Summer Crowds

[lovesLilo]

Hi All -
If we must go during the summer - what are your suggestions for times (Last week of May-1st week of August) that are less busy than others? Thinking of a 1 week trip.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Alesia]

The earlier, the better - both weather-wise and crowd-wise.

 

[2Tiggies]

Definitely go with the last week of May if you can. From mid June the crowds really start to pick up. So does the heat and humidity. Heat and crowds are not a great combination.

 

[tinkerbesh]

Compare specific days and weeks on Josh's crowd calendars at easywdw.com

 

[pktbMouse]

all I know is we went last week of May last year and it was crazy busy...they said it was supposed to be a crowd level 7 but it was more like an 8/9 All we got to ride the whole day was about 4 rides..standby hours for Space Mountain and similar were over 120mins, tour groups and end of school classes were everywhere, we vowed we would never go that week again.

 

[Alesia]

all I know is we went last week of May last year and it was crazy busy...they said it was supposed to be a crowd level 7 but it was more like an 8/9 All we got to ride the whole day was about 4 rides..standby hours for Space Mountain and similar were over 120mins, tour groups and end of school classes were everywhere, we vowed we would never go that week again.

2014?

We were there at the same time and thought the crowds were very manageable. We only had to wait more than 20 minutes a couple of times, and we never waited more than 30 minutes for anything. The water parks were virtually empty, too.

 

[pktbMouse]

2014?

We were there at the same time and thought the crowds were very manageable. We only had to wait more than 20 minutes a couple of times, and we never waited more than 30 minutes for anything. The water parks were virtually empty, too.

ok so just checking we were at the same place! Walt Disney world! LOL we went down 26th to 2nd June and really..we had never seen it so busy..perhaps we just hit the wrong park on the wrong day Im wondering, I remember walking in one day to Magic Kingdom and just hitting a wall of people, my 12 yr old complained the whole time as the standby line for Space mountain was never below 100 mins. We were in Magic Kingdom 3 days in a row and it was like this. Maybe we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even the day we went to Universal Studios Islands of adventure was a nightmare..we ended up leaving early at 2.30pm.

 

[Alesia]

ok so just checking we were at the same place! Walt Disney world! LOL we went down 26th to 2nd June and really..we had never seen it so busy..perhaps we just hit the wrong park on the wrong day Im wondering, I remember walking in one day to Magic Kingdom and just hitting a wall of people, my 12 yr old complained the whole time as the standby line for Space mountain was never below 100 mins. We were in Magic Kingdom 3 days in a row and it was like this. Maybe we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even the day we went to Universal Studios Islands of adventure was a nightmare..we ended up leaving early at 2.30pm.

We were there from May 26th to June 4th. We followed the recommendations from the easy wdw crowd calendar, had a good touring plan, and made good use of FP+. We really had no issues with crowds at all.

 

[Doug M]

We were there th first week of June 2014 and avoided the busiest park for the most part and had few crowd issues. Anna and Elsa was a 5 hour wait, and 7DMT was new that week so lines were 90 min or more, otherwise not bad for summer.

 

[Alesia]

ok so just checking we were at the same place! Walt Disney world! LOL we went down 26th to 2nd June and really..we had never seen it so busy..perhaps we just hit the wrong park on the wrong day Im wondering, I remember walking in one day to Magic Kingdom and just hitting a wall of people, my 12 yr old complained the whole time as the standby line for Space mountain was never below 100 mins. We were in Magic Kingdom 3 days in a row and it was like this. Maybe we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even the day we went to Universal Studios Islands of adventure was a nightmare..we ended up leaving early at 2.30pm.

We were there from May 26th to June 4th. We followed the recommendations from the easy wdw crowd calendar, had a good touring plan, and made good use of FP+. We really had no issues with crowds at all.

