Is WDW ever NOT crowded?

[Gospel Bill]

Here's something I've been wondering. Have crowds been getting progressively getting bigger and bigger at WDW in the last few years?

Nov 04:
I went for the first time in a long time to WDW in late Nov 04. I was really surprised at how many ppl were there. We didn't have to wait to long for any rides due to arriving early and using switch passes because of our kids but the overall traffic in the park just seemed heavy to me. Walking around Epcot was really difficult. In the end I wrote it off to the fact that we were there during Vets Day and Soap Weekend and the Food & Wine Festival.

Dec 05:
We in arrived in the second full week of Dec expecting an "empty" park. According to touringplans.com the week we were visiting was to be the least crowded week of any week of the year but much to my surprise the crowds were almost as big as Nov of the year before. I couldn't figure it out.

May 10 - 16, 2006:
I arrive expecting a fairly full park and I was right. Using a smart touring schedule and arriving early allowed us to ride what we wanted and have a good time. Surprisingly though, I found May to be just a little more crowded than early Dec.

January 07:
I've always been told that January is the "best" time to go to WDW, I'll find out in six months but to be honest, I'm not expecting it to be much different.

So what's the deal? Has it always been like this or are the parks getting more and more crowded every year? I guess this also depends on one's own definition of crowded, but to me when I can easily reach out and touch someone I don't know everytime I move through the park, that is what I would call crowded.

Maybe I'm searching for a myth, or maybe what I'm looking for doesn't exist any longer. You tell me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad and I'll still go and have the time of my life, but for once I'd love to have the parks "all to myself." I just want to know how realistic that is.

 

[minnie2000]

We like to go the 2nd week of november...its never been too bad, but just right. This year we are arriving on the last day of super soap weekend and it gets pretty crowded for that event, many people will be leaving that day....so it shouldnt be so bad when we arrive. WDW will always be crowded, just not wall to wall like the summer crowds. I think november is the best time to go...not so crowded, but a good crowd, and the weather is nice...doesnt rain that much and the heat isnt bad at all.

We were hoping to go in Nov this year. Until the above post, no-one has mentioned November. I was hoping it was a (relatively) quiet time. What are these soap weekends, when are they, and do they make much difference?

 

[KnK]

I have been going in September for several years now and its never been crowded. We usually never wait more than 15 min. for any ride. Maybe a little longer if its a new ride, i.e. Soarin, etc.

There are lots of statistics out there that will show you the least crowded times.

Ditto......We go the first couple of weeks of September each year. It's wonderful. Crowds are next to nothing, very little waits.

 

[JimboJones123]

I went during Thanksgiving, Christams, Right after Kids get out of college for summer, and During college winter break. Why is it always busy when people aren't in school? Maybe I should try Easter weekend?

 

[Tomorrowland0]

WDW will always be crowded. It's just the difference between being able to reach out and touch a stranger and not needing to reach out to touch anyone.

 

[metscool]

Disney is never not crowded. Not a surpise. Just think it is the happiest place on earth.

 

[PhilharMagician]

Disney is never not crowded. Not a surpise. Just think it is the happiest place on earth.

Also that it is the most visited Theme Park Resort in the world (and by a lot).

 

[sydsmom1997]

The slowest I have ever seen it was on the one year anniversary of 9/11. We were at EPCOT. There was no wait for test track, in fact when it ended, the CM asked us if we wanted to go again. That was our last trip. We are leaving 3 weeks from today for a 6 night stay at ASMo. We are hoping it may be a bit slower due to many schools being back in session. (Our kids don't do back until after labor day). The free dining is going on so it may be higher than usual that week. If it is, it is! I love Disney so much that any trip there will be great! :sohappy:

 

[Ralphlaw]

Ah the Soaps

We were hoping to go in Nov this year. Until the above post, no-one has mentioned November. I was hoping it was a (relatively) quiet time. What are these soap weekends, when are they, and do they make much difference?

We went during the Soap weekend last year, and it wasn't too bad, for the most part. You might want to consider avoiding Disney Studios when they are there because that park does get crowded. However, Studios can instead be great during soap weekend because many of the better rides have few lines. We walked right onto Rock & Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Wars, over and over. Apparently soap fans prefer hovering around waiting for daytime "stars" rather than the thrillier rides.

We did not see a huge increase at the other parks because of soap weekend. Soap weekend dates are usually posted on this website and disney.com. If you don't mind sharing the parks with screeching teen age girls and older women in stretch pants, feel free to go. Not that I'm stereotyping or anything.

