Just Returned--the Good, Bad, and Annoying

[natfrac]

We just returned from two weeks at the world, and while we had a good vacation, we will revise future plans based on this trip's experiences.

Good:
Magic Bands--worked perfectly for all 6 in our party (on 3 different reservations). Only glitch was husbands band wasn't activated and required a trip to the check-in desk. Not a big deal.

FP+--this worked very well for us. We are not rope drop people, so it was nice to have at least 3 FP per day.

App--we found the Disney app to be very helpful. I didn't have to remind everyone of FP times or dinner reservations.

Bad:
Crowds--it was very crowded for the last two weeks of January. I expected MLK week to be busy, as it has been in the past, but it was much busier than usual. The last week of January wasn't much slower than MLK week. A lot of South American visitors, and not just tour groups.

Tour Groups--Not just South Americans, there were a lot of school groups (cheerleaders, music groups, etc). The standby times were unpredictable because you could have a short wait time posted then a couple large groups flood the queue.

Disney Dining--it wasn't all bad, but we spent a lot of money on mediocre food. We'll return to Teppen Edo, Tuttu Italia, Chefs de France. We'll skip Captain's Grill and Ohana, which both used to be a couple of our favorites.

Annoying:
People sneezing/coughing and not covering their mouths--we saw this a lot. DH and I now have colds again, which we'd just gotten over before vacation.

People thinking they're the only ones in the park--stopping in the walkway to take a selfie, groups standing/blocking entire walkways/exits, people jumping lines by entering through the exit (saw this at food/drink stands).

Based on our experiences this trip, we won't go back in January. As much as I hate the heat, we may go again during September. It's a heat for crowd trade off. We also may rent a car so we can dine off site. The food is too expensive to be so mediocre.

 

[cakebaker]

If I were to make a good vs bad list, I think it would match yours perfectly and our last 2 trips were August and mid October! lol We're going back this June. Yup, it'll be hot and it'll be crowded but it was the last 2 trips too. Is there any time that WDW isn't packed with people anymore?

 

[ArwenMarie]

Interesting. Sorry to hear it was more crowded that you expected. I was actually eyeing the last week of January for next year.

I agree about the food. Some of it's ok, but it's all very overpriced for the quality. We ate at Chili's two times on our last trip, not exactly gourmet fare, but we loved getting that bill compared to a Disney dining bill at the end of the meal!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We were at WDW this past week and found it to be crowded, too. We were also there last September and found the humidity to be unbearable. Between the two months I would choose January.

My favorite weather month is October. and the crowd isn't too bad either.

 

[JimmyV]

People thinking they're the only ones in the park--stopping in the walkway to take a selfie, groups standing/blocking entire walkways/exits, people jumping lines by entering through the exit (saw this at food/drink stands).

The fact that so many people are tethered to smartphones and now view the world from a screen 18 inches from their faces is sad and inconvenient. Not just at WDW, but all over. I hate that now, when walking down Main Street, more people are looking at their phones than reading the names on the shoppe windows and gazing at the architecture. And Disney has no one to blame but itself for making so much park functionality dependent on MDE and electronic devices.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

We were at Epcot on Tuesday, January 20 and MK on Wednesday, January 21st. The CM at rope drop at MK said that the day before was VERY busy the day before, but on the 21st it was not overly busy, nor was our day at Epcot. For the first two hours at MK, think everyone at the park was over at 7DMT!

I think crowds this time of year can be unpredictable. I did not see any bad behavior, thankfully!

 

[BradChristian]

@JimmyV makes a great point about staring at the phones... I'm going to work and not do that... Even though I LOVE the MDE app!

 

[disndatworld]

We went 1/24 - 1/30 and I thought the crowds were quite high as well.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Very surprised to hear people say they thought last week was crowded?

We experienced:

Sat (1/24) @ MK - Pretty much <20 for everything. Got so much more done than we had anticipated, which setup the rest of the week to do MK at a stroll.
Sun (1/25) @ DHS - Same as above. Did not wait more than 20 minutes for anything (Obviously FP+ helps). Got everything done that we wanted to the point that this was our only stop at DHS for the week.
Mon (1/26) @ Epcot - Empty. Purely empty.
Tues (1/27) @ MK - Again, a very empty day in the park.
Wed (1/28) @ AK - Normal AK crowds. Everest did not go above 30 minutes our entire time in the park. Safari was a walk-on for the first 2-3 hours even WITH EMH.
Thurs (1/29) @ Epcot - Slightly more crowded that Monday's Epcot trip, but still extraordinarily manageable. Did talk to a CM who said that Universal Studios' Harry Potter convention was bringing people onto Disney property, and they expected a busy weekend. CM at POFQ confirmed that they were at 97%-100% for the upcoming weekend.
Fri (1/30) @ MK - Rope dropped and headed to BTMRR first. Walk-on for everything until crowds started to increase by the 2nd hour of the park being open. Walkways seemed crowded and saw 7DMT hit 120 mins at some point. Easily the busiest day of our stay, but we still found things to be manageable. Found a front row spot for 3:00 parade & Electric Parade both within 30 minutes of their respective starting times.

Overall we thought last week was on par with our previous January experiences. Sun-Wed were much LESS crowded however, than we saw last year. Got on most MK rides 2+ times. My guess is that the slow days were on the level of a 2-4 level day, and the more crowded were in the 5-7 range.

ETA - Interesting to note the mention of the Harry Potter con at Universal. The fact that Disney experienced high bookings during a Universal event shows that they don't need to counter everything Universal does. What's good for Universal, in the end, STILL means money for Disney.

 

[nkereina]

I agree with you as well OP. But one thing I've learned is to pick the time of year that works best for you, and hope for the best. There's no true low crowd week anymore. Last September, there were numerous posts about it being busier than anticipated. We used to go the week before Thanksgiving every year and this past year was the busiest we've ever experienced. We've decided we'll now go in April (avoiding Easter) because it works best for us financially and weather-wise, and we'll just have to tolerate the moderate level crowds.

 

[pigletgirl]

As folks have mentioned in the past, there really isn't a slow time for Disney anymore. You just have to decide what you cab and cannot live with.

 

[KNovacovschi]

Very surprised to hear people say they thought last week was crowded?

We experienced:

Sat (1/24) @ MK - Pretty much <20 for everything. Got so much more done than we had anticipated, which setup the rest of the week to do MK at a stroll.
Sun (1/25) @ DHS - Same as above. Did not wait more than 20 minutes for anything (Obviously FP+ helps). Got everything done that we wanted to the point that this was our only stop at DHS for the week.
Mon (1/26) @ Epcot - Empty. Purely empty.
Tues (1/27) @ MK - Again, a very empty day in the park.
Wed (1/28) @ AK - Normal AK crowds. Everest did not go above 30 minutes our entire time in the park. Safari was a walk-on for the first 2-3 hours even WITH EMH.
Thurs (1/29) @ Epcot - Slightly more crowded that Monday's Epcot trip, but still extraordinarily manageable. Did talk to a CM who said that Universal Studios' Harry Potter convention was bringing people onto Disney property, and they expected a busy weekend. CM at POFQ confirmed that they were at 97%-100% for the upcoming weekend.
Fri (1/30) @ MK - Rope dropped and headed to BTMRR first. Walk-on for everything until crowds started to increase by the 2nd hour of the park being open. Walkways seemed crowded and saw 7DMT hit 120 mins at some point. Easily the busiest day of our stay, but we still found things to be manageable. Found a front row spot for 3:00 parade & Electric Parade both within 30 minutes of their respective starting times.

Overall we thought last week was on par with our previous January experiences. Sun-Wed were much LESS crowded however, than we saw last year. Got on most MK rides 2+ times. My guess is that the slow days were on the level of a 2-4 level day, and the more crowded were in the 5-7 range.

ETA - Interesting to note the mention of the Harry Potter con at Universal. The fact that Disney experienced high bookings during a Universal event shows that they don't need to counter everything Universal does. What's good for Universal, in the end, STILL means money for Disney.

