The Biggest Disappointment this trip...

[TaiTai1]

We were there on some of the same days you were last week. On Sunday, May 4th, it was CRAZY BUSY. I couldn't believe how crowded it was. Way more than I expected. Also went back to MK on May 5th and May 7th. These days were busy, but not as bad as May 4th. We picked this time of year because, previously, this had been a bit slower time. I doubt we come back at this time of year again. Still looking for that magical time slot.... after Easter..... before colleges get out. Any thoughts?

 

[Meech Loves Mickey]

We were there on some of the same days you were last week. On Sunday, May 4th, it was CRAZY BUSY. I couldn't believe how crowded it was. Way more than I expected. Also went back to MK on May 5th and May 7th. These days were busy, but not as bad as May 4th. We picked this time of year because, previously, this had been a bit slower time. I doubt we come back at this time of year again. Still looking for that magical time slot.... after Easter..... before colleges get out. Any thoughts?

We were at HS on May 4th. Touring Plans predicted a 2 for HS that day. They couldn't have been more wrong. Star Wars fans were out in full 'force' that day! We arrived at HS about 8:20 and the lines were already starting to get long.


I don't think there are any slow times at WDW any more.

 

[ShannonMB]

I feel like A&E is the biggest factor. ALL these people who would normally be taking their time getting to the parks are now on a mission and swarming in during our usual quiet time!

Ahh...this too shall pass (eventually)!

 

[TinkerElsasMom]

We were at HS on May 4th. Touring Plans predicted a 2 for HS that day. They couldn't have been more wrong. Star Wars fans were out in full 'force' that day! We arrived at HS about 8:20 and the lines were already starting to get long. I don't think there are any slow times at WDW any more.

You went to HS on May the fourth be with you day and you were shocked it was busy? I don't need a touring plan to know that is going to be busy as heck!!! Of course Star Wars weekends are crazy busy. There are slow times at WDW you just have to use more than one set touring plan to let you know if it is going to be busy.

Use a tour plan, look at Extra magic hours, look at any special events that might b going on. Use all information when deciding which park to go to.

 

[JanaDee]

You went to HS on May the fourth be with you day and you were shocked it was busy? I don't need a touring plan to know that is going to be busy as heck!!! Of course Star Wars weekends are crazy busy. There are slow times at WDW you just have to use more than one set touring plan to let you know if it is going to be busy.

Use a tour plan, look at Extra magic hours, look at any special events that might b going on. Use all information when deciding which park to go to.

Even with the best tools and knowledge, the parks are still crowded.

Unless you're going the first week of September, there really isn't a slow time anymore.

 

[TinkerElsasMom]

Oh I have no doubt it's busy all the time. My point is, there is a best time and a worst time to go. It's busy during the bet time but not as busy as the worst. It's the best case scenario type of thing. You can't go to HS, during Star Wars weekends, on May the Fourth Be with you, and expect there is anything less than absolute chaos. It might be busy at HS other days too, but not THAT busy.

 

[margaret07013]

We may have even crossed the paths on May 5th b/c we did the same rides in the morning.

I think there 2 things at play:

- large crowds, yes by 8:30am the area in front of the gate at MK was full and it looked really sad seeing people running like crazy towards FL.

- planning and knowing the park - we did RD and went to BTMR x 3, PC, JC, Carpets, street parade at 11am, Wish Come True show at 11:40, lunch at CP at noon.

FP+ made for the evening included Pooh, Mermaid, Peter Pan and we did SW in 5-10min with no wait twice.

But if you move our time by 10 to 20 minutes in the morning - you would experience much longer lines and I would have been one of those complaining about the lines. how much of a difference? Jungle Cruise was 20 min as we arrived. When we left the ride - it was 40 min and people lining up almost by the Carpets.

Also for those who are on DIS - I mean think about fast loading rides vs slow loading rides. it does make a difference. 20 min wait on LM ride means its a walk on vs any wait on Peter Pan. Just like you do Soarin first vs TT b/c of the 10 min wasted on designing the car.

also the misleading questions about SB lines --- the line might be very short but you get the rush of FP+ people and you can wait forever.

and final note - know the park / rides, restrooms locations and any shortcuts. 9:10am by BTMR I was asked by a family of 4 where the Peter Pan ride was.

I wasnt running, I had 2 small kids, 2 strollers, we stopped for pics, we stopped for snacks - we allowed them to play and planned the breaks every 3hrs because of the heat.

I had a different experience on May 5th. In the first hour and ten minutes after RD, we rode BTMR (twice), Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and IASW. I think that is as good as can be expected.

It was not crowded at the end of that day, either. We walked onto Under the Sea at 9:40 and met Ariel without waiting at all at Ariel's Grotto at 9:55. After the fireworks, we walked onto Barnstormer, played in Dumbo's playground for 10 minutes, and walked onto Space Mountain twice before closing.

 

[gerryrobinson]

The magical time slot is in September. Crowd levels are 1's and 2's. It's obviously like this because of kids going back to school.

As for the crowds getting heavier faster, I do believe that this is because of the combination of a lot of what people are saying on here. Economy is getting better, FP+, A&E, 7DMT, 4+ FPs. It's falling right into Disney's hands (or should I say pockets).

Having said this, people should be a little cautious about trying to use the "I'll use up all my FPs early in the morning so that I can get more in the afternoon idea". Especially on days where crowd levels are going to be 5 and higher. You might find that attractions will not have any FP availability later in the day. And the line ups at the kiosks to get the extra FPs might start growing exponentially.

