Labor Day crowds, Columbus day weekend crowds?

[Raya]

Seeing the stories about Universal closing due to capacity has me considering canceling our Columbus day weekend trip. I know no one can predict what the crowds will be but.... were the Labor day crowds at WDW crazy? Did the parks shut down the way Disney Springs did? Should I switch away from Columbus day?

 

[Nabas]

Seeing the stories about Universal closing due to capacity has me considering canceling our Columbus day weekend trip. I know no one can predict what the crowds will be but.... were the Labor day crowds at WDW crazy? Did the parks shut down the way Disney Springs did? Should I switch away from Columbus day?

Crowds at WDW for the Labor Day weekend have been the worst they've been since the July reopening. It has been hard to maintain proper social distancing at the parks this weekend.

 

[GuestOfHonorSteve]

First time going since reopening was this weekend. I went to Epcot on Friday, and it wasn't that bad but only because I had arrived during a torrential rainstorm and people were in mass exodus mode. When it cleared up, I felt fine with the crowd levels and distance. However on Saturday I went to Hollywood Studios. I wouldn't call the crowds crazy, but given the situation we are in, it was hard to get around people at a safe distance. The stores were uncomfortably crowded, and mask etiquette wasn't fully all there (maybe 7/10 people were doing it right). The worst part was in Star Wars Land - that place was dicey! I stayed at Pop Century and heard it was at 95% capacity, and the gift shop had a line to enter. I overheard one person complaining about how it felt too crowded in the store and shot for the exit. I bought some things and left, but I decided then to cut my stay short there.

If I were to go again in 2020, I would choose a non-holiday weekend and maybe take the Monday off from work.

 

[unbanshee]

The WDW theme parks reached capacity this weekend, yes

https://blogmickey.com/2020/09/sign...sney-world-theme-parks-have-reached-capacity/

 

[unbanshee]

If I were to go again in 2020, I would choose a non-holiday weekend and maybe take the Monday off from work.

If you really want to avoid crowds, try for the weekdays

https://blogmickey.com/2020/08/how-much-worse-is-it-to-visit-disney-world-on-the-weekends/

 

[Raya]

Thanks everyone! We cancelled our holiday trip (which included the weekend) and rebooked for a Monday to Friday stay.

 

[crazy_for_the_dis]

Not sure if comparing Columbus Day to Labor Day is a fair comparison. Labor Day is the unofficial last hurrah for the summer. A lot of companies don’t close for Columbus Day or have it as part of their corporate holidays, most people couldn’t even tell you when Columbus Day is. Yes, schools close but a lot of schools are closed every day this fall. I don’t believe the crowd levels will be the same. Especially with no MNSSHP this year. With the current PC culture, I’m surprised it is still a holiday.

 

[queso2992]

Yes, the parks we're at capacity this weekend with no new park reservations being made. Saturday, I was at Magic Kingdom and it was definitely busier than any other days since reopening. However it definitely cleared out in the afternoon/evening. Today, we were at Hollywood Studios. We didn't get there until about 1 and we had done every ride except Star Tours by park close at 8. And that's with the downpour/storms in the afternoon! HS was definitely much less crowded than MK! It seemed most people were attempting to social distance. We didn't have any problems with that.

 

[GuestOfHonorSteve]

Not sure if comparing Columbus Day to Labor Day is a fair comparison. Labor Day is the unofficial last hurrah for the summer. A lot of companies don’t close for Columbus Day or have it as part of their corporate holidays, most people couldn’t even tell you when Columbus Day is. Yes, schools close but a lot of schools are closed every day this fall. I don’t believe the crowd levels will be the same. Especially with no MNSSHP this year. With the current PC culture, I’m surprised it is still a holiday.

Where I've worked, I've gotten "flex" holidays for these things like Columbus Day. While not corporate mandated, a lot of people take it off. And Disney is shortening their hours just after this weekend - an hour or two for each park, and they've been given the green light for higher capacity. So fewer hours + more capacity = more crowds? I don't have a problem with the crowds so much, just the people who aren't following the current situation's protocols. Also, this weekend was a scorcher, so I'd be interested to see what it's like when the weather cools off.

 

[crazy_for_the_dis]

Hopefully, if crowds continue maybe Disney adds some hours back. Wishful thinking on my part! I 100% agree on people needing to follow the current protocols.