Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[TexanInTheMidwest]

Holy cow, it's absolutely nutso that for what you pay for a VIP tour, they don't include ROTR!

I have done ROTR on a VIP tour one time. We all had to have our boarding group already (as in the VIP Tour Folks didn't reserve it for us, we were responsible for securing on our own just like everyone else.

And because tours are usually planned out for the most "bang" for the bucks you're spending, you have to be able to pivot, change your plans, and arrive at DHS within the hour your boarding group is called.

One of the main reasons ROTR is not included in the VIP tour is that if it goes down, you lose valuable tour time. And, since it goes down often enough, that's too big of a risk.

As much as it seems like a let down, it's really a huge waste of time to try and do ROTR during a tour due to all of this.

 

[Orion Nebula]

Last week was busy due to a holiday, and I would expect that's overflowed some to this week, as well. I've been on this thread multiple times reporting my experiences during slow times as have others - but you'd need to scroll way back to get those.

So here's the thing:
Any holiday period is going to be busier and feel more crowded than a non-holiday time.
We are rolling out of one of the slowest seasons and into one of the busier seasons: WDW from Feb through July is busier overall than late Aug, Sept, or Jan.
Weekdays are less busy than weekends. Often by a LOT.
The last couple hours parks are open - particularly on weekdays - are often much less crowded overall.

So when you read about crowds and congestion, you have to also consider the time that reporter was visiting.

Out of a total of 12 days spent in parks over 4 trips since Aug., only twice did I feel some crowding was too much for my risk-averse comfort. And in both cases, I was easily able to avoid it, or move past it quickly. I've not once bumped into anyone other than my family member.

Yes, lines are physically long, because they have to have 6' between parties. Long does not necessarily mean a long time to wait, though. The longest attraction wait time I've had was 30 minutes, and that was only because there was a cleaning cycle.

I drive, so I can't comment on buses, etc.

I've had no issue whatsoever with mobile ordering.

There are things not open that I wish were, and there are attractions I won't do because I'm not comfortable with them, and I won't eat indoors or use WDW transportation, so it is fair to say I am doing less than I would be outside of a pandemic. But I've visited knowing that ahead of time, and went to WDW with realistic expectations. I really think doing that makes all the difference in the experience!

I hope this is helpful!


I try to order a little early - an hour or so ahead of when I want to eat. Maybe I eat at off times (12pm for lunch, 5-6pm for dinner), but I haven't had a problem yet.

Thanks for this post. I have not only been worried but also trying to figure out why the past week in particular has been so bad. But it makes sense that there could be an overflow situation going on. Due to Presidents day week having notoriously higher crowds. Here's hoping no one wants to go the next two weeks just prior to spring break. lol

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

When we talk weekday crowds vs weekend crowds, is Friday considered a weekend? Trying to figure out which parks to do on Friday if that seems to be the consensus slower day than a Sunday.

I would consider Friday a "weekend" day when comparing weekday vs weekend crowds. I also think crowds can build throughout Friday and are less likely to tail off at the end of the day.

On the "SFF 1-5 scale" of crowds across a week with no holidays or anything special going on:

1 - Tuesday​

1 - Wednesday​

​

2/3 - Monday (also dependent on weekend travel patterns and weather)​

2/3 - Thursday (also dependent on weekend travel patterns and weather)​

​

4 - Fri - and building throughout the day​

4 - Sun - tailing off later in the day​

​

5 - Sat - steady all day​

And I should also add that these are absolutely relative to the overall crowd levels for that week. So for example - a late Feb crowd will be higher than a late Jan crowd overall, etc.

 

[wilkydelts]

I think the main point I as well as other try to make about the 35% is that it may be too high given what the crowds have looked like recently. It's not so much crying over it, it's more about being somewhat critical. I know when many people booked they did so "thinking" that the capacity limits would make their trips safer. But that of course was based off other people's earlier pandemic experiences. Which means no one got to see what a 35% park looked like until recently. And now that we can clearly see what it looks like at max capacity it causing some people concern. This was obviously due to being short sighted, ignorant, whatever. I am just personally a bit let down as I get in on Saturday, but I am just going to hope for the best.

I respect and understand that. That's where Disney has to do what's best for Disney and a family has to do what's best for their family. That may mean some people won't and should not visit now.

 

[Orion Nebula]

I would consider Friday a "weekend" day when comparing weekday vs weekend crowds. I also think crowds can build throughout Friday and are less likely to tail off at the end of the day.

On the "SFF 1-5 scale" of crowds across a week with no holidays or anything special going on:

1 - Tuesday​

1 - Wednesday​

​

2 - Monday​

​

3 - Thursday​

​

4 - Fri - and building throughout the day​

4 - Sun - tailing off later in the day​

​

5 - Sat - steady all day​

And I should also add that these are absolutely relative to the overall crowd levels for that week. So for example - a late Feb crowd will be higher than a late Jan crowd overall, etc.

Why are Mondays less crowded than Thursdays?

 

[2vets]

Holy cow, it's absolutely nutso that for what you pay for a VIP tour, they don't include ROTR!

Yeah, pretty much. But we did absolutely everything else. I sent them a wish list never thinking we’d do it all, but we did plus extra and double rides. It was fabulous.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Why are Mondays less crowded than Thursdays?

Somewhat anecdotal - you could argue that they're roughly the same to be honest. You could even potentially switch them or call them the same roughly. Perhaps they should be reversed if I think a little more about travel patterns.

Here's a chart of 2 Mondays and 2 Thursdays at the Magic Kingdom in the weeks leading up to the super bowl - the difference is almost negligible I'd say.

EDIT: Made an update based on the feedback/question - thanks!



Per their TOS, adding that graphs have been done at https://www.thrill-data.com/

 

[Orion Nebula]

Somewhat anecdotal - you could argue that they're roughly the same to be honest. You could even potentially switch them or call them the same roughly. Perhaps they should be reversed if I think a little more about travel patterns.

Here's a chart of 2 Mondays and 2 Thursdays at the Magic Kingdom in the weeks leading up to the super bowl - the difference is almost negligible I'd say.

View attachment 558918

Thanks for sharing that!

 

[Mr. X]

Has anyone stayed at the Poly DVC studios recently? I'm going to WDW the first week in May and I don't expect the Poly will be much more different then than it is now. AFAIK there's no monorail, no boats running, Ohana is closed, Trader Sam's is closed - it just doesn't seem like a robust Poly experience right now.

Boats are running

 

[Mr. X]

So what time should I do a mobile order if we want to eat lunch at noon? Same for dinner?

 

[BigOHawk]

So what time should I do a mobile order if we want to eat lunch at noon? Same for dinner?

I've read people 'order' early in the morning, then wait to click 'I'm here' about 15-20 min prior to arriving for food pickup.

 

[RunWI1265]

So what time should I do a mobile order if we want to eat lunch at noon? Same for dinner?

you can go into the MDE app at any restaurant with mobile ordering and see what times they have available for pick ups. That will give you an idea how busy they are. Also, keep in mind some places close earlier than park close. We tried placing an order for woodys lunchbox a little after 415 but there was no spots left + it closed at 5pm with a 7pm park close.

 

[dez1978]

Since we've been talking about the TP app, is there anyone who has used both TP plans AND the KTP ones? Have you found one to be better than the other?

 

[Gearbm95]

So are the TP wait times not accurate? There’s been people on here saying crowds are unbearable today, but the wait times on the app don’t look bad at all.

 

[HokieRaven5]

So are the TP wait times not accurate? There’s been people on here saying crowds are unbearable today, but the wait times on the app don’t look bad at all.

Wait times on apps like TP are estimations based upon historical data, at individual points in time during a day they can be inaccurate. The morning is probably the hardest to gauge on the apps which has been stated previously in this thread.

Towards the end of the afternoon they tend to be a little more accurate.

 

[emilymad]

An additional comment from my report. We usually travel in early May or August/September time frame. This week the parks felt more crowded then when we usually go. Not saying the the wait times are longer but it feels more crowded. In some areas the lines are filing both sides of a pathway with not much room to walk in between. It felt at times like “safety theater” just because people were not 6’ in front of you but were to the side of you. Is that truly safer? I am not saying that this is Disney’s intention but it is how it felt. There was just no places for people to go. They need shows and dining to open up.

 

[cdh]

What time would you need to get to the bus stop at the Contemporary to make it to rope drop at HS or AK? Is there an actual known rope drop time? The website says HS opens at 9.....what time are people actually getting into the park? What about AK?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I would say that Disney is expecting some large Spring Break crowds beginning the week of March 14-20 (probably to the surprise of nobody here).

Disney World Adds Nearly 100 More Operating Hours for Spring Break (blogmickey.com)

For those going then and in the weeks after through 4/10- or even 4/17 (as I'd assume more hours extensions are coming), I would continue to follow the best practices that many of us have outlined in this thread including:

• Plan to arrive at the parks an hour before their posted opening - be at the bus stop as much as 90 minutes before posted park opening to ensure you're on the first bus. Regardless of how busy the mid-day will be, with Disney's current "rope drop" procedure, you can have a very successful first 2 hours IF you are among the first to enter the parks.
• For early morning touring, consider limiting your walking. Chasing "short wait times" by walking back and forth across the park or traversing numerous lands might not be in your best interests. Make sure you know from recent DPs which rides operate before the park opens - some do not and you don't want to waste precious morning time waiting for a ride to open.
• You also might factor in "attraction length" when charting your plan. Rides like Soarin', Splash Mtn, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, iasw, MFSR, FoP, Safari, all take a longer time to experience. While they might be good "morning" priorities - they might not be your best first priorities due to how much of the "low crowd" window they eat up. Alternatively, things like 7DMT, PP, BTMRR, SDD, MMRR, Navi, and EE all have a relatively short overall experience time allowing you to move quickly to your next attraction in those precious morning hours. Basically, have a plan and balance these factors!
• For a better mobile order experience, snag your lunch window early (we ordered as early as 7am while waiting for the bus) and hit "I'm Here" as much as 15-30 minutes before you are actually there. Eating at off times also might improve your experience.
• With extended hours again available, consider the afternoon break to escape the heat and the busiest portion of the day (noon-4pm). Keep in mind that many extended lines are exposed to the sun and could be uncomfortable as temps in Florida get warmer in the next month.
• Wait times might show some relief as it gets later in the day BUT reports coming out of President's Day were that at times the relief never came (i.e. wait times remained "high-ish" all the way until park close). IF your family can't stay late AND make a next day rope drop, it might be in your best interest to prioritize tomorrow's rope drop.
• Saturday is almost guaranteed to be the heaviest crowd level day out of any 7 day span. Personally, I found Animal Kingdom to be a great Saturday park since we arrived early and were able to hit the 4 major rides (Navi, FoP, EE, Safari) before crowds built. Magic Kingdom is likely your worst bet on a Saturday. Epcot has a similar Saturday reputation but with far fewer things to do in Epcot, it seems easier to just hit some things and duck out of there too (similar to AK).

 

[GDubDIS]

For what it's worth, Passover and Easter fall at the same time this year and I know many school districts (at least in the northeast) alternate spring break schedules between these two holidays (ex: time spring break with Easter in 2020 and Passover in 2021). I did some quick scanning of school district calendars in the major public districts (New York, LA, Chicago, Houston, etc.) and almost every single one either had the full week leading up to April 4th off or at least the Thursday and Friday before. I'd imagine that's probably going to be a pretty busy week.

I'm tentatively planning on a few days at WDW the week of the 11th, so selfishly I'm hoping the worst of the crowds will be over by then, but it's definitelypossible a good chunk of folks will be doing extended trips at that point.

 

[scrappinginontario]

What time would you need to get to the bus stop at the Contemporary to make it to rope drop at HS or AK? Is there an actual known rope drop time? The website says HS opens at 9.....what time are people actually getting into the park? What about AK?

The recommendation many use is to arrive at the transportation stop of your resort 90 mins before park opening. Transportation won't be running then but it gets you closer to the front of the line once it does start running.