Much more crowded this week than i anticipated

[siugoalie78]

My DW and I just got back from a 4 night stay at WDW, ASMo. It was much more crowded than I thought it would be. We arrived sunday morning (not surprised it was crowded that day, turkey day guests still lingering, i suppose) and our room was not ready. I guess i shouldn't have been surprised, but we have never had to wait for our room before, so I stupidly booked a very early flight, anticipating being able to nape an hour or two before heading out to the parks. Well, that didn't happen, so DW and I who were barely awake stored our bags and dragged ourselves to DTD. The crowds there were horrific, but we just wanted to eat, and keep calling guest services to check on our room. That night, we went to MVMCP. It was packed! Now, the ride times weren't bad, but moving around in ANY land meant fighting through the crowds. We thought still it was Sunday crowds, locals, etc. So, we went home with high hopes for the next day.

Monday was Epcot, and when we went to the bus area, the epcot line has at least 4 buses worth of people in it. So, we took a bus to MGM, then the boat to Epcot. We got there about 10:30, but the FP for soarin' already had a 5:00 return time, and we didn't bother with Mission Space, or Test Track. This was the night that we decided to take our drinking trip around the world, so that definitely took the edge off dealing with the crowds, but it still was packed.

Tuesday was another MK day, we got there early and rode a few things that are closed during MVMCP, and headed back for a nap. Again, the crowds were very think, and by this point i am starting to think that everybody has figured out to come the week AFTER thankgiving. I know its a historically very low crowd time, and i always has been for us as well, until this year. Went to MVMCP again tuesday night, and again, the crowds were huge. Rides had very low wait times, except for Fantasy land, but just moving around in the park was a chalenge.

Wednesday things started getting better, somewhat. Wed morning was Animal Kingdom, which had huge crowds, but that afternoon we went to MGM, which was very manageable and laid back.

Our last day, thursday, was finially a very peaceful day. We went to EPCOT, and it was lovely. HArdly and crowd, and little or no wait time for most things. Too bad we could only spend a half a day there, or else miss our flight =(

So, i guess my point is when is a time to go that has crowds like late nov-early dec in years past? I hear good things about late Jan, early Feb. Also, I guess I'll need to come up with a plan "B" for an early arrival with no room ready.

Would love to hear from other people who were there this week, to get their feedback on crowd levels, etc.

 

[popeyeohoh]

Wow! We were in WDW this exact time last year. The crowds were managable. But it was moderate to crowded. I think it is a little warmer this year than last. A 10:30 entry to Epcot would make touring difficult. We were the first group to ride soarin. Hope you still had a good time. I would not go back this time again. Once was enough. Still searching for my favorite time. I think jan and feb may be too cold for me. But like you I hear many people love it then.

 

[Suzanne74]

We just got back too. We arrived early Saturday and was very surprised how UNCROWDED Magic Kingdom was on Saturday. The wait for Buzz was only 20 minutes at 10:45am. It was more crowded at night but after the fireworks it was empty again. Sunday we did Epcot furture world and it was fairly crowded. Monday we did MGM with fairly low crowds but the Osborne lights were really crowded until you were midway down and then they broke up some. Tuesday we went to MVMCP and the crowds were HORRIBLE. I was so disappointed in this event overall. I saw many people without wristbands on and besides the parade and the fireworks, there isn't much else this has to offer for such a high price and to think that people didn't pay burns me even more. Wednesday we did Epcot and the crowds were pretty low. There was even room at the 5pm Candlelight Processional. The weather was great though so that was a plus. Not sure if we would do this time again either. I think the crowds were the same in late September and I like the MNSSHP and food/wine festival much more.

 

[dreambound]

I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that this year Thanksgiving was "early." Not early, but there was a full week of November left before December. So last year there were 3 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas (and next year the same) but this year there were 4 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. So a lot of people wouldn't have taken a week off after Thanksgiving because it is too close to Christmas, but with that extra week in there, it gave people a full extra week in there, making a post-Thanksgiving trip much more do-able.

Can anyone else who just got back add to this? Anyone check the touring plans crowd calendar before going? Did things match up?

(As for Soarin, btw, we've always found those fast passes go REALLY quickly, mostly because there are so few big rides at Epcot.)

