Anxiety - Spring Break trip

[bapcap]

Planning a Spring Break trip next year and I’m having lots of anxiety! We will be a family of 5 adults, 1 child (9) and since 2 of us are teachers, this is the only time that they can get away. Summer will not work for us due to the heat and humidity.
I’m stressing because this trip will be pretty $$$ and if the crowds will be horrendous, I don’t know that we’ll enjoy ourselves. I just want the trip to be worth it.
Please help with any suggestions/tips to follow...THANK YOU

 

[rteetz]

Spring breaks are often spread out. Not everyone has the exact same break. So while yes it will be crowded it won’t be crazy not able to move type crowded. Just plan ahead of time, Book Fastpasses, rope drop, etc. and you’ll be fine.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Crowds are as bad as you make them. I know that sounds silly but it's true. If you go expecting huge crowds and make a touring plan, schedule "must do" FP+ and take mid day breaks it's going to be a fun trip. Morning are lighter crowds so you can get a lot of rides done. Also if your not interested in the parades, the lines are shorter for rides while everyone else is watching.

 

[J.Asaro]

I just had some wonderful people on here give me the pep talk I needed,Bc I had anxiety about crowds during our upcoming October trip..so I want to pay it forward and encourage you to take the trip! Disney is always crowded, yes some times worse than others, but like others have said have a plan. Definitely book FP’s, try to get to parks early to get stuff done quicker, take midday breaks, and go back to the parks in the evenings, or do something else. You’ll be fine! Book the trip, have a blast and make some amazing memories.

 

[SarahC97]

A solid touring plan can overcome any crowd level. We were there in January and even though there were holy crap crowd moments, we went on everything we wanted and didn't wait long in the process. Just pack your patience and you'll be fine!

 

[epcotobsessed]

"Worth it" is totally relative. I have many friends who think I am nuts for going to Disney as often as I do. To them, even one trip might not be "worth it." For me, clearly, it is, and that's because we do the vacation our way. For us, that means showing up before rope drop most days, staying about four hours, going back to the hotel for rest and pool, and going back to the parks for a couple hours in the evening about 50% of the time (the other 50% we stay at the hotel and enjoy the entertainment - we almost always stay at Beach Club/Yacht Club and they have movies on the beach, the Boardwalk has a magician and acrobat/entertainer, etc) Some people spend all day every day in the park and not doing so would not be "worth it" to them. I am bothered by big crowds and we leave when the crowds get too big - what "too big" means is different for everyone. My point in all of this is that Disney has something for everyone and you can make your Disney vacation perfect for you. You should plan as much as you can ahead of time with FPs and ADRs and be willing to change any of them once on site if you feel differently that day.

 

[Kip Herner]

We went the week of Easter in 2017 and expected it to be totally crazy. While it was very busy, Disney is very good at handling people. As long as you get there early, you can get a lot of rides in before the crowd hits. I actually think it was busier at the resort than at the parks.

 

[Karin1984]

If you want it to be 'worth it' you first have to define for yourself what makes the vacation worth it. If you know what your goal is, so to speak, you can look for ways to achieve that. Most likely your goal for your vacation is to have a good time with your family, and how you achieve that is up to you be realistic about what happens if you don't achieve a certain part of your plans. Would not doing a ride, or missing a show, or not going to a specific restaurant truly influence your 'worth it'?

For your anxiety, think about what is it you need if your anxiety is getting to you. What would you do if it happens during your every day life? Do you need some time alone, or just sit and rest. If music gets you back to Earth, make sure your phone/ipod is charged and filled with your favorite music and a pair of headphones.
What I experienced usually helps, is to make a list of all the situations that might make you anxious and what you can do about it. Then you have a plan. And something to add is the probability something might happen. The things with the highest probability need a plan the most. Like an agry mob in the morning running all together to FoP. You can avoid the mob, by having a fast pass later in the day, or let the crowd pass and accept a little longer wait in standby, go to the ride during the evening show etc. every situation can be tackled in several ways. The more solutions you find, the better.

You are with 5 adults and 1 child. So, there will always be someone to look after the child (not sure if it's your child), so that shouldn't be something to worry about.

Also, discuss it with the others, if they know what you might be going through / are anxious to face certain situations, they might be able to help you, by just holding your hand, or talking to you, whatever you need. But you need to be the one to be open about it for them to help you. Even when they know you are an anxious person, it doesn't hurt to remind them.

 

[KenHutch]

We just got back and several days the crowd level was 8 and 9 and we still managed to have a ton of fun. As others have said get there before rope drop and schedule those rides you really want on fast pass early. Even on crowd level 9 days at Magic Kingdom we managed to get 4th and 5th fast passes in the evening. And take those wait times with a grain of salt to. On one of our Magic Kingdom days the level was listed as 9 and was very crowded. Everyone went back to AKL to hit the pool except me. Haunted Mansion and PoTC were listed as 55 and 60 minute waits but I was alone so I was cool with it. The actual wait times were 25 and 30 minutes long. I noticed that on a lot of rides and after that I had a nice afternoon waiting on the girls by hitting rides that don't feel the love of the more popular ones. In 4 hours I hit CoP, The People Mover, Haunted Mansion, PoTC, The Hall Of Presidents, Buzz Lightyear, Country Bears Jamboree and Jungle Cruise. Of all when Jungle Cruise says 45 minutes it meant it. You can have a lot of fun even when its packed.

 

[chiisai]

We’ve done week before Easter twice.

Rope drop and EMH, noon to ate afternoon pool/nap/rest breaks, then evening back at park or other activity = great time.

Sourcerers of the MK is fun to do if you need a break from lines.

MK is the only place I felt overwhelmed; by 11:30am it felt insanely crowded. We would eat lunch at table service and then maybe ride one more thing and head out (I found that the dark room with the magic rose in BoG to be a lovely place to relax and cool down).

 

[My2Qtz0205]

We have also been in the days leading up to Easter. Hopefully you are staying on-site so you can take advantage of EMH. We got a lot done in that hour. We also got Park Hoppers and took a midday break. Avoid MK on Easter Sunday. We did Epcot instead and it felt much more spread out.

 

[JenluvsDisney]

My husband is also in education so I feel your pain, OP! But, as a wise G.I. once noted, "Knowing is half the battle." If you know it's going to be crowded and plan for it (and I echo all the tips of the previous posters!), you'll still have a wonderful trip. I feel more sorry for the people who aren't aware of how crowded the parks can get and haven't hit rope drop, gotten their fastpasses, and made their restaurant reservations well in advance.

There are some positives of going during a busy time, though, one being that there tends to be very little ride refurbishment scheduled. Disney needs a place to put all the people so they need as many rides as possible to be open, meaning you're way less likely to miss out on an old favourite attraction due to regularly scheduled maintenance. Rides are also operated at near-full capacity (which doesn't always happen during slower seasons) and the parks tend to have longer hours.

We've gone to Disney World several times during Spring Break and during Summer Break and have always had a great time and have always booked a return trip! If you stay organized and go into the parks with realistic expectations I'm sure you'll have an amazing vacation!

 

[gharter]

Have been there over Spring Break and it is very crowded.
Just plan for it and expect it and it will be fine.
Getting your ADRs and FPs are critical to the trip going well.
Read about how to best use FPs, modifying them and getting more.

 

[TheConsciousness]

Like Karin said, define how your family will have fun. If you define 'fun' as riding every single ride, you're going to be disappointed. If you take your time to take in all of the sights and sounds, while riding all of the rides that you can, you'll have a great time.

When we went in February, we didn't wait 30+ minutes for any ride, although most rides WERE 30+ minute waits. We took what we could get through FastPass+, waited for wait times to lower, shopped, and ate in between. Had a wonderful time, knowing that there will always be another time to ride those rides again.

 

[Day-Day]

There are many variables that can affect crowd size including spring breaks. There are also many variables that can affect the accuracy of this Spring Break Poll for 2019 but I think it is interesting as it gets more input from the disboard crowd.

We are now looking at going to WDW the week of March 25, 2019. We have not visited during a spring break in a long time. The last spring break visit we had years ago was more crowded than our visits at the end of May so we started waiting until school ended in May when visiting with kids.

The weeks definitely vary over the spring break time period. We visited during a low-crowd spring break week which spoiled us and our following spring break visit was a little bit of a shock as far as being very crowded.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I don't know what week you are thinking but we just went over Easter break this year

I'll be honest, the crowds were horrendous. It is downright unpleasant walking around the parks, MK especially. But once you get into the rides, obviously, it's fine and fun.

The good thing is the weather is usually lovely so that helps a lot.

And get up early and hit rope drop. It really only got super crowded around 11 am or so

Worth is a separate issue and is very individual. Was the trip worth it to us in terms of the money we spent and how much that money means to us? No. But we still had fun

 

[GeneralTso]

I now equate spring break with summer. As in, NO! The crowds are beyond tolerable (for us) so since we have scheduling flexibility, we avoid it.
Some spring weeks aren't as bad as others, do some research and figure out what those weeks are. At least the weather isn't as brutal in the spring.

If your group is the rope drop to get a jumpstart type, you can avoid some insane lines. Fastpass is the key.

 

[JennyDrake]

Rope drop is your best friend! Be there at rope drop with breakfast in your belly and ready to go. Use FP+ for late morning, noonish, go back for midday break and swim, then return around 4:30 or 5. It IS going to be crowded, and your outlook will determine whether you have fun or not. Again, you can get a lot done EARLY in the day.

 

[Gussie Granger 1969]

We’ve been in March, April, May and February and no matter the crowd levels, we’ve always had a blast. I think one of the the best attitudes to have is to not expect your trip to be perfect. Just shrug your shoulders and move on to the next thing.
My formula for a great trip no matter what time of year: rope drop + good fastpasses + a few special events + anytime rides when lines get long + a good attitude = a great time

 

[twodogs]

I've read the thread and almost everyone is very positive. I will give my opinion, which will not be in the majority. We go to WDW and DL several times each year, all different times of year. We even went the week before Christmas in 2017. Spring Break 2017 was by far the worst experience we've had at WDW. We rope drop, FP in advance, "refresh" for FPs, book dining in advance, stay on site, etc. But in 2017, our spring break fell in March, during a freak cold front that had high temps in the 40s in Orlando (in March!!). They closed the water parks, so those people who planned to be at the water parks flooded the regular parks during that week. Transportation was horrendous, with us waiting over an hour several times to get a bus back to AKL (and not even at park closing). Bathrooms were a mess, people were everywhere.

I vowed on that trip that I would never step foot on a Disney bus again, and I haven't (we've done 4-5 more trips since last March). This single change has made crowds incredibly more tolerable to me. I know how to navigate the parks, use FP etc, but the buses are just mind-numbing. We use Lyft, Uber, or a Minnie Van (or our feet when we stay at BC!), and crowds don't get to me as much.

Yes, you can have a great time at crowded times, but you may not. As others have said, plan, set your priorities, and consider alternative transportation so that you don't end a crowded hectic park day with a frustrating one-plus hour wait for a packed bus!!