Disney/MGM Studios crowds - Sat, Dec 11

[wannab@dis]

Anyone else at the Studios last Saturday? We were there earlier in the week and everything seemed as expected in December. The crowds were heavier than I've seen in early December, but they not bad. We had 15 - 25 minute waits at ToT and RnRC. The shows were full, but not a madhouse by no means.

All that changed on Saturday. We started the day at AK and the first thing I noticed was, WOW, where did all these people come from? I have never seen that many people trying to get in, nor have I ever seen the masses of people trying to get through the Oasis. The park was not overwhelmed, but it did seem more than normal for this time of year. Dinosour had 30 - 40 minutes, PW had 25 - 40, FotLK was 90% full, KS was 45 minutes. Well, the real eye opener was when we decided to leave to go over to MGM for the rest of the day.

We left AK around 3:30 and the entrance to MGM was packed. It took at least 15 minutes to get through the turnstyles into the park! Most were open with the exception of a couple of exit areas and the construction areas. Hollywood Blvd and Sunset were both shoulder to shoulder people. ToT was 55 minutes and RnRC was 60 minutes. We got a fastpass for RnRC that was good about 2 hours later so we decided to standby ToT. They were using the entire queue!! We ate and then headed back over to RnRC for our fastpass and it took 20 minutes with the FP!

Went over to Star Tours and it was backed up almost outside, but only took about 20 minutes to board. When we came out, it was dark and they had opened the Spectacle of Lights. I have never seen that many people in MGM at one time! The entire street (old NY street) was PACKED with people. Nobody could walk! Then entrance to the SoL was lined up back to the GMR.

We decided to call it a night. The crowds exceeded what I have seen in peak season in July. As we were leaving, there were security guards stationed at the end of Hollywood Blvd trying to direct people out of the park. So many people were still coming in that they couldn't use the exit turnstyles. They were sending people out through the backstage area next to Oscars and then out of the park. I talked to a guard and he said he had never seen that many people at MGM in the years that he had worked. He called it "just plain wierd". I have to agree! Anyone else there?

 

[TimeTrip]

Went over to Star Tours and it was backed up almost outside, but only took about 20 minutes to board. When we came out, it was dark and they had opened the Spectacle of Lights. I have never seen that many people in MGM at one time! The entire street (old NY street) was PACKED with people. Nobody could walk! Then entrance to the SoL was lined up back to the GMR.

I showed up at around 7:30 to see SoL. I suppose that (in part) because Fantasmic was just ending the line wrapped all the way around in front of Sounds Dangerous, past Star Tours and started pretty much where SoL exited. The CM there said "an hour wait". Turned out to be 10 minutes .

 

[PhilharMagician]

Anyone else at the Studios last Saturday? We were there earlier in the week and everything seemed as expected in December. The crowds were heavier than I've seen in early December, but they not bad. We had 15 - 25 minute waits at ToT and RnRC. The shows were full, but not a madhouse by no means.

All that changed on Saturday. We started the day at AK and the first thing I noticed was, WOW, where did all these people come from? I have never seen that many people trying to get in, nor have I ever seen the masses of people trying to get through the Oasis. The park was not overwhelmed, but it did seem more than normal for this time of year. Dinosour had 30 - 40 minutes, PW had 25 - 40, FotLK was 90% full, KS was 45 minutes. Well, the real eye opener was when we decided to leave to go over to MGM for the rest of the day.

We left AK around 3:30 and the entrance to MGM was packed. It took at least 15 minutes to get through the turnstyles into the park! Most were open with the exception of a couple of exit areas and the construction areas. Hollywood Blvd and Sunset were both shoulder to shoulder people. ToT was 55 minutes and RnRC was 60 minutes. We got a fastpass for RnRC that was good about 2 hours later so we decided to standby ToT. They were using the entire queue!! We ate and then headed back over to RnRC for our fastpass and it took 20 minutes with the FP!

Went over to Star Tours and it was backed up almost outside, but only took about 20 minutes to board. When we came out, it was dark and they had opened the Spectacle of Lights. I have never seen that many people in MGM at one time! The entire street (old NY street) was PACKED with people. Nobody could walk! Then entrance to the SoL was lined up back to the GMR.

We decided to call it a night. The crowds exceeded what I have seen in peak season in July. As we were leaving, there were security guards stationed at the end of Hollywood Blvd trying to direct people out of the park. So many people were still coming in that they couldn't use the exit turnstyles. They were sending people out through the backstage area next to Oscars and then out of the park. I talked to a guard and he said he had never seen that many people at MGM in the years that he had worked. He called it "just plain wierd". I have to agree! Anyone else there?

We started the day also in AK and as you say it was busier that it was all week. Then we headed to MK around 12:30. This was a mistake. I have never seen MK like this. Most waits were around or over 1 hr in Tomorrowland, so we did not even venture any farther. The only thing we did was COP and there was only about 15 seats open in our theater. We couldn't even find seats anywhere around Cosmic Rays. We left around 3:30 and it took us about 30 minutes to walk from Stitch to Main Street RR station. When we got out by the security check point the lines had to be 15 people deep trying to get in. I can't even imagine it Christmas day.

