Really nervous re: 50th Celebration

[kathy0513]

I am going May 7th-16th and I too picked the timeframe for less crowds.

I was concerned about comments of all hotels being fully booked so I went online with Disney resorts just to see how booked they are and what I found was that for May 7th to May 12th virtually every hotel I checked (all the values, POR, CAB, AKL, Contemporrary, OKW, YC, BC, POLY, GF had some availability; only the POR had no availability on Sat the 7th. The 12th-16th is a little busier but all the above hotels had availability except for CAB, POLY and May 13th at BC.

So - I am hoping that while it will be busier than previous years it will still be much more manageable than the "busy" periods.

 

[TyRy]

We were there last October/November during Halloween and Jersey week. We were told most of the hotels were sold out. The crowds were never out of hand and we had a great time.

 

[Violetx3]

We were there last October/November during Halloween and Jersey week. We were told most of the hotels were sold out. The crowds were never out of hand and we had a great time.

That's good to know. I've been bent out of shape about the hotels being booked up. I am hoping that there won't be as many day-trip people with schools in session. I expect it to be busy, I just don't want it to be out of control. Otherwise I might as well have gone during spring break so my kids wouldn't miss school.

 

[ihearttink]

We arrive on May 14th. I planned this trip around our 20th anniversary thinking less crowds. We have always gone in the summer with big crowds. I'm a big user of the "unofficial book" and am prepared for commando style touring. The first time I followed the plan DH and DD thought I was nuts . They said lets not use the plan one day. Well, after a long day waiting in lines and seeing less attractions, they said please use the plan . I always have the book with me just in case. Hasn't failed us yet!

 

[Docsknotinn]

We had origionally had a CL room booked for May 4-6 at the AKL. WOW, am I glad we cancelled that for those dates. I lucked into a great rate at the Dolphin so we decided to give it a try this time. We expect bigger crowds than average for May but in Disney terms that should still be very comfortable. Counting down the days !!!

 

[dcibrando]

my guess is the week of April 30 thru May 7, and May 7 thru May 14 will be much more crowded than May 14-21 due to media and the beginning of the celebration (which is why we picked the week of 14-21 to go) I hope that is the case anyways

 

[flagirl]

I also booked May 4th through the 10th not realizing the celebration was going on....... but you know what ..... WE ARE GOING TO DISNEY!! Whoo hoo..... Nothing can bring that down! Just go and have fun and don't let crowds bother you. We get to be part of the party

 

[dcibrando]

I went to Expedia for May 14-21 and it looks pretty good... not too many sell outs at all. In fact, if you select NEXT week April 16-23, it's more booked then. Is this accurate?

I know reservations are up...but I'm hoping it's more along the lines of June-August when most schools are out.

 

[LittleBoPeep]

We tried to book the CSR for the first part of our stay (May 11-15) and couldn't because the Danskin Women's Triathlon is calling it race central--staging a few clinics there and those registered for the race are encouraged to stay there for the festivities. I know that's a pretty big deal every year, and that will account for a good number of people visiting, not to mention the bonus of it being the beginning of the "Happiest" celebration.
We have a touring plan (since it's MIL & FIL's first trip, they have a list of "must do" attractions), but decided that we'd just roll with the punches. If it's crowded and busy, we'll still make sure to enjoy being together on vacation, since that's what it's all about!

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

We were at WDW the week before Easter this year. (We had no other choice.) I was so worried about the crowds, but found that as long as we went early in the morning we had no problems at all. Just leave mid-day for your hotel and a swim.

May is great - my favorite time of year there. Hot enough to make you feel you can enjoy the summer weather at the water parks and on the water rides, but not as hot as "real" summer; the Flower and Garden Festival; Star Wars weekends - wish I could go with you!!! You're going to have a great time!!

 

[Nik's Mom]

If you don't like crowds I would DEFINITELY avoid AKL. That is where the entire media will be staying May 4-6 and I'm sure it will be packed!!! Probably tons of camera crews, reporters, etc.

Darn! My DS is autistic and we thought AKL would be a perfect refuge from the crowds. Oh well, if it's too crowded, we'll watch the animals from our Savanah view room. Thanks for the heads up, though.