No more low crowds?

[Lexx1214]

The last time I went to Disney was in early December 2011 and with the exception of MVMCP the crowds were non existent, Fast Passes weren’t needed except for a few rides and there were a few that we just walked on. DH went in 2011 and 2014 both times during Christmas week and it was predictably insane (both times with his girls and before we got married). We are going for the first time together at the end of September for our much delayed honeymoon (no kids!!!) and I keep reading that low crowds no longer exist, yet crowd calendars show the end of September as one of the lowest of the year. What does this mean in reality? Will we be shoulder to shoulder in the parks? Will walk ones be possible? I keep scouring YouTube for videos that show the crowds from the end of September last year and they seem really light. Am I just being optimistic?

 

[mom2rtk]

December 2011 really was a great month to be at WDW. My own theory that year was because December 2010 was epically cold, everyone moved to warmer months the next year.

Unfortunately other things have changed since then as well. The economy has improved. And Disney started adjusting staffing through the use of MM+, making even slower days feel busy.

Whatever you do, don't go the last week of September expecting it to be slow. It won't be. If you want a shot at a slow week, go the first week of September when many schools are just starting and people are hesitant to take kids out for a vacation.

 

[Klayfish]

First, ditch crowd calendars. They're just wild guesses, at best.

Does WDW have "slow times"? No, not like they did 15 years ago. But at the same time, there are ebbs and flows. Certain times tend to be busier than others. Summer isn't as crowded as Xmas, etc...

Will you be shoulder to shoulder in the parks? No. There are certain times and spaces where that may occur...in the hub during fireworks for example, or on a really crowded day in the walkway where Small World is. But just every day normal walking around, no, you will not be shoulder to shoulder at all.

You have to expect it to be busy. WDW is the most popular tourist destination in the United States. But it's not chaos, not a total sea of people (with limited exception) and not unmanageable. You'll be fine.

 

[Lexx1214]

First, ditch crowd calendars. They're just wild guesses, at best.

Does WDW have "slow times"? No, not like they did 15 years ago. But at the same time, there are ebbs and flows. Certain times tend to be busier than others. Summer isn't as crowded as Xmas, etc...

Will you be shoulder to shoulder in the parks? No. There are certain times and spaces where that may occur...in the hub during fireworks for example, or on a really crowded day in the walkway where Small World is. But just every day normal walking around, no, you will not be shoulder to shoulder at all.

You have to expect it to be busy. WDW is the most popular tourist destination in the United States. But it's not chaos, not a total sea of people (with limited exception) and not unmanageable. You'll be fine.

Busy I can handle no problem especially since it’s a no kid trip...shoulder to shoulder would drive me nuts and not my idea of a fun time. I have no idea how DH did it twice during Christmas week with two girls.

 

[Klayfish]

Busy I can handle no problem especially since it’s a no kid trip...shoulder to shoulder would drive me nuts and not my idea of a fun time. I have no idea how DH did it twice during Christmas week with two girls.

We did Xmas week last year (12 days actually) with all three of our kids. Yes, it was very, very crowded, no denying that. The biggest crowds I've ever seen. But even then we weren't shoulder to shoulder all the time. Again, in certain spots during certain times...much more numerous than during summer though. We had a terrific time. As long as you're patient, it's still a blast.

 

[SG131]

I just went the last week in August which is supposed to also be a “slow” time. It wasn’t wall to wall people but it was much more crowded than I had remembered. There were no walk on rides, especially at Magic Kingdom. Even Pirates and Haunted Mansion can get some long lines. If you do some research on recommended fast passes you should be fine. And since you only have two people trying for a 4th and 5th fastpass should be possible.

 

[NH-to-FL]

Ah yes, I remember December 2011. I agree that the economy probably had something to do with it. I also remember the previous cold Decembers though that didn't scare us away.

The economy has, thankfully, improved. And I have noticed that there are more families in the parks during previous "quiet" times. (I recall years ago early December visits felt 'adult only'.) Add in the continued efforts by Disney to boost attendance and there are now just "quieter" times.

That said, September now seems to be one of those "quieter" times. If you can tolerate the heat and humidity it is a good time to visit.

