What days of the week are least busy at IOA or USF?

[peacefrogdog]

Just like how certain days are better to attend Disney parks, are there certain days of the week when IOA and USF are less busy than others?

Thanks in advance,
Rene

 

[LoveToDisney]

Someone who knows more than I will probably have better info, but here's what I have...
1) Tuesday
2) Monday
3) Thursday
4) Wednesday

My friend and I went to US/IOA on Monday and Tuesday during Spring Break and didn't hit crowds at all. It was wonderful. Plus the Express Plus Passes on cheaper during the week, too.

 

[macraven]

this is a tough question but there are some basic answers to it.

avoid weekends, they are crowded. people that come in on a friday to the onsite hotels, makes friday afternoons crowded at the parks. sat and sun are a given as any other theme park has more in attendance then also.

if you have a 3 day weekend, avoid the monday
columus day is one i stay at hrh and can tell you on mondays by noon, both parks have their crowds.

i have usually found that IOA has more of the crowds around 11ish
studios around noon or later. many people will start at IOA to avoid long lines for rides and crowds then go over to the studio side after lunch.

i have always had great luck with tuesdays, wednesdays and thursdays at both parks.
i stay on site so don't have the long lines for the rides compared to those that stay off site. even though i use the fotl or single rider lines, i start at the parks at the turnstile at 8:30 am.

you have better chance of less crowds for the days in the middle of the week
larger crowds at the studios in the afternoon i am starting to see more of.

it also depends on the time of the year you visit UO on how crowded the parks can be. when the parks close early, the crowds are low in the parks.

 

[brooker]

this is a tough question but there are some basic answers to it.

avoid weekends, they are crowded. people that come in on a friday to the onsite hotels, makes friday afternoons crowded at the parks. sat and sun are a given as any other theme park has more in attendance then also.

if you have a 3 day weekend, avoid the monday
columus day is one i stay at hrh and can tell you on mondays by noon, both parks have their crowds.

i have usually found that IOA has more of the crowds around 11ish
studios around noon or later. many people will start at IOA to avoid long lines for rides and crowds then go over to the studio side after lunch.

i have always had great luck with tuesdays, wednesdays and thursdays at both parks.
i stay on site so don't have the long lines for the rides compared to those that stay off site. even though i use the fotl or single rider lines, i start at the parks at the turnstile at 8:30 am.

you have better chance of less crowds for the days in the middle of the week
larger crowds at the studios in the afternoon i am starting to see more of.

it also depends on the time of the year you visit UO on how crowded the parks can be. when the parks close early, the crowds are low in the parks.

We are going to be staying onsite now so we will be using FOTL for May 4,5 and 6 if necessary. This will be on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday. With FOTL, what do you estimate our average wait times to be if we arrive by 9:00AM?

 

[macraven]

first week of may is slow and now you are staying on site.

you won't see wait times using fotl.

if the park is packed on saturday, which i doubt, you could be in line for 15 minutes on some rides.


have fun at the parks.

 

[ksdave]

first week of may is slow and now you are staying on site.

you won't see wait times using fotl.

if the park is packed on saturday, which i doubt, you could be in line for 15 minutes on some rides.


have fun at the parks.

This year, there is something going on at UO that weekend, because when I called over a month ago for our trip 5/3-5/7, they said all of the Bay View rooms at PBH were sold out already for that Friday and Saturday, and there were only a few Deluxe rooms left. We got a Deluxe, but the PAP rate jumps from $204/night on Thursday and Sunday to $249/night for Friday and Saturday.

 

[macraven]

that's good to know ksdave.

2 years ago i went at a low season time and hrh was sold out due to best buy convention

 

[brocklesnar69]

What time of the year is least busy at USF/IOA?

 

[macraven]

i know september is low crowds and value season up to oct 5th this year.

 

[ksdave]

We went to UO a few years ago from 9/11-15. The parks were extremely empty. Everything was a walk-on, and all of the restaurants were half empty. The only negative was the ride closures (one major attraction in each park).
The other time we found it quite slow was the last week of January.

 

[macraven]

i like september as the weather is less rainy and still has heat.

i live in the north and i love the humidity. grew up in st louis.


value season is in all of sept so rates are low.

people don't usually pull their kids out of school after labor day for extended vacations for UO in sept. very low crowds.


i agree with ks dave that january is another slow month with cheaper hotel rates.

why don't you check the third forum and go thru the trip reports for the months that people went there in jan and sept. also check out different time periods.
when people write their trips reports, they always include the dates and weather and crowd levels. just a suggestion since not many are posting here.


i do like the first week of may. good weather and crowds are below average.

whenever you see express pass selling for $15 a day on the UO website, that is a sign of low attendance period.

 

[peacefrogdog]

Anyone know if IOA/USF is especially busy during Jersey week?

 

[macraven]

is jersey week starting around nov 8 this year?


check the UO website for park hours.
if they close early might be an indication UO doesn't expect large crowds.

also check the price for the express pass. on low crowd days, the cost is around $15 then

this measurement is not etched in stone, but gives you an idea what universal thinks the crowds might be like.

if the crowds will be large, the e.p, is usually higher to make more money.