Just Back. Nov 29 through Dec 3. Crowded.

[lovewdwfun]

Which parks did you hit on each day? Did you follow the "recommended" parks? I ask because I was there the same time, hit the parks in the mornings, and det that pretty much everything was a walk-on if you timed it right. I've never seen it so empty and usually go in late August or September.

We did:
Nov 29- Epcot
Nov 30 - MK morning, hopped over to HS in the evening and got a fourth FP for Fantasmic. Lightest park crowds I have ever seen - we walked on everything (didn't do SDMT) and felt we did the entire park by 1:00.
Dec 1- AK in the morning, Epcot evening.
Dec 2 - HS morning, went to MK in the evening and MK was very crowded, but we still got 4th and 5th Fastpasses

I think the party days had a huge effect this week leading to empty parks or very crowded parks depending on what you hit.

 

[hllb]

We were just there the week after Thanksgiving and felt it was crowded. We visit very often at Christmas week and were shocked at the crowd levels for the week after Thanksgiving when we had been told they are normally low. My Dh and I contributed the crowds to there being many party days and short park hours.

The crowd calendars were all predicting moderate crowd levels (5 to 7 out of 10) I think and that appears to be fairly accurate to what was seen.

 

[NMAmy]

It's interesting--we were there 11/23 (Thanksgiving) through 12/2 and just got home yesterday. We really did not feel the parks were overly crowded nor were wait times long. We also got plenty of Fast Pass availability. Granted, we went for my grandson's second birthday and were more focused on the kid's rides but DH and I went on our own to MK on Black Friday for EE. We were on and off 7DMT by 8:15 and had also ridden Peter Pan, Buzz, Philharmagic, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, and Pirates all by 10:00 and we left for the morning. We also hit MK on the party days and noticed crowds were pretty low.

The only thing we skipped due to it being ridiculously crowded to even get on the monorail was Epcot on the night MK closed at 4:30 (11/30). We were going to head over and, when I saw the monorail line, we decided it was a good night to stay in.

Our expectations were pretty low as to what we could accomplish in any given day and we did spend a lot of time stopping to accommodate a little one. But we were pleasantly surprised compared to what I'd been expecting.

 

[duketennisgal]

Crazy how it all depends on a person's perception. I was there the exact same dates and the only times I felt were overly crowded was the evening we checked out Pandora (11/30) and Saturday night (Dec 2) at DHS. Our longest wait was 25 minutes for the Safari, but in reality I think that was only 15-20 minutes. We did skip Jingle Cruise and 7 Dwarves, Jingle Cruise was 40 minutes and I don't wait more than 30 minutes for rides anymore and I don't do 7 Dwarves because I don't like how tight the fit is on my legs.

We rode Soarin, Toy Story, RnRC, ToT and Buzz twice! We rode FoP with about a 30 minute wait, which was just the wait time for the park to open. We got to AK at 7:30 for an 8:00 EMH and were off of the ride by 8:15!

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

Is Magic Kingdom the only park that is crowded anymore(besides Universal of course)? It seems that the only park where people are experiencing lines right now is MK and Pandora with the rest of the Animal Kingdom pretty empty.

 

[kenthanson]

I'm so worried about our dates - Dec 10th through 15th.

That's my ideal week to go and in previous years have had no issues at all.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

When one has to spend their time dodging strollers and electric wheelchairs, it really takes the fun out of it.

Have you tried pushing a stroller or driving an electric wheelchair when it’s crowded? When the walkways are crowded, it is hard for ANYONE to move even those you mention here. This is a number of people problem, not a stroller and wheelchair problem. I am not an agressive stroller driver and it can be very difficult to get anywhere when it’s crowded when people step right in front of the stroller, stop, etc. I feel sorry for people in the electric wheelchairs who have to get anywhere when it’s busy. It’s much easier to be the person without the stroller or wheelchair when it’s busy.

I am sorry you experienced higher crowds that you were expecting.

Labor Day and early May still see relatively low crowds. We are done with Labor Day week due to hurricane risk after our trip was derailed this year. I wonder if others will stay away during that time next year too.

 

[Skallywag Steph]

Have you tried pushing a stroller or driving an electric wheelchair when it’s crowded? When the walkways are crowded, it is hard for ANYONE to move even those you mention here. This is a number of people problem, not a stroller and wheelchair problem. I am not an agressive stroller driver and it can be very difficult to get anywhere when it’s crowded when people step right in front of the stroller, stop, etc. I feel sorry for people in the electric wheelchairs who have to get anywhere when it’s busy. It’s much easier to be the person without the stroller or wheelchair when it’s busy.

I am sorry you experienced higher crowds that you were expecting.

Labor Day and early May still see relatively low crowds. We are done with Labor Day week due to hurricane risk after our trip was derailed this year. I wonder if others will stay away during that time next year too.