 

[Lexx1214]

Ah yes, I remember December 2011. I agree that the economy probably had something to do with it. I also remember the previous cold Decembers though that didn't scare us away.

The economy has, thankfully, improved. And I have noticed that there are more families in the parks during previous "quiet" times. (I recall years ago early December visits felt 'adult only'.) Add in the continued efforts by Disney to boost attendance and there are now just "quieter" times.

That said, September now seems to be one of those "quieter" times. If you can tolerate the heat and humidity it is a good time to visit.

While humidity does some weird stuff to my hair, I’ve always said the hotter the better! We live in Ottawa and it can get brutally cold and damp in the winters but the summers are very hot and humid. Since I’m one of those people that are always cold I only start complaining about heat when it hits 40C (104F). I am really looking forward to the heat of a Floria September. Wish I was there now as it’s currently -9C (15.8F) and I’m dreading going outside lol.

 

[dreiwhit]

The last slow time we went was Feb 29-March 4, 2016. Epcot, DHS and AK weren't crowed at all. MK was a little more crowded, but that's because its MK. When we at lunch at Sunshine Seasons in Epcot, there were only two other families sitting at the tables and that was it!

The week after Thanksgiving 2016 was crowded. Maybe not crowded like week after Christmas, but more crowded than it had been in the past.

We went this year from Feb 4 - Feb 8. It was the most crowded that we have seen. Many times it was very close to shoulder to shoulder in certain areas. 25-30 minute FP waits, 3 hour Space Mountain waits. I also heard that it was more crowded than in the past throughout this past January and the rest of February.

Since its going to crowded year round, I don't know when or even if we'll be going back.

 

[KT0191]

I've been going the first week of September for years now and its definitely not as slow as it once was. People keep reading these crowd calendars and articles making September seem like it could be a ghost town. It's definitely still one of the better times to go because it is less crowded than majority of the year but I wouldn't consider it to be super low crowds like it used to be. I see a lot of people getting upset more often now after they get home and post about their experience because they were expecting much less people than what they thought. There really is no slow time anymore.
September is definitely still my favorite time to go though, don't get me wrong Its melt-your-face-off-hot but as I said, more quiet than most of the year. But still have a good touring plan and plan wisely.

 

[mousefan73]

December 2011 really was a great month to be at WDW. My own theory that year was because December 2010 was epically cold, everyone moved to warmer months the next year.

Unfortunately other things have changed since then as well. The economy has improved. And Disney started adjusting staffing through the use of MM+, making even slower days feel busy.

Whatever you do, don't go the last week of September expecting it to be slow. It won't be. If you want a shot at a slow week, go the first week of September when many schools are just starting and people are hesitant to take kids out for a vacation.

Beginning september is labor day and many schools start AFter labor Day. You also now have Food and Wine and MNSSHP starting August 17th. We go every year first septemeber week. NOT slow. Maybe pre 2014. Not since

 

[mom2rtk]

Beginning september is labor day and many schools start AFter labor Day. You also now have Food and Wine and MNSSHP starting August 17th. We go every year first septemeber week. NOT slow. Maybe pre 2014. Not since

When I'm talking about early September, I'm talking about right after Labor Day for the very reason that most don't want their kids to miss the first few days of school.

But yeah, it's all busy now because of F/W and MNSSHP moving back. I think those special events move the crowds like nothing else.

 

[Lexx1214]

We went this year from Feb 4 - Feb 8. It was the most crowded that we have seen. Many times it was very close to shoulder to shoulder in certain areas. 25-30 minute FP waits, 3 hour Space Mountain waits. I also heard that it was more crowded than in the past throughout this past January and the rest of February.

Hold on, this may sound super naive but isn’t the point of FP to have little to no wait? Sure it beats a 3 hour wait, but 25-30 minutes waiting in line seems a little ridiculous. Disney must be over releasing FPs.

 

[Klayfish]

25-30 minute waits for FP is not the norm, at all. Even during Xmas, we rarely waited more than 10-15 minutes tops, usually less. On rare occasion, it can be longer...if a ride had gone down, a sudden spike of people, etc...but it's not common at all.