I was there from Jan 26-30 and wondering if we were in the same parks, lol. I was in Mk on the 27th & 30th and EPCOT on the 29th and found it to be extremely busy. Not to sure what you would consider empty. Most standby lines were 30 mins plus with the major ones being 75 mins +. I'm glad you had a great time though. I was on my first solo trip so I went at my own pace.

Here is a pic of the 30th at MK which was pretty much identical to the 27th.

 

[EagleFlyer]

Overall we thought last week was on par with our previous January experiences. Sun-Wed were much LESS crowded however, than we saw last year. Got on most MK rides 2+ times. My guess is that the slow days were on the level of a 2-4 level day, and the more crowded were in the 5-7 range.

The tour groups didn't really impact us, except for all the dance groups on our last morning at our hotel. The food court was packed and I saw some rude behavior (like a girl from one of the international dance troups purposefully pouring a bottle of orange juice on the floor and laughing about it).

The most annoying thing I saw all week was the number of selfie sticks. They were everywhere. I was glad to see that the fad of using your ipad as a camera seems to have slowed down.

Crowds were hit and miss for us. Our trip almost exactly overlapped with yours and I'd agree mostly with your assessment. The first half of the week was slower but the latter half was much more crowded than I expected, particularly on friday the 30th at MK.
Sat, 1/24: Epcot was very light on crowds in the morning, probably due to the rain. We left early in the afternoon, so I can't report on the crowds then.
Sun, 1/25: MK wasn't too bad. Certainly not empty but maybe a 3 or 4 level day.
Mon, 1/26: HS was busier than I had expected given that it was an early close with no F!, but still very manageable.
Tues, 1/27: AK wasn't bad at all. Maybe it was just our timing but most rides were walk ons. I had a row to myself on Dinosaur in the early afternoon.
Wed, 1/28: MK. This was by far the lowest crowd day for us at MK. We did manage to use 8 FPs for our group (A&E, 7DMT, Rapunzel and Cinderella, HM, Buzz, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Speedway), which certainly helped with our perception of the crowds, but even lines at non-FP attractions and restaurants seemed short.
Thurs, 1/29: Epcot, definitely busier than 1/24 with a wait of about 30 minutes at SSE at around 10 am (compared to walk on on 1/24) and Soarin at around 60 minutes by 10:30 (compared to only around 20 minutes on 1/24). But with FP+ early and then moving on to the world showcase, it didn't seem too bad. The crowds were about 6 or 7 rows deep for the fireworks where we were sitting.
Fri, 1/30: MK was way more crowded than expected. Waited 30 minutes for HM in the morning, long lines at lunch at Pinnochio, 40 minutes for Buzz, even relatively crowded showings at the Carousel of Progress in the late afternoon. I waited about 30 minutes in line at the confectionary as we tried to use up our snack credits when we left the park, they only had one person working the counter while the line stretched out of the set up queue and into the store.

While definitely lower crowds compared to non-off season, it was certainly more crowded than the week after November when we went 2 years ago. And not just longer waits due to FP+, but longer lines at QS places and non-FP rides.

 

[amg35]

The fact that so many people are tethered to smartphones and now view the world from a screen 18 inches from their faces is sad and inconvenient. Not just at WDW, but all over. I hate that now, when walking down Main Street, more people are looking at their phones than reading the names on the shoppe windows and gazing at the architecture. And Disney has no one to blame but itself for making so much park functionality dependent on MDE and electronic devices.

Honestly, I didn't find we were looking at our phone anymore than normal. I saw people on their phones, mostly photo-documenting every move they made.

Seriously, besides seeing if a fourth fast pass is available - which if I'm honest, the app never worked, so we never used it anyways - why is Disney to blame for everyone being glued to their phone? Why does a person need to check their pre-existing reservations (ride or restaurant) 50 times a day??

I understand people don't like fast pass, magic bands, etc, but I never understood the "glued to my phone" argument.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

I was there from Jan 26-30 and wondering if we were in the same parks, lol. I was in Mk on the 27th & 30th and EPCOT on the 29th and found it to be extremely busy. Not to sure what you would consider empty. Most standby lines were 30 mins plus with the major ones being 75 mins +. I'm glad you had a great time though. I was on my first solo trip so I went at my own pace.

