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Easter week??
- Thread starter NandP
- Start date
stingrock23
Active Member
Easter week was the worst time i've ever been there. and i've been about 15 times. i would recommend any other time than Easter. It will be so packed, and the weather will be getting warmer. The shortest wait i had for splash mountain was 1 hour 30 minutes. Now this was before fastpass, but i would expect very long lines. I"m not trying to scare you, but that's my experience.
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Grumpy56
Member
We went last March for Easter week and yes it was crowded but we had a great time. The plus side of going at that time is the parks are open late, MK till midnight most nights we were there, there's lots of extra entertainment and the weather was great. Also nearly every ride was running. One day it approched getting too hot but most days it was in the 8o's.
What we did that made it OK with the crowds was we stayed 8 nights at the Polynesian so we had plenty of time, we could leave the parks in the middle of the day and do the pool and rest and still have plenty of time in the evenings. The transportaion from the Polynesian is so good we weren't bothereed by the crowds. There were fireworks every night and when we got tired we just chilled at the resort. It was an unforgetable trip. Isay go for it, but be prepared for crowds and have a game plan.
What we did that made it OK with the crowds was we stayed 8 nights at the Polynesian so we had plenty of time, we could leave the parks in the middle of the day and do the pool and rest and still have plenty of time in the evenings. The transportaion from the Polynesian is so good we weren't bothereed by the crowds. There were fireworks every night and when we got tired we just chilled at the resort. It was an unforgetable trip. Isay go for it, but be prepared for crowds and have a game plan.
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Disneynutcase
New Member
We (party of 10) just went this past Easter. It was surprisingly crowded--thought that people would still be staying home due to 9/11 and terrorist bombings in Israel. All I can say about our stay in Florida--Lot's of Brits! Seemed like every other person was from the UK.
MK "sold out" several nights, meaning only those fortunate to be in the park by mid-afternoon (and I think resort guests) got access. So prepare to commit yourselves to fighting mobs of tourists.
We devised a strategy that got us through the masses rather nicely. It was the "Always Have A Fast Pass" rule. At minimum we'd grab our next Fast Pass when our current one was just beginning. At maximum, we'd grab our next Fast Pass when two hours had expired (had to do this once when our Splash Mountain FP return time was 4 hours later, but it got us on Jungle Cruise in the interim).
Over the course of a day, we'd end up doing something like 7 Fast Passes at MK, but we'd skip long lines at Splash Mountain, BTM, Winnie The Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, ect., and probably earned ourselves another 3-4 hours of riding time this way.
Of course, we wanted to ride/see everything, so hanging out in Fantasyland or Tomorrowland riding Tea Cups, the TTA, or seeing Timekeeper to wait out our return time for Buzz Lightyear wasn't a problem.
We used similar stategy for AK and MGM. Only had to really use FP for TT and Living W/ the Land at Epcot--no big crowds--but that should change by next Easter if Mission:Space opens by then.
Longest wait we had for the entire week-long trip was 40 minutes for Dumbo.
So my advice: do some research and get to know the FP attractions at all parks, then plan your touring accordingly by going from FP to FP with the minor/secondary attractions, various shows, parades, and/or food stops to take up the lag times between "return times."
Hey, it worked for us like gangbusters! We pretty much got to see everything we wanted to see.
MK "sold out" several nights, meaning only those fortunate to be in the park by mid-afternoon (and I think resort guests) got access. So prepare to commit yourselves to fighting mobs of tourists.
We devised a strategy that got us through the masses rather nicely. It was the "Always Have A Fast Pass" rule. At minimum we'd grab our next Fast Pass when our current one was just beginning. At maximum, we'd grab our next Fast Pass when two hours had expired (had to do this once when our Splash Mountain FP return time was 4 hours later, but it got us on Jungle Cruise in the interim).
Over the course of a day, we'd end up doing something like 7 Fast Passes at MK, but we'd skip long lines at Splash Mountain, BTM, Winnie The Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, ect., and probably earned ourselves another 3-4 hours of riding time this way.
Of course, we wanted to ride/see everything, so hanging out in Fantasyland or Tomorrowland riding Tea Cups, the TTA, or seeing Timekeeper to wait out our return time for Buzz Lightyear wasn't a problem.
We used similar stategy for AK and MGM. Only had to really use FP for TT and Living W/ the Land at Epcot--no big crowds--but that should change by next Easter if Mission:Space opens by then.
Longest wait we had for the entire week-long trip was 40 minutes for Dumbo.
So my advice: do some research and get to know the FP attractions at all parks, then plan your touring accordingly by going from FP to FP with the minor/secondary attractions, various shows, parades, and/or food stops to take up the lag times between "return times."
Hey, it worked for us like gangbusters! We pretty much got to see everything we wanted to see.
