Worried about going to Disney at Easter

[Disneynutbsv]

We went Easter 2003 and it was packed!!! I will never go on a holiday again!
This year we are going two weeks after Easter, it will probably still be busy, but I'll be w/o kids this time so I don't have to worry about waiting in line. My friend won't complain too much, lol.

 

[KimR]

Take the kids out of school. You will not be sorry. First week of March over Easter week even if I had to take them out 5 days.

I agree with this 100% - go off season now while your kids are still young and you are able to do it! If my kids were in 1st grade/kindergarten, we'd be going in May this year instead of April. I kept my DD out of school for a week in May when she was in 2nd grade and never once regretted it. Now that she's in middle school there's no way we could do that, it would be too much stress on her and it wouldn't be worth it.

 

[dizprincess717]

Okay I read through this thread but what about the dates my family and I are going - March 5th-10th? Will they be as packed as the Easter crowds or mainly early spring break? I'm a college student and our break is one of the earlier spring breaks, other schools around me are off a week or two after I get back from Disney. Will the 5th-10th be low crowds? Lower than the crowds this past summer? I have to know before I get down there and am very disappointed because I'm hoping on minimal crowds for the beginning of March...

 

[robinb]

Turner5, Yes it can happen to you even on-site. To be sure you get into the park of your choice, go in the morning. Once you leave you may not be admitted back into the park even if you have a PS.

I always go between Chistmas and New Years and I always stay onsite. This has never happened to me. And we take a midday break on 12/31, one of the busiest days of the year. The last two years we got to the Magic Kingdom when it opened, left around 1:00 pm and returned after 5pm. If you are an onsite guest there is only a very, very, very small chance that you will not be readmitted after the afternoon parade. Heck, we saw resort guests being admitted when we were leaving after lunch.

If you are an offsite guest, you will not fare as well. The Magic Kingdom's parking lot will close when it's busy and I don't think they reopen it even after guests leave. That means that if you go to the MK and leave you will not be readmitted to the MK parking lot. Of course, Epcot's parking rarely closes and you can monorail from there if need be.

I wouldn't worry at all about leaving and returning as an onsite guest. As an offsite guest I think I would have a back-up plan if I choose to leave. Personally, I know I can't do a 7:00 am - midnight day without a break!

 

[minnieears]

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions/reassurrances.

Guess what??? After months of planning for and worrying about going to Disney over spring break/Easter, our plans have changed! I will be attending a conference April 24 - 27 at the Hilton Disney, so we decided to do a first (hopefully annual) family ski trip during spring break, then do Disney in April. And yes, we will take the girls out of school for two days.

Now, not only do I have three weeks to plan for a ski trip, but also have to redo the research into air/hotel/car options for April. LOL. The upside is that airfare costs will be lower and the parks will be less crowded. Oh well. I love to plan.

For those going Easter week, please let us know how your trip went.

 

[jmsvss]

I've done both - taken my kids out (DS is now 14, DD is 11) and went the week after Easter. Both times it was just me and them - no extra adult, outnumbered by kids yikes. Actually, it wasn't bad. We also stayed off site both times.

In 2000, when they were 9 and 6, I took them out of school. However i didn't do my homework and took them out in Feb during presidents week when all of the northern schools are on winter break. it was very crowded. AK was literally elbow to elbow.

In 2002 we went the week after Easter. This was before EMH. It really wasn't so bad. Our itinerary was very similar to yours - we did Sea World, Universal, MK and MGM. Universal and Sea World were much less crowded. I made sure we got to MGM and MK when the park opened. We really got to do everything we wanted. The temperature was perfect - not too hot.

As far as the fear of losing your kids, i guess this is every parents fear but it could happen whether or not there are crowds. I always laminated a little card with my childs name, home address, hotel, and my cell phone number.

If this is going to be an issue that causes a great deal of anxiety then take them out of school and go when it is less crowded. You are right - at their age they aren't missing much. You are quickly approaching the time when taking them out of school will be much more difficult but IMO you aren't there yet. Also, if you go at a non-peak time it would be cheaper to stay on-site.

BTW - we are going again the week after Easter. YAHOO

 

[JJsmama]

Guess what??? After months of planning for and worrying about going to Disney over spring break/Easter, our plans have changed! I will be attending a conference April 24 - 27 at the Hilton Disney,

Those sound like better dates to me. We're going the week before Easter and I wish we could change it but since there are two families involved, we can't. Hoping for the best!

 

[rockin_rep]

I was there last Easter, staying at the Dolphin. It was crowded, BUT I had done my planning! I joined Tour Guide Mike and followed his advice and it worked beautifully.
HTH

What is Tour Guide Mike?

Also, which week do you think is busier, the week *before* or the week *after* Easter?

 

[teambuffy]

We will be arriving on 3/23 and checking out on 3/31. We are staying at the Wyndham Palace (please don't tell me anything awful about it...it was the only thing left!) I am starting to get worried about getting around. Will the hotel shuttle be full first thing in the morning? Will we have to fight to just get on? I can deal with the crowds at the parks, but I do want to be able to get to the entrance. Would renting a car be the best thing to do? I am thinking about getting the Magic Your Way Plus tickets rather than the one park a day tickets just so we can use the Disney transportation system. Can we pick this up at Downtown Disney and take it to MK and Epcot? Those are the two parks will be visiting that week. Fortunately, my kids like Epcot more than anything else, so we'll be spending most of our time there.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Jackie
Beach Club, Aug. 2003

 

[zurgswife]

Teambuffy...rent a car..if you can find one or that you can afford....depending upon shuttles would be murder especially at Easter...may the force be with you.

 

[webtiques]

TeamBuffy,
Are you staying at the Wyndham Palace Resort and Spa at Downtown Disney? If so...we have stayed there many times and my advice to you is not to use the hotels bus. Although the hotel is nice....the transportation is slow. We always stroll over to Downtown Disney (across the street) and take the bus from there. They have buses rolling in every few minutes and they are a great deal quicker and don't stop at other hotels like the Wyndham does. It may seem like a little walk over there at first...but its worth it....or heck you could drive over there if you don't feel like walking. Parking is free at Downtown Disney. Disney says you must have a certain pass to use their buses...but we have NEVER been asked for anything getting on their buses. Good Luck!