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Do you anticipate any phased closing this year?

Will Disney World close to guests during the holiday season this year?

  • I do not expect any phased closing this year

  • I anticipate phased closing during Christmas

  • I anticipate phased closing during New Years

  • I anticipate phased closing during Christmas and New Years


Results are only viewable after voting.

RustySpork

Oscar Mayer Memer
Original Poster
I thought it would be fun to start a poll to see if the forum thinks Disney will be busy enough this year to introduce phased closings.

I don't think there will be any phased closing since so many passholders are blocked out.
 

Sonconato

Well-Known Member
I thought it would be fun to start a poll to see if the forum thinks Disney will be busy enough this year to introduce phased closings.

I don't think there will be any phased closing since so many passholders are blocked out.
I agreed with you 100%...until yesterday. We arrived at 5:00 and were parked in the last row of Heroes. The whole time I was there, I was in disbelief of how crowded MK really was. I would have taken pictures, but my camera does not do so well in the dark. Even though it was like that, they will very rarely close in phases like they used to. Needless to say, it wasn't a pleasant experience last night and I don't know what to believe anymore.
 

IanDLBZF

Well-Known Member
I wouldn't be surprised if we have a phase closing on New Year's Eve and/or December 30. Remember last year when they didn't do a phase closing until NYE?! Wouldn't surprise me if it happens again this year.
AK would be especially vulnerable due to Pandora this week so let's just see what happens.
 

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
Maybe they don't have a phase closing plan for Holidays 2017... maybe they'll let anyone who wants to pay the holiday premium price into the MK...?
 

cheezbat

Well-Known Member
Maybe they don't have a phase closing plan for Holidays 2017... maybe they'll let anyone who wants to pay the holiday premium price into the MK...?
In checking the app today I saw Seven Dwarves at 180 minutes, Space at 150, Big Thunder at 120, and Splash at 115..all around lunchtime...so I can imagine it's insanely busy.
 

zengoth

Well-Known Member
I'm convinced they will cram as many folks into the parks as they can, capacity being an outdated concept. During my 12/16 (sat) trip, we got the last parking row available in Mulan and noticed they are building even more parking where the old racetrack was. By the time we squeezed out to leave around 8pm, the Security Theatre line was doubled what it was earlier that day.
 

a goofy username

Active Member
Yikes. I'm headed to WDW on the 31st and will be there until the 5th - going to MK on the 31st, and then MK a second time, Epcot twice, and AK the following days - my family and I planned this with more mindfulness of our own schedules and availability than of how crowded the parks would be. Are the parks usually as crowded as NYE those first few days of January?

EDIT: and yes, we do plan to wake up early and show up the minute the parks open and stay til they close
 

nickys

Premium Member
Yikes. I'm headed to WDW on the 31st and will be there until the 5th - going to MK on the 31st, and then MK a second time, Epcot twice, and AK the following days - my family and I planned this with more mindfulness of our own schedules and availability than of how crowded the parks would be. Are the parks usually as crowded as NYE those first few days of January?

EDIT: and yes, we do plan to wake up early and show up the minute the parks open and stay til they close

I would plan to be up on New Year's Day and hit MK at 8am (for a 9am opening). The place will be empty-ish for a couple of hours at least. In general the parks will be busy though for a few days after New Year, because of the way the dates have fallen.
 

Sonconato

Well-Known Member
Yikes. I'm headed to WDW on the 31st and will be there until the 5th - going to MK on the 31st, and then MK a second time, Epcot twice, and AK the following days - my family and I planned this with more mindfulness of our own schedules and availability than of how crowded the parks would be. Are the parks usually as crowded as NYE those first few days of January?

EDIT: and yes, we do plan to wake up early and show up the minute the parks open and stay til they close
All I can say is we’ve been going to the Parks on and around Christmas and NYE every year for a long time now and we have NEVER seen the Parks as crowded as they’ve been this past weekend…at least at MK and AK. We were floored at the crowd levels compared to past years. We were speaking to a CM @ AK yesterday about the insane crowds and he said it’s anticipated to get a lot worse in coming days. We were speechless because we hadn’t experienced this amount of insanity before. He looked frazzled and a lot of CMs are working 12 hour plus days to accommodate the crowds.

The Parks shouldn’t be as crowded as they will be on NYE but it’s all relative. Several years back, we went to EPCOT on NYE and we weren’t allowed into World Showcase due to reaching capacity. We left after being in the Park long enough to walk from the entrance gate to World Showcase and back. Never been back since. Based on the crowds this past weekend, I can’t come close to imagine what it’s going to be like this NYE.

Disney’s going to have to answer some questions, mostly about how they plan on addressing crowd levels, before we purchase future passes. It’s really gotten out of hand and unpleasant and this applies to year around. The crowd levels get worse and worse and worse which also impacts the attitudes of the Guests toward each other and the respect they have for the Parks and CMs!

I would agree with @nickys and get there as early as possible and do all you can before it gets too crowded. Best of luck to you and your family at MK and if you’re staying past midnight, don’t expect getting back to wherever you’re staying all that quick either.
 

Mr Ferret 75

Thank you sir. You were an inspiration.
Premium Member
26025915_1762680337077511_1949201231486602305_o.jpg
 

a goofy username

Active Member
I would agree with @nickys and get there as early as possible and do all you can before it gets too crowded. Best of luck to you and your family at MK and if you’re staying past midnight, don’t expect getting back to wherever you’re staying all that quick either.
I would plan to be up on New Year's Day and hit MK at 8am (for a 9am opening). The place will be empty-ish for a couple of hours at least. In general the parks will be busy though for a few days after New Year, because of the way the dates have fallen.

Yiiiiiikes
Thanks for the advice! I'll keep all of this in mind and try to make this whole trip go as smoothly as possible. Whatever happens, I'm just glad to get to go - I'd really rather be there in extreme crowds than not be there at all
 

Bullseye1967

Is that who I am?
Premium Member
Yikes. I'm headed to WDW on the 31st and will be there until the 5th - going to MK on the 31st, and then MK a second time, Epcot twice, and AK the following days - my family and I planned this with more mindfulness of our own schedules and availability than of how crowded the parks would be. Are the parks usually as crowded as NYE those first few days of January?

EDIT: and yes, we do plan to wake up early and show up the minute the parks open and stay til they close

You are going to see crowds. There is The Walt Disney World Marathon Jan 3-7.
 

Sonconato

Well-Known Member
Yiiiiiikes
Thanks for the advice! I'll keep all of this in mind and try to make this whole trip go as smoothly as possible. Whatever happens, I'm just glad to get to go - I'd really rather be there in extreme crowds than not be there at all
We just returned from there and took some photos. We arrived there around 5:00 pm and left just before the fireworks ended. Everywhere we went, there were tons of people. The lines to the restrooms were unreal. We went to the Pirates of the Caribbean restroom and the women's line went out the door and along the path that runs along the train almost back to the main path where they have the La Princesa de Cristal cart with glass merchandise. Then we went by the Tangled restroom and the women's line was about a quarter of the way down the path toward Haunted Mansion. Then we went to the Pinocchio restroom and the line was backed up nearly to where they sometimes display Cinderella's carriage. Finally, Gaston's restrooms weren't to bad, probably because their kind of hidden.

The image below is from Casey's Corner looking back at the Train Station.
IMG_4036.JPG

Then swinging around from the same spot looking at the Castle.
IMG_4038.JPG

Aladdin's Flying Carpets line went around almost to the spitting camel.
IMG_4039.JPG

This is the line for Turkey Legs at the Liberty Square Market. The line goes from the register, out toward the Hall of Presidents, then swinging around the planter toward the Riverboat where it appears it ended. You'll notice the same man on the left of the first photo then on the right of the second.
IMG_4040.JPG

IMG_4042.JPG

However, we couldn't tell if this line was a continuation of the line seen above or if it went to a second register at the River Boat end of the Market, but it stretched back nearly to the Columbia House. We're standing down the path toward the Haunted Mansion looking back at the Market.
IMG_4045.JPG

Here are a couple of the stand-by wait times...Peter Pan and Jingle Cruise.
IMG_4044.JPG

IMG_4047.JPG

This was the most crowded we have ever seen it at Christmas...and tonight got pretty cool for here. It was in the lower 50's.
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
I'm convinced they will cram as many folks into the parks as they can, capacity being an outdated concept. During my 12/16 (sat) trip, we got the last parking row available in Mulan and noticed they are building even more parking where the old racetrack was. By the time we squeezed out to leave around 8pm, the Security Theatre line was doubled what it was earlier that day.
I wonder when the last time the park was visited by the fire marshal to set the total capacity that they are allowed to have... or better yet if the fire marshal visited when the park was open to see the amount of space that is eliminated by the strollers. I have always wondered that because if you think about the reason for capacities it has to do with room available and the strollers that have gotten worse over the years really do impact that capacity. Would be nice if they were required to count every stroller that entered the park as a person when calculating capacity.
 

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