I have been wondering what is with the stroller hate on here. I'm sure there are aggressive stroller drivers just like car drivers but it seems people get really angry that they're even allowed. Kids might enjoy Disney World too

 

[Manners]

Thank you all for the messages - I really appreciate the advice.

I'm new to posting but not new to Disney. Twelve years ago, we started a "girls only" trip scheduled every three years so this is the fourth time in twelve years we have visited and traditionally went during MNSSHP. Our last visit (during Columbus Day weekend) it got a lot more crowded than we were used to so decided to try what we thought would be a less crowded time - after Thanksgiving but before Christmas. If you can't walk (sort of) a straight line, constantly dodging people where you can't even look up and around to take in the Disney atmostphere, that is not where I want to be. Prior to the girls trips, I've visited with my small family and stayed in AKL (Jersey Week), OKW (early February) and Port Orleans - French Quarter (February) so i've had a bit of experience with times of year to visit.

Seven us of thought this would be a good week to visit (DS 61, DN 35, DD 19, DD 15, DN 8 and DN 4)and by sheer luck we got a reservation at CRT on Saturday night - so had to go to MK on Saturday, December 2. We were at the parks from 11:00 am through 12:45 am (over 12 hours) and the most enjoyable time of the day was after dinner from about 9:30 until closing. I've been on Peter Pan each of those other visits AND i've never gone through the house, usually only go through the stanchions in the front and jump on a ship.

We had a great time though - visited Epcot all day on Thursday, November 30 (which got more crowded as the day went on and had the most EVCs), split the day between AK in the morning and DHS in the afternoon on Friday, December 1 - had fastpasses for our all-time favorite rides TSM and TOT and spent the day in MK on Saturday. I've never needed a fastpass to get on Pirates of the Carribean but needed to on Saturday, December 2 if we wanted to ride it before 10:30 pm. We didn't get to do as much as we thought we would based on past experiences.

So I've learned that there is no magic day to visit - just make the most of your trip.

 

[Smilelea]

Thank you all for the messages - I really appreciate the advice.

I'm new to posting but not new to Disney. Twelve years ago, we started a "girls only" trip scheduled every three years so this is the fourth time in twelve years we have visited and traditionally went during MNSSHP. Our last visit (during Columbus Day weekend) it got a lot more crowded than we were used to so decided to try what we thought would be a less crowded time - after Thanksgiving but before Christmas. If you can't walk (sort of) a straight line, constantly dodging people where you can't even look up and around to take in the Disney atmostphere, that is not where I want to be. Prior to the girls trips, I've visited with my small family and stayed in AKL (Jersey Week), OKW (early February) and Port Orleans - French Quarter (February) so i've had a bit of experience with times of year to visit.

Seven us of thought this would be a good week to visit (DS 61, DN 35, DD 19, DD 15, DN 8 and DN 4)and by sheer luck we got a reservation at CRT on Saturday night - so had to go to MK on Saturday, December 2. We were at the parks from 11:00 am through 12:45 am (over 12 hours) and the most enjoyable time of the day was after dinner from about 9:30 until closing. I've been on Peter Pan each of those other visits AND i've never gone through the house, usually only go through the stanchions in the front and jump on a ship.

We had a great time though - visited Epcot all day on Thursday, November 30 (which got more crowded as the day went on and had the most EVCs), split the day between AK in the morning and DHS in the afternoon on Friday, December 1 - had fastpasses for our all-time favorite rides TSM and TOT and spent the day in MK on Saturday. I've never needed a fastpass to get on Pirates of the Carribean but needed to on Saturday, December 2 if we wanted to ride it before 10:30 pm. We didn't get to do as much as we thought we would based on past experiences.

So I've learned that there is no magic day to visit - just make the most of your trip.

We went at the same time and thought the crowds were pretty low. It sounds to me like at least part of your problem was your choice of parks on each day. We followed Kenny The Pirate's Crowd Calendar and based on that, you were at Red parks all but Friday.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I have been wondering what is with the stroller hate on here. I'm sure there are aggressive stroller drivers just like car drivers but it seems people get really angry that they're even allowed. Kids might enjoy Disney World too

I don't think there is any stroller hate on here I do think there are aggressive stroller drivers, a lot of them. One of them mowed my little daughter down one time. He was using it as a battering ram and just did not care.

I do think the strollers are getting too big now and they need more limits on them

 

[cdnSpinalTap]

I don't think there is any stroller hate on here I do think there are aggressive stroller drivers, a lot of them. One of them mowed my little daughter down one time. He was using it as a battering ram and just did not care.

I do think the strollers are getting too big now and they need more limits on them

I've been run down by people without strollers. I do think there a aggressive people, a lot of them.

 

[DaisyNY]

We returned from our Nov 27 - Dec 1 visit and were happy with all we were able to do. That said, we had no expectation to ride all of the prime attractions, used FP+, attended MVMCP, and usually did not head to parks until late morning, early afternoon. Found the crowds to be manageable...AK on November 30th was the most crowded but knowing MK was closing at 4:30 for a special event we expected it.

