Seeking a little reassurance… or perhaps a bit of reality…
I’ve done July 3 in Magic Kingdom. I’ve done MLK weekend with CL10s across the board…
This year Spring Break falls on the week leading up to Easter… so I’m doing EP, DHS, and MK at the start of that week. Anyone with some comparable insight on what these CL10s are going to look/feel like?
We just survived Christmas to New Year week when we are used to low level crowds. With good planning and slightly lowered expectations of what we could do, it was very manageable.
We did our Spring break leading up to Easter in 2017 and it wasn’t too bad. No where near as busy as Christmas week.
I did it last year and am doing it again this year - honestly a good plan, doing rope drop and FPs and we were fine. My only long wait last year was FEA For 45 min - we did Epcot on arrival day (so no rope drop) and had TT FP so no choice. Otherwise we worked the FPs and had a great time.
We did the week before Easter two years ago. Before that we did the week between Xmas and New Year twice, and last year we went on Thanksgiving. To me spring break somehow felt the most crowded. The hours were kind of short and the parks were quite busy in the morning. We had hoppers and used the strategy of booking FPs in the afternoon, but I regretted that because by 10:30 lines were already pretty long and we couldn’t look for FPs. We’re going before Easter again this year. We have fastpasses booked for mornings and very loose plans in the afternoon. We’re only rope dropping HS, although we do have 3 days planned there to get FPs for each of the tier 1s. We didn’t feel that rope dropping (as in, planning to arrive 30-60 min before opening) was worth it for us given how quickly the parks got busy…
We went Spring Break last year but not abutting Easter but still CL 9-10s depending on day and park. RD and a plan were still a winner. I’d say that the afternoons were unpleasantly crowded. I’ve been over Thanksgiving week but never Xmas/New Years for comparison. It was warm near 80 for highs so not too hot so most people probably didn’t leave for pool breaks. Even though we long for the days of our November trips where waits were non-existent (pre-2012), we still had a wonderful time. Just schedule waits for things other than rides, like transport, snack carts, shows, etc. and you will be ahead of the game.
DW is a teacher, so we can only go when the parks are most crowded. We went spring break four years ago and with the better weather we had a MUCH better time than when we went in June. Also, we are staying on site this year and taking advantage of the 60 day FPP window. Last time by 30 days out, all the good stuff was gone.
I feel like with the right planning, everything is manageable. Regardless of how crowded the parks get, I’ve got three rides, fun restaurants, and if all else fails a fun pool to do every day guaranteed. You’ll be fine.
We’ve only been during Spring Break. While last year was an uptick from previous years, honestly, plan, get your FPs, do RD and enjoy. It seems things are worst (most crowded) duing the afternoons, so if you’re on site, take a break. If not, find some easy-going things to do during that time - a show or relaxing.
Know your plan. The times used to be better than on the plan, but I found they were longer last year. Maybe adjust your walking speeds and see how that plays out in your plan.
Know your options. If you have to drop, what will it be? How long can you be late for an item on your plan before it’s wait time makes it worth moving to later in the day?
What are your alternatives for rides that are down? Do you have a plan B? This is important, especailly at RD. For example, last year our EPCOT day was to start with TT. We power-walked over and watched for the CMs who would notify us if there was an issue. Sure enough, I spotted a CM telling people TT was down, so we just kept walking to Frozen. No standing there wondering what to do, I just knew what my plan B was and continued on.
We had a great time… always do, but my family does RD to about dinnertime and then it’s pool time, so that’s a hard day. We are ready to leave all the crowds behind by 5pm, for sure.
I’ve done it twice…once our Spring Break coincided with Easter and another time it didn’t but it lined up with Canada’s spring break, bike week at Daytona, and something else going on.
Both times were very crowded but still really enjoyable and we had a great trip.
For me, big crowds + no heat vs low crowds + heat is a no brainer. I get WAY more done in the low heat times regardless of crowds.