 

[Colleen27]

I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that this year Thanksgiving was "early." Not early, but there was a full week of November left before December. So last year there were 3 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas (and next year the same) but this year there were 4 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. So a lot of people wouldn't have taken a week off after Thanksgiving because it is too close to Christmas, but with that extra week in there, it gave people a full extra week in there, making a post-Thanksgiving trip much more do-able.

Can anyone else who just got back add to this? Anyone check the touring plans crowd calendar before going? Did things match up?

(As for Soarin, btw, we've always found those fast passes go REALLY quickly, mostly because there are so few big rides at Epcot.)

I think you're onto something about the scheduling. Most years, I couldn't even think about planning a trip between Thanksgiving and Christmas because the kids would miss their Christmas musical program, school Christmas party, mid-year holiday dance performance, etc. but with Thanksgiving falling when it did this year, we could have fit in a trip. All of that stuff starts next week, so this week would have been fine for travel (glad we decided to wait till Jan, tho!!),

And I agree about the Soarin' fastpasses. We were in Epcot one morning on our August trip, and met several characters with no line, only waited 10 min for Nemo, enjoyed a half-empty theatre for Turtle Talk, and rode Test Track without a FP because the staby line was only 10min when we walked by, but we skipped Soarin' because at noon-ish when we were at the Behind the Seeds tour desk, the fast pass return time was 7pm and the standby line was 45min. At the MK later that same night and the next day, we pretty much walked onto everything we wanted to ride, and only used one FastPass (for Space Mt).

 

[dreambound]

Colleen, I'm glad what I was saying made sense to you!

Yes, if there are only 3 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, then there are basically only 2 weeks left of school between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Take one of those weeks off and the kids miss certain things. But if there are 4 weeks, the kids don't miss any holiday events, etc and parents don't feel as rushed to "get things done" for the holidays. Add to that the fact that that week is always hailed as a great week to go, and you've got a real draw in getting people there. We cancelled our trip for that time and i'm really glad now.

As for Soarin, yes, that's what it was like for us. We had a 3 hour wait on our Fastpasses and then when we rode, we had to wait 30 min inthe fastpass line. And that was on an EMPTY day.'

I think you're onto something about the scheduling. Most years, I couldn't even think about planning a trip between Thanksgiving and Christmas because the kids would miss their Christmas musical program, school Christmas party, mid-year holiday dance performance, etc. but with Thanksgiving falling when it did this year, we could have fit in a trip. All of that stuff starts next week, so this week would have been fine for travel (glad we decided to wait till Jan, tho!!),

And I agree about the Soarin' fastpasses. We were in Epcot one morning on our August trip, and met several characters with no line, only waited 10 min for Nemo, enjoyed a half-empty theatre for Turtle Talk, and rode Test Track without a FP because the staby line was only 10min when we walked by, but we skipped Soarin' because at noon-ish when we were at the Behind the Seeds tour desk, the fast pass return time was 7pm and the standby line was 45min. At the MK later that same night and the next day, we pretty much walked onto everything we wanted to ride, and only used one FastPass (for Space Mt).

 

[scheddj]

Oh my gosh, I was thrilled with the lack of crowds this week.

Thursday we walked onto everything including space mountain over and over.

Wednesday Soarin was a walk-on first thing in the morning twice and at 6pm twice.

Tuesday morning we were in AK and rode Kali over and over without ever having to get off. We had FP's for Everest but I think the stand-by line was only 15 minutes. On Tuesday night we walked into the Candlelight Processional two minutes before it started and got seats. Then we were right on the railing for Illuminations. It had poured for a half an hour earlier in the evening so the park was dead empty.

Monday morning was pretty busy at MGM but Sunday night EMH there was uncrowded. There was plenty of room at Fantasmic and the Osborne Lights.

 

[TXMommy]

We just got back yesterday - and we thought the crowds were pretty heavy, too. I kept thinking, "The secret is out about the week after T'giving being the best time to go for low crowds!" I would compare it to T'giving week, actually. We didn't wait long for anything because we used FP or lucked out in walking up at the right time, but like the OP said, just getting around was hard. People, people, EVERYWHERE! If I have another stroller run into the back of my feet I might hurt someone. I don't know that we would go this week again. We've been many times and know how to maneuver the parks well, but the crowds were too thick, IMO.

