What's up with MK wait times?

[Minnie222]

We were in MK from 1-11:30 pm. We did Philharmagic, BOG lunch (had FP & preordered), ETWB, Stitch, COP, Buzz, face painting, Space, played Pirates Adventure, Aladdin, PoC, Splash twice, BTMRR, Monsters, and Space again. The longest line we stood in was the 2nd Space My. Posted 40 min at 11:00, but actually 18 minutes. Pirates was posted 30 minutes but only took us 6!

So it isn't the lines for us. Either coming at rope drop or staying late and using FP+ from 11am-7:00 on works great. I'm still thinking fp+ works for us. But a level 9.5 day with filming and FP+ kiosk lines: no way.

I think having BOG FP+ lunch, ADR dinner, and 3 pre-ordered FP+ in afternoon would make things ok for many in high crowd days. Those insane lines also disappear to walk-ons in the evening.

Glad to hear that MK works out for you. I think MK is do-able, with proper planning. For first-timers and those that want to do it leisurely/ on the go, it could be a very different (negative) experience.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Yes, but....This is what I find most troubling. See if you can detect a pattern. (Data from Touring Plans at 4:47 p.m.)


This is a very sophisticated site that uses tons of data to make predictions based on past years experiences, crowd levels, vacation schedules, and whatever else goes into such metrics. While far from perfect, their predictions are usually eerily close. To be off by so much tells me that something is amiss. Or "something is a miss." Or the posted times are just way off.

Just for comparison, here are the wait times that Touring Plans predicted (1st number) and observed (2nd number) on last Tuesday of March in 2013:


Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 75 85


Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin 74 74


Jungle Cruise 76 90


Peter Pan's Flight 105 105


Pirates of the Caribbean 28 45


Space Mountain 129 131


Splash Mountain 31 38


The Haunted Mansion 53 59


The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 65 65


Of course it's hard to really compare because Easter is so late last year. It's worth noting that this was the week of Good Friday in 2013, so this would be the Tuesday before Easter.

 

[Dreams0308]

Yes I think its possible to still ride things in these crowds. It's just insane and sometimes unsafe (like people who mentioned being pushed by just the overall CROWD). It's too congested to move.

My mom and dad went in at rope drop and got on tons of rides in the morning. They used their FP+'s in the afternoon. One other day at the MK (I think it was Sunday) my younger sister and brother (who sleep in a lot) went for EMH at night and rode all the rides they wanted between 11PM and 2AM

You can still ride things. I just can't imagine the frustration with trying to move and just get from ride to ride.

 

[estherhead]

I think having BOG FP+ lunch, ADR dinner, and 3 pre-ordered FP+ in afternoon would make things ok for many in high crowd days. Those insane lines also disappear to walk-ons in the evening. Glad to hear that MK works out for you. I think MK is do-able, with proper planning. For first-timers and those that want to do it leisurely/ on the go, it could be a very different (negative) experience.

Agreed. I left Jungle Cruise off my list. I forgot about it.

First timers at MK yesterday trying to have a leisurely vacation will never come back. Disney has lost them forever.

I actually rode the boat over with some first timers. They had let their 5 yr old choose their FP+ attractions. Dumbo, Cinderella, and Rapunzel for fairly early in the am. I helped them change those and pointed them toward ETWB at rope drop and then go do the rest of FL and just skip PP. Hopefully they had a good time. I actually pondered them several times. They were such a sweet family and the mom had sincerely tried to plan.