Just how crazy is Easter week?

[2DisPrincesses]

We did Easter week once. Never again. We’ve been almost every time of year and this is the one time we will not go again. We’re going again this year in June instead. Easter was crazy busy!!!

 

[ReelRedHead]

FYI--Just did Fastpasses and Dining for the week leading up to Easter. Totally a last minute trip. Got all fastpasses and dining we wanted. All the big rides, excellent selection of times. Only ride we could not get was FOP.
This was with 29 days to go!

 

[LSUmiss]

FYI--Just did Fastpasses and Dining for the week leading up to Easter. Totally a last minute trip. Got all fastpasses and dining we wanted. All the big rides, excellent selection of times. Only ride we could not get was FOP.
This was with 29 days to go!

See I did that too just last week for the week leading up so I’m cautiously optimistic. I know it won’t be empty, but we went Mardi Gras week 2 weeks ago & there was no making changing 30 days out. Also, our dates were flexible so I based going the week leading up to Easter based on availability. I had tried the 2 weeks earlier in March & availability was scarce.

 

[ChristineOH]

FYI--Just did Fastpasses and Dining for the week leading up to Easter. Totally a last minute trip. Got all fastpasses and dining we wanted. All the big rides, excellent selection of times. Only ride we could not get was FOP.
This was with 29 days to go!

See I did that too just last week for the week leading up so I’m cautiously optimistic. I know it won’t be empty, but we went Mardi Gras week 2 weeks ago & there was no making changing 30 days out. Also, our dates were flexible so I based going the week leading up to Easter based on availability. I had tried the 2 weeks earlier in March & availability was scarce.

MK hours are 8:00 am to 12:00 midnight that week, and AK hours are 8:00 am to 10:00 pm. (We are going then too.) That helps a LOT when booking FP.

 

[Supermom3]

My son’s high school band will be there the week following Easter. I’m nervous since we’ve never been during spring break before. Because park tickets were purchased through the band group, we won’t receive park tickets to link to my MDE account until just a couple of weeks before we leave. I’m going with the mindset that most of what we do will be standby, but hopeful we can get a few FPs. The FPs would just be for my daughter and me, so hopefully 2 FPs are easy to come by. The band kids are on their own for that.

 

[LSUmiss]

MK hours are 8:00 am to 12:00 midnight that week, and AK hours are 8:00 am to 10:00 pm. (We are going then too.) That helps a LOT when booking FP.

Agreed, but I also think it’s helps spread crowds to some extent. Mardi Gras week had closing at 10 at the latest most days

 

[Stuart Ward]

hi!

Can anyone explain for us UK folk what dates spring break generally is?

We fly out on 23rd March for 2 weeks, so generally interested in how busy it will be.

This is our 6th visit now, but the first at Easter!!

 

[LSUmiss]

hi!

Can anyone explain for us UK folk what dates spring break generally is?

We fly out on 23rd March for 2 weeks, so generally interested in how busy it will be.

This is our 6th visit now, but the first at Easter!!

It just means a lot of schools in the country are out of school so usually when this happens crowds are heavier.

 

[ChristineOH]

hi!

Can anyone explain for us UK folk what dates spring break generally is?

We fly out on 23rd March for 2 weeks, so generally interested in how busy it will be.

This is our 6th visit now, but the first at Easter!!

It's a week that kids have off school, but it can vary what week it is. Some schools do it in February, most in March, and some in early April.

The majority of schools have the week before Easter or the week after Easter off, so you will be right in the thick of it.

 

[Cheryl Garry]

My daughter is also going with her High School band, but they arrive April 6th and leave the 10th, but we are staying until the 14th - never been this time so you all are helping me with how the crowds will be.

 

[DVCcurious]

I was there on Easter week in 2015, and I'll be there Easter week this year. In 2015, we rope dropped and took advantage of emh (often 7 a.m. opens and 2 a.m. closures). We never waited more than 15 minutes for anything.

I’m not calling you a liar.

I’ve been Easter 2013-2017 and I’ve never waited less than 15 minutes for any ride, including when I used my FP+ it took more than 15 minutes to get to the ride.

In fact I don’t think it’s possible to wait less than 15 minutes for almost any ride except before 9 AM or during 12-2 evening EMH.

We waited 45 minutes for the freaking magic carpets at 10:00 AM.

We waited 50 minutes for Living With The Land at 11:00 AM.

I waited 30 minutes for Winnie the Pooh at 11:00 PM

Philharmagic, Country Bears, Carrousel if Progress, and the Laugh Floor are 15+ minute shows, so it’s literally impossible to wait less than 15 minutes for those unless you stumble in right when they’re filling the theatre. But maybe you skipped those.

My experience has been the same year after year. Wall-to-wall people on Main Street and the hub all day from 11:00 AM to after the fireworks. But you didn’t ever feel it was crowded. Seems strange to me.

OP, trust me more than the other poster. I’m not saying he’s a liar..... but use your brain on this one. Second busiest week of the year and never waiting more than 15 minutes? Think about it.....

 

[rpb718]

hi!

Can anyone explain for us UK folk what dates spring break generally is?

We fly out on 23rd March for 2 weeks, so generally interested in how busy it will be.

This is our 6th visit now, but the first at Easter!!

