Very Crowded

[BcIcemen]

Just returned home after a 4 day stay at Beach Club(2/9-2/13). The parks seemed unusually crowded. Any thoughts or ideas on why this was the case. TIA

 

[vicarrieous]

It was the same for our Jan 20-29 trip. My guesses were pent up demand, people pushing vacation from the holidays/early Jan due to omicron and potentially people who opted to not cruise due to restrictions and instead go to the parks. These are simply my guesses and I have no solid info to back it up.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

It was the same for our Jan 20-29 trip. My guesses were pent up demand, people pushing vacation from the holidays/early Jan due to omicron and potentially people people who opt to not cruise due to restrictions and instead go to the parks. These are simply my guesses and I have no solid info to back it up.

I think your opinions are spot on. We were there late January, and it felt very crowded. I agree that pent-up demand with the pandemic is a big part of it. We also saw similar crowds in early December - and many of the folks we talked to really wanted to get back to experience some of the holiday magic at Disney after being forced to miss it in 2020.

I expect some DVC folks also still have extra points they might not normally have this time of year.

It's also been a rough winter for the mid-Atlantic. Maybe some of those people from the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, etc need to get just a little bit further south this winter!

 

[DduzDis]

I do hope it is more just pent up demand. We just got back from a trip 2/5-2/12 and it was as busy as I have ever seen it outside of Thanksgiving Day. I hope it settles out over this year. I'll be back in September and also hoping for lesser crowds by then (but who knows).

 

[BcIcemen]

We will be back in August and are hoping for the same. My thoughts are that with European countries allowed to travel maybe that is the extra amount of people

 

[RoseGold]

Like everyone here, I'm the Disney planner for everyone I know. I've planned quite a few recent trips for people who normally would have gone abroad. They can't do it now because of borders or work/school policies or not wanting to risk quarantine abroad.

I think a lot of people were hoping to go abroad. They still can't but they want to go somewhere, so Disney is the winner here.

I can tell you the people I planned for spent plenty of cash, but they won't be back. Just like Chapek wanted!

 

[Sandisw]

I was there the 7 to 10 and I agree. HS was crazy busy on the 10th.

 

[princesscinderella]

I think this weekend will be crazy busy for the holiday weekend too, I was thinking to taking a quick flight up to Orlando instead of driving up from SoFla but there are no rental cars available at all for my dates at MCO. We would just have Ubered from the airport to VGF and used Disney transportation but we also plan to go to universal to see the Barenaked Ladies concert on Saturday and would much prefer to drive ourselves back and forth. So I looks like I’m in for the 4 hour drive instead of the 45 minute flight

 

[New Mouse]

They aren't running full capacity with most things. The parking lots weren't anywhere near full to signify the large lines and crowds in the parks.

 

[Vulnox]

We were there the 9th-13th too! It seemed crowded, but not as bad as our trip in November 2019, the last time we were at WDW. My wife even mentioned when we were walking around Epcot because there was an area near the Americas section that was so jammed with strollers you had trouble getting by between them and the people, but it was about half that this time. Hollywood Studios seemed less crowded too, but don't get me wrong, it was still crowded. I do think that pent up demand has maybe driven more people to February than otherwise might. I mean, it was our first time going in Feb but we haven't been to WDW since 2019, so I guess we are if nothing else an example of why it may be busier around these times.

 

[MonkeyKnifeFight]

We were there in early January and almost every park was out of reservations each day. Is it still like that? It seemed busy but no worse than 2 years ago.

 

[ScubaCat]

The staffing shortage, still missing entertainment, ride malfunctions (lack of maintenance in many cases), and lightning lane make it seem pretty crowded, but I think we were all a little spoiled from 2020. In other words, moderate crowds + problems = severe inconvenience and annoyance.

I dropped by Hollywood Studios a couple of weeks ago after dinner, and both rise and slinky dog were broken and never reopened the rest of the evening. Situations like that are frequent these days, and even a modest crowd can feel overwhelming when there's suddenly a 120 minute wait for toy story mania.

 

[zavandor]

January is not low crowds season anymore. And this year in particular with all the pent up demand and reduced capacity it might be even worst. I think only August and September are the last remaining low crowd seasons. Maybe May?

 

[Brian Noble]

I think a lot of people have hit on issues: Pent-up demand, staffing difficulties, folks converting cruise/foreign trips to domestic land trips, and they are still missing some of the big people-eating entertainment. On the other side of the ledger, international visitors are still more or less missing.

Anecdotally, we are still hesitant to travel outside the US for fear of a positive test delaying our return, and we are not at all interested in cruising, after doing five or six DCLs in the past.

This year has definitely been unusual; whether it becomes the "new usual" time will tell. There are a couple of "holes" in the winter calendar in most years where the crowds are thin. The first full week of February is often one, but as the Festival of the Arts picks up, maybe not.

 

[PalmettoPath]

I think your opinions are spot on. We were there late January, and it felt very crowded. I agree that pent-up demand with the pandemic is a big part of it. We also saw similar crowds in early December - and many of the folks we talked to really wanted to get back to experience some of the holiday magic at Disney after being forced to miss it in 2020.

I expect some DVC folks also still have extra points they might not normally have this time of year.

It's also been a rough winter for the mid-Atlantic. Maybe some of those people from the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, etc need to get just a little bit further south this winter!

Not to mention 50th -- the perfect storm for crowds.

 

[ScubaCat]

Anecdotally, we are still hesitant to travel outside the US for fear of a positive test delaying our return, and we are not at all interested in cruising, after doing five or six DCLs in the past.

That goes both ways, too. While international travel is open, there are still various restrictions depending on where you go and come from, and lots of folks are still opting out of that, and often out of any air travel at all. WDW is a major domestic destination within driving distance for many, especially those of us looking to escape the frozen north.

I'd be all for a DCL cruise if I actually enjoyed cruising, but having been on a few in years past, I have literally zero interest in it.

Factor in the the ticket promo for FL residents and those of us with an AP, and it's an appealing choice for a getaway.

 

[Brian Noble]

That goes both ways

Yes, and that's why I said:

On the other side of the ledger, international visitors are still more or less missing.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

I helped some friends plan a trip for next week that has been rescheduled twice and I've warned them to pack their patience.

In my circle, the pent up travel craziness seems to be winding down. I knew 5 different families that went over Thanksgiving, normally it's just one or two. Still not a lot of international travel except to Mexico and the Caribbean.

 

[gharter]

I would agree there are several reasons.
Many DVC members have points built up from cancelled trips and need to use them.
Many paying cash had trips cancelled and are going when they can.
The pent up demand seems most likely. Not sure when that will die down.

 

[MonaMN]

We are mentally preparing for pretty crazy crowds during spring break - our MK hours were extended, Universal has early entry at both parks... just hoping that it's still fun for our friends who are traveling with us. And stressing about ILL/Genie+ and how much extra to attempt to spend on these things.

With old FP+, the stress was mostly pre-trip... not really looking forward to the 7 AM phone stress.