MK so crowded today

[Thinking]

For those there today what time did you sense the crowd really starting picking up?

We are planning to be there next Wed and I am hoping my plan to ride some family favorites early morning and then doing fast pass rides in afternoon works out well.

These comments have me worried that the fast pass lines will take forever too by afternoon.

Any idea on how long some fast pass lines took to get through on rides like space mountain, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh and thunder railroad?

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

Can't believe how crowded it is today. I have been multiple times in the summer and never seen it this bad. This is my first time in April and I knew it may be bad but I figured it would be summer busy. Nope way worse.

I don't know if it's a fast pass + issue or just a spring break issue. I though I would miss the spring break crowds by a week. Even the fast pass lines are crazy. The know even have enough q lines to contain them in the ride.

Needless to say I will not be coming back until they figure out fast pass and definitely never in April again

FP+ IS figured out....there will be tweaking coming but it is here to stay ! Mid March until Easter is spring break season !!!! It has been crowded during those times since 1972 .

 

[ashleymrush]

Am I missing something? If it was heard that the park had been closed for entrance because it was so busy, why are we surprised when the lines are so long? I don't understand why FP+ is being blamed. Regardless of FP+ there is a ton of people in the park. They have to go somewhere.

As for the longer lines in EPCOT and HS, I don't think they seem to be any longer than a usual day. In fact, I've seen them much longer before.

I hope it gets better OP as the evening goes on.

 

[RalphinSC]

I have a friend down there yesterday that stayed out of the parks due to the rain. And they went to the MK today.

I warned them.

One does not simply have a "4" day at the Magic Kingdom the day after heavy rains........

 

[Tondee]

45 minutes for small world? Yikes! I think the longest I have waited was 10 minutes. Good luck!

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I have a FB friend at Disney right now, and today was their MK day. She said they had a great day at AK yesterday - did the Safari 3 times, EE 4 times, and Kali 3 times without even having to get off. She also said waits at DHS were manageable on Sunday. But today, they were not having a good time. She said they got stuck on Splash Mtn and it closed, Thunder Mtn was closed and they were probably going to leave. I hate that they had a bad time at MK.

 

[OhMari]

These were the wait times in February the week after Presidents Day. I had 8's for crowd levels. Why would predictions for crowd levels be so low during the height of Spring Break.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

For context:

Wait times on Thursday, April 10th as of 1pm EST

It’s a small world – 35 mins (today is the 50th anniversary)
Astro Orbiter – 50 mins
Big Thunder – 80 mins
Buzz Lightyear – 55 mins
Dumbo – 40 mins
Enchanted Tales – 40 mins
Haunted Mansion – 35 mins
Jungle Cruise – 80 mins
Mad Tea Party – 20 mins
Philharmagic – 10 mins
Monster’s Inc – 20 mins
Peter Pan – 70 mins
Pirates – 45 mins
Space – 60 mins
Splash – 70 mins
Stitch – 30 mins
Barnstormer – 30 mins
Aladdin – 35 mins
Winnie the Pooh – 25 mins
Speedway – 30 mins
Under the Sea – 30 mins

The only one that really looks out of the ordinary is Jungle Cruise. Otherwise those look pretty normal for Spring Break heading into Easter. Plus, they have been extending the hours at all the parks this week to accommodate for larger than predicted crowds.

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

Haven't you heard? FP+ can be blamed for everything

Seriously though, to the OP, sorry to hear it is so crazy! I've seen waits like that at Christmas and it is brutal. I once waited 60 mins to ride Living with the Land

I really think the rain yesterday, combined with continued spring break crowds has just caused an unexpected attendance surge today.

It was FP+ fault it rained all day yesterday too! Lovely weather her 90today.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

It was FP+ fault it rained all day yesterday too! Lovely weather her 90today.

LOL exactly! Crowds? Blame FP+. Weather? Blame FP+. Ruined vacation? Blame FP+.

Glad the weather is great! I'm heading down in 38 days and can't wait!

 

[AKies47]

30 minutes for stitch today...sweet

 

[jkramer]

From Touring Plans:

How we did yesterday - Wednesday, April 9, 2014
At Magic Kingdom we predicted a crowd level of 4. The actual crowd level was a 9
At Epcot we predicted a crowd level of 2. The actual crowd level was a 7
At Disney's Hollywood Studios we predicted a crowd level of 2. The actual crowd level was a 5
At Disney's Animal Kingdom we predicted a crowd level of 5. The actual crowd level was a 9

 

[ajwolfe]

From Touring Plans:

How we did yesterday - Wednesday, April 9, 2014
At Magic Kingdom we predicted a crowd level of 4. The actual crowd level was a 9
At Epcot we predicted a crowd level of 2. The actual crowd level was a 7
At Disney's Hollywood Studios we predicted a crowd level of 2. The actual crowd level was a 5
At Disney's Animal Kingdom we predicted a crowd level of 5. The actual crowd level was a 9

This is why I don't put that much stock into touring plans. There are just too many variables...Plus during spring break times I cannot believe they predicted a level 2.

