January 2009. . . Calling all Snowbirds ~ Part V

[mana_liz]

Originally Posted by jenjolt

Actually I only met one!! Somehow I couldn't remember if I was supposed to call Kayte or she call me LOL!!! (I should have just called) and I didn't see anyone at the Haunted Mansion at midnight!!

However I did get to spend time with Kim and her family (NorthernDisneyGirl) and that was fabulous it was so great to finally meet her and talk to her for awhile, we met up twice!!!

I tried to make it by midnight, but our Peter Pan ride took a little too long. I got in line at 12:05, I just missed you.

[jenjolt]

Originally Posted by mana_liz

I tried to make it by midnight, but our Peter Pan ride took a little too long. I got in line at 12:05, I just missed you.

Oh No!! I should have waited a few more minutes than!!! AWWWW...and yes Peter Pan was crazy the entire time I was there...holy moly!!!!

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Originally Posted by debbieandroo

I'M BACK!


I was disappointed in just how crowded it was - zowie! Epcot was packed on Friday [evening EMH], DHS was slow during Saturday morning EMH but picked up pretty quickly by early afternoon and MK was packed that evening - throngs of people. AK was busy on Sunday but the lines were fairly quick [and we had the added bonus of the birthday fast passes] and MK was busy, too. Monday was the first day that, back at Epcot, I thought - 'these look like what I would have thought January crowds would have looked like.' Tuesday was still pretty busy at DHS and MK -- I guess the secret is out about the low crowds for January!

We were disappointed in the crowds too. Never expected that for January. Honestly our May trips have been less crowded.

We arrived on Tues the 20th. We went to MK around 3:15 or so. It was packed. We got on one ride before our 5:30 dinner. After dinner we went back to MK for Wishes. Wall to wall people.

Wed the 21st - the only day we experienced low crowds. We were at MK from open until we left for dinner around 5:00. Got a lot done, some lines were still long, but nothing like we saw the night before.

Thur the 22nd - DHS WOW!! If they continue to only show Fantasmic 2 nights a week we will definitely skip it and go to DHS another day. Everybody was at DHS Thursday. We were there from open to close and did not get to do everything. Luckily we ran to TSM at opening because that was the only time we got to ride it. The lines just to get fastpasses were humongous! Most waits were over an hour for the big attractions. We even waited 30 minutes for Star Tours. That ride is always a walk on.

Fri the 23rd - We got to AK just after opening. The lines weren't too bad. We only do a few things at this park, so we were done by 1:00. I could see the lines and crowds were really picking up by then.

Sat the 24th - We went to MK for an early dinner at 4:30. I planned it that way so when we were done we could grab a spot on Main Street for Spectro. Well when we got out of the Plaza it was 5:45 and the streets were lined and packed already. Luckily I spotted a small spot and we grabbed it. We sat there and watched the crowds walking up and down Main Street for the next hour and 15 minutes. It was shoulder to shoulder.

Sun the 25th - We spent the day at the resort/DTD/Boardwalk. After dinner we walked over to Epcot around 5:45. It was packed!! We thought maybe we could do a couple of rides. Soarin said 60 minutes. TT said 30. We got in line for TT and waited over an hour. After that we just left.

Mon the 26th - We got to Epcot just after opening. It wasn't too bad at opening, it got more crowded as the day went on. We did get a lot done that day though.


Well there you have it - my crowd report. Wasn't really what we were expecting. I'm wondering if there is ever a slow time at WDW??? We did really enjoy the January weather though! It was nice to not be sweating the whole time we were there!!

Weather report -

Tues 20th - 55 and sunny. We froze that evening at Wishes!
Wed 21st - 51 and sunny. We froze that morning at MK, but it did make for lower crowds!
Thur 22nd - 64 and sunny. Chilly morning, nice afternoon.
Fri 23rd - 74 and sunny. Went swimming!
Sat 24th - 76 and sunny. Perfect!
Sun 25th - 78 and sunny. Perfect!
Mon 26th - 82 and sunny. Perfect!
Tues 27th - it was warm and partly cloudy when we got on the ME bus at 10:00am.

[coffeehousemom]

wow I can't believe the crowds I've been in jan/feb 4 times now never heard of crowds like that. maybe the word is out that its a good time to go.

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Originally Posted by coffeehousemom

wow I can't believe the crowds I've been in jan/feb 4 times now never heard of crowds like that. maybe the word is out that its a good time to go.

Yeah, I don't know if it was the 7 for 4 deal or if there are just a lot more people staying offsite and all this stuff you hear about how the Disney resorts are only at 30% capacity for January really doesn't matter then. . . I don't know how full CBR was, but the buses were rarely crowded, the food court was not crowded, and the pool was not crowded. But the parks WERE CROWDED!!!

