What should I do...crowd levels?

[toodles12]

Okay, I feel like as soon as I have a good agenda planned out, I find out another piece of info that changes things. I'm guessing this probably happens to everyone.

I read on a very informative blog last night that Monday, Oct 1 is (predicted, of course) to be extremely crowded at MK. They say it will be the 2nd most crowded day of the week there (Saturday being the most crowded). Of course, that was the day we were planning on spending the whole day at MK. They have the EHM until midnight (not that we'd stay THAT late with 2 small kids), and I already made a reservation for Crystal Palace lunch. What exactly does "crowded" mean for an October Monday? Yes, it's supposed to be one of the most crowded days of that week, but it is the first of Oct, so I'd LIKE to think it's still going to be lighter than going other times of the year.

But here's the other delimma. So, if we DON'T do MK on Monday, then that means we would spend Monday morning at EPCOT and then the rest of the day at Hollywood Studios, instead. BUT, apparently Monday, Oct 1 is EPCOT's 30th Anniversay. (Of course it is! ha ha) So, it seems that now I need to decide if we would rather go to a crowded MK or a crowded EPCOT on Monday? We really only have a handful of things we NEED to see/do at EPCOT, so maybe it would be better to put up with just a few hrs of crowded EPCOT as opposed to a full day of crowded MK?? But I have no idea what a 30th anniversary at EPCOT might bring in. Yikes!

One last thing to think of...we are planning at going to MNSSHP on Sunday, Sep 30. We'll end up spending about a day and a half at MK during our short trip. That particular MNSSHP isn't expected to be very crowded (YAY). If we end going to MK on Tuesday, rather than crowded Monday, we won't get to see the Electrical Parade (they aren't having it on Tues). That kind of bums me out, because we've never seen anything like that, and it's something I've been looking forward to since I started this Disney planning adventure. However, I have heard that the MNSSHP parade is very cool, which we'll get to see on Sun.

Just don't know what to do! Miss the heavier crowds (yay!) ...and the electrical parade (boo!) by going to MK on Tues? Or avoid EPOCT's 30th at all cost and go to MK on a crowded day??

I know this is kind of a detailed post...so thank you for reading it all.

 

[ghtx]

Don't yet plan on it being too crowded at EPCOT for the 30th anniversary. As yet, there haven't been any plans announced to commemorate it. Wait, and if something is announced then you can change your plans (or who knows, you might want to go to EPCOT to participate in the festivities).

 

[laceemouse]

Of course if the ELP is only on certain nights those days will be more crowded since everyone wants to see it and will make the MK their park of the day so they CAN see it. It is the same with Fantasmic. Your choices are to either fight the crowds, miss the ELP, and buy a hopper and spend the day in another park and just hop over to see the parade. This happens to everyone. The crowd calendars are not rocket science

 

[dancer_mom]

Okay - take a deep breath.

I changed 3 of our touring days after already having ADR's because I too found a website that convinced me I was choosing the wrong days. (easywdw) - is this what you read???

Step 1 - See if you can get an ADR at Crystal Palace on the alternate day. This was where I started. I set 3 new ADR's based on a new schedule just to see if I could switch us around. I was able to get 2 out of the 3 ADR's again and at good times and only had to switch one restaurant (which I think is a better choice for our kids anyway)

Step 2 - You are right - decide which park is most important to your family to have less crowded. We have 3 little ones so I determined that we would switch things up to go to MK on one of the best days of the week (a party day). Our kids don't stay up late anyway and now we can benefit from shorter lines that day. We are still going to AK on a red day because it wasn't possible to choose EVERY green day. I think you should decide which park is more important to your family to have less crowded.

If you have Park Hoppers than I would suggest hopping to MK on Monday to see the parade. How many days do you have?

You could do:
Sunday - MNSSHP
Monday - Epcot 1/2 day, back to resort for naps etc, evening at MK for parade and maybe a couple rides
Tuesday - MK

Do you have more days than this to fit in HS and AK???

Good Luck choosing but I would not give up the electrical parade - it is awesome. And if you have to go that day I wouldn't freak out either. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do and I'm sure you will still have a great time.

 

[ZoZo]

I've taken several trips in October. "Crowded" in October doesn't mean the same thing as "crowded" in July. The good news is that on a scale of one to ten, the crowds will probably be reasonable in general that time of year, compared to busier times of the year.

That said, I try to avoid EMHs. They tend to be busier than non-EMH parks, and to me it's not worth it to go if you want an uncrowded park. You mentioned that MK is having an evening EMH the day you want to go, but you wouldn't be staying late because you have young kids. So I'd definitely change your plan if yo're not going to benefit from the EMH.

I know it's a hassle to change your plans and ADRs, but it seems to be worth it to avoid crowds. Luckily, you still have some time before your trip.

