Need Help Interpreting UG's Crowd Calendar

[swirlingvortex7]

Hi all...:wave:

I have spent a few hours pouring over the Unofficial Guide's website and also numerous forums containing threads about it, but I am still a bit confused about the crowd calendar.

I understand how it works and how they get their data and all that, and also have a general idea of how accurate their predictions are, thanks to the many wonderful posters in this forum and others. However, I still don't understand what the numbers signify in wait times.

For example, I will be going to HS on a day that has a 1 rating sohappy. The UG website states a 1 means "Is the park even open? Mickey, are you there?" but I have no idea what that means. Will the park be practically empty? Will we walk on to the rides over and over? Or is it wait times of 15-20 minutes per ride? (the second being the more likely case, I think, but I have no idea which is why I'm asking.) :shrug:

Below that info, it says that for a 1 Toy Story Mania has a peak of a 90 minute wait, but the last time I went to WDW, that ride wasn't there so I have no idea what the implications of that are...is that an exceptionally short wait time? Also, just to be clear, is peak time around noon?

Has anyone here gone to HS on a 1 day? What was it like?

My other day is a 5 at MK...any idea what those days are like? (EDIT: The website says "Reminds me of when I was here in the '80s" but that doesn't tell much to people under 20 like myself! LOL)

Thank you so much in advance for your help!

 

[KCBroadway]

I am not very familiar with that guide or what the various "numbers" mean, but I can tell you one thing. Toy Story Mania is VERY popular and is going to be busy on any given day. This is what I suggest....get to the park 1st thing (preferably when it opens).....go RIGHT to Toy Story Mania (just follow the sea of people)....and wait in line. Most people will be grabbing Fastpasses at this point because it is the "common" thing to do. However, if you get there when the park opens there are no Fastpasses in circulation yet, which means that it will be all standby people waiting in line. I have done this the past few times I have gone (including this past weekend) and waited less than 30 min. to get on. If you get to the park later in the day then you risk NOT getting a Fastpass (or getting a very late time) or you will have to wait 60+ minutes. Then....because you didn't get a Fastpass, you can go get one for a different attraction (ie. Rock n Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror). The key is to get there early. My husband and I have had NO trouble riding big ticket attractions when we arrive before park opening.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Mukta]

1 is the lowest crowd possible. Although Toy Story will have a long line, nothing else in the park will.
Lucky you!
Toy Story is a very popular attraction and really fun. Since you have never ridden it before, I recommend that you get in the stand-by line as soon as you enter the park. After you ride it once, get a FP and ride it again later in the day.
A 5 for MK, isn't too bad. Get there early, utilize FP for the mountains and you should be fine.

 

[Nosmo King]

I believe that they just re-did the numbers. (Perhaps Len will chime in, as he sometimes does on UG threads here). A recent WDWToday podcast where they explain the new numbers is a great way to start.

 

[hwork]

Hey!

Thanks a lot for the question and the helpful feedback. We do list what the average peak wait times are for given crowd level indexes -- and we plan to update these in a few days as well.

And please feel free to ask us any questions directly! There's a "contact us" section on our site.

 

[lilclerk]

If you go down below that "What does it feel like?" section, you'll find the list of example peak wait times in those categories.
http://www.touringplans.com/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=258

Hey Henry, love the Betamouse podcast :wave:

 

[cslafferty]

I was just on the website today looking at the new crowd levels for each park. That is a great help!! We will be there from Aug. 16-21, and I noticed almost everyday while we're there that the crowd levels for Epcot are in the 9's - higher than every other park. Is there something going on at Epcot that week?

 

[AndyMc]

I just download the iPhone app and it is AWESOME.

You can see the estimated wait times live for all te rides (right now they are crazy since it's peak time - level 8).

Supposedly the estimates are more accurate than the sign at the ride. You can see peoples reported wait times for individual rides too.

I've used the crowd calendar on every trip thus far and it has been very accurate for me. I'm super excited about this iPhone app ("Lines"). If you have a subscription it's free.

(BTW, I've never paid much attention to the peak wait times: I just care about te average anyway).