Well, by the sounds of the crowds, attendance is taking a turn for the better for Disney. I just hope I do not have to be there when it is like that again.

 

[brich]

We parked at the Magic Kingdom after waiting a bit to get through the parking gate. Which was new to use this time of year. We saw the masses encrouching apon the Kingdom and decided to head over to Epcot. Spent a couple hours there before making our way back to MK. We were there a week and a half at that point and I did not wait more than 10 minutes for any ride at any park. It was great. But I could barely walk through the park it was so crowded. I'm a November/December visitor and this was the most crowded I have ever seen it. It was horrible. Try explaining to your 3 year old on his birthday why he has to wait 45 minutes to get on Buzz Lightyear when all week we walked on and off and on and off. Ahhh the spoils of visiting during the "slow" times. The other amazing thing was that it took my 5 year old and I an hour to ride Big Thunder 2 times and we each had 2 fastpasses (Mom and Grandmom didn't use theres). :brick:

 

[DispatchInhibit]

For the weeks following Thanksgiving we usually have lite crowds, as you said, 15-20 min waits. Maybe 30 if a ride has experienced technical difficulties. However, on Fridays and Saturdays, we still pack in the crowds, i still can't explain this phenomenon but it happens. And example was this Saturday as many have mentioned..I work at the MK we had approx. 58,000 people in the park by noon and it fluctuated from there. Space Mountain had over an hour wait all day by Sunday and Monday the wait time did not go above 30min all day. It's just weird, you will experience the same phenomenon the weeks after XMAS. My suggestion for anyone planning next year to come this time of year after thanksgiving is to definately come but plan your park daysduring the week and save the weekends for shopping or the beach. Because until this week we've been in the mid-70s )

 

[GymLeaderPhil]

My suggestion for anyone planning next year to come this time of year after thanksgiving is to definately come but plan your park daysduring the week and save the weekends for shopping or the beach. Because until this week we've been in the mid-70s )

We're going to be freezing down here in Florida. Lows in the 34 tonight. BRRR! A great time to consider Disney Quest... :xmas:

Also, avoid Christmas break for schools down here. Next year it will probably start at the end of the day on the 16th. This year is the same date for only one county. Those hurricanes really changed the local school's calendars!

 

[DisneyFreak1228]

Saturday usually is one of our busier days at MGM. We usually do go to standing room for Fantasmic and Tower and Coaster are usually both an hour wait each from open to close. Expect it to only get worse starting this weekend.

Yeah, I had never seen them do an exit redirect like that one before either, so that's how I knew we were insanely packed on Saturday night. I got off at 8:15 and didn't get out of the parking lot til 9. :dazzle:

And a reminder for those coming to MGM in the next couple of weeks:
The 21st and 23rd-26th and Jan. 1 are 2 show nights, and Dec. 27th-31st are 3 show nights for Fantasmic, so if you're planning on seeing it, wait til the 2nd or 3rd show, since they're not as full as the first one is.

 

[Nicole]

I was at Epcot on the 11th. It was mighty crowded too. The whole week I was amazed at how many people there were. I haven't been to WDW that many times, but the crowds this past week exceeded any I've seen - Nov 97 and 03 and July and August/Sept 04.

I talked to a CM about what seemed like bigger crowds than normal, and she said it was due in large part to so many people rescheduling their trips in September due to the hurricanes. Our trip the last week of August (8/28 - 9/3) was empty, probably due to Frances heading toward Florida. I loved seeing the Christmas festivities but if this turns out to be the new normal crowd levels for December I'm thinking I'll stick to November visits - or even weekends in late July!

 

[samshem]

We were at MGM on Sat during the from about 1:00 to 3:00, left to go to Downtown Disney, left to go back at 6:00 and spent parked in a spot about 25 min after we entered the lot. Once we got to the turnstiles at about 6:40, there were 3 lines each with about 150 people trying to get in, we were told that the park was filled to capacity and we had to wait for people to leave before we could enter. Once they started to let us in, they did not even require tickets, they instead opened the stroller gates and just let everyone storm in at once. It was an unbelievable seen. We watched Fantasmic, ran over to see SOL only to be greeted with a line that went from the entrance all the way back to Star Tours. The wait for SOL was worth it though!

 

[mickeyfanatics]

MGM a madhouse

We stayed at the BCV and decided to take the boat to MGM. Big mistake! We waited for almost 45 minutes for a boat and then took another 15 minutes to get to the park. We then had lines past the Christmas Tree. We took almost another hour to get in the park. When we finally saw the SOL, it was a severe disappointment. It looked sooooooo much better on Residential Street. I just wish they would stop destroying the old to make new. I heard the Backlot Tour stinks now.

My proposal: Gut the retarded Studios parking lot and expand the park there. Use the other half of EPCOT's parking lot (it is rarely used) to park the Studios guest and either bus, tram, or monorail (don't yell at me) into the park.

 

[wannab@dis]

Saturday usually is one of our busier days at MGM. We usually do go to standing room for Fantasmic and Tower and Coaster are usually both an hour wait each from open to close. Expect it to only get worse starting this weekend.

Yeah, I had never seen them do an exit redirect like that one before either, so that's how I knew we were insanely packed on Saturday night. I got off at 8:15 and didn't get out of the parking lot til 9. :dazzle:

And a reminder for those coming to MGM in the next couple of weeks:
The 21st and 23rd-26th and Jan. 1 are 2 show nights, and Dec. 27th-31st are 3 show nights for Fantasmic, so if you're planning on seeing it, wait til the 2nd or 3rd show, since they're not as full as the first one is.

Thanks for all the replys and especially the CMs.

When the crowds are at those levels, do they ever extend park hours during the day? I asked at ToT if they were staying open later and they said they would be closing at 8pm. I'm sure the staffing would be tough, but it would be good if they would announce the park would stay open a couple of hours longer. There were a lot of people that seemed upset with the lines. We were just dumbfounded!!

One good thing, the stores were so crowded that DW didn't even want to shop. :lol:

 

[scorp111]

I was at MGM Saturday too, and thought that the crowds were heavy. I was only comparing to my firsy visit in September, so wasn't sure if others would view it as heavy.

Don't get me wrong, we went just for the weekend and had a blast!

 

[wannab@dis]

I was at MGM Saturday too, and thought that the crowds were heavy. I was only comparing to my firsy visit in September, so wasn't sure if others would view it as heavy.

Don't get me wrong, we went just for the weekend and had a blast!

Quick comparison for you...

We were at MGM on Thursday and ToT was maybe 5 minutes. We rode it and got back on three times in a row. Same for RnRC, but it MAY have been 7 or 8 minutes. Saturday, both were an hour posted, and I think actually longer at times.

Glad you had a good time! We did as well, but were just not ready for the crowds on the weekend. Even Downtown Disney was packed on Sunday!

 

[HauntedPirate]

We were at MK Saturday night... it was nuts! We heard someone say that they weren't letting people in at one point, any truth to that? I didn't believe it, but you never know. We only made it to a few rides that night, because some in our party were feeling ill, and it was just so busy.

 

[DisneyFreak1228]

We were at MK Saturday night... it was nuts! We heard someone say that they weren't letting people in at one point, any truth to that? I didn't believe it, but you never know. We only made it to a few rides that night, because some in our party were feeling ill, and it was just so busy.

I'd believe it, because MK usually is the park that reaches full capacity and does close the turnstiles once that happens.

As if Christmas day isn't bad enough (I went on Christmas Day last year, and they stopped admitting guests by noon...we got on only 2 rides all day. Mom never listens to me, but I digress...) Christmas Day falls on a Saturday this year, which is one of MK's busiest days of the week (the other being Monday) so it will definitely happen again this year.

 

[dadsinglelookin]

we were there the week before. all the parks were crowded. i thought that is was suppose to not crowded at all. i went the week before thankgivivg and it was crowded at all. i don't think the travel book are right this year

 

[MouseRight]

We were there. Walked from EPCOT at 6 PM. Arrived at 6:30. It was wall to wall people between the ticket booths and the turnstiles. There was also a crowd of people trying to get out on the other side of the turnstiles. Situation was complicated by construction walls around two turnstiles on each side of the entrance. Thus, the usual exits were blocked and since there was a major crowd outside, they couldn't get people out of the park. They stopped letting people in and then used the turnstile on the left and squezzed people out. Parents were literally carrying their children and strollers over their heads in order to squeeze out. People waiting to get in started to leave, because it was getting very scary with the crowds getting anxious. After a about 20 minutes, they opened the gates and let everyone in without looking at tickets.

Once you got in, the park was as crowded as I have ever seen it at. Funny thing, RNCC and TOT were empty and were virtually walk on at 7 to 8 PM. While my daughter and I were on the rides my wife was shopping and many people hanging out were saying that they were trying to leave and couldn't get out.

Around 8 PM we went to go see the Osborne lights. Entrance was next to Sci Fi Drive In and the line snaked around back past teh ABC Commissary, around teh Drew Carey Sound show and ended back at Star Tours. It took about 10 minutes to walk around and get to the Streets of America. It was wall to wall people and didn't empty out until after 9 PM.

Craziest night at MGM I have ever seen!!!

By the way, all of the parks were crowded all weekend. Went to AK on Sunday and again it was as crowded as I have ever seen it.

 

[TheOneVader]

We're going tomorrow through the 20th... Should we prepare for huge lines, then, or sould it die down by this weekend?

 

[wannab@dis]

We're going tomorrow through the 20th... Should we prepare for huge lines, then, or sould it die down by this weekend?

Last week, the crowds were perfect during the week, but were crazy on Saturday & Sunday. I have a feeling the locals really show up on Dec weekends. If you plan 'down days' during your stay, you may want to consider Saturday as your down day and hang out at the resort. Even Downtown Disney was super crowded on Sunday. I've never seen it that crowded. It took us about 20 minutes to check out at the Christmas store and we found a "short" line!

 

[TheOneVader]

Darn, that sucks. I thought this was the slow time...

Does anyone have any pics of the crowds?