Share Positive Experiences with Current Crowd Levels

[Remy is Up]

Great post! Just copying from another thread on our day:
So...we just left and did DHS Friday 2/28. It was awesome IME. We got BG 6 so very lucky but we rope dropped TSMM (10 min wait - we were in line for rope drop around 7:40) and I was able to pull 4th+ FP for every single ride but SDD (didn’t take them all but saw everything come up). We did AS2 x3, MFSR, TSMMx2, RotR, ToT, LM show, Racing Academy, and had an ADR at Sci Fi for lunch and left around 7. Everything was fast pass (except racing academy of course). We also had 2 infants with us (1 tall enough for As2, one not so our toddler did AS2 6 times because we took turns taking him). It seemed like a LOT of the crowd did not know how to use refresh and so being diligent with that paid off big time. We also found mobile order for Woodys lunch box to be pretty quick (10 minute wait maybe?) for dinner. Were the walkways miserable? Yes. But it seemed like for us at least we still got a ton done and it was our favorite day.

90% of the people in the parks have no idea about refresh

 

[SleeplessInTO]

We are at the airport now. Some positive experiences from this past trip:
- My kid got her first pin and started trading pins! There’s usually no lines for pin trading and it’s a great way to chat with CMs or other guests. Many kind people at the parks today. (** If you gave a 4 year old a pin today and you’re on this board - thank you! You made her day.)
- We walked around the world showcase and actually went into many of the pavilions that we had never done before (due to being fixated on FPs and ADRs and schedules for everything).
- We also did shows that we usually don’t at the other parks such as The Tiki Room. Very interesting experience.
- Came back early to the resort and enjoyed a pool day today since the weather warmed up.
- Made some line friends.
- Couldn't help but overhear some conversations from other guests, people watching is entertaining!
- I had no FPs or ADRs today for the first time ever on a Disneyworld trip. It was oddly terrifying but liberating.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Oh! Also want to add - mobile order is fantastic. Not all the options are available on mobile order but it does save so much time. But picking up a mobile order can still be a madhouse and I’ve found at the busiest times mobile order goes down. So be prepared to eat slightly off peak!

 

[Boopuff]

Ah a breath of fresh positivity! It does exist! I think with growing crowds you need to approach the situation with humor and as my DD always says "mom! it's vacation! relax, we've got nowhere to be (well except for the fastpass - get moving!)

 

[DisLiss]

So be prepared to eat slightly off peak!

We use that tip all of the time. My kids even rattle that one off when we go over our expectations for an upcoming trip. Just last night we were doing some light planning because our ADR window is coming up and we were talking about rope-dropping and my 9 year old said "Get there early to ride some rides and then go have lunch before everybody else does!". You got it, buddy!

 

[Pnflkc3]

90% of the people in the parks have no idea about refresh

does “refresh” mean refreshing to check available fast passes throughout the day? Do many not realize that you can request more after using your first three?

 

[KBoopaloo]

Thank you for this. Hoping to hear some positivity as we arrive Tuesday and my stress level has been through the roof.

I arrived very late last night (actually 1:00 am). Got up early for DHS. Had zero issues getting a bus or getting into DHS before 8. Snagged an early boarding group (18) and was off Rise by just after 9 or so? Maybe closer to 9:30. I basically winged it all day as I decided to try for Rise at the last minute. I took a Skyliner to Riviera for breakfast, Skyliner back to DHS and then headed back to my resort for a break. Sat by the pool for about 30 minutes. Took a 2.5 hour nap. Decided to scrap my MK plans and head back to DHS. Ate a leisurely dinner at Docking Bay 7, saw Frozen singalong and rode Smugglers Run (single rider) Slinky and Toy Story Mania with no FPs. I could have easily fit in a few other things but I was really taking it easy today. Crowds tonight at DHS were not bad at all.

 

[TarotFox]

does “refresh” mean refreshing to check available fast passes throughout the day? Do many not realize that you can request more after using your first three?

Yes and no. A lot of people will check once and then be done with it, but you can rapidly check back and forth and nab cancellations.

 

[MargeGriff]

Lets try this again with a different approach. Due to predictable reactions the other thread had to be locked and I understand why the moderators had to do it. Maybe this thread can avoid getting derailed by others who can not accept counter discussions. Please allow this thread to execute its intended purpose and ignore it if you have issues with it. This will also cause the moderators less stress because they do not have to worry about editing constantly in order to keep it civil.

Please post on this thread strategies and techniques you have used to have positive experiences fighting these current crowds levels. There are many people on these boards who have plans scheduled who can use your advice. Planning Disney is tough so adding additional stress and anxiety regarding crowd levels can really freak people out. Help these people have realistic expectations and hopefully they can be pleasantly surprised as their day unfolds. Please add as much detail and context to your post as possible so people can see how your experience relates to their plans and group size.

Hoping this thread can provide a positive voice to the current difficult situations in Disney.

Thank you for this thread!

 

[proud2b]

Our "group" - My husband and myself (although we have used these strategies last June when there were five adults in our group)

We are at WDW this week. First of all, we go with a positive attitude and try to not let little things bother us. By the end of the day today, we did get tired of people "cutting" in line. I understand if a child has to leave line to go to the bathroom, but not adults holding spots for other ones running late because they were on another ride. All in all, you are going to end up in the same place and your wait time won't be impacted by that much.

Secondly, we try to be flexible. We aren't afraid to cancel and schedule a different FP, if we need to. We try to ride all of our favorite rides early in the day and then fit in the rest later. We don't mind waiting in lines if needed. We used our first three FPs by noon today and then fit in four other ones before we decided to leave early. We ended up riding all of the rides we wanted and some of them twice.

When ordering Quick Service, remember that you can use both of the lines at the registers. The CM will alternate between the left and right lanes. We walked up to an open lane today because people didn't realize you can use both sides.

Don't be afraid to ask a CM or find a Guest Experience stand if you have questions. They can usually answer your questions quickly and you won't waste time trying to figure it out yourself.

Stay hydrated and don't let yourself get to the point of hunger that you become cranky. It's no fun if you are uncomfortable or not feeling well.

Check the Disney App for wait times, but don't depend on it solely. Most of the times they are accurate, but sometimes the wait time isn't as long as posted. For example, we found that the time for Smuggler's Run wasn't very accurate on the day we were there. We cut additional wait time off by using the single rider line (there were only two of us). We were able to ride back to back in less than an hour from start to finish.

Use the restrooms that are tucked back out of the way. There are several spots where restrooms aren't easily noticed. If you find the good spots, you usually won't have to wait in line. Not all restrooms are created equal. Use the restroom before getting into a long line.

Take a second and look at things that most people won't notice. For example, we ate at Pecos Bills today during the lunch rush. At first, we couldn't find a table. I took a moment to look around and noticed that there was a ramp with a sign that said seating (with an arrow pointing up the ramp). We went upstairs and found several empty tables.

 

[Lovetherodent]

Take a break mid-day when crowds are heaviest. Early morning and eveninns have the lowest crowds. Love your sleep? Nap during the break.

Ask yourself how important it is to do something. Most attractions will be around for years, maybe you can skip the crowded chaos and just do it next time. That's been my practice this trip with ROTR. Just didn’t want to deal with the crush of humanity trying to get a BG at park opening, so I didn't. Arrived in time for my first am fp. my next trip may not be for 3 or 4 years, but the ride will still be there.

Prepare for crowds. You can do this mentally. You could also start hitting Walmart on Black Friday Right when the sales start. Disney will seem like a breeze in comparison!

 

[Remy is Up]

Yes and no. A lot of people will check once and then be done with it, but you can rapidly check back and forth and nab cancellations.

Our group of local resident Passholders who go a lot have kind of broken it down this way based on trends we see:
70% of people in the park: No clue at all and happy to just use the 3 they have and stand in stand by otherwise
20% of the people in the park: Have very limited knowledge but will give up easily or not even try
10% of the people in the park: Usually resident AP or out of state AP or frequent return guests have all the knowledge ( Or at least most of it) and will work the system well.

ON blackout periods: Christmas, Spring Break when ALL passholders other than Platinum are blacked out, the crowds are heavy but refresh is easier because even less of a percentage in the park know how to use the system. Non Blackout periods expect a higher percentage of knowledgeable guests and it can be slightly challenging but in the grand scheme, still such a small percentage it is doable. Even some of the knowledgeable ones dont know everything about the system and/or use it all to their advantage. So the more you know, the more likely you are to have a pleasant experience, massive crowds or not.

 

[revdon64]

Best thing I've done in the past for handling the crowds was lower my expectations. I ask everyone in my party what their one thing to do in each park is. Then I do all I can to schedule those FP's and call the day a success if we've accomplished everyone's one thing. Anything above that is icing on the cake.

