Crowds are down? Curious about the claims . . .

H

Herah

Active Member
We're in Disney now, third day of our trip...we usually go in late August, so I can't really compare directly, but we found Animal Kingdom and Epcot to be reasonable on our first two days. We thought the crowds were similar or a bit lighter than we usually see in August. Then today we went to MK, and it was miserably crowded, and actually dangerous on Main Street during the Electrical Parade. The bypass wasn't open and the crowd control CMs were overwhelmed.

So if anecdotal reports seem inconsistent, I can see why. I still can't wrap my head around it that today's nightmare was the same week as the beautiful day we had at AK.
 
NearTheEars

NearTheEars

Well-Known Member
Herah said:
We're in Disney now, third day of our trip...we usually go in late August, so I can't really compare directly, but we found Animal Kingdom and Epcot to be reasonable on our first two days. We thought the crowds were similar or a bit lighter than we usually see in August. Then today we went to MK, and it was miserably crowded, and actually dangerous on Main Street during the Electrical Parade. The bypass wasn't open and the crowd control CMs were overwhelmed.

So if anecdotal reports seem inconsistent, I can see why. I still can't wrap my head around it that today's nightmare was the same week as the beautiful day we had at AK.
Click to expand...

I went to MK on Monday and left after a few hours. It was too hot and too crowded (To my surprise. It's been pretty pleasant lately)

It was the last day of our APs. We'll be renewing, but at the seasonal -- I think it's called silver now -- level.
Don't think I'll miss going in July during the blackout dates.
 
Courtney6682

Courtney6682

Well-Known Member
21stamps said:
I don't think it would be primarily a pricing reason contributing to lower crowds, but I hope that does have some impact, and I'm sure it was meant to.
I have sworn that I would never return to WDW during the summer months again- after a horrible horrible crowded visit one June in 06 or 08, can't remember which.
But from what I'm reading here, I would actually consider it.
Click to expand...

I swore off summer visits about 10 yrs ago. We went every summer from 2001-2005...granted I was lugging around a baby and all her accessories, but the heat and crowds combined was enough to make me never want to go back during those times. Fast forward to 2011 when I was doing the planning and chose to go for mother's day that year...first week of May...PERFECT...low crowds...great weather...we were hooked and began going Jan-May ever since. Last August was our 1 yr wedding anniversary(trip was July 30-Aug 7th)...I wanted desperately to go to WDW without the kids..I was soooo hesitant...I did not wanting to be sweltering in hour long lines...it ended up being great...there were many times we walked right on rides...and never waited more than 30-40 mins standby...and the heat was manageable...long story short...because of the experience we had last summer I would go again in a heartbeat. Now, I know that this summer and last summer have nothing in common as far as recent events which may be impacting crowds...this was basically a pep talk...if crowds are lower this yr compared to last year...GO!! :)
 
21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
Courtney6682 said:
I swore off summer visits about 10 yrs ago. We went every summer from 2001-2005...granted I was lugging around a baby and all her accessories, but the heat and crowds combined was enough to make me never want to go back during those times. Fast forward to 2011 when I was doing the planning and chose to go for mother's day that year...first week of May...PERFECT...low crowds...great weather...we were hooked and began going Jan-May ever since. Last August was our 1 yr wedding anniversary(trip was July 30-Aug 7th)...I wanted desperately to go to WDW without the kids..I was soooo hesitant...I did not wanting to be sweltering in hour long lines...it ended up being great...there were many times we walked right on rides...and never waited more than 30-40 mins standby...and the heat was manageable...long story short...because of the experience we had last summer I would go again in a heartbeat. Now, I know that this summer and last summer have nothing in common as far as recent events which may be impacting crowds...this was basically a pep talk...if crowds are lower this yr compared to last year...GO!! :)
Click to expand...
I have too much booked in the next 12 months to fit in another WDW vacay. We'll see. Maybe I'll see the bounce back offer and change my mind.lol. I would love to do a day at Uni/IoA in 2017 as well.
Such a bummer that a job gets in the way of vacations!!! ;)
P.S. Congrats on your anniversary!!!
 
seabreezept813

seabreezept813

Well-Known Member
SorcererMC said:
Do you know that as of July 21 there are possibly 2 cases of locally transmitted Zika Virus in Miami-Dade and Broward? I don't think it's an issue for this summer, but limited transmission is to be expected over the next year; it may become an issue for families going to FL and keep them away. I don't know if hotels are giving out mosquito repellant over such concerns yet or not, but add it to the list of issues outside of the control of theme parks that could affect their business.
Click to expand...

I understand that it is still risky, but at least my doctors feel more confident that hotels, etc. are being professionally treated in the U.S. I was in Brazil last fall before this issue was being talked about more religiously. And there's just a difference in how things are handled in a third world country. As of right now, people who would be potentially affected are only being told to stay away from places with an official cdc warning. I would guess that Orlando is one of the safest spots in Florida as it is more central than coastal.
 
