Magic Kingdom too busy to enjoy :(

[daisyduckie]

Sleeping in when the parks are busy is not the greatest choice. Spring Break does make the parks even busier than normal, so between that and not getting to the parks right away, you are bound to run into longer wait times.

 

[KikoKea]

Do you hit Jungle Cruise first and work your way back or hit Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain? Just curious.

We head to our favorites first- PoC and BTMRR and ride them at least twice. I don't want to risk getting my pants soaked on Splash so early, so save it for later at night, before returning to the room (and I love the area when it gets dark). We catch the Tiki birds, maybe JC, ride HM twice, and maybe BTMRR again. After we've covered what we want to do in Adventureland and Frontierland, we check Fantasyland for short lines or head to our first FP.

Guess we could save a bit of backtracking by working our way around, but we do like our Pirates and BTMRR so are just too excited and head there first.

 

[lemon meringue]

We get in early, ride two or three things right away usually with little wait (15 minute max). We pick our Fastpasses in advance for late morning or early afternoon because we know most lines will be long by then. In between we just get in line for whatever we feel like regardless of the wait time which is often less than posted. Lines are mostly covered and many have interactive displays. We just use the time to chit chat and enjoy each other. We stay hydrated and bring snacks for the kids. We also have some word games that we play to pass the time. When it's very hot we maximize our time at indoor shows.We usually leave in the afternoon and have pool time at the resort before heading back out refreshed for dinner and evening hours, but if we do stay in the parks all afternoon I make sure to have a reservation for a table service meal. Food, drink, and air conditioning and everyone is happy and ready to go again.

 

[Uncle Lupe]

I know some cheerleading competition's happening. Had a lady start vacation mid week so she could go there to watch her niece.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

We head to our favorites first- PoC and BTMRR and ride them at least twice. I don't want to risk getting my pants soaked on Splash so early, so save it for later at night, before returning to the room (and I love the area when it gets dark). We catch the Tiki birds, maybe JC, ride HM twice, and maybe BTMRR again. After we've covered what we want to do in Adventureland and Frontierland, we check Fantasyland for short lines or head to our first FP.

Guess we could save a bit of backtracking by working our way around, but we do like our Pirates and BTMRR so are just too excited and head there first.

Awesome advice! Thank you!

 

[raven]

You have to remember that MK has the highest attendance per year than any other park on the planet. Also, it's nearly impossible to enjoy anything there anymore without at least a little bit of planning. Getting your FPs early and knowledge of the most popular attractions will help with that. For locals it's not so much about getting to do everything in a day because they can just come back another time. But I can certainly understand the frustration of an overcrowded park when it's hot.

 

[alissafalco]

It's actually interesting that you say this because I know others that were there today into tonight for the parade, etc and they said it was a lovely not very busy day/evening. Also, Toy Story isn't in the MK, it's at DHS. Unless you were referring to Buzz Light Year Space Ranger Spin in TL?!

Yes, I was there as well and Wednesday was the least crowded most enjoyable day that I had at MK all week! If the OP cant handle the pleasant Wednesday I experienced he better not bother with MK anymore.

 

[UncleFastpass]

Mickey5150 briefly touched on the reason the parking lot is so far from the park,but there is more.The reason theparking lot is so far a way is to leave the "real" world behind and build anticipation for entering another world.there were no bus stops next to the Magic kingdom when it was originally built the only way to get there was by monorail or ferry boat and during your trip you get glimpses of the castle.......building anticipation and excitement then you get to the gate and there is the garden and the train station which blocks your view of Main Street and the castle,still building anticipation then you go under the train station and you come out on Main Street and you see the castle at the end of the street and it is amazing....because it was planned that way.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

We get in early, ride two or three things right away usually with little wait (15 minute max). We pick our Fastpasses in advance for late morning or early afternoon because we know most lines will be long by then. In between we just get in line for whatever we feel like regardless of the wait time which is often less than posted. Lines are mostly covered and many have interactive displays. We just use the time to chit chat and enjoy each other. We stay hydrated and bring snacks for the kids. We also have some word games that we play to pass the time. When it's very hot we maximize our time at indoor shows.We usually leave in the afternoon and have pool time at the resort before heading back out refreshed for dinner and evening hours, but if we do stay in the parks all afternoon I make sure to have a reservation for a table service meal. Food, drink, and air conditioning and everyone is happy and ready to go again.

I forgot to ask. There were reports that people were getting soaked during the drops. Did they make adjustments to the ride? We never used to get wet at all.

 

[mimitchi33]

Some schools had their Spring Break on Passover rather than Easter. Also, Japanese kids were off for Golden Week when you went.

