Was this crowd level accurate?

[cruisehopeful]

I don't think that was a 7. The crowd predictors seem to be wrong more often than they are right. It sounds like what I'd consider a 9.

 

[HydroGuy]

I don't think that was a 7. The crowd predictors seem to be wrong more often than they are right. It sounds like what I'd consider a 9.

Except as I posted, "9" appears to be meaningless if you are talking the TP calendar.

 

[Mamato4boys]

While I'm sure this isn't the official way they rate crowd levels, I have always looked at them as 10 being the highest level before they start hitting capacity. 1 being everything is a walk-on. Regardless of how many other days fall into that category.. So not comparing to how levels are on other days, just to capacity, I suppose.

I would say, 10 years ago during off season was probably a 3. Our last trip was the week before Thanksgiving 2016. It was busy, but not overwhelming. I would probably say 6 earlier/7 later in the day. Until Friday evening. It became difficult to navigate the park.. I would probably say 8, and based on that, I would guess OP had similar crowds. Also, based on that, I could not handle 9/10.

 

[Niltiac]

Yeah it's hard to say how they determine the scale, but in my own heard I imagine that 9 and 10 are basically the crowd level you only see between Christmas and New year (and during 60th kickoff). 10 would be capacity, 9 would be in danger of hitting capacity but not quite there yet. So 8 would be just about as busy as it ever gets the rest of the year. With that in mind, 7 is still really high, so 7 might be accurate. For the most part what OP said didn't make me think it was a 9 or 10, but it might have been an 8. It's hard to go off of how many rides OP accomplished because people tour so differently and OP said they didn't plan enough or use FP optimally.

 

[2019TripIdeas]

I would say, 10 years ago during off season was probably a 3. Our last trip was the week before Thanksgiving 2016. It was busy, but not overwhelming. I would probably say 6 earlier/7 later in the day. Until Friday evening. It became difficult to navigate the park.. I would probably say 8, and based on that, I would guess OP had similar crowds. Also, based on that, I could not handle 9/10.

Reading through this, and that whole thread on the number rating division system (yikes!) I'm thinking it probably was a little higher than a 7 since we struggled to navigate and got stuck several times on Fri/Sat. I probably should have mentioned this in my original thread, but I've done WDW during Thanksgiving week in 2006? And WDW at Christmas in the late 90s? The day we were there on Christmas, capacity was hit in MK and I think Epcot, so I think we ended up at Hollywood Studios on Christmas. So definitely no stranger to the crowds, though I was so much younger then that maybe my memory isn't so hot. We also did WDW in June one year.

It also makes so much sense with Disneyland's pathways being narrower, etc. I am pretty sure my husband and I can't handle a 9/10, if this was a 7 or 8. It kind of stinks because other parts of our vacation were SO magical, but we missed out on a lot because we're not "crowd" people. I just question if we were stressed out by a "7" at Disneyland if we should even bother doing WDW. We were planning for February or March (and trying to hit a "low" week as we can easily take off work for a week) but if there is no "low" then that's trickier. Our kids had a BLAST in the early morning when it wasn't crowded (as did we!) but I'm kind of getting the impression that it's hard to actually figure out those times when you'll get that experience.

 

[2019TripIdeas]

Also, I know someone mentioned this further up the thread- Yes, Electrical Light Parade and sunny days when we were there. I'm sure you're right and that definitely contributed.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

A tip for possible future trips (and for anyone reading who is researching for a future trip): all rides with FP are listed in the park maps. There is a FP icon next to each ride name if the ride is connected to the FP system. The easiest way to find the FP machines is to ask the CMs stationed at each of those rides. They will point out where the machines are located. (Not every machine location is obvious, e.g. RSR, so it can save trouble to just ask first.) Also, any CMs at the Information Kiosks (located under the green umbrellas in the parks) will be able to show you the FP rides throughout the parks and where the machines are located. There is no need to be frustrated over this! Crowds can't be helped, but this is totally fixable.

