QUOTE="WDWOswald, post: 62402971, member: 467669"]
These reports about crowds and lines for attractions, food, and merchandise sound absolutely MISERABLE.
Myself, my wife, and my six year old son are planning a weeklong stay with six day tickets visiting each park once and Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom twice (November 30-December 7th).
We just want to have an escape and have some fun. We typically visit WDW twice a year but it has been almost two years since our last trip.
For those who have visited recently did you find yourself thinking "I wish I never came?"
We were there there Oct 1 - 11, and honestly no. I never once thought that. I posted this during that time, but it bears repeating:
Expectations are key!
So many people have listed things that can mitigate some of the issues with lines / crowds but I'll repeat a few important ones:
- Arrive well before opening. If Disney transportation isn't working for you - drive or use Uber / Lyft.
- Stay late - crowds really drop that last hour or so. If you get lucky and it's an extended day the sun will have gone down.
- Leave midday if it gets too crowded and then return for that last hour or two when the lines are better. I can't emphasize this enough. At first we were hesitant to do this, due to the shortened hours. We didn't want to "miss out". But you have to ask yourself what are you really missing? Standing in lines in the hot, hot sun? Once we just gave in and stopped trying to be park commandos, we had a much better time.
- Consider going over to one of the resorts near the park you're in for a midday break. We did this a lot and enjoyed the break and AC, and found the resorts pretty deserted that time of day. We enjoyed touring the various DVC open houses they have set up now at most resorts or just grabbing lunch or a snack and sitting for awhile. It also made that midday break simpler to just hop on the monorail or skyliner or walk vs trying to get a bus back to our resort (WL).
- Make an ADR for lunch (again - consider a close-by resort) or place your mobile order in advance. Don't wait until your hungry and try to find something. Plan ahead.
We just accepted the fact that there were things we weren't going to do this trip, and were ok with it. We still had a ball, and I'm glad we went. Do I hope when we go back next Fall there will be park hopping, longer hours, fireworks, fast pass (or something like it) back? Yep! But you can still have a good time. Just pack your patience and manage your expectations.
Also - just to balance out the negatives, changes we loved:
- Limited number of people on Disney transportation. I loved this. I know it's not sustainable once the capacity restrictions are lifted, but not being crammed in like sardines on the busses and monorails was a treat.
- Not hearing "move in - take up every available space". I'm a bit claustrophobic and don't enjoy being crammed shoulder to shoulder with sweaty strangers at attractions. That's not happening right now and I do
not look forward to it coming back.
- Character cavalcades. We've never been one to use a fastpass or wait in line for character meets. We loved the random cavalcades. They require no planning, take minimal time and are so much fun! I hope they stay for a long, long time.
- I actually don't mind waiting in line to get into stores. We never waited more than a few minutes, and the shopping experience is so much nicer now.
- I really felt people (for the most part) were being so much more considerate of each other than on previous trips. Are there jerks? Of course, but there always were and always will be. Mostly, people really seemed to be trying to do the right thing and be considerate of each other. At least I thought so.
- I also really enjoyed seeing the standby queues. We are fastpass or bust kind of guests, so there were many standby queues we'd never seen. That was fun.
Sorry this is so long. I just feel bad that people are getting discouraged. And I don't say that to disagree with the folks that are writing posts describing the long lines, crowds and heat. (I've "liked" quite a few of them.) They aren't wrong. All that stuff is true, and it is valuable information for anyone planning a trip. The July and August empty park experience is long gone and everyone coming should realize that ahead of time. And for some people (first timers or maybe someone that only comes once every 5 years or so), now might not be the best time to come. But if you manage your expectations and realize what is (and isn't) possible right now, I do think that most people can have a good time. Also - remember that in the weeks ahead it will get cooler, and the days will get shorter so you will have more time after dark. I know for us the heat was a major bummer and seemed to amplify things that might not have bothered us had it been cooler. By late Nov / early Dec that should be better.
Hope this helps.
[/QUOTE]
what an outstanding post. I amhere right now and you’ve articulated things much better than I could have.
manage your expectations and you will have a great time. The problem with many is they feel they have ‘cracked’ Disney and for better or worse this situation has been a bit of a leveler.
now to caveat that point - I’m with a 4 year old. So I knew going in that I’d have to go at her pace. I knew I wasn’t going to go on all the big rides in one day so my expectations were already managed. So in actual fact it’s been a lot better than I’d thought it would be and we are having a great time.