 

[lilclerk]

We just got home last night. My observation lately is even if the wait times aren't terribly high, the crowds in the streets, so to speak, of MK are absolutely unbearable to me now. People everywhere, small children almost getting run over and separated from their parents, folks darting in front of strollers and scooters and almost causing accidents, and topping it all off with groups stopping dead in the middle of a huge crowd to look at a map or wonder what that building might be. Pull over, there are people 2 inches behind you I wonder if this has to do with FP+, more people aren't waiting in lines.

I really didn't enjoy much of our time in MK this trip. I felt like I was always rushing around, trying to fight my way through crowds, rather than just enjoying the atmosphere like I had in the past. And forget about fireworks viewing. Kind of a bummer. And again, it's nothing to do with not getting enough attractions done, we got in all of our favorites several times.

Epcot was a blast though, Flower & Garden is still wonderful.

 

[mcstensrud]

I was at MK yesterday for a little while until I couldn't move around with out bumping into or tripping someone!
A lot of people were looking for Prince Harry or FLOTUS!
They are here for the InvictusGames.

 

[imperius]

Nothing I hate more at parks than the middle of walkway stoppers. Maybe the wrong side of the path walkers also.

 

[lemon meringue]

Nothing I hate more at parks than the middle of walkway stoppers. Maybe the wrong side of the path walkers also.

Good points. It's actually dangerous to just stop. It's like slamming on your brakes for no reason on the interstate. Someone is likely to slam right into your backside. In addition, if everyone walked on the right hand side it would make walking so much nicer.

 

[lemon meringue]

I forgot to ask. There were reports that people were getting soaked during the drops. Did they make adjustments to the ride? We never used to get wet at all.

Are you sure that you meant to quote me? I'm not really sure of what you're asking because I don't think it has anything to do with my post. Sorry

 

[RScottyL]

New poster here!

Anyway this is my fourth visit to Disney, twice with my aunt and uncle as a young nipper (sadly my uncle recently passed away so this trip is sort of extra special to me thinking of him stood in the parks with me!) and twice with friends a bit more grown up!

I love my visits to Disney (and the other parks too!) but we went today (Wednesday 27 April) and it was just too damn busy to enjoy! We had 3 fast passes for Space Mountain, Toy Story (I didn't rate this much, much preferred MIB at Universal) and Thunder Mountain but literally every other single ride in the park other than Carousel Of Progress had at minimum an hours wait! Which isn't nice especially in the heat!

All the other parks on the holiday have been manageable enough but MK just seems too packed to enjoy, especially walking around finding things to do in the heat!

Then half our party stayed for the fireworks but the other half including me made a dash for the monorail and tram straight after the electrical parade to try and beat the stampede! That's another random question I've always had, why was the actual Magic Kingdom built so far away from the parking lots?

Are there any times of the week / year when it is a little quieter? It was weird as last Wednesday we went to Universal and it was DEAD, to put into context how dead it was Harry Potter had a <5 minute queue time!

Thanks

Here you go, this will help out:

http://www.mousesavers.com/walt-dis...asked-questions-about-walt-disney-world/#busy

Ideally, you want to go when kids are in school!

The BEST times to go to Walt Disney World are:

• Mid-November through mid-December (except the week of Thanksgiving). The weather is usually cool but pleasant, the Christmas decorations are up, special events are running, and the attendance is usually moderate. Expect crowds on Saturdays, especially at the Magic Kingdom. Disney’s resorts typically fill up early for all of December, but this doesn’t necessary translate into huge crowds during early December.
• Second week of January through mid-February. It’s cool (sometimes even a bit cold) at this time of year. This is one of the least busy times of year and hotel prices are lower. However, some rides will be closed for refurbishment at this time of year. The first week of January can be busy due to extended holiday vacations and the Walt Disney World Marathon. Avoid any holiday weekends.
• First three weeks of May. The weather is warm in May, but usually not unbearably so. Crowds and hotel prices are moderate. Memorial Day weekend will be more crowded, but often not as bad as you might expect.
• Late August and entire month of September (even Labor Day weekend). It will be extremely hot, and this is peak hurricane season. Plan on taking afternoons off and visiting water parks. Crowds are low. Off-site hotels usually have their rock-bottom deals during this period, and Disney has offered “free dining” packages in this time frame each year since 2005.

• During special events that interest you. Bear in mind that events held on major holidays usually attract significant crowds, however.

 

[jensenrick]

Sleeping in when the parks are busy is not the greatest choice. Spring Break does make the parks even busier than normal, so between that and not getting to the parks right away, you are bound to run into longer wait times.

That's the best thing about FP+, I can sleep in and still go on the rides I want to.