Long waits today???

[jfelcie]

I just checked the wait times for today and all the major rides have stand by times of 90 - 100 minutes. Why is it so crowded this week?

 

[WillAustin]

Spring Break.

 

[Sandy Fisher]

I'm no expert and someone who's down there now or keeps tabs on what's going on to affect attendance will probably speak up.
My first guess would be that spring break has started in some areas. Noticed spring breakers on several news reports (not in FL) and I think that goes on all during March and part of April.

 

[jfelcie]

Most public schools in my area (New England) don't have spring break until mid April. I thought March spring break was mostly for college. What is it going to be like in June/July? I guess I will find out soon. Thanks for the quick replies.

 

[wuzzy6]

We live in FL, and our kids begin Spring Break on Friday 3/14.

 

[slickpoetry]

For people in the northern part of the country, this has been the worst winter in decades. People are taking impromptu vacations just to escape it. I know of at least one family that went to Disney basically on the spur of the moment (I consider anything with less than 6 months of planning "spur of the moment" lol )

Today's March 12 and Chicago-where I live-just had 5 inches of snow dumped on us again. People are fed up with it.

 

[disney is my life]

I agree most likely spring break crowds. My kids are on spring break this week and I'm sure most other Canadian Spring Breaks are this week as well.

 

[Cheerful1]

Almost all of Texas is on Spring Break this week.

 

[TX Southern Belle]

Here in Texas most schools are on Spring Break.

 

[catne]

Some big school districts in Florida are on Spring Break this week, not just colleges: Hillsborough County Schools (Tampa) are on Spring Break this week; other nearby counties are on Spring Break next week.

 

[disneyderns]

I just looked at MDE app (we arrive in 11 days - getting geared up)...it doesn't seem like waits are bad at all - 20 minute for BTMRR, 30 min for PP, 15 min for Buzz....Then I realized that WDW is an hour ahead and it is smack in the middle of the Festival of Fantasy parade...So now I know to see the parade one day of my two in MK and hit the headliners during the parade on the other day!!

 

[Angel Ariel]

I don't know that these waits can solely be attributed to spring break:

Star Tours: 30 mins
Great Movie Ride: 45 mins
Studio Backlot Tour: 50 mins

We were there this exact week last year (March 11th-18th), and we never saw waits that high for those rides. Headliners, yes...but Star Tours was 10 mins or less every time we saw it...we pretty much walked right into the theatre for GMR...we didn't bother with the Backlot tour, but the waits weren't that high.

MK lines are very short right now, but I would expect that with the new parade going on at the moment. Epcot lines are about what they were last year. AK lines are a bit longer...Dinosaur was a walk-on for us last year, and EE was nowhere near 60 mins - but those are really the only 2 headliners that are much different.

I guess what I'm saying is that I don't see the headliner wait times being a lot different (so that I would chalk up to just being Spring Break season), but I am seeing higher wait times for secondary attractions (like the above) than we saw last year. I don't know that those waits can be contributed to spring break.

 

[disneyderns]

Looks like the post right below my previous post pressed submit at exactly the same time!!

Seems right on with easywdw - MK is most recommended and the waits are pretty low - HS and AK are not recommended and the waits at both seem to be above average...

Never waited that long for Great Movie Ride...

 

[erin1715]

I think long waits for everything are going to be the new norm for WDW....

 

[mom2aandp]

Most public schools in my area (New England) don't have spring break until mid April. I thought March spring break was mostly for college. What is it going to be like in June/July? I guess I will find out soon. Thanks for the quick replies.

We have been 3x since 2009 in July and didnt find it nearly as crowded as when we went in March/April growing up and before having children. DH and I both grew up going during the early spring and "everyone" said it would be awful crowds in July, but we noth thought they were way lighter than now. (as long as you go the other way when you see a large group coming towards you) I will say it is hotter than you can ever imagine, but there are tons places to cool off and drink a TON of water and you will be fine. It is Disney afterall!

 

[DHSbutcher]

WDW local and spent all weekend in the parks. Very busy! Saw A LOT of large school groups of kids, more than usual. Its also conference season and spring break time for local kids in some counties. Also MK is having record breaking attendance for this week after the launch of he new parade, its really bringing a lot more folks than planned. Perhaps this is carrying onto other parks. EPCOT's flower and garden festival was also very crowded and popular this opening weekend. 150+min wait for Test Track at 8pm on Sunday!

 

[hsmamainva]

College spring break this week for most schools here in Virginia.

We made the mistake of going this week once. Won't do it again. We wait until the semester ends the 2nd week in May.

 

[aubriee]

Almost all of Texas is on Spring Break this week.

Here in Texas most schools are on Spring Break.

That's what I was going to say. I know our local schools here are on spring break this week. Plus our local community college is also on spring break Then I have two grandkids that live about 45 minutes away from me that are on spring break and another grand daughter that's lives about an hour and half away, that's also on spring break this week.

 

[OhMari]

I was there Presidents weekend, which is compared to a Spring Break Week and with the new +FastPass System, WDW lets the FastPass people on the ride and hardly any standby.

A 30 minute wait for Peter Pan, I thought why not. 90 minutes later and still not on the ride, I realized standby for any ride is a stand still, while watching +FPP people walk up and walk up and walk up and get right on the ride.. The CM would actually watch people walk up the ramp, vs. turning around and letting 10 people on the ride from the stand by line. He only allowed standby people on the ride, if absolutely no one was walking up the FP ramp. I realized Disney is trying to please FPP people.

Sorry for turning this into a FPP story, but this is the reason for longer than average standby lines.

 

[2Tiggies]

I think long waits for everything are going to be the new norm for WDW....

It's looking that way and no doubt it has added to the crowds, but this is typically a very crowded time of the year. Done it twice and it was busy busy busy both years.