Which park?

[melissa70]

Does anyone have any insight as to which park is better to visit on certain days…in terms of less crowds? I plan to visit last week of March 2024 I’ve heard Epcot is busier on weekends..

 

[sponica]

I don't think there's any real rhyme or reason, and the last week in March is the week before Easter so it'll be crowded no matter what.

 

[melissa70]

Ugh, is that a definite thing? I’ve heard there’s been smaller crowds at Disney, also aren’t spring breaks all different weeks?

 

[Chili327]

https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/crowd-calendar

From the 9th through the end of the month is all in the red, so just roll the dice.
https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar

https://www.undercovertourist.com/blog/best-time-to-visit-disney-world

 

[Mellie44]

I’ve heard people say that Mondays are busiest for MK, so to avoid that. I’d assume all the parks are busier on the weekends than the weekdays

 

[sponica]

Ugh, is that a definite thing? I’ve heard there’s been smaller crowds at Disney, also aren’t spring breaks all different weeks?

Assume that someone, somewhere is on a spring break starting the 3rd week of February through the 4th week of April, with peaks in mid-March and the weeks before/after Easter. Some districts are fixed with x week of the month and some places it's tied to Easter.

 

[melissa70]

not good news at all for me as I am booked the very last week of March!!

 

[Mle8308]

not good news at all for me as I am booked the very last week of March!!

Genie+ will be your friend! If you haven't been in awhile, YouTube will also be a good resource to learn how to use it. And it can sell out on busy days, so if you want it, best to purchase right after midnight or first thing in the morning so you can be ready to book LL at 7am.

 

[Genie+]

I’ve heard people say that Mondays are busiest for MK, so to avoid that. I’d assume all the parks are busier on the weekends than the weekdays

Yes that’s true as a general rule. Usually Mon and Sat are the busiest *MK days within any given week.
On the flipside, Wed and Thurs are usually the best MK days within any given week, and Tues sometimes.

Epcot usually is busier on the weekends, especially food booths. WDW puts the EP extra evening hours on Monday, likely because least busy day of the week. (They are also trying to fill hotel booking gaps)

HS seems more consistent in crowds, typically doesn’t have large swings day to day.

AK is more of a crap shoot though we try to avoid Sundays. Thurs can be good.

We use this to start building our park days plan. We follow where possible but not sticklers.


*MK during party season (MNSSHP and MVMCP) is a different story lol. Then non-party days are OFF THE CHARTS!

 

[fantasmic_ella]

Does anyone have any insight as to which park is better to visit on certain days…in terms of less crowds? I plan to visit last week of March 2024 I’ve heard Epcot is busier on weekends..

Like most here have already said, it’s a mix of randomness for certain parks/ dates. Make sure you aren’t going to MK on a holiday (even if it is an obscure one!) and the weekends. Other than that, I would download the My Disney Experience app and see what the crowds are like on each day of the week for the attractions you want to go on in each park by clicking on the attraction from your tip board and seeing the wait times throughout each day.

 

[Chili327]

Genie+ will be your friend! If you haven't been in awhile, YouTube will also be a good resource to learn how to use it. And it can sell out on busy days, so if you want it, best to purchase right after midnight or first thing in the morning so you can be ready to book LL at 7am.

Yes that’s true as a general rule. Usually Mon and Sat are the busiest *MK days within any given week.
On the flipside, Wed and Thurs are usually the best MK days within any given week, and Tues sometimes.

Epcot usually is busier on the weekends, especially food booths. WDW puts the EP extra evening hours on Monday, likely because least busy day of the week. (They are also trying to fill hotel booking gaps)

HS seems more consistent in crowds, typically doesn’t have large swings day to day.

AK is more of a crap shoot though we try to avoid Sundays. Thurs can be good.

We use this to start building our park days plan. We follow where possible but not sticklers.


*MK during party season (MNSSHP and MVMCP) is a different story lol. Then non-party days are OFF THE CHARTS!

Sooo, what if I'm not awake at 7am? Is Genie+ a waste if I don't wake up till 9 or 10am?

I assume it'll take me a few days to acclimate to the time zone, but I'm also planning on trying to sleep in, so I can stay up & close parks down (instead of rope drop)

 

[Mle8308]

Sooo, what if I'm not awake at 7am? Is Genie+ a waste if I don't wake up till 9 or 10am?

I assume it'll take me a few days to acclimate to the time zone, but I'm also planning on trying to sleep in, so I can stay up & close parks down (instead of rope drop)

If it's a busy season, a lot of return times book up quickly. Everyone can go online at 7am to start booking return times for Genie+ (resort guests have the advantage of the 7am time to buy ILL's, off site have to wait until either entering a park or park opening time, I don't remember exactly for ILL's). For the more popular attractions (Test Track, 7DMT, Slinky, Frozen) lightning lanes can go fast. You may be okay waiting until later in the morning if you don't mind later return times. They do release additional times throughout the day, you may be able to get a different time by looking to modify a return time. I think I'd wake up and look to book time(s) and then go back to sleep!

 

[elvispursley]

I'll just add that we mistakenly went to WDW over "Easter Break"--crowds were horrific and I'll never make that mistake again. This was one of the first trips I booked with DH when we were first married 25-yrs ago. Worst.Day.Ever!

 

[Genie+]

Sooo, what if I'm not awake at 7am? Is Genie+ a waste if I don't wake up till 9 or 10am?

I assume it'll take me a few days to acclimate to the time zone, but I'm also planning on trying to sleep in, so I can stay up & close parks down (instead of rope drop)

Despite my name I lack expertise with G+.

Things keep changing and we only get it a couple days per trip. All I know is there’s alot of variation between different parks and crowd levels. Wish I knew more to help!

 

[tetera]

.

 

[HopperFan]

Ugh, is that a definite thing? I’ve heard there’s been smaller crowds at Disney, also aren’t spring breaks all different weeks?

"Crowds are smaller" said no one standing in 1 hour lines. I go multiple times a year, all different seasons, and to the guest on the ground it feels no different than it was in 2019. There are going to be those rare weeks that are difficult for many to travel - like the two weeks after Labor Day, that are lower but otherwise it's business as usual. And spring weather is great, add EPCOT Flower and Garden (I think the best festival overall) and all the school breaks.

Spring breaks are all different weeks depending on college, K-12, public, private, state, county BUT the breaks go from mid-March to mid-April. Going during that time puts you in peak travel time.

 

[Chili327]

Despite my name I lack expertise with G+.

Things keep changing and we only get it a couple days per trip. All I know is there’s alot of variation between different parks and crowd levels. Wish I knew more to help!

Yea, im may just try it once at MK & Maybe another time at DHS (although since the "Aerosmith" coaster is down for a while I may not even need G+ at DHS)
I would be too concerned with making sure I get my money's worth to enjoy my day, so I probably won't bother with G+ the rest of the trip besides maybe the one day.