when the parks are full

[grannyed]

I have read that at busy times....... Easter for example ...the parks can get full and are then closed to any new admissions ...would they open again later in he day or do they remain closed to new admissions for the rest of the day

On Easter Sunday we have a reservation for brunch at Chef Mickey in the contemporary our time for that is 12.30 and we had hoped to then go on to either MK or Epcot but being Easter Sunday we now believe that the parks may have filled up and we won't be able to get in - don't suppose that it matters too much though...............it might be an opportunity to look round some of the hotels and resorts

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Must admit it has never happened to us but yes in theory any of the parks could be closed to new visitors 'if' they get full to capacity.

Obviously Easter, July 4th , Memorial Day in May are busy, however, Christmas week overall is the busiest.

I suppose you will not know until the day, the obvious thing is if you are going to a park do that before Chef Mickey's.

One thing to note, we flew back Easter Sunday last year and the only mall open was Festival Bay, Florida Mall and M&M were shut - just in case retail therapy was required after the theme park visit

 

[cheryl.UK]

Last year Easter sunday in MK was pretty full but they didn't close the parking lot. We went in at around 5ish. Basically if you are at the Contemporary, you should be OK as they close the parks at different phases.
If I remember correctly its,

1 No more entry for anyone arriving by car
2 Disney guests arriving by Disney Transport only
3 Returners (ie people who went in earlier, left ,went to a monorail hotel and then are returning. At this stage they will not bus you in.)
4 EVERYONE

(Others may be able to correct me here)

It rarely gets to stage 4, except New year and Christmas. 4th July

 

[Miffy2003]

If you are heading onto Epcot after Chef Mickeys and not MK I think you will be okay. Epcot is far less likely to close due to the size it is

We were there (Epcot) on NYE a year or two ago and boy was it full! But the gates did not close that day as far as I'm aware

Whether you want to go to a park on Easter Sunday due to the crowds is a different question!

 

[paulh]

we have been in MK at xmas and at 10am the park was full they wait until 1,000 leave then they let a 1,000 in, after the parade finishes the early starters tend to leave so no problem getting in later in the day.We left after parade bus back to hotel swim and shower then back for our meal at LTT no problem.Wouldent advise on trying it with a car as we have never seen the carparks so full they were even parking on the grass buss driver said there were 2 hour ques just to get in the carpark
Paulh

 

[widget]

Gosh, i never thought of the parks closing due to crowds! Can anyone advise what the crowds are like in August - say last two weeks. Am considering this time due to children being unable to leave school. I know it will be a busy time but has anyone ever been turned away at this time of the year??

 

[paulh]

the theame parks only shut there gates when they are full on a few days xmas day,newyears eve,the start of thanksgiving not so sure about easter try posting on the us trip planing board as they will know beterthan us
Paulh

 

[Miffy2003]

Gosh, i never thought of the parks closing due to crowds! Can anyone advise what the crowds are like in August - say last two weeks. Am considering this time due to children being unable to leave school. I know it will be a busy time but has anyone ever been turned away at this time of the year??

widget we have been in late August several times and it is a great time to go, crowdwise.

A lot of the US schools have gone back to school by the last two weeks and it tends to be quiet (in relative terms) compared to say July.

I have never, not ever, been unable to get into a park in August, no matter what time or what day. It may get busier around Labor Day (1st Monday in September I think) but I'm not sure it would be busy enough for park closure.

 

[disneyholic family]

Gosh, i never thought of the parks closing due to crowds! Can anyone advise what the crowds are like in August - say last two weeks. Am considering this time due to children being unable to leave school. I know it will be a busy time but has anyone ever been turned away at this time of the year??

as Miffy said, the last two weeks of August tend to be much lighter than the rest of the summer. But in any case, even in the worst days of summer, the parks never get to the crowd level of Christmas. We have gone every summer for the past 33 years and have never ever had a park closing (due to crowd levels).

On the other hand, the water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon) generally do close due to crowd levels in the summer. They're usually closed by noon (if not earlier - i've seen BB closed as early as 10 AM, one hour after opening). However they usually re-open by mid-afternoon.

But the main parks never close in the summer due to crowd levels.

As for August, we've been there the entire month of August. You see a marked drop in crowd levels by the second week of August. And it decreases steadily through the month.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Gosh, i never thought of the parks closing due to crowds! Can anyone advise what the crowds are like in August - say last two weeks. Am considering this time due to children being unable to leave school. I know it will be a busy time but has anyone ever been turned away at this time of the year??

Crowds are pretty light late August, like you we are restricted to school holidays.

It is the weather being so hot and the inflated fly-drive prices that make going at this time more difficult.

You just have to take things easier around the parks, but there is no chance of them getting full.