who did free DDP last Aug? how bad were crowds?

[ldo]

I heard the last week of Aug was really crowded last year---true? As bad as Easter, etc.? With Easter being a 10---how bad was the last week of Aug?

Also, wasn't it raining a lot that week? Was it still crowded even with the rain? I have POP C for Aug 26, but am now wondering if it is worth it b/c I don't want to go if super crowded--thanks.

 

[FogliaFamily]

We went 8-15 to 8-21 with the free dining. It didn't rain at all. We also went at Easter last year. The crowds equally bad and in August add in the humidity and high temperatures. This makes it hot, hot, hot and crowded. We just returned Tuesday and it was cold, cold, cold. That being said, I'd personally go anytime and again this August.....now just convincing my husband is the issue...

 

[thunderbird1]

We were there 8/19-8/29, and I didn't think the crowds were too bad. We've been over 4th of July, Christmas and New Year's, and the crowds were nothing compared to those. The restaurants were certainly busier, and you'll want to have ADR's for dinner well in advance, but we were even able to change a few, especially if you're willing to go for lunch instead of dinner.

It did rain for a little while most days, but we've had much worse rain when we were there in early July. Just pop up an umbrella or throw on a poncho and you're good to go. I don't think the rain really impacts the crowds much--most people just keep going. By the time you walk to the front of the park, wait for the bus and get back to your resort, the rain will likely have passed anyway.

 

[pooch]

Minimal crowds. We only waited in line for Soarin' (be sure to get B1 - worth the wait). I consider anything under 15 min a walk on and that's what we had all week. Rained every day for at least an hr and Tropically Depressed Earnesto visited us on Wed. It was hot but only one day was it unbearably so. All in all, a great time to be there!!

 

[ILVPOOH]

We went the last week of August last year and it was great! It was not crowded at all. Never had to wait for any ride, except Soarin, which we used a Fast Pass. It did rain a little each day. Almost got a hurricance, but it ended up just raining one night. This made the parks empty. The restaurants were crowded, but if you have ADRs it won't be a problem. It was HOT, but we left the parks in the middle of the day to swim and then back to the parks at night. Going again this August.

 

[Disneyhappy]

We went 8-15 to 8-21 with the free dining. It didn't rain at all. We also went at Easter last year. The crowds equally bad and in August add in the humidity and high temperatures. This makes it hot, hot, hot and crowded. We just returned Tuesday and it was cold, cold, cold. That being said, I'd personally go anytime and again this August.....now just convincing my husband is the issue...

This was us exactly last year except we were there the first day of the free DDP, 8/13 through 8/20. I think it was because it was the first week of the free DDP and kids were still out of school. It was as crowded that week as last Easter. Just crazy and we were frustrated for the simple reason that we go almost every year on that week and we just were not expecting those crowds! We were also visiting WDW this past Easter (4/2-7) and the crowds did surpass the crowds of last August and the prior Easter! We stay DVC and pay for the DDP and purposely planned our trip this year for the first week in August in hopes that if WDW offered the free DDP we would not be there the first week of it. Our plan worked except for either the Bounce Back or England free DDP promotion. Only one of them were offered it that first week so I am optimistic it will not be as crowed for us this year. Crowds at WDW are increasing overall but reports seemed to indicate the crowds diminished each week into the free dining plan last year. I don’t think September will be crowded. The only week I see as having potential for being crowded is the first week of the plan as some schools are still out. However, if I were getting free dining, I don't think I would be concerned about the crowds because that is a great trade off! Go and enjoy!

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I did Free Dining last year from Aug 27th to Sept 3rd.

Crowds as far as rides go were fairly light. We were able to walk on most attractions with under a 15 minute wait. The notable exceptions were Test Track & Soarin which were min 30-35 minutes and stretching up to 60-75 minutes.

The thing I did notice was NO ONE without an ADR was admitted to popular restaurants such as Le Cellier, Rose & Crown, Ohana etc...

We were however, able to secure Kona Cafe, Chefs de France and San Angel Inn ADRs the day of or the day before with ease.

Oberall, crowds were light, but ADRs were a necessity if you plan on eating at any of the popular Table Service restaurants.

 

[JoiseyMom]

We were there the last week of August until Labor day last year, and the lines were not bad. We also do get up early and leave inthe afternoon. We had all our ADR's set up, but during the trip I did do 2 days of changes. We had a really bad rain storm from the hurricane, so we made that our MK day instead of MGM day. I was able to switch my 2 mgm adr's and still got the fantasmic package. MK was EMPTY that day, they didn't even open any fast past machines. It really was not too bad. Just make sure you have your ADR's!!

 

[eternallydisney03]

We went last year, 8/13-8/22. It was C R O W D E D and HOT HOT HOT!!!! It didn't rain once though! We definitely weren't expecting those kinds of crowds, hence the reason why we picked that week to go.... The lines for rides weren't as bad as "peak season", but we still waited about an hour for Soarin', and about an hour for Space Mountain at MK. I think Free Dining really affected the crowd level. I also noticed that people without ADR's were being turned away at restaurants left and right. Good thing I knew about the DIS and made all of mine months in advance!!!

That said, we are going 8/31-9/9 this year, and we're hoping for much lighter crowds and minimal rain!

 

[shondad]

I found it to be e x t r e m e l y crowded everywhere we went and for every ride. It was also INCREDIBLY hot. I was so miserable. I do recall it raining on the 13th, pretty hard too, but not for very long (it was our first day and we were at Magic Kingdom).

While I would love to make it a 'three'peat this year and do the free dining again, I will not, mainly because my kids start school 8/27, but also because of the crowds and the heat. I can do one or the other but not both. In 2005 my daughter did miss two days of school as we went Labor Day weekend. Though it was very hot then too (Sept 1 - 6th), the crowds were maybe only 1/2 of what they were last year, making it much more enjoyable.

 

[gonemousin']

The crowds were VERY big the first two days of our trip, but by late Sunday and the rest of the following week, the crowds dropped in half. Sunday August 20th really seemed to be the end of the crowds - the rest of our days were great. We also do the rope drop touring - leave right after lunch - swim/nap - return for dinner. Works well for us, especially in the heat.

We were pleasantly surprised by the weather...only rained twice. One shower was very fast - over and done with while we were in Ellen's Energy. The other one took place while we were eating at the California Grill...also done by the time our dinner was completed...we enjoyed watching the thunder storm move across the flat land from our table at the top of the Contemporary - and the beautiful rainbow that followed!!

 

[SplashMountainMama]

We were there from Aug.26th - Sept.1st last year and found the crowds to be not bad at all. There were a couple of times where wait times were long for rides like Soarin' and Test Track and Splash Mountain, but Fast Pass took care of that problem pretty easily. It rained pretty hard on the one day/night but we never got the hurricane that they were thinking might come through. Restaurants were definitely crowded so ADR's are a must. I wish we could go back again this year.

 

[clombardi]

I am always perplexed when people who have visited on the same exact dates report completely different observations about crowd level.

I really think it must have to do with the time of day that you visit a park. For example, I was at WDW Easter 2006. Was it crowded? Yes, it was definitely the most packed I have ever seen MK. However, we were there at rope drop, went on very ride we wanted with little to no wait, and left MK by 1:30 when it was so crowded in Fronteirland that you could barely move.

So, when I get that moment of panic after reading something about crowd levels, I just remind myself that it never has an impact on our visits because we get out of the park just in time.

I will not panic about crowds 8/26-8/31! I will not panic about crowds 8/26-8/31! I will not panic about crowds 8/26-8/31! Just keep repeating it and enjoy that free dining!

 

[ssweetpea1211]

We went from Aug 22 to Sept 1 and the crowds weren't too bad. The longest wait was for Expedition Everest because it was brand new, but we got fast passes. It was hot, but it was also summer. The weather wasn't unbearable because there isn't humidity like up in Mass. I don't recall any bad rain, just a couple sprinkles that didn't last for more than 15 minutes. We are going back this year and doing the same dates!! Hope this helps!

 

[CampbellScot]

I was there with my brand new husband the last week of August last year. It rained every day but one, but not all day. "hurricane ernesto" cleared out the parks for us and we got to ride Splash Mtn, Thunder Mtn. RR and Space Mtn. over and over without having to get off. It was AWESOME. Best day we had. It was wet and we were soaked by the end of the day, but it was so much fun. The crowds were not bad AT ALL. Soarin was our longest wait. We also waited a teensy bit for Test Track and RnR and ToT...but that is to be expected on most any day.

We had ADR's and still had to wait a bit for Le Cellier, and we waited nearly an hour past our ADR at Mama Melrose...but those were the only really memorable waits for TS places. I do know that TS places were turning those who didn't have ADR's away. The restaurants were FULL, even if the parks weren't.

It's a good time to go if you don't mind hauling the ponchos out every now and then!!! Oh, and it's WICKED hot and humid...but that's Florida for you!!

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

We were there for the last 2 weeks of August. We PAID for our dining plan for 5 people for 13 days and were aggravated beyond belief trying to use it. All of the restaurants were full. In several cases, we had to wait considerably longer than quoted (90 minutes over the time of our 'reservation' at Coral Reef). The wait staff was frazzled from the onslaught of guest with the 'free' dining plan. The quality and choice of food was substantially downgraded. We heard many complaints from the cast members over the 2 weeks that they (Disney) were not prepared/staffed for the tidal wave of patrons using the free dining plan. It was NOT a pleasant experience.

 

[wiskband]

The only place crowed were the restaurants. Honestly, the past two years when I went the lines for shows, rides etc.

 

[BTown]

We were there last year from 9/30 - 10/07. Since we checked in on the 30th, we got the dining plan for the whole week of our stay. This was obviously a pretty popular strategy, at least with the DISers here, because you couldn't turn around without running into a lime green mickey head.

Beyond that, the crowds were a lot thicker than I expected for the first couple of days, though they got better as the week went on. All the restaurants were crowded, but we made ADRs ahead of time, and only had to wait for a table twice. And, dispite the crowds, I felt our service all around was significantly better then than it was when we went in Jan that very year and paid OOP for the DDP.

As far as crowds in the parks, it was no big deal. With a little general FP strategy, we never waited more than 15 min for any ride, so it was good all around.

 

[ch1103]

We were there last August, I think 8/19-8/26. We also visited the parks early and left early afternoon when it started to get miserably hot and crowded. It did rain some, but we tried to plan to be indoors when that happened and it worked out. We spent a rainy hour is so in Toon Town visiting the characters, and another at one of the Epcot buildings. Worked out perfectly. We didn't have any trouble doing everything we wanted to do, thanks to Fastpass and being there early. We made our ADRs months in advance and got in everywhere we wanted. We showed up about 10 minutes early for all of our meals and rarely had more than a 10 minute wait to be seated and I think that was only twice. We were planning to go again in August this year, but changed to September to take advantage of free dining. Having been in September before, I'm thrilled to be going back then.

 

[M-I-C-K-E-Y]

We were there in mid-August 2006 as well. The weather was definitely hot, but tolerable. Rain was very infrequent, and we only had to pull out the ponchos twice over nine nights at WDW. I'll echo the previous comments on the Dining Plan. We had the free dining and nearly every table service restaurant had us waiting far longer than usual (one hour or so, at most). It was especially bad at Sci-Fi, at MGM, where the wait was beyond reason...