For elementary and high schools - in the Northeast (at least) there is a 1 week "winter" break which usually during the last 2 weeks of February and split up between various states where some do the Presidents day week and the others do the following week. Also in the Northeast is a 1 week "spring" break which happens the weeks mid to late April and is similarly split up between the states. There may be other states in the upper midwest that follow this as well. Not sure about Canadian schools.

Universities and colleges can also start having week long breaks anytime between late February through April - but the vast majority are in March.

Starting in March, elementary and high schools in other parts of the country start having their "spring" breaks. This doesn't happen for every school at once so it's spread out between March and April. However, there can be a large concentration of schools that coordinate their "spring" break to weeks surrounding Easter.

In a nutshell, the "school" break period is like a bell curve starting around mid-February and ending the last full week of April with the peak period being mid-March to the 1st week in April.

 

[scdak]

I couldn't be paid to go back at Easter break, I have been every month of the year many times since 1978 and the Easter trip 5 years ago almost made me not want to return to WDW ever again!

 

[MeeskaMooska13]

We have been this particular week the last few years (and are going again this year). Yes, it’s crowded but if you have a plan (and FP’s...and ADR’s), it’s totally fine. Just don’t try to do everything - take a different approach. Pick some “must do’s”, have some down time scheduled, use Touring Plans to plan your day (this will optimize the time that you have in the parks). I’ve been in June too - it was still crowded and it rained (a lot) everyday (multiple times a day).

Just my experience! I was SUPER nervous about it the first year but, in the end, felt it was manageable.

 

[teachmedis]

I’m not calling you a liar.

I’ve been Easter 2013-2017 and I’ve never waited less than 15 minutes for any ride, including when I used my FP+ it took more than 15 minutes to get to the ride.

In fact I don’t think it’s possible to wait less than 15 minutes for almost any ride except before 9 AM or during 12-2 evening EMH.

We waited 45 minutes for the freaking magic carpets at 10:00 AM.

We waited 50 minutes for Living With The Land at 11:00 AM.

I waited 30 minutes for Winnie the Pooh at 11:00 PM

Philharmagic, Country Bears, Carrousel if Progress, and the Laugh Floor are 15+ minute shows, so it’s literally impossible to wait less than 15 minutes for those unless you stumble in right when they’re filling the theatre. But maybe you skipped those.

My experience has been the same year after year. Wall-to-wall people on Main Street and the hub all day from 11:00 AM to after the fireworks. But you didn’t ever feel it was crowded. Seems strange to me.

OP, trust me more than the other poster. I’m not saying he’s a liar..... but use your brain on this one. Second busiest week of the year and never waiting more than 15 minutes? Think about it.....

I'm

Well as long as you're not calling me a liar...(I feel like you could have thrown in no offense too for added effect). I was at the parks well before rope drop and I left the parks for afternoon breaks by 11:30 or 12 each day. I don't feel it's necessary to discount my experiences to share yours.

 

[ilovevacation]

Hi all. We went last year on a sort of last minute Easter trip from good Friday to the Tuesday after Easter. I will say it was our first trip with a baby/stroller so I had low expectations of being able to ride much. I was pleasantly surprised how much we did. We previously were serious riders and would get there early and ride every single thing, literally, except Kali river rapids. Well, we did have to stop many times for diaper changes and for me to nurse but we did ride a lot. It was hot and it was busy but we have been there on thanksgiving and thanksgiving was worse. We literally watched a man try to fist fight another guy outside of the nemo show on thanksgiving afternoon, yikes! I will admit I might have rose tinted glasses because it's our favorite place and we were so excited to take our son for his first visit. We stopped much for to explore and take pictures. So, I think if you go in with expectations that it is going to be busy but you are going to have a magical time anyway, how can it not be a great trip!

 

[hiroMYhero]

Dropping in to remind everyone to please follow the DIS Guidelines when posting. The OP is asking for real-life experiences regarding Easter Week and everyone is welcome to share their experiences without being chastised by others.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/guidelines.htm

 

[kittylady1972]

Despite some of these reports, and my own prior motto of "I'd NEVER go at Easter", we are going to go for it. I keep trying to set expectations for my family, all hard-core veterans, so they won't be shocked. I looked at last year crowd photos too. And yet...it's Disney. Hoping to do rope drop or late nights, and take breaks during the day. We will see how we do and I'll definitely report back.

 

[Gentry2004]

We are trying the week before Easter this year for the first time, since we decided to get AP's this year. I am cautiously optimistic. We went this past December right before Christmas (we went home the 23rd) and it was surprisingly manageable. I expect the March trip to be more crowded but if all we get done at MK is rope dropping 3 things and FP'ing 3 things we are fine with that. I'm less worried about the other parks - we enjoy a lot of the no-line attractions like the trails at AK, World Showcase, etc.

 

[jeepnjudy]

It's all based on perception. We go the week of Easter every year because of spring break for both DS's and I do not find it as crowded as Christmas/New Years. However, we do not go into a park on Easter Sunday anymore because in the past we have found that to be the most crowded day. If you have a plan i.e. ADRs and FPs, you should be fine! Enjoy your vacation. The weather is usually awesome as it is typically warming up but with lower humidity than the summer!