Here is a pic of the 30th at MK which was pretty much identical to the 27th.

I'm not a crowd person, at all. Must be all the August trips as a kid, but I love to go now, when the crowds are low. That pic is definitely a "low crowd" pic, to me.

The 30th was definitely busier than the rest of the week, but still nothing like the 8, 9, 10 days I used to wade through in mid-Summer.

But, just as one man's trash is another man's treasure, one Dis-er's "3" day is another Dis-er's "9" day.

I was just surprised to see people mention the crowds, when we found things to be beyond manageable, and rode/saw much more than we had last January.

 

[JimmyV]

Honestly, I didn't find we were looking at our phone anymore than normal. I saw people on their phones, mostly photo-documenting every move they made.

Maybe you didn't. But on balance, people are. We are becoming immune to the phenomenon. But it is there. Just observe people in airports now. You'll see I vast difference from 5 years ago. Same as WDW.

 

[amg35]

Maybe you didn't. But on balance, people are. We are becoming immune to the phenomenon. But it is there. Just observe people in airports now. You'll see I vast difference from 5 years ago. Same as WDW.

I realize that, I was questioning how Disney is to blame for it! (referencing your original post) - and I just used your post as one example, I've read it a few times on here, how Disney made them constantly use their phone, etc.

(my own post)
"Seriously, besides seeing if a fourth fast pass is available - which if I'm honest, the app never worked, so we never used it anyways - why is Disney to blame for everyone being glued to their phone? Why does a person need to check their pre-existing reservations (ride or restaurant) 50 times a day??

I understand people don't like fast pass, magic bands, etc, but I never understood the "glued to my phone" argument."

 

[TeamSy]

We used to go in January all the time, but stopped after last year - it was FREEZING and completely ruined Disney for us! We expect it to be (somewhat) warm, and have had great luck in the past with the weather and crowds in Jan!! I guess it caught up with us. Needless to say, we agreed on no more January visits - it's not worth the risk of the freezing temps! There's just something not right about being in magic kingdom and seeing everyone bundled up in scarves and hats, serving hot chocolate instead of ice cream!

I have to comment on the phone thing! I HATE being on my phone on vacation, but with the MDE app, I sort of felt the need to be. Obviously, I could choose not to use it, but the ease of it is offered, so I guess I got suckered in (ie. we're in Tomorrowland and want to see how long the wait is on Big Thunder… so I'd get out my phone instead of walking all the way over to check the time). Then, I'd notice a text, or a missed call, or an email notification, or this or that. I'd try to ignore it, but then it was on my mind. I felt like I couldn't enjoy myself. I'm not a FP+ lover, because I enjoyed getting them multiple times for our favorite rides, not to mention, I almost liked walking to get them, so I could check out the wait times in the different areas. The phone app wasn't dangled in my face as an option. The other problem with the phone app/FP+ for us, was we reserved our FP+ so far in advance that day of they no longer worked for us. Back on my phone I went to change them… which was annoying. I think this time, I'm just NOT going to worry about wait times and just wait on the line, no matter what, since that's the only reason I'd grab my phone, and then just stick it out with whatever fast passes I already reserved.

 

[JimmyV]

why is Disney to blame for everyone being glued to their phone?

People probably spend more time checking wait times than looking for FPs. Perhaps "blame" isn't the right word so much as "reason". I used to lock my phone up in the hotel safe before heading out to the park. I doubt I will ever do that again.

 

[KNovacovschi]

I'm not a crowd person, at all. Must be all the August trips as a kid, but I love to go now, when the crowds are low. That pic is definitely a "low crowd" pic, to me.

The 30th was definitely busier than the rest of the week, but still nothing like the 8, 9, 10 days I used to wade through in mid-Summer.

But, just as one man's trash is another man's treasure, one Dis-er's "3" day is another Dis-er's "9" day.

I was just surprised to see people mention the crowds, when we found things to be beyond manageable, and rode/saw much more than we had last January.

That's true when I think about it. We usually go in the fall and this was my first time this time of year, it wasn't as busy as September was this past year but definitely busier then I expected.