[debbieandroo]

Originally Posted by Momof2Disneyboys

Yeah, I don't know if it was the 7 for 4 deal or if there are just a lot more people staying offsite and all this stuff you hear about how the Disney resorts are only at 30% capacity for January really doesn't matter then. . . I don't know how full CBR was, but the buses were rarely crowded, the food court was not crowded, and the pool was not crowded. But the parks WERE CROWDED!!!

or maybe it depends on the resort - our buses were pretty crowded and the food court and pool was always brimming with people [All-Stars Music]. And these all weren't folks part of the tour groups. The buses were less busy going into the parks but packed leaving them. The restaurants were busy but the service was quick.

I'm really thankful I avoided DHS on a Fantasmic day - the crowds I had experienced were large enough.

[coffeehousemom]

I am wondering if maybe that "only at 30%" is at the mods & delux cause it seemed like the values were full.

I am going to try to convince Chuck to try late Sept. or early Oct. for a couples only get away. I know he really wants to do that Halloween Horror nights at Universal. Who knows I might even get him to fly.

[pamouselover]

Originally Posted by coffeehousemom

wow I can't believe the crowds I've been in jan/feb 4 times now never heard of crowds like that. maybe the word is out that its a good time to go.

Me neither. I thought after the NYE, it would be less crowds for all you.
It has to be the 4 for 3 deal. DH said he knows four people at work who are going now with the deal. DIsney stock must still be doing well...

Originally Posted by Momof2Disneyboys

Yeah, I don't know if it was the 7 for 4 deal or if there are just a lot more people staying offsite and all this stuff you hear about how the Disney resorts are only at 30% capacity for January really doesn't matter then. . . I don't know how full CBR was, but the buses were rarely crowded, the food court was not crowded, and the pool was not crowded. But the parks WERE CROWDED!!!

Originally Posted by debbieandroo

or maybe it depends on the resort - our buses were pretty crowded and the food court and pool was always brimming with people [All-Stars Music]. And these all weren't folks part of the tour groups. The buses were less busy going into the parks but packed leaving them. The restaurants were busy but the service was quick.

I'm really thankful I avoided DHS on a Fantasmic day - the crowds I had experienced were large enough.

When we were there it still seemed busy for magic hours.

Originally Posted by coffeehousemom

I am wondering if maybe that "only at 30%" is at the mods & delux cause it seemed like the values were full.

I am going to try to convince Chuck to try late Sept. or early Oct. for a couples only get away. I know he really wants to do that Halloween Horror nights at Universal. Who knows I might even get him to fly.

We want in 05 the sencong week of Sept. It was the first year they had the free dinning promo. It was walk on for every ride but soarin.
I have to agree though I really dont think there is a slow time at WDW anymore. It use to be Oct. till they started the MNSSHP, but now they run that so long.

Originally Posted by debbieandroo

I'M BACK!

I got back this afternoon - it had been 65 in Memphis when we left on Friday and we return to upper 20s and snow today. Woo-hoo! [Unlike you Northern snowbirds, snow is such a rarity that it is a treat so I was excited].

I planned and planned and planned -- for myself and everyone on the trip. I was sure that, despite how much people all over the world love WDW, I would be disappointed - I mean, just how could anything live up to those kinds of expectations?

I was wonderfully wrong - Disney was all that I wished for and more. I am officially a fan - I knew I had been completely smitten when I saw Mickey by himself at a character viewing and just had to get my picture taken with him. [I HATE getting my picture taken!] Not only that, but the consensus of everyone else was the same - the trip exceeded their expectations. They loved the restaurants where we ate and loved almost all the rides/shows I had planned for us to see. I haven't taken an official survey but I do think we did a lot in a relatively short time.

I was disappointed in just how crowded it was - zowie! Epcot was packed on Friday [evening EMH], DHS was slow during Saturday morning EMH but picked up pretty quickly by early afternoon and MK was packed that evening - throngs of people. AK was busy on Sunday but the lines were fairly quick [and we had the added bonus of the birthday fast passes] and MK was busy, too. Monday was the first day that, back at Epcot, I thought - 'these look like what I would have thought January crowds would have looked like.' Tuesday was still pretty busy at DHS and MK -- I guess the secret is out about the low crowds for January!

I didn't see any LGMHs either - I was doing pretty well to keep up with my crew much less try to find any other people. During shows/bus rides, I did look for anyone who resembled the snowbirds but had no luck.

I had wonderful experiences with Disney's customer service which truly added magic to our trip. I'm trying to get brave enough to write a trip report - in a burst of emotion and creativity, I started one on a napkin [who was the great writer who did that, too - Steinbeck?] - it'll be interesting to see if that materializes.

I'm excited to read others' TRs - I've always loved them before but now, I'll know what people are talking about.

