I understand that the CL estimates waits at the top attractions at peak time and that it is a range of possible waits. But are all 10s considered equal as far as waits, feel, ability to do other stuff?
We have gone during “slow” times in the past (usually week before or after Thanksgiving week) and always breezed through touring. Last year we went during our spring break which was CLs7-8 mostly and it was noticeably more crowded but we still did everything we planned and more. Our next family trip is looking to be spring break 2019 but crowds are predicted 10s almost the whole week. Well at least the crowds can’t increase over the next few months -lol. It’s not Easter or Christmas or even Thanksgiving but still the levels are very high for several weeks around that time. Any advice or help about what this really means is appreciated!
Short answer: no, not all CL 10s are created equal.
In past discussions on this either @len or one of the stats boffins mentioned that the Christmas 10s are animals unto themselves and possibly deserve their own category. The thing to remember here is that the CLs do not determine the wait times in the model - rather it is the predicted wait times that determine the CL. Therefore, any wait times above a certain threshold equate to CL 10, and this can theoretically be a wide range of times. My suggestion was to take the Spinal Tap approach and make them 11s:
We were there over Easter this year, and our crowd levels were very high, 8-10’s. It was fine, we did everything we wanted and more. The key is having good plans, well timed FPP and refreshing a lot for the 4th, 5th, etc. Also dining packages help a ton with the night shows. We also take a break most days to get away from the crowds for a bit. The 10 days did not bother me at all, yes it was crowded but if you have a plan you will do great.
That’s encouraging-glad you had a great trip. I didn’t expect 10s during multiple weeks in March for Spring Break when we planned to go since Easter isn’t then so I’m a little freaked out. Good tip about dining packages–I will look into that and factor into our ddp decision.