 

[2019TripIdeas]

A tip for possible future trips (and for anyone reading who is researching for a future trip): all rides with FP are listed in the park maps. There is a FP icon next to each ride name if the ride is connected to the FP system.

Ah- thank you. Yes, wish I'd known.

Does anyone know if this is the case in the app as well or just on a physical map?

We were WAY confused on fastpass in general. Like we saw people going in the exit on a few rides and getting loaded there, skipping the line (Snow White is one that comes to mind) but didn't know if that meant they "had a fastpass" or if it was something else (disability access?).

The absolute sweetest cast member I think realized we were totally confused when we were on the carousel yet again (cause other lines were all crazy at that time) and in a crazy crowded situation and gave us a free fast pass to use on "anything". We didn't know how it worked and ended up using it for Haunted Mansion I think? But didn't know if it would've worked on "anything" as she said? Or just the rides that HAD fastpass? She'd asked us if we'd been able to get on Peter Pan yet and when we said no and that the line was so long, she said she'd like to get us a little magic and then came back by and I think scanned our tickets to add free fastpass on. It was AWESOME of her but we realized afterward how very clueless we were, ha!

 

[Niltiac]

We were WAY confused on fastpass in general. Like we saw people going in the exit on a few rides and getting loaded there, skipping the line (Snow White is one that comes to mind) but didn't know if that meant they "had a fastpass" or if it was something else (disability access?).

People coming through the exit must be disability access or some other reason - Snow White doesn't have FP. The rides that have FP have a designated line for it. Single rider lines are another thing to look into if you return. You mentioned your husband wanted to ride Indy and Space, and with young kids in tow you wouldn't have been able to ride together anyway, so he could have used the single rider line (on Indy for sure, Space might not have had it yet because that's fairly new). But unlike FP, there isn't a designated line for single rider. You have to know about it and ask the CM.

 

[HydroGuy]

Yeah it's hard to say how they determine the scale, but in my own heard I imagine that 9 and 10 are basically the crowd level you only see between Christmas and New year (and during 60th kickoff). 10 would be capacity, 9 would be in danger of hitting capacity but not quite there yet. So 8 would be just about as busy as it ever gets the rest of the year. With that in mind, 7 is still really high, so 7 might be accurate. For the most part what OP said didn't make me think it was a 9 or 10, but it might have been an 8. It's hard to go off of how many rides OP accomplished because people tour so differently and OP said they didn't plan enough or use FP optimally.

For TP it is not hard at all as they state how they do it. This thread I linked earlier has a quote from the TP site:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...ing-plans-website-dlr-crowd-calendar.3196851/

The problem, as I have repeatedly shared on this forum, is that TP does not really follow its own stated method.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... Does anyone know if this is the case in the app as well or just on a physical map?

We were WAY confused on fastpass in general. Like we saw people going in the exit on a few rides and getting loaded there, skipping the line (Snow White is one that comes to mind) but didn't know if that meant they "had a fastpass" or if it was something else (disability access?)...

FP information is available on the app as well as on the paper maps. Click on Guest Services in the banner at the top, click on the menu format, then click to see the FP rides on the park map. If you click on a FP ride, you should see whether FPs are still available for that day and what the current return times are.
Don't overlook the paper maps! There is a lot of good information crammed into those little things -- they make great reading during meals and back at the hotel.
FL rides don't have FP (with the exception of Matterhorn). When you see guests loading through the exits, most likely they are using the Disability Access Service.
While it can be easy to get overwhelmed or confused at DLR, there is absolutely no reason to stay confused. CMs are everywhere and are more than willing to help you by answering questions and explaining things. There is an Information Kiosk right across from the carousel, between Dumbo and Monstro. The very nice CMs there (wearing plaid) could have answered all your questions! Don't be afraid to ask or to get help. It can make your trip go much more smoothly.