taking F&W, MNSSHP and this free grub offer into account - crowd management plan?

[loriandmatt]

OK - we had hoped to go ealier in Sept, but DH can't get off work until the last week in Sept.

so now our trip is being prelim planned for Sept 27 thru Oct 4.

I am getting worried about crowds with the Food and Wine festival starting on the 30th and with MNSSHP also starting at the same time. then there is the free food package that might draw crowds.

anyone care to give opinions on the best (or worst) days at what parks would be during that period of time?

is the opening day/weekend/week at F&W a mad house? is it better to hit that park during the day or evening to avoid F&W partisipants? is it any harder to get in to the regular restaurants? (DS will have a fit - as will DH if we can't get into the Biergarten for chicken shnitzel)

- lori

 

[megrod74]

I'd like to know about this too

 

[WDWorBUST]

You know I truly don't believe that the parks will be all that more crowded. I think people planning on going anyway will take advantage of the dining plan and might stay on site when they may not have before. And I think the restaurants will probably be fuller. But I KNOW when I went in Sept 2003 they offered the fairytale package where you paid for 4 nights/5 days and you got 7 nights/8 days and although maybe the parks were alittle fuller it was still a low attendance time of year. Some people can't go because the children are back and school and it's awfully quick to take them out. Some may still be a little hurricane-shy. And it's amazing how few people know about these special offers. I have a friend who used to be a CM and she worked at Disney Travel.....I had to tell her about the special and the cm she spoke to when she called to change her ressie was clueless about it too. So....my personal opinion is that overall as big as Disney is we won't feel the increase that much. Now I could be completely wrong - but I personally have decided that I can't do anything about it except go and enjoy myself and not worry about it - so that is exactly what I am going to do. However I don't have first hand experience with the F&W festival and we are leaving on the 2nd so I hadn't even really thought about that at all.