Out of curiosity, I checked our photo to see what our schedule was:
May 26: Arrived at MK around 9:00 pm (after a 15 hour drive.)
May 27: DHS in the morning. Epcot in the evening
May 28: MK in the morning. Epcot in the evening
May 29: AK all day
May 30: MK in the morning. Epcot in the evening
May 31: Offsite stuff
June 1: Typhoon Lagoon in the morning. DTD in the evening
June 2: Epcot all day
June 3: Blizzard Beach in the morning. DHS in the evening

 

[holden]

We always go during the 2nd or 3rd week of August. The heat is brutal, but we find that if we hit the parks at rope drop, it's doable. We don't stay all day...just till 2 or 3. Then we swim, shower and have dinner. Sometimes we return at night.

It was definitely crowded last August, but if you spread out your FP+ so that you get on your favorites at least once, you can ride the less popular rides without too much wait or grab more FP. We usually choose our FP for the morning so we can get more later.

 

[blessedby3]

I would go late May as well and use www.easywdw.com to plan what park you go to on what day. We always do this and have had great success. We went for 2 weeks this past June (2nd and 3rd weeks of June). It wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting, but the year we went the end of May into the first week of June was better. I just can't do the brutal heat of July and August in Disney!

 

[Farps]

Compare specific days and weeks on Josh's crowd calendars at easywdw.com

This!!!

 

[Fantabulously Cherry]

I have never been in the summer for this very reason. However, my DD's birthday is mid-July so we are going to take her in 2016 for her 3rd birthday. I'mm seeing some good strategies here. Thanks!

 

[soniam]

We always go at busy times: 1st week of June 2012, last week of July 2014, 3/18-20/2015. You just have to have a good plan, maximize FP+, and get there at RD. We like to use Touring Plans. We usually go to AM EMH.

We also start our first FP+ ~10am and finish them by 1pm. We can usually get some OK FP+ at most parks in the early afternoon. Head for an empty kiosk. Go to one near a current parade; it will be dead until the parade goes by. Also, go to a kiosk when the other people in your party are doing stuff like bathroom breaks, snacks, rides you don't like, shopping, or playground stuff like Tom Sawyer Island or Swiss Treehouse. You don't need your whole group as long as you are linked in MDX. You can change times and attractions on the app, if you don't get exactly what you want from the kiosk.

 

[DisMommyTX]

We have traveled both end of May and early August. I would choose May hands down. August weather was excruciating, hot and humid, lots of thunder storms. May was pleasant by comparison! Crowds will be heavy either way, so crowd calendars, FP+, and planning are essential!

 

[JennyDrake]

Anther vote for May.

For ANY summer trip, RD is your best friend! And arrive there ready to go. Don't stop for breakfast, snacks, drinks, etc. Also consider getting PH. MK and AK are always crowded and semi unmissable from noonon. Epcot and DHS do a better job of distributing crowds and they have more indoor attractions.

 

[jprieur]

Went to Disneyworld as a child on family vacations about 6 times between the ages of 4-14 (usually during the summer and occasionally during our Mardi Gras Break). While I have a lot of memories, the things that sticks out most in my mind is the last time we went during August, it was my father saying Never again during an August tip. Growing up in New Orleans (HUMIDITY!) that should tell you all you need to know.

Last year we went on a last minute (booked 4 days before) 5 day trip during late May and everything was fine crowd and weather wise.

 

[Alfalfa]

I've been looking at wait times in the parks today because EasyWDW has it as a crowd level "9" and many of the dates we are considering this summer are 8's with a few 9's sprinkled in.

I think it gives a good indication of what to expect.

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

We have been several times in late May and early June and it has always been very manageable and great weather too.. A little hot, but not much rain. We are always at the park at opening and get most things done early with no crowds. We avoid the parks with EMH in the morning and utilize FP for the top attractions. We plan sit down late lunches to escape the heat of the day. I love this time of year and we are headed back again this year May 19th! Ready for that 24 hour MK day! It will be crazy, but we love it!!!