 

[Deb loves Disney]

I was at DTD today and the crowds were so bad. It took over 30 minutes just to find a parking place! All the eating establishments were overflowing. The line for Earl of Sandwich snaked back and forth 3 times. I almost thought it was the day after Thanksgiving.

 

[N10CJT]

Wow, I got home Thursday night (and have been too exhausted since then to post!), and I thought the crowds this past week were not bad at all.
In particular I can't believe we were in the same park on Tuesday. We had breakfast at Crystal Palace (which was busy), and then basically had our way with the park. The only FastPass we used was for Peter Pan, and I thought that there were no real problems getting around. The only part I saw as an issue was Toontown.... as we passed it on the train, it looked like it wasn't part of the same park we left in Frontierland. But I don't really care about that section, so didn't really worry about it. And even as parade time approached, Main Street seemed pretty reasonable, and we didn't feel harrassed as we left for some resort hopping.
I was also at the Animal Kingdom on Wednesday, and had few problems.... in fact, we had a late-ish breakfast but still managed to ride Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at MGM (which we chose not to the week before because of long lines) before heading over there for the afternoon. At 2.00 the safari line was bad, but by the time of the parade it was nothing (and the lions were awake!). Everything else was a walk-on all day. That park seems more crowded than it is, though.... the paths are narrower and although it's a huge park, the pedestrian area is actually rather limited. The only real problem we had was with the bus area, which is MADNESS. It really needs to be rethought. On Saturday we had a nightmare because the bus to the Epcot resorts accommodates ALL FIVE and our driver tried to pack everyone in AND keep a schedule (at the Swan he began to drive off with people still trying to get out and others, who had gotten off to let them out, trying to reboard!), and on Wednesday it took us almost 45 minutes to get to the AK Lodge.
I also thought the crowds on Monday at Epcot weren't bad. I don't think it's fair to judge them based on Soarin' and Test Track.... the way it seemed to me, those two rides bear so much of the brunt of the crowds that they will almost always be busy. I'm not sure where the figures for Soarin' come from, though.... our experience was that we had breakfast at Kona at 11.00, then took the monorail into Epcot, and still got FastPasses to Soarin' for the mid to late afternoon (I can't remember exactly, but I think it was for 4.00 or thereabouts). If it was later than that we wouldn't have been able to ride it, because we still had time to pop into the Magic Kingdom for EMH bracelets before 7.00 reservations back at Kona.
The Christmas Party.... well, I used the Magic Kingdom terminal to transfer over to California Grill for dinner Sunday, and it looked like it was really packed. The gates were crammed with thousands trying to get in and thousands filtering out, and I was really glad that I was going watch the fireworks from the observation deck and not Main Street!
Downtown Disney.... well, yes. On Thursday around noon it was a mob scene in World of Disney. No arguments there!
I guess this is all to say that different people consider the word crowded to mean different things. Perhaps I didn't mind any of this because I'm a native New Yorker (now moved upstate), or because I was there the week before when the parks were very crowded (though not enough to drive me crazy or prevent me from doing anything, I did have to forgoe certain rides (Soarin' was 150 minutes at one point on Friday). The parks certainly weren't empty this past week, but in my estimation, to call them crowded is not accurate. Which isn't to say that you're being irrational about your experience.... it just proves that everything on these boards needs to be interpreted according to relative values!

 

[TXMommy]

ITA that "crowded" is completely up to one's interpretation, but having been at WDW for two Spring Breaks and T'giving week, I would say the crowds this past week after T'giving were much heavier than the Spring Breaks and about as heavy as T'giving week for us. I think those of us that posted were surprised because the week after T'giving is supposed to be "lower crowds" and it definitely was NOT that. I know there is never a time when parks are practically empty - it IS Disney - but I also know that this past week was definitely more crowded than we expected.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Yeah the extra week between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year really messed things up in that regard.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

I have to say that I thought the MK yesterday to be extremely crowded. I put it down to being a Saturday but the wait for Splash Mountain that I say at one time was 110 minutes and BTMR 90 minutes. We got caught in a traffic jam of people at one stage for over 40minutes. It was awful with people getting stuck trying to climb over my dd in her stroller and then not being able to go any further as there was no place for them to put their feet on the other side. It was horrible for her. She got belted with handbags, kicked in the head. People telling her off for kicking them when they have squished in the tiny tiny space in front of her stroller left so that we wouldn't run in to the people in front of us.