 

[NicholeB630]

Are touring plans and other sites typically that far off on crowd levels? If that's the case I may cancel my trip in Dec. there's no way out family will enjoy crowds of that level if we get there. We are going Dec 7 - 14 and past years it's around a 4 crowd level.

 

[grimley1968]

Are touring plans and other sites typically that far off on crowd levels? If that's the case I may cancel my trip in Dec. there's no way out family will enjoy crowds of that level if we get there. We are going Dec 7 - 14 and past years it's around a 4 crowd level.

Rather than relying on those websites for crowd estimation, I'd consider the time of year more than those websites. Is it summer, spring break, fall break, a major holiday? In your case, no. That time of year should be a great time of year to go, as long as the weather doesn't get too cold for you. If you went a week later, you'd see some bigger crowds.

To be honest, the only crowd estimator I've ever looked at is easywdw. But I don't view that to determine when to go to WDW, but to help choose which parks to go to on which days of my vacation (it is certainly not the only factor in that choice though). The only time we've run into major crowds recently is at MK on the Saturday before Columbus Day.

 

[NicholeB630]

Rather than relying on those websites for crowd estimation, I'd consider the time of year more than those websites. Is it summer, spring break, fall break, a major holiday? In your case, no. That time of year should be a great time of year to go, as long as the weather doesn't get too cold for you. If you went a week later, you'd see some bigger crowds. To be honest, the only crowd estimator I've ever looked at is easywdw. But I don't view that to determine when to go to WDW, but to help choose which parks to go to on which days of my vacation (it is certainly not the only factor in that choice though). The only time we've run into major crowds recently is at MK on the Saturday before Columbus Day.

Thanks I just posted another thread about this bc I really am worried. Crowds are def our main concern but we also want decent weather and would love the holiday feel!

 

[Planogirl]

Thanks I just posted another thread about this bc I really am worried. Crowds are def our main concern but we also want decent weather and would love the holiday feel!

We were at the parks during that same period last year and they were very manageable. The most crowded areas were the special events such as the Osborne Lights (are they gone now?) and the MK parade. However keep in mind that legacy was still in place and the previous snide remarks aside we still don't know for sure how that might affect standby lines.

If it were me I would relax and go. The parks are really pretty during the holidays.

 

[Marshypooh]

I think this everytime I see these posts...We usually go during "slower times" and still have seen wait times for 70-110 minutes easy on things like Test Track, SM, Soarin', etc. And that has been while the paper FP exsisted.

Very, very true! Our last trip was early May 2012 and although overall crowds were light, fastpasses for Soarin' and TSMM had ran out very early. We walked by TSMM a couple of times, but the wait times were 100 minutes plus every time and we just decided to skip it. Soarin' was about a 90 minute wait, but we love it so much that we just decided to grin and bear it.

Next trip is this May 1-10 and I already have my FP+ for both Soarin' and TSMM so I'm pretty happy about that.

 

[mare1203]

Ugh, this is why I can't stand park crowd calculators and have never used them. If a calculator has a park at a 3-5 in the 3 weeks leading up to and possibly including Easter, then they are living in a dream world! Same thing with a guest that hasn't done their homework for this time of year at WDW. As a former Cast Member, the Spring Break/Easter season is continually one of the busiest times of year and it throws a lot of visitors off who think it won't be too busy. Easter is as bad, if not sometimes worse than Christmas. Plus, because of the staggered spring breaks the crowd levels are around for a longer period of time. This is honestly the only time of year I absolutely will not visit the parks now that I am a visiting guest.

I'm not surprised at all to hear MK being so busy and wouldn't be surprised for it to stay that way for the next 14-18 days.

 

[JillyBean]

I was just there for a week (April 3-9) and am happy to say that with the exception of Wednesday 4/9 the crowds were VERY manageable. Never stood in the FP+ line more than a couple of minutes. Walked right on multiple rides at rope drop and in the evenings. We braved the heavy rain all day on Tuesday and enjoyed light crowds at EP and MK. Ended up stuck at FQ all day on Wednesday with a sick daughter and husband. This was our last day and we were planning to spend it at MK. After seeing the wait times I'm glad we didn't try to go to a park! It was definitely a fluke caused by the heavy rain on Tuesday.