Current plan for our Jan trip include:
Starting to worry about the CL-9 at AK. Should I swap the two?
Are those 2 points at AK a game changer? Should I wait and see? It’ll mess up our ADRs but I might be able to modify.
Right now TP is using historical data to predict those crowd levels. They will adjust right up to a few weeks before you go. You still have time to decide. I got a TP e-mail just this morning adjusting the CL and times for a trip planned in 38 days.
FYI – A common misconception about Crowd Levels is that they are an indicator of the number of people in each park. However, they are an indicator of average queue waits at the park.
A CL 1 can feel like a CL 4 in terms of park capacity, but the queues may be moving quickly. Conversely, you can be in a CL 9 park that feels like a CL 5 because the streets aren’t packed. However, all the queues are super long.
AK is the one park where I am highly influenced by CL, and when possible I will swap to a lower CL whenever there is one that I can work into my plans. AK feels crowded even when it’s not and so when CLs are up it’s even moreso. Granted, CLs reflect wait times not numbers of people in the park but in reality there is some degree of correlation there.
If you can make it work, I would probably do it, especially at those high levels.
Thank you! I’ll see what I can do from an ADR standpoint before switching.
We are traveling with small children, so no FOP or EE for us at AK. We’re also staying nearby so if we stick with Monday, we’ll get their early, take a break in the afternoon, and come back for our reserved ROL show. That might help battle the crowds, although it sounds like just walking from Point A to Point B on a busy day is difficult at AK.
100% agree with that. What ADRs are you needing to modify? some are easier than others an that might help us advise you.
Mondays mornings are usually 8am to 9am EMH for AK, and Tuesday is normally 9-11pm EMH for EP.
If you’re not going to take advantage of those Extra Magic hours, I suggest switching to avoid the On Site crowds that are attracted to those parks because of EMH…