 

[FigNewton]

I have to say that I thought the MK yesterday to be extremely crowded. I put it down to being a Saturday but the wait for Splash Mountain that I say at one time was 110 minutes and BTMR 90 minutes.

Heh, Saturday and the fact that it was parade taping day. We went yesterday morning just to grab some egg nog fudge since it was being put out Sat morning (December flavor of the month). We knew crowds would be bad from the experience last year, but when we entered the Jonas Bros. were exiting their float at Town Square, and the place was gridlocked with screaming pre-teen girls. Man I was glad when they were gone from view and traffic started moving again,

 

[dawminatrix]

we went to the magic kingdom last night from 8pm to midnight......we couldn't believe how packed it was!!!

we ended up at toontown for a while and let our 18 month old play there....we watched the back side of wishes and then went to dumbo and small world. after that...it was about 11pm and we went over to splash mt and thunder mt. both were EMPTY....we road splash 3 times and thunder 3times. it was midnight then and we wandered out of the park...which was MUCH nicer than the usual mass exodus after Wishes.

 

[winniethepoohsmom]

It would be interesting to see what the crowd levels are like for this week. I would think they would drop off till the weekend before Christmas. I also would think some people who stay home for Thanksgiving may want to go to Disney afterwards to get an early jump on their trip for the following week if they are off work on Friday so that may add to the crowds as well. Linda

 

[2pirates&2tinks]

Just returned from a week in the world. Sometimes reading these boards I think we get too wrapped up into planning the perfect trip stressing about plans, rides, ADR's ect. Please remember when planning your trip is that what you read is JUST an opinion. If you want to feel the magic of Disney than just believe in it. As for my opinion of the last week, I saw a lot of people, BUT I NEVER waited for any ride for more than 5 minutes. I had 4 kids with me and they rode everything multiple times including Everest, RnR, Tower of Terror, Space Mountain. The longest lines we saw were at MVMCP on the 27th. They still were not that long though. Getting down main st was a nightmare that night, but we got a front fow seat to the 8:15 parade at 8 in Frontierland. How can you beat that??? We did another MVMCP on the 29th and the crowds were lower that night. I think this was a wonderful week to be at Disney, but I sign up to the belief that happiness is a state of mind.

 

[dreambound]

Curious, those who found the week after Thanksgiving to be crowded, did you have the touring plans dot com or Tourguide Mike recommendations for that week? How did they match up? I'm curious to see how far off these two planning guides were, especially touring plans.

Also, did you use any sort of touring plan or touring strategies of any kind (arrive at opening, tgm or tp itineraries, etc.) or did you wing it?

This might be really helpful to those planning future trips. Thanks!

Meg

 

[siugoalie78]

Just returned from a week in the world. Sometimes reading these boards I think we get too wrapped up into planning the perfect trip stressing about plans, rides, ADR's ect. Please remember when planning your trip is that what you read is JUST an opinion. If you want to feel the magic of Disney than just believe in it. As for my opinion of the last week, I saw a lot of people, BUT I NEVER waited for any ride for more than 5 minutes. I had 4 kids with me and they rode everything multiple times including Everest, RnR, Tower of Terror, Space Mountain. The longest lines we saw were at MVMCP on the 27th. They still were not that long though. Getting down main st was a nightmare that night, but we got a front fow seat to the 8:15 parade at 8 in Frontierland. How can you beat that??? We did another MVMCP on the 29th and the crowds were lower that night. I think this was a wonderful week to be at Disney, but I sign up to the belief that happiness is a state of mind.

Be that as it may, it was more crowded than I anticipated. Never said did not have a great time, was just surprised by crowd levels based both on my past experience for this time of year, and the mostly "4's" in *****************

 

[siugoalie78]

touring plans dot com. sorry i got all ****'s trying to post the link directly