Recent Crowds

Just back from 8 days at the World and the crowds were not as bad as I thought they would be. Still there were some long lines at the headliners particularly in the middle of the day.

I saw SM go to 90 minutes, Soaring to 120, Toy Story to 120 and Safari up to 90. Still these were all mid afternoon times during the dreaded hot period of 1 to 5 PM.

Without a doubt it was more crowded each and every day as the week passed. Not just in the parks but in DTD, on the buses, the resorts, etc. Seemed like more people headed in on Saturday than headed out.

Talking with Cast Members, each and every one said crowds were lower compared to Disney anticipated staffing needs. One CM in DHS said they were asking for volunteers who did not want all the shifts. They were overstaffed and were trying to drop future staffing levels.

We did EMH 5 times, 3 times at MK and twice at Epcot. Each time was busier than the first. Sunday the 8th was amazing at MK but last Friday was very busy until well after 1AM.

Fast Passes ran out at Toy Story both days we were there by 3PM. Soaring and TT were also out by 3PM each day we were there.

Walk ins for table service without an ADR was impossible. Seems like they were overbooked to me.

The best strategy was rope drop til 1 or 2 in the afternoon, then back to the hotel and out to the pool, then evenings in the park. One problem was the FP return for the second set that we would get around 11 or so would have a time of 2 or 3 in the afternoon. We often were int he park later in the afternoon as a result.

Still doable for the entire week. According to my DS8 we did the following

Space - 11 times
Splash - 6
BTM - 7

RnR coaster - 14 (don't ask)
Tower 3
TSM 5

TT - 5
Soaring 4

Expedition 4
Safari 1
 
We just got back and the crowds were getting larger everyday. My advice is to get fastpasses early for the rides you don't want to miss. The Toy Story ride was sold out of all fast passes by 11am the last few days. If you don't get a FP the wait is about 120 min. We took advantage of the extra magic hour and got our FP right when they opened the line for extra magic. We found that the late afternoons and extra magic hours were worth it because the sun was gone and less crowded.
 
We were at MK and Epcot yesterday. Crowds were much lower than typical summer crowds. BTMRR and HM both had a 10 minute wait at noon. The rides in Fantasy Land were 30-40 minutes, Buzz 10, Astro Orbitors 30 at 2:00, Space Mountain peaked at 65 when it started raining. At Epcot, Soarin was 75 minutes at 5 (still raining), LWTL walk on, Test Track 40 min, Mission Space 10, Norway 15.
 

We were at MK and Epcot yesterday. Crowds were much lower than typical summer crowds. BTMRR and HM both had a 10 minute wait at noon. The rides in Fantasy Land were 30-40 minutes, Buzz 10, Astro Orbitors 30 at 2:00, Space Mountain peaked at 65 when it started raining. At Epcot, Soarin was 75 minutes at 5 (still raining), LWTL walk on, Test Track 40 min, Mission Space 10, Norway 15.[/QUOTE

Wow - great! Maybe the gas prices combined with a non-stellar forecast will keep everyone away.
 
Just back from 8 days at the World and the crowds were not as bad as I thought they would be. Still there were some long lines at the headliners particularly in the middle of the day.

I saw SM go to 90 minutes, Soaring to 120, Toy Story to 120 and Safari up to 90. Still these were all mid afternoon times during the dreaded hot period of 1 to 5 PM.

Ditto all that info ... we got back a couple of days ago and last week was very, very manageable in the mornings. The crowds seem to only start to block things up starting about 1:00 or so.
 
We should try and keep this thread going. It's great to hear everyone's experiences. (Plus I'm not going to August and I'm hoping the lower crowd trend continues...:teeth:)
 
Why does it seem like it gets more crowded during times in the afternoon when most people on this board suggest going in the morning and returning to there resorts in the afternoon? We wanted to go in the afternoon this time because we are kinda used to the heat since we live an hour away and we don't have to wait in line since my kids are Autistic so we get a pass to bypass the wait. ;)
 
We were there 5/13/-5/21, the parks seemed crowded to me but not the lines? Isn't that weird. We probably only wiated 20 minutes tops for anything but we go early and leave around noon to the hotel for pool time...evenings were pretty busy but not terrible.
 
Why does it seem like it gets more crowded during times in the afternoon when most people on this board suggest going in the morning and returning to there resorts in the afternoon? We wanted to go in the afternoon this time because we are kinda used to the heat since we live an hour away and we don't have to wait in line since my kids are Autistic so we get a pass to bypass the wait. ;)

It is more crowded in the afternoon because of the offsitepeople/late risers. We get to the park early and I noticed alot of people entering as we were leaving, then alot of people were leaving when we went back most days around 4pm.

Suzanne
 
WE WILL BE THERE AUGUST 24-28. MY DAUGHTER AND I ARE GOING ON A SURPRISE TRIP IN 13 DAYS. VERY SHORT TRIP.::yes::
 
WE WILL BE THERE AUGUST 24-28. MY DAUGHTER AND I ARE GOING ON A SURPRISE TRIP IN 13 DAYS. VERY SHORT TRIP.::yes::


DH and I went last August 22-24 and the crowds were about like they were last week, non-existent. I think alot of the schools in the south (at least in our state) go back to school during the first week or 2 of August now, so the parks are emptier.

Suzanne
 
We just got back. We were there from 6-7 to 6-15. The crowds were not that bad. We stay offsite, but we make sure to hit early.

Like many other, we hit the drop to 1 and 5 beyond time. Couple of times we did a park by 4 and went home. We were very pleased with how much we got done everyday.
 
Why does it seem like it gets more crowded during times in the afternoon when most people on this board suggest going in the morning and returning to there resorts in the afternoon?

The dis boards only represent and small % of poeple who go to Disney.
Plus most people like to sleep in on Vacation.
 
I just tried to add a day to my WDW trip which is NEXT WEEK ;) and I had the choice of every room type (WL) I was in shock

Here is to hoping this is a good sign (I know it will be crowded but I can dream can't I)
 
Went to all four parks the past two days. Longest wait times...

Mission Space: 140 minutes
Soarin: 120 minutes
Toy Story Mania: 110 minutes
Expedition Everest: 70 minutes
Rock N Roll Rollercoaster: 65 minutes
 


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