Last edited:
seabreezept813

seabreezept813

Well-Known Member
SorcererMC said:
After posting I started thinking more about WDW's mosquito control efforts...b/c mosquitoes don't seem to be in the parks so much. I was thinking of theme parks as 'an outside activity', located near water (in a recent NY Times FL Keys travel review, the writer said that other travelers didn't know about the mosquito swarms that come out at dusk. Really!). I guess my point is that the original poster was probably wise to consult their doctor re: travel locations, and I'm wondering how Orlando/WDW will be affected going forward (as an Aedes aegypti area) - maybe it hasn't been an issue as of yet, but I think it will be. Pregnant women are being advised to cover up or stay indoors.

ETA: And while the doctor in the above example (by @seabreezept813 ) said FL was ok at the time, that advice is likely to change as the Zika epidemiology changes...and the theme parks have no control over what the CDC, FL Dept of Health, or individual doctors might advise.
Click to expand...

I think that you are right that the levels could change and Florida could be a no go if things get worse. I know other people in similar situations who changed trips and chose Florida as a back up. So right now it might have a positive affect on Florida's tourism, albeit slight. Not per se for Disney, because people looking to take island vacations might not be interested in theme park vacations.
 
Disneyhead'71

Disneyhead'71

Well-Known Member
I think what we are seeing is frequent visitors have just decided F&W/MNSSHP/MVMCP combined with lower crowds, much better deals, and better weather is worth pulling the kids out of school for a week.

I am curious to what the shift was over to seasonal APs this year?
 
21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
Disneyhead'71 said:
I think what we are seeing is frequent visitors have just decided F&W/MNSSHP/MVMCP combined with lower crowds, much better deals, and better weather is worth pulling the kids out of school for a week.

I am curious to what the shift was over to seasonal APs this year?
Click to expand...
But where's the "better deals"? For MVMCP time anyway. Flights are more, rooms are more, parties are more, and park hours are shorter.
September was worth it, but I like to travel during hurricane season because flights and hotels always cost less. We had 30% off room only last year, and our room rate at the Casa Marina in KW was much less than it would have been 2 months later.

Our DCL cruise is a lot lower priced than the summer months, but the WDW portion is a lot more.
 
Disneyhead'71

Disneyhead'71

Well-Known Member
21stamps said:
But where's the "better deals"? For MVMCP time anyway. Flights are more, rooms are more, parties are more, and park hours are shorter.
September was worth it, but I like to travel during hurricane season because flights and hotels always cost less. We had 30% off room only last year, and our room rate at the Casa Marina in KW was much less than it would have been 2 months later.

Our DCL cruise is a lot lower priced than the summer months, but the WDW portion is a lot more.
Click to expand...
The better deals aren't that they are better than last year, only better than the High Season this year. Starting in Jan. there has been a large increase of prices across the board. But this summer's rates were ridiculous.
 
Lirael

Lirael

Well-Known Member
I'm guessing that for many combined factors, people might be choosing to only visit MK and not all parks like they did other years, which would explain why info shows MK not dropping much (or at all) in terms of attendance but that happening in other parks. And since they're only visiting one park, there's less reason to stay in a disney resort.
 
Last edited:
Biff215

Biff215

Well-Known Member
Just finishing up ten days here, annual July trip. Crowds everywhere but MK seemed slightly slower at times. MK was as busy as I have ever seen it, and we were there for parts of 6 of the 10 days, seeing both morning and evening crowds.

As others have mentioned, felt downright unsafe at times, especially in the huge crowds waiting for security checks. Nothing remotely close at the other parks.
 
seabreezept813

seabreezept813

Well-Known Member
Corey P said:
Stay out of South America period if you are planning on getting pregnant any time soon. There are tons of bugs and parasites etc. in the tropical areas. Zika is not the biggest concern there. Rio as example has sewage just being pumped into the ocean and every time it rains it gets even worse because the streets get flushed out. That goes for all of South America their sanitation standards are no where near the US standards. Here's a little something to do some research on. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ar...itors-warned-mouths-shut-pollution-water.html

By nature tropical places, all of them are more dangerous when it comes to disease, parasites and fungus. It's not a good idea to head for the tropics with babies or if you are going to have one in the near future. That goes for southern FL as well.
Click to expand...

I hear you. We went out of necessity for an interview for my husband's green card. We spent most of the time on a farm in Macadame, which was not luxurious (no screens for the windows, could only travel by motorcycle) but was as natural as it gets. Many of my husband's family members who have spent their life on the farm have lived past 100. It must be the natural food, lack of chemicals, or something. But I won't go back for a long time, but of course won't prevent my husband from seeing his family.

When we went to Fort Lauderdale, we stayed at a Hilton right on the beach just for a few nights. With the ocean breeze, we didn't enounter bugs.. We avoided expeditions to the Everglades, etc. We feel it's all about common sense.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom