Yikes! The parks look packed (on the app)!

[Whistlebee]

Wow, Guardians FP’s are gone before noon. RSR was gone before 10:30. Pooh Bear and Little Mermaid are at 30 minutes.

Makes me scared for my trip next week that’s for sure!

 

[DLgal]

Wow, Guardians FP’s are gone before noon. RSR was gone before 10:30. Pooh Bear and Little Mermaid are at 30 minutes.

Makes me scared for my trip next week that’s for sure!

Next week will only be worse.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

We are going tomorrow and fully expecting big crowds. A lot of local kids have spring break this week.

 

[StarlitNight05]

Next week will only be worse.

Next week is it because of a combo of Dapper Days crowds (maybe toward the tail end of the week) and spring break combined? Or is there something else also going on?

 

[DLgal]

Next week is it because of a combo of Dapper Days crowds (maybe toward the tail end of the week) and spring break combined? Or is there something else also going on?

More school districts have next week off than this week. The following week, right before Easter will be the worst, most likely. My kids are off this week, but not many others are.

And yes, Dapper Day is a huge event.

 

[Whistlebee]

More school districts have next week off than this week. The following week, right before Easter will be the worst, most likely. My kids are off this week, but not many others are.

And yes, Dapper Day is a huge event.

Well, that’s depressing! I know the parks well and can often avoid the crowds but I don’t think I’ve ever been when it is THIS crowded. You can’t avoid the crowds when Fastpasses are already a 2 hour wait at 8:40 in the morning.

 

[Whistlebee]

We are going tomorrow and fully expecting big crowds. A lot of local kids have spring break this week.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[StarlitNight05]

Well, that’s depressing! I know the parks well and can often avoid the crowds but I don’t think I’ve ever been when it is THIS crowded. You can’t avoid the crowds when Fastpasses are already a 2 hour wait at 8:40 in the morning.

I'm a bit bummed too. I'll also be there next week. Sigh.. all we can do is wake up early for RD and hope for the best I suppose.

 

[alohamom]

Do you think people have moved up their planned trips to avoid the SWGE crowds?

 

[Whistlebee]

I'm a bit bummed too. I'll also be there next week. Sigh.. all we can do is wake up early for RD and hope for the best I suppose.

Yeah, I’m not gonna lie. I’m feeling pretty bummed right now. Taking my nieces who hardly ever go. Hopefully, it’ll be better than I’m fearing.

 

[midnight star]

Yeah this is partially why I’m going to wait until the last weekend of April to go back. After Easter...although it very well could be insane then too lol.

 

[DLgal]

Spring break is like this every year. Not sure why anyone is surprised. The parks are packed for about 6 weeks every spring between March and April. It doesn't slow down again until after Easter. In fact, Easter is always a super slow day, and one of our favorite days to go.

 

[briggscreek]

We're arriving today and I'm pretty bummed about the crowds. I knew it would be busier than usual, but the past couple days have looked crazy on the app. Hoping it will get a little lighter at the end of the week.

 

[briggscreek]

Spring break is like this every year. Not sure why anyone is surprised. The parks are packed for about 6 weeks every spring between March and April. It doesn't slow down again until after Easter. In fact, Easter is always a super slow day, and one of our favorite days to go.

I was hoping that it would be a bit more spread out with Easter so late this year. I've been watching the app for the last couple of weeks, i was expecting last week to be busier than it was. We'll do rope drop and get maxpass, but it's almost a waste when the fp are gone so early. My kids are way more optimistic than I am lol.

 

[avalon451]

Spring Break veteran here. Use Magic Morning/EE if available (or rope drop the opposite park if you don't have it), get to security an hour before your opening time at park, line up at gate 13 or 20 (at Disneyland, that is-- there are planters that block the lines at those gates and the lines tend to feed into them from adjacent lines, making them a shorter wait. But with any luck you'll be first or nearly first in whatever line). Yes... this means getting to security at or shortly after 6 a.m. with a 7 a.m. MM. Have a plan, use MaxPass to maximize your rides. Get out while the getting's good around 11 a.m. or noon. Keep stacking FPs for the evening. Come back after a long break/lunch/swim/nap at the hotel and see your shows and ride your FPs. With a plan, it's doable even on the worst days, as long as you're resolved to tour early in the day and get out of the parks in the hot, crowded middle of the day.

