First time resident pass holder.

[jenn47]

Hey all, new to the forum, and semi new to Disney. I vacationed for 7 days back in 2002 with then three yr old twins, and two boys aged 7 and 11. Went back in 2004 for ten days with the twins then 5 and the boys 9 and 12. We recently relocated to Florida and live not quite an hour from the parks. Just got our resident year passes this past saturday!! The twins are now 14 and the boys 18 and 22. We went to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, had a blast but wow, the crowds were insane!! My question is for you fellow annual pass holder or WDW experts alike, any advice for a newbie with older kids on making the most of our annual passes?? What times of year are the least busy these days? We will mostly be going on weekends, but will be able to do some week days once the kids are on summer break. Any hint, tips, or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Master Yoda]

There really are not slow times anymore. Week days do tend to be better, but not so much when the kids are out of school. Pretty much any holiday will be very busy. Early February, and late August are not bad, but Disney has done a great job at filling in the attendance valleys that were there a decade ago. The best thing you can do is get to the parks before opening and not be in so much of a rush to do "everything" like you did when you were't local. Take the parks at a bit of a slower pace and you will find that large crowds don't bother you as much.

 

[openendedsky]

@Master Yoda said it best. If you can get a day off that people normally have in school, that's a big help. I often go during weeknight evenings, around six or seven depending on the park and how late they're open that night. Honestly, though at this point, there might be a few "slowish" weeks at the beginning of May, before school lets out, but after spring break. But otherwise, it's pretty much going to be packed until late August/early September. Getting there at rope drop helps a lot, too.

 

[l4dybu6]

Go earlier in the morning or later at night. Try to go on weekdays, but not those when most schools have off.... But as said before me, the parks don't have much of a slow season anymore, but my family and I have had luck on Sundays especially, since there seem to be less people there on Sundays for some reason.

 

[deanaandrich]

I've been a seasonal passholder since I was 3... So almost 30 years. Never missed a year. I also live less than an hour away. But I never get an annual pass. The worst times of the year to go are the summer, Christmas/new years, and Easter/ spring break. You will just run into too many crowds and if you are really going to go on a regular basis, you won't miss much skipping these times of year. That being said, I do have an annual water park pass so I can still get my disney fix during the summer, but I don't feel like I have to ride everything.

 

[luv]

Welcome to Orlando!!

It's too busy to be in the parks now. I'd get the seasonal pass if it included parking. Like you, I'm less than hour away. Far enough out that we don't get tourists, close enough to drive to all the tourist stuff when in the mood for it.

We will probably have some time in April and May when the weather is good and the parks aren't TOO crowded. As other people said, there really are not many empty days any longer.

But then summer comes and its hot, humid and crowded. I tend to avoid the parks (for the most part) until October, lol. Do you have a pool? Learn to love your pool! Sometimes, like a pp said, go in the evenings, walk a bit. See Philharmagic, the Tiki Birds, ride Space Mountain and go home. But it rains a lot in the evenings in summer, too.

I've found that I don't want to spend an entire day in a park. It's just "enough is enough", KWIM? You'll get over that whole, "Wow! Disney World!" thing pretty quickly. . We are so spoiled with theme parks that I'm like, "Busch Gardens?! OMG, I'd have to drive all the way to Tampa!!" Like Tampa is in Oregon.

 

[Poofiesdream]

A week or two before or after a holiday,the parks are usually slow. October, early May are least crowded times too.

 

[KatMaria]

Welcome!
Hope to see you around the parks!
As for slow times, now is spring break and it will just lead into crazy summer month crowds. So be prepared for a few months of just walking around and seeing shows. It always helps to get to parks early if you can, people tend to be late risers so the later it gets, the more people. It will get less busy once September rolls around, and then you can pretty much do what you want. Weekdays tend to be not that busy when it isnt peak season. I always have Tue/Thursdays off and when it isn't peak season, those days are pretty quiet around the parks. Just use the fastpass system as much as you can during the summer. The iphone app helps you see which rides have fastpasses and which areas to avoid. Just enjoy it, know it will be busy for a few months now and just try not to be overwhelmed. I use these busy times to go see the shows, or just walk around the parks and people watch.

 

[Sloan]

Another resident Passholder here. In looking back at my photos from my most recent visit (November 5-9) there's something noticeably absent - people!! While the parks were not truly 'empty', I did not really wait for anything. I visit about that same week each year for Food & Wine Festival special events, and I've always found it a great time to be there.

My other most recent visit where crowds were very low was the second week of January. It was 'cold' by Florida standards, and there were no waits!

 

[jenn47]

Thanks everyone for the input!!! It's crazy how it seems to be busy all the time anymore! Back when we vacationed there we went in July both times and the crowds, and wait times, were nil. Hot weather maybe? I really don't mind crowds, just those 90+ min wait times are killer!!