Should I go ahed with our Disney World trip over Easter
 

Hi,

I just finished making all bookings for a trip to Disney World (Mar 22-27).

After reading several threads I am getting increasingly apprehensive about the crowds. I hear that this year particularly will be horrendous due to Esater and spring break coinciding. Parks might close as early as 11 am due to being filled to capacity!

If this is the case, should I postpone the trip by a week or more? It will cost money to change the air tickets, but at least we will not have to deal with this kind of crowds. Or should I say "fortune favors the bold" and just go? Any thoughts on this?

Also, we are not going to be doing any of the thrill rides like Splash mountain etc. More along the lines of Peter Pan, Small world, Pirates etc. Does this make may difference in terms of crowds encountered?

We are staying at the Disney Polynesian. Are even guest at the Disney resorts turned away due to early closure of parks or this does not apply to resorts guests? I am hoping the latter.

Please help me decide.

Thanks

All i can say is that "Easter and Spring Break coinciding" is not new...not everyone takes Spring Break at the same time.

I think you should concentrate a lot MORE on the best ways to see all the attractions when there ARE crowds such as starting early, going to the very back of EPCOT first, etc.

Because you are staying onsight, closing the parks will have no impact on you.

Go early in the morning when the parks open, go left, leave about 11AM and spend some time at your pool or one of the water parks, and head back to the parks around 4ish and stay until closing.

It will be super crowded. As I mentioned on your other thread, Easter in early March this year is why I chose not to go during this time (my daughter's break is during Easter week).

I think it would be less crowded if you postponed the trip, but since Spring Break is not the same for all people - it can go into mid April I've read - how much the crowds will be lessened I'm not sure. Depends how long you're able to postpone.

If you decide to go ahead with your plans, I would advise to take advantage of the early morning entry - this would be a good time to get on the Fantasyland rides, which can have some serious lines.

Leave when it starts to get crowded, nap or do pool time at your hotel. Return in the late afternoon/early evening for a little bit.

Don't exhaust yourself by trying to fight the crowds and see/do every single thing.

>Easter in early March this year is why I chose not to go during this time<

what I meant to say is that Easter being early this year, in March.

need to preview before I hit post more often.

Look into the costs of postponing if you're 'increasingly apprehensive'. Do read this thread from tuleppy about a Disney trip at Christmas 07. Towards the end they posted a trip report that may help you with your decision!

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35094678

Easter week is the second busiest time of year (after Christmas week) and the parks are likely to close with capacity crowds. Personally, even with guaranteed entry I really would not want to be in a Disney park that is filled to capacity. We have older kids and they want to ride on everything without lining up for an hour or much much more.

The rides for smaller children also attract long lines/wait times especially ones like Dumbo which has very few seats and is slow to board and empty. Check the guide books for average wait times for the various rides in peak season.

Bottom line you could go and have a great time if you go with the attitude it's going to be busy and you're OK with long waits.

Be prepared to hit the parks early, take a long break in the middle of the day and return for the evenings.

If you really hate crowds postpone.

Many years ago (i think about 14) we did this with our kids, and did exactly what highflyer suggested. We went early before the crowds. Left midday when there were crowds and returned in the evening. We also stayed at the Polynesian which has a man-made beach (unless it's changed since then!). My kids were perfectly happy to return from the park and spend the afternoon on the beach and at the pool.

You don't mention your children's ages but I would strongly caution against taking anyone under 10 years old to Disney in March. We did it a few years ago with a 12 and 14 year old and the lines were 90-120 minutes for Small World, Peter Pan etc. With waits this long you are very limited in the number of attractions you can see in a day, breaks or no breaks. My daughter went with friends in January and the lines were just as bad. I think Disney is trying to make things more affordable so more people are going. If it doesn't cause too much trouble I would seriously consider changing your week. Those lines even got to me!

I would go. Not all schools have their school breaks centered around Easter. We went a few years on our children's April vacation which happened to coincide with Easter. We went early (to Universal) and bought two day passes. I think we went on a Friday and on Tuesday. It was crowded but not anything more than lots of places we've been. The Deerfield Fair in NH in September was much worse.

We went during Christmas of '07...busiest time of the year. Some advice: stay on-sight, use Disney transportation, have a laid back attitude, buy this book: Disney World with Kids and follow every piece of advice in it. 4 adults, 4 kids(two 7 years olds and two 11 year olds)...very little wait time when we followed the book's advice! I really cannot stress how great that book is! P.S. Be sure to ride Soaring at Epcot, even if you have to take turns sitting out with babies!

If you are still going that week, I highly recommend the book the Unofficial Guide to WDW. They have done research on how crowds move through the parks and how to best avoid long waits. They have different tear-out intineraries for each of the parks and for Magic Kingdom, a special plan if you are mostly with smaller children. Also reviews on each attraction by age group, thrill factor, and ability to make you sick.
I used the one for Disneyland 3 years ago and we went on the busiest day of the year (New Year's Eve) and hit all the rides with minimal wait times (<30 minutes). I will use the WDW book next week on our first trip there.

Based on what I have read, that is going to be an insane week. The parks most likely will close. If you can change, do so. If not, be really strategic about what you do...maybe Easter Sunday itself can be an "off day" where you stay at the resort and hang by the pool.

A couple thoughts. If you want to eat at any Disney restaurants, call NOW and make reservations. Most people started doing that 6 months ago.

Also, buy the Unofficial Guide or join Tour Guide Mike (www.tourguidemike.com) and get their touring plans and advice. Both are worth the money.

Learn about Fastpass and how to use that to your advantage so you don't have to wait in hours long rides.

Good luck.

YOu've gotten great adivce and I second the reccomendation for www.tourguidemike.com

Also, someone commented that parks closing won't affect you since you're staying on-site - I'm pretty sure that as an onsite guest you're only guarenteed entry to a Disney park , not neccesarily the one of your choice. SO if MK is at capacity they can let you into EPCOT and met their obligation. You should double check this but I didn't want you to go thinking the clsoings wouldn't affect you.

Also, I'm not sure I'd want to be allowed in a park that was at capacity - we love Disney and visit relatively often but at peak crowd levels it would lose a lot of appeal.

Have fun whatever you do!

Disney is always crowded. We were there one time when they closed the parks at 11:00. Talk about miserable. Just trying to watch a parade was a real effort. I don't know how "less crowded" it would at a later date. Since you are riding the "headliner rides" you might not be that badd off. Just go early mornings, and use the fast pass. Afternoons are then better off for waterparks or pool. You had better make any dining reservations now. You don't want to stand in line for that too. The more preparation you do the better off you will be no matter when you go. Have a pretty good idea of what you want to ride and where you want to go. You can still have plenty of time for spontaneous activities.

My sons and my husband and I are going to Disney the week before Easter. My sons are 19 and 20 and we have been to Disney before. What is the best way to see Universal or age appropriate sights? We are only there from Sunday the 16th to Tuesday the 18th.

We went during Thanksgiving week of last year. It was CRAZY crowded, but we followed Tour Guide Mike's advice to the letter and never waited more than 10-15 minutes for any ride. With that said, it takes a long time to digest Mike's advice, and you may not have enough time. If you're willing to spend $20 subscribing and put some time into it, you can always be one step ahead of the crowds.

I've went numerous times when it was not busy at all. Usually it was early or mid October. Once it was over Columbus Day week and they were waiting for us to come in so that there would be enough people to start etc.

I was at Magic Kingdom on Easter Sunday, 1985. It was my high school senior trip during spring break. It was crowded, but not unbearable. They had a special Easter parade.

If you are interested in the Fantasyland rides (Peter Pan, Dumbo, etc.), go to that area as soon as the park opens. It is the most crowded area of the park, and has some of the longerst lines due to the capacity and loading of those rides. Use fastpass as much as you can.

Disney=Crowded.