 

[disneyvoice]

We go multiple times a year, every year (including 4 week-long trips this past year) and I have NEVER experienced FP wait times of 25-30 minutes. Sometimes you have to use common sense with FP. Never get in a FP line right after a swarm of people enter after getting out of a large theater attraction, don't get in a FP line within the first 30 minutes/1 hour or so of an attraction that has been down getting back up again. If a ride goes dow while you are in line decide whether you are willing to wait to see if it will quickly get back up - if you decide to wait then OWN your decision. We have heard MANY people complain about how long their FP wait was after a ride went down but they decided to try to wait it out even when the CM suggests coming back later - that's not a FP wait issue that's a mechanical issue. We were there during the first part of January when it crazy busy - we never waited anywhere near 30 minutes for any FP.

My advice is to not worry. No, walk ons will not happen - they just don't anymore (unless you time The Three Cabelleros just right). My DH and I do adult only trips most of the time now and the increase in crowds throughout the year honestly hasn't affected our enjoyment of a WDW vacation. Now we just assume that it will be crowded and there will be longer waits. We never get in line for anything that has more than about a 30-35 minute wait, yet we still manage to ride everything we want. On adult only trips we spend quite a bit of time relaxing at one of the bars having a few drinks and getting a bite to eat and we enjoy just walking around enjoying the sites. You will have a great time even if it's much more crowded than your were hoping for.

 

[MomOTwins]

Looking at the MDE app today, it looks like crowds have now normalized (35 minutes for Space Mountain; 60 for 7DMT; 85 for Peter Pan, and everything else around 15-30 minutes). I think everyone is still just so traumatized by the 3 hour waits on everything the past few weeks for spring break! I note Disney seems to have figured out how to predict the crowds pretty will, and shortened the park hours this week, so I'd say trust the disney park hours. If they are 8am to midnight, avoid like the plague. 9am start time signals it shouldn't be too bad.

 

[crazedprincess]

We were there Sept. 2014 when it was packed. I went into our vacation thinking there would be low crowds and there wasn't, especially MK. So that made me crabby at times during that trip. I adjusted my attitude for our last trip, which was the week after Thanksgiving, 2016. (So early Dec.) I went into the vacation knowing there would be crowds. And you know what? It wasn't so bad, at least I didn't feel that way! I find that with myself, my attitude and a great touring plan make for a wonderful vacation! We are now planning on the later part of August and I'm just assuming there will be high crowds.

 

[SarahC97]

There's definitely been a shift over the last several years and going during what is now considered "low crowd times" doesn't mean what it used to. The days of walk-ons are pretty much over as far as I can tell, but there are definitely times it's not as crowded as others. I would say just prepare yourself to wait for the headliner rides (30 to 60) minutes but just go with the flow. I doubt it'll be shoulder to shoulder crowds, but you honestly can never tell. We went during a traditionally low crowd time in January/February this year and it was the most crowded I've ever seen -- but I've not been during spring break or Xmas either. The crowd calendars just aren't accurate anymore which is why people suggest expecting it to be busy no matter when you go -- because it is! I'm sure you'll still have a great time!

 

[SarahC97]

The last slow time we went was Feb 29-March 4, 2016. Epcot, DHS and AK weren't crowed at all. MK was a little more crowded, but that's because its MK. When we at lunch at Sunshine Seasons in Epcot, there were only two other families sitting at the tables and that was it!

The week after Thanksgiving 2016 was crowded. Maybe not crowded like week after Christmas, but more crowded than it had been in the past.

We went this year from Feb 4 - Feb 8. It was the most crowded that we have seen. Many times it was very close to shoulder to shoulder in certain areas. 25-30 minute FP waits, 3 hour Space Mountain waits. I also heard that it was more crowded than in the past throughout this past January and the rest of February.

Since its going to crowded year round, I don't know when or even if we'll be going back.

I was there the same week in February this year too and the FP lines were long. I know we waited for 20 minutes or more in a lot of fastpass queues. That was insane!

 

[Cabius]

I think longer FP times often occur if rides break down and people get a lot of “good for any ride” FPs automatically. They flock to the biggest attractions (Space Mountain, 7DMT) and you end up with 2x or 3x the intended FP traffic. Not sure how to control that.

Last year I was at Disneyland and Haunted Mansion kept breaking down all day. I kept booking FPs which kept converting to Any Riders. It was a good day! (Except I never did get to go on HM.)