I still think rope drop is the way to go and will definately be doing it again on our next trip in late August this year

 

[OtherScott]

I might not be thinking this all the way through, but I wouldn't think that FP+ wouldn't have that much affect on the rope drop advantage. Those people with FP+ reservations STILL have to get up early and go to the park.

I don't see FP+ MAKING people get up any earlier than they would have. Unless they could only get an early Anna and Else FP.

I agree, but, getting up for a reservation is different than getting up to fight the masses - at least it would be for me.

 

[margaret07013]

Having said this, people should be a little cautious about trying to use the "I'll use up all my FPs early in the morning so that I can get more in the afternoon idea". Especially on days where crowd levels are going to be 5 and higher. You might find that attractions will not have any FP availability later in the day. And the line ups at the kiosks to get the extra FPs might start growing exponentially.

I still think rope drop is the way to go and will definately be doing it again on our next trip in late August this year

thats another great point - getting good 4th pass in MK on slow day is not the problem. getting ANY good FP+ in HS or Epcot or even AK on avg day is a risk. To give you an idea - AK Wed May 7th - there was no FP+ available for KR at 10am till 4:30pm for 2 people. I tried 3-4 times to move up my time. Epcot - if you are looking for TT or Soarin - sure - 8-9pm is possible or nothing at all. HS same thing.

I was there during one of the slowest weeks of the year per Josh crowd calendar and when people were not fully aware of 4th FP (introduced only week earlier) --- I cant imagine in 2-3-4 months during busier weeks.

 

[Lety4480]

Interesting to read all this. I'm planning to use touringplans.com. I've read the Unofficial Guide from cover to cover and have used WDW Prep School to research for our trip. I'm nervous that we won't enjoy our 1st WDW trip in August. Since I'm the planner in the family, I feel I might be the one blamed for an unpleasant trip. Both touringplans.com and WDW Prep recommend RD to maximize park touring time. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Daddy Mack]

Interesting to read all this. I'm planning to use touringplans.com. I've read the Unofficial Guide from cover to cover and have used WDW Prep School to research for our trip. I'm nervous that we won't enjoy our 1st WDW trip in August. Since I'm the planner in the family, I feel I might be the one blamed for an unpleasant trip. Both touringplans.com and WDW Prep recommend RD to maximize park touring time. We'll see how it goes.

Open the park, close the park, and spend afternoons somewhere else.

 

[stephwtx]

We were also there May 2-12. I picked those dates after reading different crowd predictors and thinking it would be a low crowd time. I was very wrong. We usually go the 1st or 2nd week of June. Silly me was expecting slightly cooler temps and lower crowds. We were also at MK May 4th. We used rope drop to tour adventure land and frontierland. By 11:30 we had checked off jungle cruise, carpets, pirates, BTMRR, splash, and m&g w Woody and Jessie, country bears... We then headed into fantasy land and my jaw literally hit the ground. The pathway between IASW and PP was solid people, you couldn't move. I had only planned to ride IASW and grab lunch at Pinnochio but after seeing that madness hubby and I made a beeline for the resort and took the kids swimming. It was INSANE!! We went back later that afternoon and did lots of 2 tier rides/shows bc the waits were still crazy! I felt the crowds were much bigger then the level 4-6 that had been predicted. We roped dropped Epcot on Sat May 10th and in the first hour saw waits at 30 mins for figment, 20 for land boat ride, and 45 for space ship earth... It was crazy and so hot!!! I got sun poisoning but that's an entirely different discussion lol

 

[Daddy Mack]

I only go to WDW when crowds are down, including 3 straight Mays, and I still do not think it was significantly more crowded than in the past last week, with the exception that more people were at RD at MK for A&E. But the other areas of MK were not crowded on May 5th. Space Mountain had a 5 minute wait at 10:25 a.m. On May 7th, I rode Tower of Terror 3x with no waiting from 12:30-1:05 pm.

And my experience is that (a) weekends are always bad no matter the crowd calendar and (b) afternoons are always bad, especially at MK.

And I say this as someone with a very low heavy crowd tolerance.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Yeah, I don't see the need to beat up the previous poster for going to DHS on the 4th. TP.com had it as a 2 that day, and Josh had it as his most recommended park. Projections and recommendations are just that, nothing more.

 

[Reddog1134]

I agree, but, getting up for a reservation is different than getting up to fight the masses - at least it would be for me.

But isn't that the point of Rope Drop? To get there BEFORE the masses.

 

[kkayluvsdis]

Yeah, I don't see the need to beat up the previous poster for going to DHS on the 4th. TP.com had it as a 2 that day, and Josh had it as his most recommended park. Projections and recommendations are just that, nothing more.

We were at HS on May the 4th as well based on easywdw's advice. Our crew actually really enjoyed seeing all the Star Wars fans.

I'm curious to see what the ACTUAL crowd levels were during our weeklong stay as compared to what was predicted. Is that data recorded?

 

[think-like-tink]

But isn't that the point of Rope Drop? To get there BEFORE the masses.

That was my thought process in the past. No so much anymore. It will be interesting to see how the new system will play out in the summer.

We are going in July. I hate to admit that I did score a 9:10 FP for A&E. I hate to use it on a meet and greet. But, I did. It's only me and DD meeting them. DH and DS are going to go off and do something else. Then we will meet up at 10 for 7DMT.

DH made a good point last night. He said at least will be fresh faced and not so sweaty and sticky when we meet these gals.

 

[csmith041177]

My families trip this fall will be our first experience with FPplus. I'm ready to see for myself how the system works because of the largely negative feedback it has received. However, I'm a little worried going in...

 

[Brian Noble]

Anyone else noticing this trend?

Nope. We were there during Spring Break, and our rope-drop days at MK were great.