 

[MDChris]

I would leave your plans as they are. Saturday and Monday are always the "most crowded" every week, regardless of the time of year. That being said, Touring plans has the overall crowd level at 6 for that day, with a level less than 8 for the Magic Kingdom. It will feel a little crowded, but not unbearable. I think rescheduling everything at this point will be more inconvenient.

 

[kshattuck]

I would leave your plans as they are. Saturday and Monday are always the "most crowded" every week, regardless of the time of year. That being said, Touring plans has the overall crowd level at 6 for that day, with a level less than 8 for the Magic Kingdom. It will feel a little crowded, but not unbearable. I think rescheduling everything at this point will be more inconvenient.

Agreed. We have traveled in summer and at Christmas and the crowds in Sept/Oct are NOTHING in comparison!

Especially with two little ones, I would just make sure you are there at MK at Rope Drop, see the fun RD show, get your must-dos in before your lunch at CP and see how the afternoon progresses.

You could head back to your resort to relax, freshen up, and then hit MK again later getting a snack and claiming your spot (so to speak) for the parade.

I have let myself get STRESSED over calendar changes or negative reviews and honestly if you are there at Rope Drop and you get the FPs you want and the attractions you are interested in, there is no reason you can't get done all you'd like. I'll be surprised if you don't file a "just back" saying you were worried for nothing.

My advice is leave your reservations alone and stick to your plan. ROPE DROP is your friend!

Good luck! Have fun!

 

[GAN]

I was at the 25th Epcot anniversary and it wasn't recognizably more crowded. Certain areas that were hosting events were busy at the time, but other than that it seemed like a typical October day -and there were some big headliners there which definitely drew people in to the Park.

 

[Micca]

I wouldn't change ADRs or reconfigure your park days. Just be smart about the days you're concerned might be crowded. Arrive early, work the fast pass system as best you can, and if it gets too crazy, exit and go to another park.

 

[toodles12]

Thanks everyone!!

Yes...it was easywdw.com that I read the detailed reviews on the crowd levels! I just stumbled onto that website for the first time last night, and it sure has alot of great info on it!

So, now I have lunch reservations at Crystal Palace for both Mon and Tues, and my hubs and I can decide what we want to do. I know that many say to keep my original plan, but I'm starting to lean towards EPCOT/HS on Mon and MK/Crystal Palace on Tues. We're actually only going to be at Disney for 2 nights (3 days), so the Crystal Palace is the only ADR we are doing. Today I got online and reserved the Crystal Palace lunch for Tues, too, just to be safe.

Who knows what our final plan will end up being. We may not decide until we get down there. As much as I'd like things go according to MY agenda, we all know that with 2 young kids, it's really all about THEIR agenda! (and the weather's) At least I've done some research (maybe too much), and we don't have too many ADR's controlling our whereabouts while we're there. So, we can somewhat play it by ear, and no matter which day we end up at MK or EPCOT, I've read enough blogs to be prepared and ready.

 

[M likes the mouse]

I will be there at the same time and most likely attend the same party. You sure can decide once there what park you want to go to each day. I just want to let you know that you will have to cancel your extra ADR at least a full 24 hours in advance otherwise they are going to charge you the no show fee.

Thanks everyone!!

Yes...it was easywdw.com that I read the detailed reviews on the crowd levels! I just stumbled onto that website for the first time last night, and it sure has alot of great info on it!

So, now I have lunch reservations at Crystal Palace for both Mon and Tues, and my hubs and I can decide what we want to do. I know that many say to keep my original plan, but I'm starting to lean towards EPCOT/HS on Mon and MK/Crystal Palace on Tues. We're actually only going to be at Disney for 2 nights (3 days), so the Crystal Palace is the only ADR we are doing. Today I got online and reserved the Crystal Palace lunch for Tues, too, just to be safe.

Who knows what our final plan will end up being. We may not decide until we get down there. As much as I'd like things go according to MY agenda, we all know that with 2 young kids, it's really all about THEIR agenda! (and the weather's) At least I've done some research (maybe too much), and we don't have too many ADR's controlling our whereabouts while we're there. So, we can somewhat play it by ear, and no matter which day we end up at MK or EPCOT, I've read enough blogs to be prepared and ready.

 

[jcemom]

I wonder why you chose that day to begin with? Mondays are usually NOT good days for MK in the off months when the EWP runs a few days a week. Also, if it's an EMH evening (that you won't be participating in) that will increase crowds as well. If *I* were you, I'd keep trying for a Crystal Palace ADR on another day.

That is such a slow time of year that you aren't going to run into holiday-like crowds even on that Monday. However, on "good" days that week you might feel as if you almost have the park to yourselves at times. It's pretty cool.