 

[Deploraboo]

Best way to easy my tension is to bite the bullet and buy the special event tickets and then surgically supplement with FPs. That way can take an extra hour or two to stroll the parks without caring about waiting for rides. Costly yes, but as a middle aged guy I just flat out don’t need the aggravation.

 

[wilkydelts]

I still have not taken our vacation, it is on 3/30. I want to share my positive story to show how important and helpful planning and refreshing are. Most of the success is attributed to this website.
We opted to stay in a Disney Springs hotel cause that was the best chance we had to get SDD. Our FP+ day would be 60+1. I went to work early and got on my computer and was ready for 7a FP+ opening. I immediately looked for SDD, then TSM, the ToT. Ended up with SDD 7:05p-8:05p, TSM 12:25p-1:25, ToT 10:25a-11:25a

Thanks to this board I found out MMRR released FP+ and in a seconds noticed decided that I believe it will be higher capacity and faster loading than SDD (so far it is going well cranking out guests) so I decided to stick with SDD. Pounded refresh as others changed plans to FP+ MMRR and was able to move up SDD to 1:25p-2:25p right behind my TSM and now actually have an option to get a 4th FP+ the day of compared to before with such a late SDD.

Again thanks to this board I was well aware of them changing hours for HS and dropping new FP+. I was closely monitoring it. Yesterday they changed our hours about 3:30p and immediately started refreshing and kept going till bed about 10:30p. Woke up went to work and kept refreshing an insane and unhealthy amount of time and at about 3:30p today my heart raced when I noticed TSM in the 8:00a hour opened and grabbed 8:25a-9:25a then immediately switched to SDD and a couple of refreshes later got SDD not only moved up but at 9:25a-10:25a I am the happiest person ever now.
My FP+ now stand:
TSM- 8:25a-9:25a
SDD- 9:25a-10:25a
ToT- 10:25a-11:25a
That is my dream lineup! It also means I can start accessing a 4th FP+ at 10:26 after tapping in for ToT or maybe even earlier if I can get some lucky adjustments refreshing in the park as I tap into each ride

Thank you everyone for the tips I got from these boards. Now I just have to rely on my BG practice and knowledge I got from you all as well in order to score a trip on RotR

 

[wiggy500]

My experience from going a week ago was that it really wasn't bad. My parents changed plans and bought AK tickets the day before going when no decent fastpasses were out there. Refreshing worked amazingly and they were blown away by the fastpasses I got them. HS on an EMH Sunday I was bracing for the worst. The glitch that landed us with six fastpasses each skewed how the day went, but the day would have gone well without that. Having a team working on getting a boarding group worked great and rope dropping Slinky went much better than I feared. Galaxy's Edge in the late afternoon started thinning out as most people had started there. And then doing EMH and AH in MK was a fantastic way around the crowds.

Maybe we picked better days than I thought we did, but at any rate it really wasn't that bad.

 

[Kiki72]

I just got home (was there Feb 26-March 6) and although on some days it was really crowded (last Saturday at the MK it was quite uncomfortable for me and I left after the fireworks), I had an absolutely wonderful time! I was solo which I'm sure made my life easier (especially when it came to FPs) but I think good planning and reasonable expectations are the way to go. I usually had my FPs early and the morning quite planned out, but then went with the flow in the afternoons.

After Hours events were awesome, and definitely took away a lot of "pressure" to do rides during my MK/AK days. I'm an obsessive refresher and there wasn't a single ride I didn't get a day of FP for. Actually found getting a BG for RotR pretty straightforward, even on the day my app glitched (got BG62). I know this isn't doable for everyone, but the best thing I did for myself was to not rope drop Slinky, Smuggler's Run, FoP or Mine Train. I got so much more done elsewhere, and didn't have to deal with the crowds.

The only thing I wish I hadn't done was read so many blogs and tweets about what a miserable time I was going to have. I was reading about how no one should go to Hollywood Studios the day before my first day there, so while I waited at rope drop I was so anxious and expecting a horrible day. And it was fine! Yes it was crowded and hot, but it was still wonderful.

 

[mickey765]

we are at MK on March 17 and we don’t arrive till early afternoon. What are your lucks with refresh during March break season? Do you think we will have a lot of difficulty? My goal is to get pooh, HM, IASW and under the sea, and potentially pirates.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

You got it, buddy!

This made me think of Patrick Warburton in the Soarin' safety brief...
"Nice work, Pal."

 

[Remy is Up]

People who use the system and have realistic expectations are having good trips. Which is nice to see