Surviving Disney Crowds 101
To the average Disney World guest, it would be hard to tell there is a recession going on in the United States. On this balmy April day, the parks are filled with people. The wait mid day at Test Track is 110 minutes, Soarin’ is 90 minutes, finding a place to sit down and eat at Sunshine Seasons in the Land took more than a few moments of perusing the tables — it’s elbow to elbow. During this week after Easter, at least 2 parks per day have Extra Magic Hours in the morning or in the evening for guests of Disney World resorts. Disney has not only extended park hours to deal with the crowds, but Spectro Magic the evening parade at the Magic Kingdom is being presented twice nightly.Fantasmic at the Studios, the fabulous nightly Spectacular has 3 performances this week. While the crowds may be heavy, Disney has planned ahead in hopes of keeping the frustration levels down for guests. So if this is the week or another holiday week like it, that you are able to vacation, don’t let the crowds put a damper on your fun. Get up early, be at the parks before they open (at least 30 minutes), take a nap mid day, take advantage of the extended hours, and eat as healthy as possible. Surely, a magical time will be enjoyed by all.
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Just got back (OK, got back Sunday) from a trip to Disney World 4/18-26, predicted to be 9s and 7s (up from 5-7 when we booked). We honestly felt the crowds were much lighter than 9-7, particularly in the latter part of our stay. Grad Nights were pretty intense, but more because the grads were crazy, loud, and all wearing the same shirts, so there was a “mob scene” feel. Never had any trouble walking anywhere, even during parades. Definitely the happiest place on earth!
I just got back from DHS and the crowds are still coming in!
I dropped my oldest kids off at school and went straight there with my 8 month old. I got there at 8:50 and the crowd was small. By the time that it took to go to playhouse disney, animation studios, a visit with mickey and voyage of the little mermaid, I knew it was time to go!
Thanks for the update! Please keep us posted if you go back this week. I’m still hoping everyone leaves by May 4th (yea, right), but I don’t think that is going to happen. We’ll still have fun. I am definitely going to follow these touring plans and see what happens. I bought a little leash for my 3 year old to tether him to me so he doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. My bigger boys are going to have to hang on to my shirt! Maybe I’m picturing it worse than it really is. We’ll see. Thanks again!
Anyone have current first-hand crowd activities at WDW for this week (20th) or know where i can find out that information?
Here some encouraging news…I received this from my sister-in-law. They arrived late last week on the 16th and she sent this email to me today:
“Today we completed the four theme parks and one water park (Typhoon Lagoon) and tomorrow we finish our vacation up at Sea World. We have been extremely fortunate on many levels. We are told by some of the Disney World employees that we lucked out on the crowds. They had crazy numbers the week before we arrived (to the point of having to close the park until some people left to make room for others). I really expected to spend most of our time waiting in lines but the longest wait we’ve had has been 30 minutes and that hasn’t been very often. The fast pass option works out so well, we used that a lot and it was great…”
It’s worth noting that she and her husband are there with their 9 year old daughter and it is their first visit to WDW. She said they followed a lot of the tips she got out of a guide book and that was a world of help.
I hope this info makes someone feel more encouraged about their trip. It did me!
We have been to Disney twice in the last two years and are going again this year. We always go the last week in June as soon as school gets out. It is always very hot and very crowded. We follow the touring plans exactly and have always had a great time. No long lines and plenty of time. We often get off a ride and go back and do it again because the lines are short. The plans absolutely work – even at crowds of 9 and 10. Have fun everyone!
Does Disney still offer Guest Assistance Cards for kids with special emotional needs and a doctor’s note? If so, they hide this information really well on their website — I can’t find it anywhere. I got this tip from UG for our 2004 trip and it saved our vacation, as our son started throwing karate kicks after 10 mins in line at Winnie-the-Pooh (first day, first ride). We have a doctor’s note — do we just go to Guest Services at the park on the first day? What do I need to bring — my son? His ticket (or can Dad take that to go get FastPasses?) (BTW, I really agree w/DisneyDad59’s comments — we’re going to Disney, for heaven’s sake! How great is that?)
Get up early, be at the parks before they open (at least 30 minutes), take a nap mid day, take advantage of the extended hours, and eat as healthy as possible.
And I would like to add, have a plan. In my three times visiting WDW with my family (including once with another family tagging along making a, our enjoyment level was relative to how well we followed the plan we had come up with to hit our favorite rides. We used the strategies of the UG but not necessarily the exact tour they prescribed, having tailored our visits to the tastes of the family.
Once or twice when we went off the plan and started diving into attractions on impulse, we stumbled into long lines, couldn’t agree where we should be spending our time, got discouraged, and left the park early without visiting some of the best attractions.