The other nice thing about the 2nd weekend in November is that the entire state of New Jersey, especially the schools, seems to be at Disney World. They are fun people to talk to, but they do not unduly fill up the parks. In addition, people who've adopted kids are often at the parks during this time. They are also fun and interesting. (Walt Disney adopted his daughter, I think, which attracts people for events at Disney World, apparently).

The Food & Wine Fest at EPCOT also attracts people, and makes the park seem more crowded because the places to walk are narrower, which can be a headache at times. To be honest, I prefer EPCOT when the Food & Wine Fest is not going on, but it's not all that bad.

Of course, the temperatures are generally much nicer in November, which is a big plus for me. This is when we go, and I like it. I would be interested to know what others have to say about this time in November.

 

[metscool]

Also that it is the most visited Theme Park Resort in the world (and by a lot).

Wow. I didn't know that.

 

[Tramp]

We were there about an hour after the park closed and there were very few people. :lol: Ha!

Seriously, if you go in the summer, the Florida kids go back to school during the first week in August and the Brazilian tour groups disappear too (I think they start school in August also). We were there last year during the first two weeks in August and there was a dramatic drop-off of crowds and wait times in the second week in August. Dinner reservations were not even necessary at most restaurants.

I remember walking by the Teacups and thinking that it was broke down cuz it wasn't running. There was no one there to ride it...except us.

 

[NeedABreak]

We were hoping to go in Nov this year. Until the above post, no-one has mentioned November. I was hoping it was a (relatively) quiet time. What are these soap weekends, when are they, and do they make much difference?

We have been going in Nov. for my B-Days and it has been great. The super soaps weekend is always going on when we are there but we use it to our advantage. All the special events take place in MGM so just don't go there. The other parks have very light crowds and come monday when the weekend is over MGM is like a ghost town. Very nice.

One other thing I have noticed about the off season is that night time EMHs are great. The parks really empty out for some reason. My guess would be that more locals are visiting at this time of year and since many of them are season passholders they don't really need to stay all night. For them there is always tomorrow.

I hope september is as good as everybody says it is. (see my sig)

 

[eroyee]

:wave: To Siege898: ha ha very funny!:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[3fordisney]

We went last year the week following Thanksgiving and it was crowded. We had 60 min waits on several rides and the weekend following was packed. We went in 2004 during Oct and it was less crowded than last year following Thanksgiving. We also read that the 2 weeks following Thanksgiving were the slowest time, but that is not the case anymore.

In 2001, we went a week after Thanksgiving and it was so empty. Of course, this was the year of 9/11. We never waited for a single ride. The crowds were even light during the weekend. It was unbelievable how slow it was and we will probably never see it like that again.

I don't think there is a slow time anymore.

 

[slappy magoo]

Lately, Disney has been offering some really sweet deals during those slow periods, most notably the free dining plan offer, as many here will attest. Plus, as others have stated, the lag in tourism that followed 9/11 is pretty much over, especially in domestic travel.

Just rest assured that, as busy as those times may have been for the original poster, peak times were even peak-ier. My fiancee and I went during Easter Week in 2005. I think most days, MK's parking lot was full, as well as Typhoon Lagoon's (just after Crush 'n Gusher opened). We were staying at Port Olreans Riverside, and couldn't even get into the main pool, because there was no chair to leave our shirts and sandals. My mantra was "Thank God we had annual passes." We had gone the previous August and then went again the following August (that's when I popped the question). Whenever I got angry at the size of the crowds, I'd think of people who were only able to go to WDW that one week. Maybe they saved up for months or years to be able to go, and they were stuck in what was (we were told) a record-breaker in terms of WDW attendance. It stopped me from doing any heavy-duty griping. It wound up being a case of slowing down, people-watching, mostly hitting the rides we had missed the first time (how busy was it? They opened Wonders of Life in Epcot, THAT'S how busy it was!), and using Fastpasses for the must-sees. Lounging by the quiet pool near our hotel room (which wasn't very quiet, since all the kids who couldn't get into the main pool took to comandeering all of the pools). By comparison, attendance was much more sparse during our two other trips in the second half of August in both '04 and '05. '05 was a little more crowded, but that was the first time they had the free dining promotion.

 

[ryguy]

We went last year the day of the Super Bowl and the Magic Kingdom was empty. Of course I missed the super bowl but it was worth it because the crowds were so light. The only problem with that time of year (first week of Feb.) is that it can be cold.

 

[silverboyd]

has anyone ever been during the last week in September? This is when i'm going this year. I hope it's pretty "dead". It's so nice to enjoy the parks with not as many people in them. :hammer: