Just got back on Saturday, some random observations and discussion

[Magenta Panther]

These September crowd reports are really surprising me. During the past few years, I've booked trips in September and early October, and crowds were quite reasonable. I wonder what's causing all of the influx this year? Maybe hard times inspire stronger desires for escape? (God knows that's the main reason I'm going this December. I need some magic and I need it BAD).

 

[drp4video]

we were there September 3-10 and walked on everything. No wait at all. Only thing we waited for was Toy Story at DHS, about 40 minutes. Otherwise, we breezed right through on all rides and shows. We are used to summer or the week between Christmas and New Years, so this was amazing. Normally we can't move in the parks and it is a sea of wall to wall people. Not this week. We could walk, lots of empty spaces with no one in front of us. Wonder what changed after the week we were there.

 

[Magenta Panther]

We returned Oct. 1st after 12 days in the World, and I'm glad I wasn't alone in my feelings of shock at the mobs of people during what we had read to be one of the "slowest" (relatively) times in the parks. Not helping was what seemed like "August weather" (heat, humidity, afternoon rain) that decided to hang on through the end of September. We were at MNNSHP on the 21st and were quite surprised at the near-gridlock at this hard-ticketed event. We had fun, but what we found that getting on major attractions was easy; meeting characters and trick-or-treating was near-impossible.

Whenever our next trip will be, it'll be no earlier than October, or maybe even later - maybe squeezed in between the end of MNSSHP and the Thanksgiving crowds.

Trip highlights: Concierge level at Beach Club - our choice, not an upgrade. Did this 5 years ago, found this much improved, great CM's, and being able to breakfast in the lounge covcered half of the upcharge. (We weren't on the dining plan.) Wild Africa Trek - wonderful. Lunch With an Imagineer at Brown Derby - teriffic. Sunrise Safari at AKL - good time. Great meals at Tony's (A sentimewntal favorite); Boma; California Grill; House of Blues in Downtown Disney; Brown Derby (lunch and dinner). Even Crystal Palace (despite the noise). We chose not to be on the Dining Plan until the last couple of days of our trip, when we moved to AKL.

Not quite so great: Jiko (posted a comment in another thread) -- nothing like the menu, service, and knowledgable CM as we experienced on our last visit. Club Level at AKL: food was good, but very inconvenient distance from our room; Flying Fish - meh. Agree with merchandise comments we read prior to our trip: poor quality on many things, bad designs, hard to find something we wanted, same stuff everywhere, wish the characters hadn't invaded all the pin designs, wish there whad been some nice resort logo merch and not DVC logo items everywhere instead.

Several ride interruptions on Splash, one on Pirates, but otherwise no problems.

They need to design a new pin: I Survived the Attack of the Triple-Wide Strollers.

I realize that strollers are a fact of life now at the parks and are as inevitable and unpleasant as the love bugs, but I still hate them. One of the things I love most about WDW is its design, its architecture and ambience. But it's hard to get excited about looking at the place when its clogged with those infernal strollers! Ooh, spooky spooky Haunted Mansion with all those strollers out in front. Kinda kills the mood, ya know? (Also when the Ghost Host speaks in Spanish. Another fact of life, but takes away considerably from the creepy quality).

 

[EaglesfanNJ]

I realize that strollers are a fact of life now at the parks and are as inevitable and unpleasant as the love bugs, but I still hate them. One of the things I love most about WDW is its design, its architecture and ambience. But it's hard to get excited about looking at the place when its clogged with those infernal strollers! Ooh, spooky spooky Haunted Mansion with all those strollers out in front. Kinda kills the mood, ya know? (Also when the Ghost Host speaks in Spanish. Another fact of life, but takes away considerably from the creepy quality).

Not to get this thread off topic onto the dreaded stroller debate..... BUT... i tend to agree with you and i'm a double stroller user (Hey, I have a 3 year old and an 8 month old, surely you can't fault me). I am considerate with it though and would never think to use it as a battering ram.

To reel this topic back in though......... The night of Sept 30th at MNSSHP some genius decided to line the strollers up about 8 wide right outside of It's A Small World, thus creating a bottlneck for those trying to walk towards Cinderella's Carriage for pictures, and those walking the other way towards Fantasyland. It was the most chaotic moment of my trip... and just another idea of how packed it was for the sold out party... in September!

My next mission is to investigate the crowds in early November, or, after the near year in January.

 

[Disaddict]

6) Ride interruptions: In no particular order we experienced interruptions on Splash, Pirates twice, Haunted Mansion twice, Test Track, Buzz Lightyear twice, and Toy Story 1 time. I know it comes with the territory and it happens, but it seemed to happen way more than usual. Has this been a common problem as of late?

Quite probably tour groups. And no, I am not pointing fingers at the Brazillians so everyone put away the pitchforks. I am talking about the American tour groups right along with all of the others. They can all be the same annoying groups. But these groups were likely responsible for not all, but a good portion, of the ride interruptions by standing up and doing other idiotic things.

These September crowd reports are really surprising me. During the past few years, I've booked trips in September and early October, and crowds were quite reasonable. I wonder what's causing all of the influx this year? Maybe hard times inspire stronger desires for escape? (God knows that's the main reason I'm going this December. I need some magic and I need it BAD).

The crowds were likely due to the 40th anniversary celebration (what little there was of it) and may likely dip back down again by next September. I hope. We're going next October and I really do not want large crowds. But I'll take what I can get and utilize the FP system effectively and the crowds will not be a big issue.