MK very crowded tonight, but hey let's close at 11:00

[mom2rtk]

I still think you should go back when you have grand kids. Just sayin.

I fed the mouse again this morning.

I'm sure most of us here want to go when we have grandkids. I just think we all have different breaking points in feeling like we get enough value for the dollars spent to justify going back.

 

[publix subs]

i'd sure as hell rather wait in line for 2.5 hours for 7DMT than sit behind this desk right now.

 

[jknc]

Sorry to hear OP! Our worst trip ever was in June one year. Extremely hot and crowded. I know people up here have an idea that Florida is not as hot the earlier in the summer you go (which is not true, at some point hot is hot) so a lot of people go round right after school ends.

Thanks but by no means was our trip ruined. It's been an outstanding 9 nights.

IMO MK will get worse once word gets out how bad Safari and JB are at AK.

 

[MichiganScott]

i'd sure as hell rather wait in line for 2.5 hours for 7DMT than sit behind this desk right now.

I'd rather sit behind this desk getting paid, and planning to go a different day to wait only 30+ minutes for 7DMT.

 

[Eastern]

We went May 30-June 4 and MK was very crowded. Epcot not too bad, but not much to do, either. We did a lot but we have experience planning. It's got to be hard for new visitors. I don't think I would go again during a hot, busy time.

And let me qualify my Epcot comment: crowd-wise, it seemed light, but if you wanted to ride any attractions, it was ridiculous. Waits for TT And Soarin' were very long from opening until closing. Even Journey Into Imagination was 1/2 hour. SE an hour. First time we did not do Ellen. They need more stuff.

 

[Disneylover99]

I'd rather sit behind this desk getting paid, and planning to go a different day to wait only 30+ minutes for 7DMT.

I was thinking the same thing. I'd choose my desk over a 2 and a half hour wait for anything.
But if I don't have a fp for 7DMT, I'm not going to ride it anyways, no matter what the crowd levels are.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

With attendance up at the MK, I'm quite disappointed that hours appear to be down this year. They don't have to be open 24/7, but it would be nice if they were open at least as late as prior years (when they possibly had less attendance?)

It's their new marketing strategy. You're not thinking long term enough. they want to build crowds and make us more frustrated until we forget how good we had it - then stay open longer and reduce crowds by just a bit and we'll all be thinking how awesome it is.

You know like how a store raises something that's $10 to $20, then puts it on sale for $15 and everyone thinks its a bargain!

 

[yulilin3]

I'm shocked people still consider this a normal family vacation. I'm not blaming anyone. I'm just saying - we've been there and done it to the point where now we love Disney from afar a bit more than we used to. The crowds are (in our opinion) so much worse than they were in 2003 (a memorable time there for us as we honeymooned). Good for Disney as they are a business and their job is to make money but, for us, so much work is not a vacation. Waiting in line all day in blazing heat and humidity is not a "vacation" for us. Just OUR take. I'm just saying this because it's hard for me to go accepting a 2.5 hour line for a ride is "normal" (which I know it is...... nowadays).

I often remind people about Sept. 11th 2001.
The entire Central Florida area was empty for years. That's why Disney came out with the Year of a Million Dreams, Free Dinning and other yearly themes, to bring people back. You cannot compare the crowds of today with 2001 through 2007. That's when it started to pick up to levels that were before the attacks.
Nowadays there might be slightly lower crowds some times during the year but I would advise anyone coming to think of all the parks as crowded all the time, it'll be better than assuming you will have low crowds just because some calendar tells you.

 

[mom2rtk]

i'd sure as hell rather wait in line for 2.5 hours for 7DMT than sit behind this desk right now.

But nobody is going to pay you for waiting in line for 7DMT.


ETA: Someone bet me to it!

 

[jknc]

I still think you should go back when you have grand kids. Just sayin.

I fed the mouse again this morning.

No thanks, but you do you.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Thanks but by no means was our trip ruined. It's been an outstanding 9 nights.

IMO MK will get worse once word gets out how bad Safari and JB are at AK.

Yeah unfortunately DAK isn't going to help much. FEA might.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've found that the lines have gotten longer since FP+ came along. Not sure if it's the ability to book FPs so far out, that more guests are doing it or not. But, I've been at all times of year. Even those times that attendance is 'supposed' to be down, the lines are crazy!!! I mean, come on now, a 25 min wait for IASW, in late January??
Crowds have built steadily for the past decade. It's easy to see that....far fewer room discounts or specials. Am I happy with the way things are? Not really. Will I stop going to WDW? Well, I was going to stop going as often, but then my dd got accepted into the DCP. So, looks like more frequent visits!! But, I'm not the guest Disney wants...I have an AP, I usually stay DVC, I buy little to no 'stuff', I don't eat at high priced spots. If I don't feel like to staying in a park for more than an hour or two, I don't. Disney isn't making a ton of money from me and my family. In fact, I tend to now head over to US/IoA for a few days on every trip.

 

[Klayfish]

No thanks. I am not dumb enough to keep paying premium prices for a product diminishing in value. But you do you, thumbs up.

