me without saying a word.

Which it TOTALLY uncool for anyone to do. That kind of person is a jerk with or without the scooter obviously. I can't understand how easily people swear around kids. You'd think though, even if someones kids are used to it in their house scared: ), at Disney, they might be more G or PG rated at least? So sad that they aren't. I've said something once or twice to people.

And, I can't sugar coat the fact that I was annoyed that they stopped Splash Mountain for 5 minutes while I was sitting on the up-slope of the final drop while they were trying to transfer someone into the ride. Glad that person got to enjoy it -- still can't pretend it wasn't frustrating.

But it's such a small blip in time, and you were actually ON the ride. You said you're happy they got to enjoy it, but you were still annoyed. It can't be both ways. I'm sure they didn't like having to do it or bother anyone. I think MANY people would just rather the disabled stay him rather than cost them any time or inconvenience and that makes me so sad. I see someone in a scooter and I think "GOOD for them! They're getting out and not letting a physical issue keep them homebound like my father does." It was only this year I had to use a scooter for the first time and I hated it SO MUCH. I'm going to do everything I possibly can to avoid it in Dec.. Of course, I may have a heart attack (that's no joke), but I simply hated using that chair. People were mean, every ride had a different procedure, CMs weren't all on the same page w/ those procedures, I couldn't get into most of the stores and I LOVE shopping. It was terrible.

 

[inspectorgadget]

I was at MK on 9/8 and 9/10. The 8th was a Monday and it ended up being a level 1. We never waited for a ride, everything was at 5 or 10 min. Sometimes we would get fastpasses for a ride we were heading to if we happened to pass a kiosk on the way, but we didn't really need them. Wednesday the 10th was also a 1. Even though the lines were empty that day as well, it sure FELT like there were more people just walking around in the park. I though Mondays were supposed to be bad, but last Monday the 8th was awesome! What's the deal with that?

 

[Hisgirl]

This was in fact my experience..being at the beautiful Polynesian for 10 whole days..I was in and out of the MK morning, afternoon and night…never ever needed my fast passes…never ever waited more than the time it took to walk from the entrance to the ride…Yes there certainly are more vacationeers at WDW in September than 10, 20 and 30 years ago…but my visit was pure fun, not the searing heat I kept reading about, clean parks, amazing CMs, good food, etc…I had a few little gripes about lack of resort specific merchandise, missing Walts name being replaced with the stupid generic "Disney parks' everywhere…and the hacking of the Polynesian and bulldozing of beautiful historic Sunset Point..but other than that you wouldn't catch me dead at WDW during crowded season (just about the rest of the year)…I like it calm and September 2 to 11 was exactly that..look at the photos and film for yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCDjdbRcEHU&feature=em-upload_owner

My husband and I just watched your video. Nicely done! There were indeed some shots of the parks that my DH was shocked at how empty the park appeared. We're going Sunday and hoping that it's at least down a bit from all the other months..as this is our first September visit. Thanks for the video. It looked like you had a great time!

 

[YawningDodo]

And I have also noticed that some families seem to place a higher priority on vacation then they do on attending school! Our school district doesn't allow kids to be out for such a reason!

The one and only time I went to Disney World as a kid, my mom pulled me out of school for a week to do it. She was a teacher in the public school system, and she and my brother were on fall break while my private school stayed in session. I'm so glad she didn't let my school tell her how to raise her children; because she and my dad made the decision that I (an A and B student) could deal with doing my homework on the plane and catching up when I got back, I got to enjoy a really special trip to Disney World with her and my brother at a relatively low-crowd time. I treasure that week's worth of memories, but I sure don't remember whatever classes I had in any given week in middle school. If she was constantly taking me out of school, yeah, that would have been a problem, but you don't know those people's stories. This could be their once-in-a-lifetime trip -- or, as others have pointed out, they might not have even pulled their kids out of school for the trip at all.

 

[FootracerJ]

You said you're happy they got to enjoy it, but you were still annoyed. It can't be both ways.

Well, it can -- I can be annoyed that there isn't a feasible, cost effective solution to make these transfers happen without stopping a ride for that long -- in turn avoiding the embarrassment for the person, among other things. Granted, I don't have the answer; if did I'd work for Disney and have a nice office, with big windows.