Do you think there is less atmosphere in the parks when they are less busy?

[julieannbabe]

Just wondering what you guys think about this?

Do you think that there is less atmosphere in the parks when they are not as busy?

I went on Friday 5th September to Magic Kingdom and it was very quiet. It was great because I could get on to the rides with virtually no waits but there seemed to be maybe, a bit less atmosphere when I went for the day in March this year.

I don't know maybe as I had already been in March.

Who Knows?

 

[Shannon G]

Personally, I think there is more atmosphere when it is less busy - or maybe I'm just able to notice the atmosphere more. When it's crowded, it's harder to notice anything beyond the crowds. I like it when there are few people, and I have the chance to soak up all the little details that make Disney...Disney.

 

[julieannbabe]

Shannon,

Thanks for your reply. Yes I think I agree with you actually.

I did seem to have more time to walk around and observe things more. For instance, sitting at the top of Main Street Station and overlooking Town Sqaure and Main Street, noticing all the different buildings in Main Street - stuff like that.

I know what you mean!

 

[skiwee1]

More atmosphere when it is less crowded! I am not shoved through the parks by crowds and have more time to enjoy all the sites. After all these years we finally stopped and looked at all the windows on Main Street. I love it when the parks are empty!

 

[kdibattista]

Agree with the others... I know I was not able to enjoy it as much when it was crowded!!! I made the decision then and there that we would not go back unless it was offseason!!!!

 

[goofyernmost]

I have gone on record as stating that I felt it was more fun with a moderate sized crowd then when it was real quiet. It brought life to the place.

Upon examining my statements I wondered why I felt that way and I think I have finally reached a conclusion. I (confession time here) owned a business that, sadly, didn't do much business. It was submerged in atmosphere but no one was around to support it. WDW is a huge, huge, costly business to operate and almost the same number of people have to be on hand for one person as for a thousand. I guess that I can't get the idea out of my mind that, no people means no income equals no business. I am very willing to put up with crowds just to be sure that WDW will be there the next time I want to see it.

WDW's expenses are not in the "hundreds a day" catagory they are in the "millions a day" catagory. It wouldn't take to many bad years before stock holders would be splitting up parts of Space Mountain to use as back yard ornaments.

A little off the wall? Yes, probably. But I just don't enjoy it unless I see lots of people spending money and keeping the thing going. Just an internal thing, really! So as far as I am concerned, keep them coming so that whatever atmosphere I missed the first time around will still be there for the next trip. I'll see it then.

 

[pogo791]

goofyernmost has a point, but personally, I'd always go for the low crowd season. Shorter waits, the possibility of going on favorite rides again (and again, and again), you can see the parades better without a forest of people in front of you, there's more room to relax in the water parks, and in general things are more relaxed. Even CMs seem to be more relaxed, and have more time to play around with the guests.

If I want crowds, I'd go Christmas shopping at a Disney store two days before Christmas. But why get frazzled?

 

[Ted and Holly]

Go there Labor Day, then go on a random day in late September. You will get an appreciation for the parks when there are a LOT less people.

When there are less crowds, you can see, smell, hear, and feel what the Imagineers intended you to. You can see the tiniest detail of Goofy's Barnstormer, if there aren't 1000 people standing between you and the attraction. You can smell the Tollhouse cookies on Main Street, if there aren't 1500 sweat y people standing next to you. You can hear the background music, if there aren't 500 people yelling to each other next to you.

Your trip on Labor Day will more than make up for the lack of spending you see on the random day in late September.

Ted

 

[DrTomorrow]

I'm in the "Not too hot, not too cold" group. While I really don't enjoy the parks when there are crowds, I find it a little creepy when the parks are too empty; it's like being the only table in a restaurant. I like there to be enough people so that the park seems alive, but not so many that it is overwhelmed.

 

[MickeyMouseLvr]

I would say I enjoy the atmosphere more when the parks are less busy. Actually, one morning while I was on the college program we happened to be in the MK well before the park opened and I have to say that was the best time to be there - you really had time to soak up the atmosphere.

 

[helenk]

I like the feel of Disney with the lower crowds, I have been to WDW for the 4th of July to the other extreme of Nov 2001 with hardly any people. I would never go over the 4th again, there were just too many people, every one, guests and CMs included were getting stressed out by the end of the day.
You can take in so much more if there are moderate to low crowds.
Next year we are going the end of July, my first summer trip in years and I know that it will be more crowded than my past trips in Sept, Nov or Dec but I know I will still have a good time.

 

[loriandmatt]

We just returned from at two week stay at the end of August. the first week was quite crowded. We wern't having our usual "Disney fluffies", and thought that we had finally hit the WDW wall and the novelty had worn off for us.