 

[Disney127]

Spring Break veteran here. Use Magic Morning/EE if available (or rope drop the opposite park if you don't have it), get to security an hour before your opening time at park, line up at gate 13 or 20 (at Disneyland, that is-- there are planters that block the lines at those gates and the lines tend to feed into them from adjacent lines, making them a shorter wait. But with any luck you'll be first or nearly first in whatever line). Yes... this means getting to security at or shortly after 6 a.m. with a 7 a.m. MM. Have a plan, use MaxPass to maximize your rides. Get out while the getting's good around 11 a.m. or noon. Keep stacking FPs for the evening. Come back after a long break/lunch/swim/nap at the hotel and see your shows and ride your FPs. With a plan, it's doable even on the worst days, as long as you're resolved to tour early in the day and get out of the parks in the hot, crowded middle of the day.

Totally agree! We did this same thing. We were at the parks from March 21-29 and each day got busier. On one of the days, all the FP ran out in DCA by around 2 according to the App. MaxPass was great and we got to ride our favorites mulitple times - ride first thing in the morning and FP for later at night. We usually find DCA less crowded but with the Food and Wine Festival going on, the pathways were quite busy.

 

[StarlitNight05]

I was hoping that it would be a bit more spread out with Easter so late this year. I've been watching the app for the last couple of weeks, i was expecting last week to be busier than it was. We'll do rope drop and get maxpass, but it's almost a waste when the fp are gone so early. My kids are way more optimistic than I am lol.

I guess that was my thinking too. I think I forgot that last year Easter was so early. We also went in mid-April last year for Spring Dapper Days, and it wasn't terrible at all (but maybe that's because it was after Easter last year).

But I'm prepared for big crowds. We went during Thanksgiving and Black Friday last year and were still able to do everything we wanted. A busy day at Disneyland is still better than any normal day.

Hope you have a great time regardless!

 

[Whistlebee]

So, what does this mean for general walking around. Are the crowds shoulder to shoulder most of the day? Just trying to figure out what I should expect. I really do consider myself an expert at park touring and wouldn’t normally have picked this time of year to go but our AP’s expire in 3 weeks and all of a sudden it’s possible to take my nieces so these are the dates that worked. I’m good at managing wait times but again I’ve never been with these level of crowds before.

I have gone on Easter Day and the days following and yes it was very manageable. Couldn’t make those dates work this time tho.

 

[Whistlebee]

Spring break is like this every year. Not sure why anyone is surprised. The parks are packed for about 6 weeks every spring between March and April. It doesn't slow down again until after Easter. In fact, Easter is always a super slow day, and one of our favorite days to go.

Lol, I guess I was in denial!!! I guess my excitement over finally getting to go with my nieces made me forget about Spring Break crowds! I’ve been in late April a few times. I guess I didn’t realize going a couple of weeks earlier would make that big of a difference. Oops.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

So, what does this mean for general walking around. Are the crowds shoulder to shoulder most of the day? Just trying to figure out what I should expect. I really do consider myself an expert at park touring and wouldn’t normally have picked this time of year to go but our AP’s expire in 3 weeks and all of a sudden it’s possible to take my nieces so these are the dates that worked. I’m good at managing wait times but again I’ve never been with these level of crowds before.

I have gone on Easter Day and the days following and yes it was very manageable. Couldn’t make those dates work this time tho.

We go at crowded times frequently since we come from northern California and have had to work around school schedules for years. We were there Thursday-Saturday last week and while crowds were not terrible for spring break, we did experience some of that shoulder to shoulder feeling on several occasions throughout the day when walking the main corridor in DCA. I feel that the closure of the Bugs Land thruway combined with the popularity of the Food and Wine Festival combined with the walls along part of the main corridor makes for a really crowded feeling.

You have been given lots of good tips so follow them. Maxpass is really very helpful. Many times during our most recent visit, I found times offered in the app that we wouldn't have gotten at the kiosks. You do have to pay attention to the clock and book each fastpass as soon as possible if you want to maximize usage. This isn't necessarily a habit that a regular AP visitor has gotten into which is why I'm pointing it out since you are taking less frequent visitors with you. Also, I would say to hop a lot. We were willing to move back and forth frequently between the parks throughout the day, and that combined with Maxpass helped us hit all the headliners.