And I am that much closer to getting an AP - how much fun would that be to go in early December [are the Christmas lights up yet?]. I know that I could never go in the summer/early fall - I had a hard enough time with the crowds in the beautiful weather we had [70s and 80s]- I'd hate to see what would happen with larger crowds and higher temperatures -

to everyone and a big box of these for the sad ones just coming back. I'll sniff along with y'all.

LOVE THE TISSUES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[drakes]

Originally Posted by Momof2Disneyboys

Yeah, I don't know if it was the 7 for 4 deal or if there are just a lot more people staying offsite and all this stuff you hear about how the Disney resorts are only at 30% capacity for January really doesn't matter then. . . I don't know how full CBR was, but the buses were rarely crowded, the food court was not crowded, and the pool was not crowded. But the parks WERE CROWDED!!!

On those warm days our pool at WL was crowded. the hot tub was full- of KIDS!!!! Dd always wanted to go back and swim, so we did make the time and I felt more crowded at the pool than the park. This Jan 2009 was definitely more crowded than 2007.

TT said 30 minute wait and was about an hour. TSM - yikes, we rode with a fast pass and the fastpass line was 20 mins.
We luckily went to DVC on our off day- this too took too much time, but we got the VIP fastpasses- we used them at MK and got on SM, WTP, and PP at the current FP wait time. Other rides were 10-15 minutes. We just missed the Mad Tea Party with the Mad Hatter, the wait time was 0 minutes! We did meet and greet after he got of the ride- I guess we didn't run fast enough to Fantasyland. At 9:45 we headed to Toontown to meet Tink. The wait said 15 minutes- as soon as we walked under the arch way the CM changed it to 45! Yikes! The wait was about 20 minutes, but the CM there were really chatty and the time flew by.

[katieam1]

Originally Posted by Momof2Disneyboys

We were disappointed in the crowds too. Never expected that for January. Honestly our May trips have been less crowded.

We arrived on Tues the 20th. We went to MK around 3:15 or so. It was packed. We got on one ride before our 5:30 dinner. After dinner we went back to MK for Wishes. Wall to wall people.

Wed the 21st - the only day we experienced low crowds. We were at MK from open until we left for dinner around 5:00. Got a lot done, some lines were still long, but nothing like we saw the night before.

Thur the 22nd - DHS WOW!! If they continue to only show Fantasmic 2 nights a week we will definitely skip it and go to DHS another day. Everybody was at DHS Thursday. We were there from open to close and did not get to do everything. Luckily we ran to TSM at opening because that was the only time we got to ride it. The lines just to get fastpasses were humongous! Most waits were over an hour for the big attractions. We even waited 30 minutes for Star Tours. That ride is always a walk on.

Fri the 23rd - We got to AK just after opening. The lines weren't too bad. We only do a few things at this park, so we were done by 1:00. I could see the lines and crowds were really picking up by then.

Sat the 24th - We went to MK for an early dinner at 4:30. I planned it that way so when we were done we could grab a spot on Main Street for Spectro. Well when we got out of the Plaza it was 5:45 and the streets were lined and packed already. Luckily I spotted a small spot and we grabbed it. We sat there and watched the crowds walking up and down Main Street for the next hour and 15 minutes. It was shoulder to shoulder.

Sun the 25th - We spent the day at the resort/DTD/Boardwalk. After dinner we walked over to Epcot around 5:45. It was packed!! We thought maybe we could do a couple of rides. Soarin said 60 minutes. TT said 30. We got in line for TT and waited over an hour. After that we just left.

Mon the 26th - We got to Epcot just after opening. It wasn't too bad at opening, it got more crowded as the day went on. We did get a lot done that day though.


Well there you have it - my crowd report. Wasn't really what we were expecting. I'm wondering if there is ever a slow time at WDW??? We did really enjoy the January weather though! It was nice to not be sweating the whole time we were there!!

Weather report -

Tues 20th - 55 and sunny. We froze that evening at Wishes!
Wed 21st - 51 and sunny. We froze that morning at MK, but it did make for lower crowds!
Thur 22nd - 64 and sunny. Chilly morning, nice afternoon.
Fri 23rd - 74 and sunny. Went swimming!
Sat 24th - 76 and sunny. Perfect!
Sun 25th - 78 and sunny. Perfect!
Mon 26th - 82 and sunny. Perfect!
Tues 27th - it was warm and partly cloudy when we got on the ME bus at 10:00am.

Welcome back!! We were there the 18th-25th. We also were disappointed with the crowds! There seem to be a lot of tours and just all around a lot of people. We also froze during the evening most nights we were there. We had a nice time even though the crowd level but it made for less rides for us. The only place we did not think was bad was AK. We had a great day there!

I think we have decided to try the level of crowd in end of August. Maybe it will be less crowded than January. I think a lot of it had to do with the promo though!