 

[kwdw]

I was there Nov. 26-29 - and while I did have a 35 minute wait for Ariel at MK on the 26th (got in line at 4pm - so before many party guests were in) - everything else felt typical. I'd call it average. I hit EPCOT on the 29th - and while the headliners had their typical lines - I didn't feel like the park was that busy mid-day. Evening EMH at MK on the 27th seemed. I did witness a 30+ minute line for IASW about mid-day on the 26th - at other times - it was the average 10-15 minute wait. So - no - its not as light as it used to be even 7 years ago this time of year - but it wasn't above the average I've experienced this year.

 

[poppinspenguins]

We truly thought this week wouldn't be so bad, but it was so crowded - when is a reasonable time to visit? And by crowded I mean:

70 minutes at Peter Pan
45 minutes for Its a Small World
25 minutes at Teacups

When one has to spend their time dodging strollers and electric wheelchairs, it really takes the fun out of it.

Wow..we were there Nov 25th to Dec 2 and had the exact opposite experience. It was empty.

We purposfully went to mk on the party day and cast night (430).

I wrote this on another post, but we originally had a 3 day hopper and upgraded to 4 as soon as we heard about the 430 day. Perfect day to go.

We were there 9 to 4. Fp made the day before for tink, cinderella, and jungle cruise. We proceeded to walk on or fast pass:
Carousel
Magic carpets
Splash
Little cars
Dumbo
Haunted mansion
Ariel meet
Small world
Pooh and tigger
Peter pan

We made the splash mountain fp for noon while riding carpets at 11:55. We made the Peter pan one late afternoon.

All mountains, snow white and Peter pan had fp available ALL day. We even had an entire dining room to ourselves at Pecos billa

It was similar on Tue as Well.

Only crowd all week for us was Thursday evening epcot...but even that wasn't bad.

Understand early day is not for everyone, but it was truly awesome! Our kids are still a little freaked about fireworks...so we never do those anyway. We enjoyed the seas and met Santa at epcot instead

We could have done even more, but harder with little ones and potty breaks, diaper changes, rider swaps etc. Def reco party days if you don't mind missing the night stuff.

 

[Shanti]

When is a reasonable time to visit?

July (away from Independence Day) has very reasonable crowds.

 

[Shanti]

I have been wondering what is with the stroller hate on here. I'm sure there are aggressive stroller drivers just like car drivers but it seems people get really angry that they're even allowed. Kids might enjoy Disney World too

The sensation of a stroller ramming into your ankle can create less than affectionate feelings, as can the sight of healthy-looking 8 & 9 year-olds being chauffeured through the parks in them...So those kinds of things lead to stroller antagonism, along with the fact that they're bigger than ever and clutter up already-crowded walkways.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't use strollers, but there are reasons why others don't enjoy having lots of them around.

 

[Joed88]

Just back as well and I thought the crowds were ok. Epcot got a little crazy Saturday night but still had a blast. Perfect weather all weekend.

 

[dosekies]

It's interesting--we were there 11/23 (Thanksgiving) through 12/2 and just got home yesterday. We really did not feel the parks were overly crowded nor were wait times long. We also got plenty of Fast Pass availability. Granted, we went for my grandson's second birthday and were more focused on the kid's rides but DH and I went on our own to MK on Black Friday for EE. We were on and off 7DMT by 8:15 and had also ridden Peter Pan, Buzz, Philharmagic, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, and Pirates all by 10:00 and we left for the morning. We also hit MK on the party days and noticed crowds were pretty low.

The only thing we skipped due to it being ridiculously crowded to even get on the monorail was Epcot on the night MK closed at 4:30 (11/30). We were going to head over and, when I saw the monorail line, we decided it was a good night to stay in.

Our expectations were pretty low as to what we could accomplish in any given day and we did spend a lot of time stopping to accommodate a little one. But we were pleasantly surprised compared to what I'd been expecting.

I agree. I was there Thanksgiving through 12/1 and was pleasantly surprised by the crowds and waits. The further from Thanksgiving it got the better things seemed to get and we were able to get so much done! Wait times didn't seem absurd - I don't think we waited longer than 30 minutes for anything all week - and there was lots of FP availability!

 

[MomtothreeEs]

We just got home this evening from the same travel period. I researched everywhere about when to go, and the week after Thanksgiving was recommended in many many places. But it was awful! So much more crowded than I had expected. I followed the advice on touring plans pretty carefully, and the crowd levels were simply higher than had been predicted. Like MK was a 5 instead of 3 one day and 9 instead of 6 another. Obviously that can happen with PREDICTIONS, but it was still disappointing considering we could have gone to Disney World at basically any time of the year. We definitely managed to have a good time (I’m glad I had worked so hard for fastpasses and touring plans), but I wish we had waited until January to go. The Christmas stuff was fun and festive, but I would have preferred fewer crowds. It’s really not as fun when I’m fighting crowds. And I swear there were a zillion more scooters this time!