Another great strategy is to send someone who’s keen and energetic off to get Fastpasses while the others do something else, e.g. Mom and the kids line up to see characters while Dad hikes over and back to get FPs. Just make sure you know EXACTLY where you’ll meet up again, or be ready to pay roaming charges to hook up again with cell phones.
Also, doing the parks this way is hard work, so in planning your trip remember that even the toughest crew will have a hard time touring for more than 3 or 4 days in a row. Plan for a day off and/or a sleep-in day in the middle of each week of touring. We actually skipped our usual waterpark visit last time, because on our day off from the parks I explained that we wouldn’t enjoy the waterpark much unless we got up early AGAIN to get on the slides before the crowds, so our gang unanimously voted to sleep in and then go to the beach. (hanging around the high-end resorts eating, taking pictures and soaking up the atmosphere is another one of our favorite off-day activities)
Great tips, Josh. Planning for an off day, and having a plan in general is the right way to go. Incidentally, we’ve developed a set of “Not a Touring Plan” (NATP) touring plans that are essentially your idea of using the UG’s strategies without following an exact tour. Some of the NATP plan are less than a dozen sentences.
If I recall correctly the Animal Kingdom one is something like “Get FASTPASSes for Everest and begin a counter-clockwise tour of the park in Dinoland U.S.A.” There’s a bit more information around FASTPASS for the Safari and around lunch, but they’re more guidelines than, you know, actual rules.
Len
“Once or twice when we went off the plan and started diving into attractions on impulse, we stumbled into long lines, couldn’t agree where we should be spending our time, got discouraged, and left the park early without visiting some of the best attractions.”
I’d like to echo this. Our touring plan was working so well last August, we decided we didn’t need to follow it. Big mistake. After standing in line for Splash Mountain for 30 minutes and not even making it into the building, we broke away from the park, went to Kona for lunch and AC, and I made my family place their hands on the Unofficial Guide and swear allegience to the Touring Plans. Everything worked well after that and we never stood in line longer than 20 minutes.
I’ll also vouch for sending a runner for Fastpasses for everyone. I was that runner last summer, but it worked great.
The crowd calender has worked for us in the past. We always go right after Thanksgiving last week in Novemeber & beginning of December. I hope Disney doesn’t do one of these promos when we go this year as traditionally it’s slow that week.
Keep us the good work guys. Love your book and this website
Hi Maria,
The Crowd Calendar is fabulous. What a perfect week to be at Disney. Cool temps and light crowds.
Have a great trip,
Caroline
I have to echo the disappointment I’ve seen in these postings regarding the “revised”(read: increasing) crowd levels in the crowd calendars. We scheduled our 9-day WDW/Universal Studios vacation back in January based on predicted crowd levels of 7 (very manageable) for the week beginning Monday, April 13th. Imagine my utter shock when I checked for a crowd calendar update Sunday evening (April 12th) to find those “7’s” had been changed to “10’s” – OUCH!!!!
I’ve been in the MK when the crowd level was 9; it was almost impossible to get something to eat – the lines were outrageous even for mere snacks. However, in that case the touring plan worked: with a crowd level of 9 we did not wait more than 40 minutes for a ride, but did bail out of the MK at lunchtime as the crowd levels got ridiculous.
Bottom line for me – I’ve used the “Unofficial Guide” books and website for three years and they have served me well, but my first day at WDW this vacation will be tomorrow, and I’m expecting the worst. This experience has detracted from the reliability of the crowd calendar as a planning tool. However, I can’t imagine what the alternative is, given the fact that I have to plan around my children’s school vacation schedules.
One more point: Universal’s crowd levels Monday, April 13th(at both parks)were VERY manageable (WDW’s were 10). Following the touring plans with the Universal Express option (highly recommended) we did 6 rides at Islands in 3 hours, and three more in the early afternoon at Universal Studios in a little over 2 hours – not bad
You can not blame Touring Plans on this. They go by their historic data. I can only guess, but I bet it is safe to say that this is the first time in that history WDW has had a promo like 4+3. This has caused a tremendous increase in booking for April and May that has taken everyone, even Disney, by surprise. As long as Disney offers this deal expect crowd levels to be in the 8-10 zone.
BTW, we go every summer and deal with 8-10. Not bad if you know what you are doing and plan accordingly. For us that is using EMH mornings and banging out a park in the morning and escaping back to the pool for a Pina Colada!
Dom, let us know how the plans worked in the parks, please.