Then why are you still coming back on here to whine? Enjoy your last trip to WDW and leave it to the rest of us "dumb" people, dude.

I can see where it's frustrating if people don't plan ahead, don't know what to expect, have unrealistic expectations or just don't have the right mindset. Almost all my trips to WDW have been during summer, and I've learned quickly that I have to expect it to be a mob scene every day. I'm really not a "people person", but I have to go in there with the understanding that it's going to be crowded and there's nothing I can do about it. Getting frustrated with it would just ruin the fun.

 

[rajak73]

I've found that the lines have gotten longer since FP+ came along. Not sure if it's the ability to book FPs so far out, that more guests are doing it or not.

I think FP+ is pushed a lot more than paper FP was, our trip in 2004 talked to a niece that went the same time and they said, "well we didn't pay for that fastpast thingy." So either no research or uninformed.

I was going to stop going as often, but then my dd got accepted into the DCP. So, looks like more frequent visits!! But, I'm not the guest Disney wants

But don't take your grandkids when they are old enough!

 

[AngiTN]

I mean, I have my issues with Disney, but all this over one hour of park time seems a bit melodramatic.

But I think that about all these people freaking out about summer hours.

I agree. I am flabbergasted people are so riled up about hours. Where does Disney owe them to open till midnight, or later? Because they did before is a ridiculous argument. Anyone who counts on what was done in the past is at fault when they are disappointed.
Disney gets to set their own hours. For their reasons. We (the public) has nothing at all to say about them. They don't get to suit our desires. And it's really pretty self absorbed to get so worked up when they don't meet our "demands"
One of the reasons people love the late hours is how fewer people are there, compared to the daytime hours.
Well, why would Disney open those late hours if to them, they aren't wanted. Cause that's what low attendance tells them, these hours aren't needed.

 

[mom2rtk]

I agree. I am flabbergasted people are so riled up about hours. Where does Disney owe them to open till midnight, or later? Because they did before is a ridiculous argument. Anyone who counts on what was done in the past is at fault when they are disappointed.
Disney gets to set their own hours. For their reasons. We (the public) has nothing at all to say about them. They don't get to suit our desires. And it's really pretty self absorbed to get so worked up when they don't meet our "demands"
One of the reasons people love the late hours is how must less people are there, compared to the daytime hours.
Well, why would Disney open those late hours if to them, they aren't wanted. Cause that's what low attendance tells them, these hours aren't needed.

It's counterintuitive to expect hours to be down if crowds (and prices) are up.

 

[AngiTN]

It's counterintuitive to expect hours to be down if crowds (and prices) are up.

I can think of a long list of things with prices that have gone up, with nothing in return for the higher price.

 

[mom2rtk]

I can think of a long list of things with prices that have gone up, with nothing in return for the higher price.

I can think of a bunch where they are giving less portions for higher prices now.

I don't like those either. Some I have stopped buying. I think there are a fair number of people contemplating doing the same with Disney. But they love Disney and find it to be a difficult decision to make. I don't blame them one bit for thinking out loud here and commiserating with others struggling with the same decision.

 

[AngiTN]

I truly find this statement to be so bizarre and I couldn't let it go. Where is it that you got that 95% of all schools in the US are already out as of June 9th? I'm pretty sure all of the major school districts in the DC metro area are all still in session. We have our last day on Tuesday, June 14th and we are one of the first to finish. The largest school district in this region (and like the 12th largest in the US) has its last day on June 24th.

We leave for WDW on the 13th and hoping to get a little jump on the summer crowds. And just checking some of the largest school systems in the country, most are still in session (NYC, LA, Chicago). Just curious how you can paint such a broad brush. I would think if 95% of all school are already in summer, we'd be at a 9 crowd, not a 7.

Sorry - totally off topic but I just couldn't let it go. But I will now. LOL

No clue if it's 95% but almost all schools in the South have been out 2, 3 weeks. So it's a lot of kids that are out

Thanks but by no means was our trip ruined. It's been an outstanding 9 nights.

IMO MK will get worse once word gets out how bad Safari and JB are at AK.

No thanks. I am not dumb enough to keep paying premium prices for a product diminishing in value. But you do you, thumbs up.

You are sounding pretty dang bitter for someone who says they had an outstanding trip.

 

[Pixie Dust ✨]

Then why are you still coming back on here to whine? Enjoy your last trip to WDW and leave it to the rest of us "dumb" people, dude.

I can see where it's frustrating if people don't plan ahead, don't know what to expect, have unrealistic expectations or just don't have the right mindset. Almost all my trips to WDW have been during summer, and I've learned quickly that I have to expect it to be a mob scene every day. I'm really not a "people person", but I have to go in there with the understanding that it's going to be crowded and there's nothing I can do about it. Getting frustrated with it would just ruin the fun.

Disney isn't for everyone, and there's nothing wrong with those who either have no interest in it or lose interest in it, for whatever reason. Recent changes have left many frustrated & the boards are a great place for them to vent with like-minded people. However, there's a difference between expressing frustration & being rude/abrasive to others. When the latter occurs, I stop listening.