[Kazooie01]

Originally Posted by Momof2Disneyboys

We were disappointed in the crowds too. Never expected that for January. Honestly our May trips have been less crowded.

We arrived on Tues the 20th. We went to MK around 3:15 or so. It was packed. We got on one ride before our 5:30 dinner. After dinner we went back to MK for Wishes. Wall to wall people.

Wed the 21st - the only day we experienced low crowds. We were at MK from open until we left for dinner around 5:00. Got a lot done, some lines were still long, but nothing like we saw the night before.

Thur the 22nd - DHS WOW!! If they continue to only show Fantasmic 2 nights a week we will definitely skip it and go to DHS another day. Everybody was at DHS Thursday. We were there from open to close and did not get to do everything. Luckily we ran to TSM at opening because that was the only time we got to ride it. The lines just to get fastpasses were humongous! Most waits were over an hour for the big attractions. We even waited 30 minutes for Star Tours. That ride is always a walk on.

Fri the 23rd - We got to AK just after opening. The lines weren't too bad. We only do a few things at this park, so we were done by 1:00. I could see the lines and crowds were really picking up by then.

Sat the 24th - We went to MK for an early dinner at 4:30. I planned it that way so when we were done we could grab a spot on Main Street for Spectro. Well when we got out of the Plaza it was 5:45 and the streets were lined and packed already. Luckily I spotted a small spot and we grabbed it. We sat there and watched the crowds walking up and down Main Street for the next hour and 15 minutes. It was shoulder to shoulder.

Sun the 25th - We spent the day at the resort/DTD/Boardwalk. After dinner we walked over to Epcot around 5:45. It was packed!! We thought maybe we could do a couple of rides. Soarin said 60 minutes. TT said 30. We got in line for TT and waited over an hour. After that we just left.

Mon the 26th - We got to Epcot just after opening. It wasn't too bad at opening, it got more crowded as the day went on. We did get a lot done that day though.


Well there you have it - my crowd report. Wasn't really what we were expecting. I'm wondering if there is ever a slow time at WDW??? We did really enjoy the January weather though! It was nice to not be sweating the whole time we were there!!

Weather report -

Tues 20th - 55 and sunny. We froze that evening at Wishes!
Wed 21st - 51 and sunny. We froze that morning at MK, but it did make for lower crowds!
Thur 22nd - 64 and sunny. Chilly morning, nice afternoon.
Fri 23rd - 74 and sunny. Went swimming!
Sat 24th - 76 and sunny. Perfect!
Sun 25th - 78 and sunny. Perfect!
Mon 26th - 82 and sunny. Perfect!
Tues 27th - it was warm and partly cloudy when we got on the ME bus at 10:00am.

We're back!!!

Wow, that's the exact opposite of what we thought. Compared to the last two January's the crowds were very low. We never had a wait over 10 minutes for anything (of course we used Fast Passes for the "big" ticket rides). We walked on to 75% of all the rides (our entire stay). It was the slowest January since we started going in 2007.

[coffeehousemom]

I wonder if the crowds were less bothersome to the people that park hopped? I know as a rule if a park seems busy to us we just go to another park. That's why I don't plan out my days in full detail & play by ear.

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Originally Posted by katieam1

Welcome back!! We were there the 18th-25th. We also were disappointed with the crowds! There seem to be a lot of tours and just all around a lot of people. We also froze during the evening most nights we were there. We had a nice time even though the crowd level but it made for less rides for us. The only place we did not think was bad was AK. We had a great day there!

I think we have decided to try the level of crowd in end of August. Maybe it will be less crowded than January. I think a lot of it had to do with the promo though!

Welcome back!

Yeah, I was really expecting it to be more like the low May crowds we have experienced, or even lower. But that just wasn't the case. Even with fast passes we would wait 20-30 minutes. Very few walk ons - Nemo and Figment are the only ones I can think of. Oh well, I always wondered and now I know! At least the weather was sunny and great! Not sure what month we will try next!

[Kazooie01]

Originally Posted by Momof2Disneyboys

Welcome back!

Yeah, I was really expecting it to be more like the low May crowds we have experienced, or even lower. But that just wasn't the case. Even with fast passes we would wait 20-30 minutes. Very few walk ons - Nemo and Figment are the only ones I can think of. Oh well, I always wondered and now I know! At least the weather was sunny and great! Not sure what month we will try next!

We must have just been at the right parks each day. Even Toy Story MM was only about 5 minutes with Fast Pass (all three times we got on). Walked on Star Tours, Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, Expedition Everest (1/21), Big Thunder Mountain, Kali River Rapids, and a whole bunch more.

Did your boys get picked for the Jedi Training? Our Daughter did get picked and my Husband was as proud as a peacock!

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Here is my CBR report if anyone wants to read ~ http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2074555

I will be adding lots of pictures later!