I went to EPCOT this morning (4/15), arrived at 8:25 (park opened at 9:00),and followed the “EPCOT One Day Touring Plan.” We were able to do Test Track (30 minute wait – probably could have cut that in half using the single riders line), Mission: Space (Green Team – milder ride version with a 5 minute wait versus 20 minutes for the more rigorous version), Soarin'(using FASTPASS, but still a 40 minute wait), and The Seas with Nemo and Friends (25 minute wait). At that point it was 11:45 AM, and we left the park for lunch. Crowd levels were significant when we left, though not a 10 (I’d guess closer to 7-8 at that point).
Expect crowd levels to be higher than they would be in the absence of current Disney promotions. If you’re used to visiting when crowd levels are in the 6-8 level, you will inevitably get on fewer rides for the same amount of time you spend in the park (especially in the afternoon). Your only choices are to cancel or delay your vacation, or be sure to plan carefully using Touringplans.com and the Unofficial guide. Based on what I saw today, I would not have cancelled my vacation – I’ll let everyone know what things look like tomorrow through Sunday at the other parks as I visit them.
Went to the MK today (4/16). Arrived at the MK turnstyles at 8:45 AM – the park was already open for EMH (8:00 AM). Followed day one of the MK 2-day Touring Plan. It worked like a charm – did 9 rides in 4 1/2 hours (including 2x on Space Mountain), plus watched a show by the Castle, stopped for a snack and had no problem getting into Liberty Tavern for lunch at 1:35 PM.
While a “9” crowd level was predicted, it did not seem nearly as crowded to me as other days in previous years when “9” crowd levels were predicted. We left the park at 2:45 PM.
This is great to hear — we arrive on Friday and have just resigned ourselves to doing what we can, considering the crowds. Hope to let our kids ride Space Mountain on the last day it’s open, now that they’re finally tall enough, but since we can’t get to MK before 11 I hope there will still be FastPasses available.
Hey Dom,
Thanks for your continued updates. Glad to see the touring plans did the trick!
I’ve been to WDW about 15 times over 20 or so years, always fine-tuning my own plans and never having much trouble at all, even over Christmas, New Year’s and Easter breaks. (It’s the heat that gets me more than the crowds.) This is my first trip where I’m going to stick with the UG2WDW touring plan exclusively and see how it works (over Memorial Day). I enjoy the detailed planning and mathematical models this site uses based on past attendance and a host of other factors…but I’d be a darned fool if I somehow pinned all my plans and hopes to an unofficial guide and then blamed them for not anticipating a promotion never before done by the Disney Company during what is essentially a nantional financial downturn the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Great Depression.
My advice to everyone: Lighten up. You’re going to Walt Disney World, the happiest–and therefore most-crowded–place on Earth. So I’ll have to stand a little closer to my fellow humans, wait a little longer to eat, maybe not see or do as many attractions.
I always have the option to stay home. It’s way cheaper to sulk on my couch. 😉
The real world is a mess and in the midst of all this we’re going to WDW. We all should be counting our blessings, not grousing about crowd levels.
Well said!
DisneyDad59 – I hear what you are saying, but other people’s frustrations are perfectly justified. Please don’t be so quick to make light of them. I was helpful to see on this blog that there were other people experiencing the same frustration as me in regards to the changes in crowd levels. After making such an effort to find the perfect time to go, one would have to be a happy Care Bear not to be a little upset by the change in the crowd level predictor. It does suck. You are fortunate enough to go to Disney World time and time again, whereas this is a once in a lifetime trip for others.
And please don’t preach and imply that others are ungrateful just because we spout off about things like this. I can be mad about something and be grateful for all that I have at the same time. It’s how we were made.
DisneyDad59
I made my reservations in the last week of March 2009 after checking the crowd levels to make sure the crowds were low. I purposely waited till the end of the buy 4 get 3 free promotion to see what impact the promotion would have on crowd levels prior to making my reservations. It is my personal preference not to endure extremely long lines and large crowds. (My 9th visit) Since the crowd levels are posted on line not printed in a book, I thought the changes would be posted as they occurred. Yes, I do appreciate and value the statistical analysis that goes into the crowd planning. It has always worked for me in the past. Still I am disappointed this time.
Waiting in extremely long lines is not something I want to pay to do. There are other places to visit and things to do without sitting home sulking on my couch. Additionally, if guests continue to accept waiting in line 75 to 120 minutes or longer what incentive is there for Disney to change? I have visited Disney World in the past and walked onto some rides and waited 30 minutes for other rides.
If more Disney guests would share their thoughts about standing in long lines and packed crowds perhaps Disney would listen. The bigger the crowds the bigger the profits in Disney’s pockets.
Walt Disney World is the most visited vacation spot on the planet. That means it’s always going to be crowded. Always. Even with the best plans, sometimes we all just have to experience the unpleasantness of waiting longer for something. If I didn’t want to be around tens of thousands of people, I would choose another vacation spot. Having made the choice to buy my ticket does not entitle me to a crowd-free experience.