It used to be you could plan your travel to Disney for "down" times. I've read that even the down times are crowded. Since travel overseas is more costly and people don't have the passports they need, they are staying in the US.

The guidebooks help, and at least one of them will tell you to realize before you go, that you will visit again some time. You will not see everything in one trip.

It's a vacation for goodness sakes. If you despise lines as part of your personality, then don't go.

Otherwise, buy the hat and t-shirt, queue up and earn the right to be a Disney veteran.

here's another recommendation for tourguidemike.com. I've used his advice for a number of years now -- and paid every time for it. I find it is incredibly worth it!

His theory is that the majority of people 'zig', so you want to 'zag' to avoid the crowds. There are less crowded times (Sept, May, etc.) that his advice is less valuable since the crowds are more manageable. Having said that, his advice is spot on during crowded times. But still be ready for big crowds.

The problem with postponing your trip is that Spring Breaks occur all throughout April. The best times to go are just before or after school has started or will let out. For example, Sept. is a great time since kids have just started the school year and many are hesitant to have their kid miss the first/second week of school. Another great time is early May -- spring break is completed, but school is still in session - again, people don't want their child to miss the last few weeks, etc. I would think that would be a great time to go !

So... if you can postpone 'til May with a small penalty, it would probably be worth it from a crowd management perspective.

fyi - Disney also prices hotels based on peak times -- so whenever smaller attendance (historically) occurs, it is also cheaper to stay...

Hi All,

Thanks so much for your input. After agonizing over this for a couple of weeks, I finally decided that postponing the trip was the thing to do. Peak time crowds impact everything including lines at restrooms, food etc. and it is sure to stress me out. So I moved the trip by a week. Turns out that the prices are cheaper so it covered the penalty so I came not no worse off. Feeling quite relieved now!

when you re-schedule i would wait until after April 1st and here is why:

Disney has seasonal annual passes for Florida residents. It basically means we can go year round with a small back out window for a fixed cost.

The black out windows are the week before and after christmas, mid-june to mid-august for summer and end of march/early april for spring break.

The blackout dates are chosen because that is what disney defines as their peak times. If you go after the blackout dates have passed you should be fine. The blackout date ends 03/28 but that is a friday and you do not want to go that weekend because everyone with a pass has been waiting plus all the spring breakers have not left yet. Go the following week.

OMG, this thread is making me a bit...well, like I am already.

The wife wants to go to Disney in the last week of April. I of course, am looking for a good (any) reason to not go. Would you people offer an opinion as to the potential during that week for excessive crowding (more than around 79 people is a crowd btw).

In all seriousness, I would be grateful for your opinions about this during the last week in April, Thx.

Last week in april should be fine. Weekends always have some crowds, but much less than last week in March.

If you can, try to include a Tuesday-Wednesday in your trip.

Just back from a Presidents week trip; see my report for details.
It was not as busy as we expected it to be in the Magic Kingdom.
Use Fast Passes and go early.

Last week of April should be fine!

You should look at this program called RideMax - that is the only way I will go to Disney World or Disneyland - you can go and not have the lines:
http://www.ridemax.com/

we went during the same time frame a few years ago and I absolutley hated it!

I'm not sure you could pay my way to go back during spring break!

kdd,
I think you made a wise choice to reschedule. Glad it worked out for you. We, too, had scheduled during spring break and I also rescheduled to June. It will be a lot hotter then, but we needed more time.

I agree that anytime is crowded at Disney. However, you are playing the numbers game. Surely would be disappointing if you were locked out of the parks due to crowds.

I, too, recommend the Unofficial Guide. It does have a lot of handy tips. Simple things that can help you out. Crowds are a part of Disney, but using a bit of finesse on your part can really pay off in time!!

Also your weather will be more predictable in April. We have gone many times in March before and sometimes it is downright cold!!

Have fun!

