Just back...the parks were crowded!!

[laprana]

Just got back yesterday from WDW and we had a really great trip! We were there from May 23 to June 3 and it seemed like the parks were really crowded! We still had a wonderful time, just had to plan a little more and make good use of fast passes.

I've never been during the busiest times of year (Christmas week, Easter, July 4, etc.), so I can't really compare the crowds during those times to the crowds during our trip. But, I've been to WDW at the end of May/beginning of June every year since 2005 and this was by far the most crowded it's ever been. We talked to a lot of CMs during the trip and several of them said they are seeing many more Florida residents than usual because of the economy and discounts offered to them this year. I also noticed lots and lots of tour groups, more than I've ever noticed before. There were many school groups, lots of big family groups, and more international tour groups than I've ever seen.

Wait times for rides like Soarin', Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Test Track, RnR, etc. were on average around 75-110 minutes throughout the day and evening most days. We either hit those rides first thing in the morning or during evening EMH. There were some rides that I've hardly ever waited in a line for that had 20-30 minute waits, like IASW, Living with the Land, and even JII and TTA had 15-20 minute waits at times!

We went on the Keys to the Kingdom Tour one day during our trip, a Thursday, and our guide (who was excellent) said at least 10 times during the tour, "Gosh, it's really crowded today!" Even he seemed surprised at the amount of people in the park!

Even with the crowds, we still had a great trip and I can't wait to go back! We just had to make the best of it and adapt to the crowds a little bit more than usual. Just wanted to give a heads up to anyone heading to WDW soon!

[DisneyorBust]

Glad that you were able to have a great trip despite of the crowds. Appreciate the report.

[i'm grumpy]

Was crowded and hot last month but we had a good time.

[BriarRose0708]

Did you have Brick for your KTTK tour guide? I did that 2 years ago with him and he was excellent! Now when I go I stop by the tour building to say hello and chat for a minute with him.

Sounds like you still had a great trip despite the crowds!

[Tygger7]

We noticed the same thing! We were there from May 15-27th, and were really surprised about the crowds. Thank heavens for park hoppers! We tried going to the MK on 5/25 and it was PACKED! We got tired of dealing with the crowds and went over to Epcot...best decision ever! Much less crowded and we had an awesome day. Went back to MK on 5/26...crowds were excellent! It's amazing what a difference a day can make.

We also did Keys to the Kingdom tour and LOVED it! We had Jerred (sp?) and he was fantastic!

Ah...what I'd give to be back there right now...

[#1donaldfan]

...14 days out....I hope they thin out a bit, maybe so, when 'ol HP opens up at that other park.....

[wdwluv]

We were there May 11 - 17 and it was super busy compared to last year for us too!!!! RIGHT UP TO CLOSING TIME!!! Fortunately we hit the most important rides up first and the fast passes were life savers! Still had a great trip - it was just very slow moving around after 2pm! Glad to hear yours worked out in spite of the crowds too!

[laprana]

Did you have Brick for your KTTK tour guide? I did that 2 years ago with him and he was excellent! Now when I go I stop by the tour building to say hello and chat for a minute with him.

We had Gregg as our tour guide. He was fantastic! Really, really nice and what I thought was neat was that he knew a lot about Disneyland and was able to do a few comparisons/contrasts between DL and MK. I'm so glad we did the tour...it was my favorite part of the trip!

[laprana]

We were there May 11 - 17 and it was super busy compared to last year for us too!!!! RIGHT UP TO CLOSING TIME!!! Fortunately we hit the most important rides up first and the fast passes were life savers! Still had a great trip - it was just very slow moving around after 2pm! Glad to hear yours worked out in spite of the crowds too!

Yeah, we noticed that even the super late EMHs at the parks were absolutely packed. MK had EMH until 3:00 a.m. one night (well, morning, I guess! ) and the park didn't really start clearing out until about 2:15 or so. I couldn't believe how many little kids were still awake and raring to go at that hour!

[r4kids]

Was it EMH parks that you visited or non-EMH parks? I am hoping MK won't be too bad next Weds. since it's a non-EMH.

[forever a child]

We noticed the same thing! We were there from May 15-27th, and were really surprised about the crowds. Thank heavens for park hoppers! We tried going to the MK on 5/25 and it was PACKED!

We were at MK the 25th! We really didn't think it was that bad. Fast passes really made things move along. We had a great time there that day!

[crltkcagle]

We were there May 21-31st and thought the exact same thing! It wasn't that crowded at this time last year. Park attendance is definetly up!

[Darbylew]

We were there during the week of May 11th.
and the crowds were not bad at all. We had
great weather and really enjoyed our time. I
was happy to hear you had a fun time even
though the parks were crowded. It pays to stay
on property so you can have the magic hours.
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT AND GOING BACK IN
OCTOBER!

[dinahvixen]

We're planning our trip for this time next year - arriving immediately after Memorial Day, hoping to hit lower June crowds before most schools get out - how is it right now?

[LudwigVonDrake]

I'm glad you had a great trip

31 more days for me

[Spaceship Tigger]

We were there 5/20 to 5/28. Crowds were definitely up from about the same time last year. We had to do a lot more Fastpassing than normal this time. We had 20+ minute waits for basically the first time ever at HM, IASM, Nemo, and SE.

[laprana]

Was it EMH parks that you visited or non-EMH parks? I am hoping MK won't be too bad next Weds. since it's a non-EMH.

Honestly, I'm not really sure! We did a lot of park hopping most days and I didn't really pay attention to the EMHs in relation to the crowds. Maybe I should next time! I do remember that the day MK had evening EMHs until 3:00 a.m., it was really packed that night. But, the day we did the KTK tour was a Thursday and MK didn't have any EMHs (at least I know it didn't have evening and I don't think it had morning) and it was jam packed with people.