The next week (the last week of Aug, but before labor day weekend) it was much much less crowded. We got the "Dinsey fluffies" again. There is more magic coming from the CMs (because there are less folks to stress them out) and you have a better chance to see, hear an smell all the details. We hadn't hit the WDW wall, just our wall with summer crowds. (DH and i even joked that "this place would be awesome if everyone would just get the heck out so we could have it to ourselves! Especially those folks for whom this is just a vacation, not close to a religious experince, like it is for us.")

- lori

 

[Jynohn]

My favorite Disney memory of all time is seeing my husband and my then five-year-old DS walking hand in hand down an empty Main St. after an e-night, with "It Takes Elegance" from Hello Dolly playing softly in the background. I have this on video and whenever I watch it, it still brings a tear to my eye as to how great that night was. Had it been crowded, we would have been pushing through thousands of people, holding onto DS for dear life so that we wouldn't lose him.

I vote for an empty park any day!

 

[Lesley]

I tend to feel like I enjoy my visits more the emptier it is....but then again, when its really empty there are a lot of closed food carts, less "streetmosphere" stuff going on...and all that. But when there are big crowds you can't enjoy any of that anyway.

I really think our best visits were during times of moderate attendance....where if you hit the times right you can avoid waiting in lines, but there are enough people and entertainment going on to get a festive mood going. We tend to be miserable when its too busy, particularly now that we have a child who doesn't do mornings (early mornings used to be our main strategy at WDW!) and by the time we get to the parks its hot, crowded and awful. We enjoy ourselves a lot when its very empty...but often the weather isn't as nice at those times, which isn't everything but its something!

 

[Synonymous]

I have to disagree. We used to always go at off-peak times, and yes, it was great to be able to get on rides without much wait. But this year, for the first time, we went during Easter week. We were really worried that we wouldn't be able to DO anything because of the crowds.

But it didn't happen. We planned our itineraries well and got to do everything we wanted to do, without ever waiting more than 30 minutes in line (and that was not often.)

And I just loved the energy of the place. Everything was open, all the entertainment was going, MK was open until MIDNIGHT (I'm a night-owl) and it was just a blast. This place was designed to hold tons and tons of people, and I think it really shines when that's what is happening.

Of course, we're Disney vets by now and knew how to manage the crowds pretty well (and did LOTS of additional research.) I don't think I'd advise a peak time for someone's first trip.

 

[tc]

We love going in the off season, but have appreciated the higher crowds this year than the last two. It's still low season, so we don't stand in line and don't hassle with loads of people, but the shows are so much better. Have you ever sat in Festival of the Lion King with about 50 people present? It's just not as much fun. We love Roland, the mime in France, but he's so much more fun when there's a crowd around him instead of two or three people. So, I guess if that's what you mean by atmosphere, a few more people does make it more enjoyable. September 2001 and 2002 were fun, but WDW was almost a ghost town during the week of 9/11, and, although we do get one-on-one attention from CMs and no waits in line, I'll take what we had last week. No lines, but enough people to fill the stadium for Beauty and the Beast.

 

[Pooh67_68]

I have read post of people who go, say in June or July and I can not imagine going during thoes very busy times. How can you enjoy the atmosphere when there is hardly any breathing space??!! My husband and I love the slower times of the year and yes I think the atmosphere is still very present, especially when the parks are decorated for the holidays.

 

[Synonymous]

How can you enjoy the atmosphere when there is hardly any breathing space??!!

The trick, Pooh, is to know how to manage your time. You go to the park early in the morning. Even at busy times, there won't be many people in the park. You stay around until lunchtime or so, then go to the resort and swim. In the evening, you go back to the park and stay late.

IMHO, there's no better atmosphere than midnight at the MK, with the lights blazing, the Castle changing colors, etc etc etc. MY favorite time.

 

[nluvwithdisney]

I enjoy it less busy. Our trip in November 2001 was a lot less hectic. We could go into the parks at 10:30 - 11:00 and still accomplish everything we wanted and then some. We went into restaurants without a wait at peak lunch and dinner hours. That was all over Orlando. We received a lot more attention and courteousness from CM's above and beyond the normal help that they give.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Thank You Synonumous that makes sense.
We have actually done a couple of the parks during emh and although a lot of people think the parks get to busy then, I didn't think it was that bad. Actually had a rather good emh in Epcot once in Sept, headed to the back of the park to just sit and enjoy the morning when the character caravan showed up, we had a lot of characters to ourselves for quite awhile
But i still enjoy the parks during the slow times and there is no way I could convince my husband to go when it is very busy.