Funny thing, but 'busy' is different for everyone. We went over Presidents weekend and thought it was crazy busy, whereas highflyer thought it was not too bad. The trick is to be at the park about 10 minutes before it opens and then do the rides that have no Fast Pass, like the Haunted House. It seems that Fantasy Land is always the busiest so I would go there after the Haunted House. The Fast Passes work great and you can avoid many hours of standing in line. We also noticed the lines would shrink whenever there was a parade or show.

Ilka, we were in Magic Kingdom on Tuesday of President's week so we missed the busy weekend. The weather cooled a little and staff in the park said it was quiet compared with Christmas week.

On the Monday and Wednesday we went to Sea World which is a lot less busy generally and we found it reasonably quiet on both days

Hi, My family and I went over Easter and it was GREAT!!! We stayed on the property, in the Polynesian Resort, so we got to go in early and stay late to different parks. We make sure when it was the hottest parts of the days to be in a show or a pool. And for Easter, they have the Easter Egg Hunts for different ages, try to get the Golden Egg, when we were there it was worthan all expense paid trip for a family of four. It was very crowded, but it did not matter {to us} and it was a ball. So yes, go at Easter. For our next trip, we wanna go at Christmas, and I know it will be crowded, but we do not care. After all, how mnay people can say they spebt a holiday at Disney?

Marshall

I know many have weighed in on your question already, but I wanted to share our great experience at Disney at spring break. We had no problems with crowds or lines, because Disney is a master at crowd control. They keep the lines moving so you aren't just standing there with whining restless kids.

Don't be apprehensive. If you decide to go, relax and enjoy time with the family!

>>Don't be apprehensive. If you decide to go, relax and enjoy time with the family!<<

If they went . . . it was <u>eight</u> years ago . . .

The only thing useful I can add is that you need to make good use of your privileges of staying at the Polynesian. Go to the Extra Magic Hours and plan everything in advance on the Disney app that you can, including your restaurant reservations, etc. Even your ride reservations. All this stuff now books up months in advance. That doesn't mean that you won't be able to get a last-minute reservation for dinner, but the more you can do as far in advance as possible the better. Now is the time for April.

We have been there several times over the Easter break and we hate crowds (go figure). Yes it's crazy busy. However, having been there in Feb and Nov, it was also busy then. As other posters have said, you MUST arrive early in the morning and have a plan for what to see first. You can print out a map of the park and figure out which rides you'll want to go on.
By arriving early I mean getting to Magic Kingdom about a half hour before it opens. Not when it opens. Then we usually go directly to Fantasyland and do the rides there, then go to Buzz Lightyear and anything else around that section. Use the train around the perimeter of the park to take you to the other side - it saves time, gives you a few moments to rest and you'll avoid crowds. Honestly, we've never waited in a line for very long (more than 20 mins) as long as we got there early.
Epcot is a bit more relaxing because there aren't as many rides, but book fastpass in advance if you want Soarin or the race car ride.
Sleeping in and having a leisurely morning is nice on vacation but it will literally backfire at Disney! Get up early and then relax in the afternoon. Enjoy.

OLD THREAD

Does it matter that it's an old thread? The information being offered is helpful.

I think it really depends on the cost and difficulty to postpone it.

I went on spring break a couple years ago. The vast majority of the country has school vacation those two weeks while in MA we have one week in February and one in April. We experienced massive crowds at Disney and long, long waits for any ride. At Animal Kingdom we were literally elbow to elbow with people in a huge crowd at times. And that was spring break without Easter.

That being said, it was still a nice trip. We had fun. It was just more challenging and stressful being packed in with so many people. We went in August last year and it was a far better experience.

It won't be much of an issue for us as our daughter grows because she is in school for those two weeks of US spring break, but even if I had the option I would not go to Disney again during that time. No matter what, however, I think you will still have a great trip.

>>Does it matter that it's an old thread? <<

Not really -- but people tend to miss the dates and think they are still helping the OP . . . as in >>I think you will still have a great trip.<<

The kids have finished elementary school, high school and two years of college since this trip was planned ;)