It’s also more expensive than simply staying home, but not always more expensive than many other vacation choices. I know I’m going to pay more for coffee at Starbucks than had I brewed it at home; I don’t accuse Starbucks of ‘gouging’ me. (Then again, I simply would not patronize any business that I thought did not offer a product of value. That’s called freedom of choice.) So if I started from the premise that ‘Disney is ripping me off’ and I still chose to plunk down my money and go, that would make me the fool.
I find the Disney experience is all the richer when I choose to strike up conversations with those I’m in line with, when I stop to chat with Cast Members, when I offer to take the photo so everyone in the family can be in the picture. I happen to believe the messages woven into Wishes and IllumiNations of peace and goodwill apply to everyone–even the stroller brigades, the overweight, the Brazilian student tours–you know, the people some others go out of their way to malign on some chat boards.
Finally, if I have a real beef with Disney, I’ll spend my time wisely and share it with Guest Services or in a letter to someone who can do something about it, instead of fruitless grousing on in a chat board. I choose to have a magical day. 🙂
Sir, I don’t know if you are a user or an employee of Touring Plan, but you are putting out some hostile vibes that can’t be disguised no matter how many times you use the word ‘magical’ and end your put downs with a smiley face. Perhaps you should try to practice what you preach and lighten up yourself. No one has asked you what you think so why don’t you let people have their say about what they are experiencing without responding in such a rude way. You’re making things worse.
Have a MAGICAL day! 🙂
(did that make what I said seem nicer?)
Thank you Beth.
Just wondering if anyone can relate experiences using touringplans with the attendance such as it has been lately? Are the plans still working? Have modifications been necessary? Only actual experiences please!! Thanks
Hey Chad,
The touring plans have been tested with Christmas- and Easter-level crowds for years. (If the scale went up that far, those would be about 17 through 20 on our scale of 1 to 10.) So even though it’s busy, the touring plans are a great equalizer.
I’ll be down next weekend, will grad night impact my touring at all? We are planning on going to the Studios Saturday and my daughter is a CM on ToT just called me and suggested I rethink my plans.
In March we too planned our trip to Disney World for May 8-15 based on Crowd Levels predictions of 5’s and 6s. If we wanted CLowd levels of 8s and 9s we would go in peak season. We are extremely disappointed. I too would like to know what is causing this serious blip. I always AVOID the peak season and go Disney World early spring or early December. Now I don’t know what I want do,cancel and lose deposit or go with big crowds?
Could be wrong but I think the buy 4 get 3 free promo worked better than expected.
Darlene – I know what you mean. We are going for the first time with our two boys and want it to be magical. We knew the Memorial Day weekend would be crowded, but were looking at 5s and 6s the week after. We booked way before the buy 4 get 3 deal. Of course, when that came along, we were thrilled to hop on the bandwagon and take advantage of it. But now we see what it means in terms of crowds. I’m really hoping we won’t feel like we flushed three thousand dollars down the pooper.
Chris,
Using a “Touring Plan” from the website will maximize your fun. You will have a magical time.
Caroline
I can totally understand the size of the crowds for the weeks surrounding Easter but cannot figure out why the first week in May has gone from an average of 5 to solid level 8’s. Recession? Wouldn’t know it from these crowd levels! Maybe everyone wants to get in one last trip before they lose ALL their money? Go figure. I’ll be on my third trip in 6 months in 3 weeks. Anyone have an opinion on what is causing this blip?
I’ve heard it’s a combination of the “behind-the-scenes” layoffs they’ve done, plus the big response to the 7-for-4 promotion.
We are taking our first trip to DW in June. The 7-for-4 promotion and low airfares did it for us.
howdy! so, we pick up a daily schedule upon entering a park to find updates, i.e. extended hours, show & parade times?
Yep – Disney should be handing those out along with park maps, at the entrance turnstiles. They’re white single sheets of paper, as long and as wide as the folder park maps.
Hey Shelly, thanks for using the site.
Crowd sizes of 7 are actually not that bad, although we would always recommend following a good touring plan. Changing your dates is a decision you will have to make on your own, but the difference between a crowd of 5 or a crowd of 7 is honestly not that large in terms of touring.
Good luck and happy touring!
Fred
Thanks for the post on dealing with crowds! We are planning our first trip to DW on April 20th. I picked this time because it had crowd levels of 5 and 6 back in Nov. Well, that has changed! How busy do you think it will be that week? We have trip insurance, would it be worth it to move it back a week to the crowd level of 5’s instead of 7’s? Or, could those 5’s become 7’s as well? Thank you so much.
Shelly