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Got to agree with Disneynutcase. The first time we ever went was Easter '99, weather was great and we had a fantastic time. Even with a family of six, we did everything without too much difficulty, just by having a game plan. This was before "Fast Pass" too.
BE PREPARED and go for it!
BE PREPARED and go for it!
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CAPTAIN HOOK
Well-Known Member
Easter '03 will be my 4th trip to WDW - each trip has been during April. Easter week - yes it is busy - but its fun. The crowds are very manageable up until the actual Easter Weekend - it then goes quieter after the Monday.
NandP, cj2me - look forward to seeing you guys in the parks - don't forget to me me a wave :wave:
NandP, cj2me - look forward to seeing you guys in the parks - don't forget to me me a wave :wave:
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Disneynutcase
New Member
Ooops! I also forgot to mention, we did seven PS reservations which helped A LOT! Made them as far in advance as WDW reservation lines would allow us. Party of 10 was a bit difficult to book--twice had to sit at separate tables.
Except for one experience, we were almost always whisked inside the PS restaurant w/in 5 minutes. This usually meant a good hour or so was devoted to eating, but the restaurants killed Fast Pass return time waits as well as provided nice rest stops during hectic crowded touring days.
We had no problem with this--everyone in our party likes to eat--and found that the restaurants are quite nice, offer pretty damned good food for amusement parks, and often-times had some sort of distraction/entertainment going on.
Thus our itenerary pre-trip was mainly us figuring out the order of Fast Passes combined with our PS reservations. We tended to hover around the areas where we had a FP or PS, so we weren't traversing great distances.
Although it brought some strict structure to our trip, no one complained since this pre-planning/strategy was getting us from attraction to attraction rather nicely.
Except for one experience, we were almost always whisked inside the PS restaurant w/in 5 minutes. This usually meant a good hour or so was devoted to eating, but the restaurants killed Fast Pass return time waits as well as provided nice rest stops during hectic crowded touring days.
We had no problem with this--everyone in our party likes to eat--and found that the restaurants are quite nice, offer pretty damned good food for amusement parks, and often-times had some sort of distraction/entertainment going on.
Thus our itenerary pre-trip was mainly us figuring out the order of Fast Passes combined with our PS reservations. We tended to hover around the areas where we had a FP or PS, so we weren't traversing great distances.
Although it brought some strict structure to our trip, no one complained since this pre-planning/strategy was getting us from attraction to attraction rather nicely.
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Scar Junior
Active Member
I've been there 13 times, and 9 of those times has been Easter Week or the week before. The crowds are as bad as they can be. HOWEVER, do not let this get you down. If you are a seasoned veteran of WDW, you can still have an awesome time.
Although Test Track will have 3 hour waits and splash mountain will have 2 hour waits, you can still outsmart the crowds. Go when there aren't TONS of people. In the last 2 hours MK is open, you can get most everything done in a minimal time. This allows you to spend your day eating and drinking you way through World Showcase, or doing something else at a slow pace.
Another good thing about going on this week, is that from 11-4 (correct me if i'm wrong on the times) you can enjoy everybody's favorite, "Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress".
If you are someone who always needs to be getting attractions done (like me), you can still do it but you will have to remember that time management is the key. Obviously don't go to MK on that weekend, or any saturday you may be there - save it for a day like wednesday.
Unfortunately Easter Week is one of the weeks that gives WDW it's reputation of being a giant, hot place with tons of strollers and overpriced everything.
I'll probably be down there working on the college program. I'll keep the forums informed when I find out if i'm going and what my job will be. (Most likely entertainment or a driver on Jungle Cruise or something to that effect).
Good Luck and have fun. No matter what happens on your trip......RELAX!
-Brad
Although Test Track will have 3 hour waits and splash mountain will have 2 hour waits, you can still outsmart the crowds. Go when there aren't TONS of people. In the last 2 hours MK is open, you can get most everything done in a minimal time. This allows you to spend your day eating and drinking you way through World Showcase, or doing something else at a slow pace.
Another good thing about going on this week, is that from 11-4 (correct me if i'm wrong on the times) you can enjoy everybody's favorite, "Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress".
If you are someone who always needs to be getting attractions done (like me), you can still do it but you will have to remember that time management is the key. Obviously don't go to MK on that weekend, or any saturday you may be there - save it for a day like wednesday.
Unfortunately Easter Week is one of the weeks that gives WDW it's reputation of being a giant, hot place with tons of strollers and overpriced everything.
I'll probably be down there working on the college program. I'll keep the forums informed when I find out if i'm going and what my job will be. (Most likely entertainment or a driver on Jungle Cruise or something to that effect).
Good Luck and have fun. No matter what happens on your trip......RELAX!
-Brad
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