Just got back! It had it's ups and downs.

[vcgirl925]

Let me start off by saying we had a great trip. We had so much fun and there were so many positives. I love Disney, i really do. But this trip did me in. I think we'll start going every OTHER year instead of every year.

However with the positives there are also negatives. For example, crowd calendars predicted 4's and 5's for most of the week up until Friday the 15th which were supposed to be 8's and 9's. Let me say if the parks were only a 4i would HATE to see a 10. Overall every park didn't just seem crowded but more congested. It felt like there was no real breathing room. There were attraction closures/problems/technical difficulties. Pretty much every day, every park, there were problems.

We got to MK by rope drop on the 10th. Went straight for new fantasyland. The entire new fantasyland was down. Well....all of it but Gaston's and the gift shop (insert eye roll). How is it possible that all the attractions were having technical difficulties? So we got FP's for little mermaid and went straight on Peter pan. Checked new fantasyland and it was still down. Ok, there go the plans for dragging the family there that morning JUST to do new fantasyland and trying to beat the crowds. Went to IASM. Then back to the new fantasyland and it was finally open. However now the wait time for Belle was at 60 minutes. Oh well, we can't get FP's for it so decided we might as well wait it out. The line ended up not being that long...maybe 45 minutes. But when we got in the cupboard (forgot her name) was not working. They had a CM do the part of the cupboard. Son was picked for Beast and daughter was a salt shaker so we had a great time. I thought the whole thing was very cute and fun. So much so that we ended up going again later in the week with family. The cupboard was working this time and son got picked for beast again.

We did LM with FP's and thought it was a big letdown. I mean it's cute. But if i had to wait any more than 15 minutes for it i would have been mad. It's just old school animatronics. No new technology...not one drop of real water on the whole ride. Kids didn't even really enjoy it.

I have to say that i wasn't all that impressed with new fantasyland. I liked how Dumbo is now two Dumbo’s and the play area was cute. Dumbo was my 20m old's favorite. I also did like what they did with Barnstormer either. I liked how it used to go through the barn...hence being called the barnstormer...right?

Also had no idea they changed Kilimanjaro safari. No more Simba 1? No more poachers? No more baby elephant? We got an early safari and had an active bunch of animals so we still enjoyed it, but did not like the changes.

Also, did not care for the new test track either. It was my 9 year olds favorite. Not any more It was only fun at the end......

But the absolute WORST part of the trip was on Friday the 15th at magic kingdom. It was during right after the parade so there was no getting out fo the park by the castle or down in frontierland. I then walked all the way around between pooh and teacups and along that path. There is a smaller path that leads you to the hub in front of the castle. The hub and all of main street has a yellow line and that line is where you are supposed to stand and not the other side to keep a clear path for others not watching the parade or fireworks. Well the cm's did not follow this and the entire walkway and hub was crowded with people. No walkway. So i was trapped with people all around me and a 7 year old and a stroller. No way to move. People were pushing me forward, people were stepping on my 7 year old and pushing into the stroller...not just me but everyone around. It was horrible. It was a stand still for 20 minutes with people freaking out. At one point it got pitch black before the fireworks. Finally a CM came and tried to clear a path, couldn't do it. Then they called about ten cm's in and eventually got the walkway cleared. It was the most unorganized thing I’ve ever seen at Disney. It was dangerous.

Phew..this was longer than intended. I am normally NOT a negative poster. I overall had a great time at Disney. We made great memories and had many wonderful meals and experiences. But the above were some of the things i personally experienced this trip. We enjoyed the resort (POR). But this past week had so many negatives that it really did make me rethink our yearly vacation.

 

[jennyjinx3]

Wow. I know, we had a similiar experience trying to get out one night in MK, borderline scary. My kids were all in tears. It really does sound like there is no slow time anymore.

Glad to hear you enjoyed most of the trip though. Thanks for the mini report!

 

[Planogirl]

It sounds like the crowded conditions were the biggest problems. I hate being trapped in a mob of people too.

What you said about the Safari was interesting. A lot of people used to complain about the storyline. We never really cared because we only ride for the (real) animals anyway.

 

[BamaGirl]

We were in a mob of people after the 4th of July fireworks (but on July 3rd). I thought that the crowd would not be quite as bad since we were there on the 3rd. Boy was I wrong! The fireworks were amazing but so was the crowd. There were 8 of us 4 adults and 4 kids; our group got separated but luckily it was a 2 adults with 2 kids split. I was scared! Then someone tried to separate me from my 9 year old son!!!!

One thing funny did happen in all of that mess though. A girl was complaining about people being too close to her! I could not help but laugh!

I love the fireworks but not the crowds afterwards!

 

[eeyoresmom]

We are still here and agree with OP. Friday at MK was horrible. We have been spending lots of time at the resorts this trip. Will try to never do Feb again as its been too cold and or rainy for much pool time.

 

[Disneylover99]

it's funny... I always feel this way after a few negative experiences once I return from a trip. I say, I don't think I will go back next year. Then after a few weeks, the negative experiences fade and I just remember the good times. Within a month, I'm scouring the Internet, looking for a good deal so I can return!

Hopefully you will feel this way too!

 

[momto3gr8boys]

it's funny... I always feel this way after a few negative experiences once I return from a trip. I say, I don't think I will go back next year. Then after a few weeks, the negative experiences fade and I just remember the good times. Within a month, I'm scouring the Internet, looking for a good deal so I can return!

Hopefully you will feel this way too!

Disney is a lot like childbirth that way .

 

[Disneylover99]

Disney is a lot like childbirth that way .

Exactly!!! Why didn't I just say that?

 

[avalanche1977]

I am here now and the crowds are unlike anything I've seen. The MK was beyond packed yesterday. Waits for Space Mountain were 120 minutes (almost 20 with FP), 95 for Peter Pan, over an hour for Haunted Mansion and Pooh. Probably will not be coming back over a major holiday.

 

[AlohaAnnie]

What you describe reminds me of our Christmas Week 2011 Trip.

The crowds were massive and because the rides were in use so much they were often closed.
It was always wall to wall packed without breathing room.
I can say we will never go back at Christmas week. Overall, we did have a great vacation.


But after that Christmas experience I will forever compare crowds to that week and as long as they are not like that week, I will be fine.

Perhaps, you should choose a different week to go.

We are returning to June this year and then we are going to switch to last week of March first week of April for a while until the kids are finished with middle school & high school. We know those times are busy but we don't have a choice.

Not that I want my kids to grow up fast but I am looking forward to the day we can go in October again! Our favorite time of year.

 

[Salrx95]

MK was pretty crowded on Friday. It was our last park day but we did get a lot done, regardless. Only our second disney trip but we feel we really have perfected the fast pass system to maximize our ride experience. Our kids are young so we don't do the big attractions/coasters, which I'm sure helps.

We had also done MK wednesday and it was empty especially after the rain came around dinnertime.

Our 4 year old fell asleep for the Light Parade for Wednesday's late one but was awake for Friday's. We left after the parade to beat the crowd since we saw the fireworks Wed. night and it was quite difficult getting out down main st, with the stroller, though our experience was not quite like the OP.

We would gladly do the same week again. We knew Friday might be the busy day due to beginning of president's weekend.

 

[MichiganDVC]

Coming from someone who visits WDW 2-3 times per year, I feel that in order to have a good time, you must have realistic expectations and a fair amount of flexibility. I am headed down there in just a few days and, yes, I expect it to be crowded. It is President's week, after all. And since I'm a teacher, I have no other time to go but the breaks that everyone gets nationwide.
So, to hear that Pan has a 90 minute wait? Its ok. I'll go on it next time. Or the time after that. Not going on Pan, or Haunted Mansion, or any of my favorites won't make it or break it for me. I'll be back. In fact, I'm not even sure if I will go to the Magic Kingdom at all this trip. It is by far the busiest of the four parks on average and on a busy week nonetheless. I'll stick closer to my resort (BCV) and WS in Epcot, where comparatively no one seems to be.
There is so much to do and see at WDW, but you have to be ready to pass by your "favorite" ride if its too busy and say, "next time."
I've also never been on TSMM...the waits have always been ridiculous and I don't do rope drop. But someday when its no longer the flavor of the month ride and people find something else to run to, then maybe.
My itinerary consists of DTD first night (Fulton's/Raglan); pool and Epcot Thursday (Via Napoli @3); Friday: Braves V. Tigers at WWoS then Epcot maybe; Saturday pool then Magic Kingdom, maybe; and Sunday, Epcot before not-so-magical express back to MCO.

 

[~Tonga Wingo~]

But after that Christmas experience I will forever compare crowds to that week and as long as they are not like that week, I will be fine.

I keep reading that it is getting more crowded in off time (especially this month) and it makes me nervous because I moved my usual June trip to October hoping for lighter crowds. However, this makes me feel better because while I don't doubt it is more crowded than usual, I am wondering if it is truly packed or just much busier than people's usual expectations. If people are used to it being slower, then I wonder what they are comparing the current crowd levels to and whether it is really crowded like 9s or 10s as I have been reading (in multiple posts) or just a bit busier. Not meaning this to be mean in any way just an observation from a few posts I've seen about Feb/Jan overall. It makes me wonder if I will really have lower crowds in October or if it's really getting busy at all times.

 

[kandb]

We go to disney every year (and are from NJ also). We have enjoyed our trips but we are not going to go every year anymore. It's getting ALOT more expensive and we just don't get the same kind of enjoyment we used to get. I don't like being in massive crowds, waiting on line for food, restroom, and especially hours for rides. The last few trips, a few times I questioned if we were "really having fun". There alot of vacation destinations to enjoy.

 

[mikerobrewer]

Glad you had a good time despite the negatives.

The one thing I disagree about is the Simba-1/Poachers story in Kilimanjaro Safaris. I like it much better having the CMs talk about the animals you are seeing without being interrupted by the game warden. No matter how I tried I could never muster much concern about a fake baby elephant.

 

[ttintagel]

Overall every park didn't just seem crowded but more congested. It felt like there was no real breathing room.

I noticed that on my last visit, too - traffic flow is just crazy, especially in the MK. There are deserted areas, and then areas you can't elbow your way through for love or money. I wish they'd bring in a city planner to advise them how to rearrange things for a better effect.

Re-opening some QS food places and getting rid of some traffic-blocking food carts would be a good start.

 

[Salrx95]

Glad you had a good time despite the negatives.

The one thing I disagree about is the Simba-1/Poachers story in Kilimanjaro Safaris. I like it much better having the CMs talk about the animals you are seeing without being interrupted by the game warden. No matter how I tried I could never muster much concern about a fake baby elephant.

I agree. Our second Disney trip this past week and was happier to hear about what we were seeing than that poachers story.

 

[skater]

Coming from someone who visits WDW 2-3 times per year, I feel that in order to have a good time, you must have realistic expectations and a fair amount of flexibility. I am headed down there in just a few days and, yes, I expect it to be crowded. It is President's week, after all. And since I'm a teacher, I have no other time to go but the breaks that everyone gets nationwide.
So, to hear that Pan has a 90 minute wait? Its ok. I'll go on it next time. Or the time after that. Not going on Pan, or Haunted Mansion, or any of my favorites won't make it or break it for me. I'll be back. In fact, I'm not even sure if I will go to the Magic Kingdom at all this trip. It is by far the busiest of the four parks on average and on a busy week nonetheless. I'll stick closer to my resort (BCV) and WS in Epcot, where comparatively no one seems to be.
There is so much to do and see at WDW, but you have to be ready to pass by your "favorite" ride if its too busy and say, "next time."
I've also never been on TSMM...the waits have always been ridiculous and I don't do rope drop. But someday when its no longer the flavor of the month ride and people find something else to run to, then maybe.
My itinerary consists of DTD first night (Fulton's/Raglan); pool and Epcot Thursday (Via Napoli @3); Friday: Braves V. Tigers at WWoS then Epcot maybe; Saturday pool then Magic Kingdom, maybe; and Sunday, Epcot before not-so-magical express back to MCO.

Its a lot easier to have this kind of attitude when you're able to go so often. On the years that I've had two trips booked, I was definitely more relaxed about "glitches" when I could plan on riding something next time. It can be hard to be as relaxed when its a rare trip or even a once a year trip.

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

the week of Presidents Day and the week before is always crowded. We used to go those weeks all the time. I know Massachusetts anda few other states in the Northeast has school vacation that week and another state has the week before off. We used to get to the Mk at rope drop and by 1 pm you couldn't move and everything was a long wait.

Another thing is that I think alot of locals go for the long weekend. My kids told me that a lot of their classmates were out Friday. Disney runs the Fl resident discount for a 3 and4 day pass during the 1st four months of the year and this is the only long weekend besides MLK day they have until Memorial Day.

I think the week after Preidents day week is a good time to go. We are going the week of March 9th. I have no idea how crowded it will be but a lot of Florida schools are on vacation that week.

 

[conniehar90]

We had a similar crowd issue getting out of MK last summer. It was one of the rare days the park closed at 10pm instead of 11pm. The crowds getting out and onto the ferry or monorail were unbelievable! We ended up just sitting down on the ground by a turnstile until it cleared up. I think it literally took us close to 2 hours to get to our car. That has never happened to us before and at some points it was scary!