We were in WDW from Sunday, August 3 through Friday, August 8. We have traveled there most of the past 12 years, usually the first week of August. I thought the crowds were among the worst I have ever seen, in terms of numbers. We always have a plan, use fastpass extensively and arrive at the park gate 30 minutes before opening. We managed to get on most rides eventually, but it felt like work most days. Note that we have teens, have visited many times, and so are less likely to ride certain things that might have been less crowded (like Hall of Presidents, or the Tiki Birds, maybe?). Saw only a few small tour groups. There were plenty of people from all over...England and Canada certainly, but many also from the US.
A few highlights:
Sunday the 1st we did the late night at MK. Although the crowds were large right up until the 2 a.m. closing (when we waited 30 minutes for Space Mountain - maybe because they had been giving out Fast Passes for this ride, and not for most others) we did manage to get on many rides that night, and some (Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain) were about 10 to 15 minute waits. Overall, this was a fun if tiring experience.
The Toy Story effect is nuts...so many people running there first thing. We went to DHS two mornings, one regular opening and one early. Both were crazy crowded. We rode Rock 'n Roller Coaster first, as this is our absolute favorite, then got fast passes for that and went over to ride Toy Story. We waited 20 mintues on the regular morning, and 40 on the early entry day. Note that on the early entry day, the posted wait time was 80 minutes! This line does move fairly quickly, so I think unlike Soarin' or Test Track, the wait is usually a lot less than what is posted.
Animal Kingdom on a non-early entry day was also mobbed. We managed 4 attractions in a morning: Everest, got FP for Kali River, waited 20 minutes for Safari, went back to ride Kali then saw the first show of Nemo which was completely filled. By noon, you couldn't walk comfortably anywhere, so we left.
Epcot late night opening was a bust for us. There were no fastpasses being given out, and the lines were 90 to 110 minutes long for Soarin' and Test Track. We even waited 20 minutes for Spaceship Earth. We did not watch Illuminations but tried to do rides instead. Managed the Nemo ride with a short wait.
One day, we returned to our hotel from MK via Epcot, and at 12:30 got FP for Soarin' for 6 p.m. that evening. We watched some entertainment at World Showcase - thank goodness for Off Kilter and some of the other great performers there - they make it worth visiting when you can't get on rides.
Our last night we went to Epcot, where we decided to wait the posted 50 minutes for Test Track. Of course, it rained after we were in line for 45...but we were not close to getting on the ride yet, so the wait would have been more like 70 minutes I think. We went to Universe of Energy instead, then rode Spaceship Earth (short wait) and then went and waited 60 minutes for Soarin' (posted as 70, but after 9 p.m. the fast pass people stop coming so the line speeds up).
We still had a fun week, and especially enjoyed the hotel pool and our two days away from the parks. (We had planned Blizzard Beach one day but decided on the pool instead, which was wonderfully relaxing.)
Anyway, hopefully all these wonderful visitors have returned home, and those of you going in the next few weeks will have better luck.
It was hot, but nothing worse than the usual Florida-in-the-summer stickiness. I did not think that things looked worn or dirty. In fact, we never once encountered a ride that went down, which I thought was amazing given the long park hours and high crowd levels. The employees we encountered were good humored overall, again given the heat and crowds I was impressed by them.