What's the MOST crowded time of day?

[Asnell]

If we're trying to plan FP+ for during the most crowded times of day, when would that be? If it tends to vary season-to-season and park-to-park, is there a good resource for predicting it?

 

[PaulaVonSchweetz]

It ready depends on when you're going. I can tell you that we utilize rope drop to get in as much as we can with our first FP in the 10am range. 2nd in 11 am range. 3rd in 12:00 range.
Then we'd be able to get additional FP throughout the day.
Not sure if that helps at all....

 

[ancestry]

It does depend on the park and when you are going but in general I find it to be during the afternoon. Mornings and evenings don't seem to be as bad as mid-day. This is why we often take a break and go back to the resorts during the middle of the day.

 

[mesaboy2]

It does depend on the park and when you are going but in general I find it to be during the afternoon. Mornings and evenings don't seem to be as bad as mid-day. This is why we often take a break and go back to the resorts during the middle of the day.

It's this simple, but is true at any park and almost every day of the year.

 

[Allison]

Afternoon for every park. The people who don't make rope drop arrive and early arrivals haven't left yet.

 

[wisblue]

It does depend on the park and when you are going but in general I find it to be during the afternoon. Mornings and evenings don't seem to be as bad as mid-day. This is why we often take a break and go back to the resorts during the middle of the day.

This simple truth is why I think that using your 3 FP+ reservations as early as possible so that you can start getting additional ones as soon as possible may be self defeating. You might be able to get more FPs over the course of the day, but you probably won't be able to ride more of the top attractions, and may very well end up doing less.

Unless and until crowd patterns change significantly, I think you should use your 3 advance reservations in the early afternoon if you plan to stay in the park all day.

If you plan to take a break in the middle of the day and hop to a different park, I would make my reservations at the second park and do as much as possible in the first park by arriving at RD and riding until lines get too long for your tastes.

If you plan to take a break and return to the same park, you could consider using one or two of the FPs before the break and the balance after.

I think this general approach lets you use your FPs for the things you want at the times you want instead of taking your chances on what happens to be available after you have used your initial 3.

Just my opinion. But, the main basis for it is that even the reports of longer standby lines at some attractions seem to focus on posted wait times in the afternoon, not in the first 2-3 hours after the park opens. It's also important to keep in mind that, unless someone actually waits in line, those posted wait times may be overstated, and maybe by a significant amount. We have often found, especially in the first couple of hours after opening, that rides will have posted wait times of 20-30 minutes when they are, in fact, virtual walk ons.

 

[Asnell]

Thanks, all. This is kind of in line with what I was thinking -- that I don't really want to get FP much before 11, since we're RDers and plan to do as much as possible early. If we plan our FP+ after 11 (or after 12?) then we'll have something to do in the crowded parts of the afternoon (or plan them for early evening if we're leaving the park mid-day for a break). If there are more available when we're done, great, but if not I think we'll have used our morning hours wisely and made sure to ride what we really want.

 

[Tomh]

There are some variances day to day, park to park, but in general, from around 11:00 or so until supper time is the busiest part of the day.

 

[TooExcitedCantSleep]

3pm est

 

[LBIJim]

There are some variances day to day, park to park, but in general, from around 11:00 or so until supper time is the busiest part of the day.

I'd narrow that down somewhat. Although those times are extremely busy, the peak is probably from around 1pm to 4pm. There are more people arriving than departing from 11am to 1pm. From 1-4 arrivals and departures are probably equal. Then from 4pm onward departures exceed arrivals.

If MK is open late there is a second period when parkhopper arrivals exceed departures, maybe 7 to 8 pm, but it doesn't compare to the earlier horde of arrivals.

Jim