Nervous about crowds

[MissPrice]

Hi there! I'm taking my 6 year old daughter for 4 days Jan 11th to 14th. We traditionally go this time of year (near the marathon) because of the low crowds. I was wondering if anyone had any predictions about crowds this January since there will be A) no marathon, B) no international tour groups, and C) no football/cheerleading groups. I have been watching live streams of the parks (MK and Epcot) and it looks like at times to be a bit crowded. For the people that have been recently, do you feel like there is enough room to distance yourself from others? I am an RN and desperately need a vacation, but also want to be cautious. Thanks for any info. -Amanda

 

[GooglyGip]

I think weekends are more crowded than weekdays. I went at the end of October, and also going the last week of January. At that time, I felt there was plenty of space to avoid crowds, and plenty of space to move around. There may be a few choke points, but I felt very comfortable in most places on property, at the resorts, and on Disney transportation.

 

[MissPrice]

I think weekends are more crowded than weekdays. I went at the end of October, and also going the last week of January. At that time, I felt there was plenty of space to avoid crowds, and plenty of space to move around. There may be a few choke points, but I felt very comfortable in most places on property, at the resorts, and on Disney transportation.

Good to know! We will be there only Monday - Thursday so that should help.

 

[Skippyboo]

Fantasyland by Peter Pan and Small World going towards Haunted Mansion can definitely a bit crowded at times.

 

[Tonberry]

There's no telling what the crowds will be like for January. Attendance hasn't dropped off for any month yet, so it'll be interesting to see what January holds.
My advice is to stick to the weekdays for parks. They're very manageable, especially AK and Epcot. Don't go in thinking that rides like Slinky Dog will be 30 minutes, because it'll probably be more like 50 or 60. Just keep your expectations in check and you'll have a great time. If possible, use the weekends for resort days, swimming (if it's warm enough) or even Disney Springs which shouldn't be anywhere near as busy once the Holidays are over.

 

[Aela]

We did DHS yesterday. The crowded areas were places with winding (distanced) queues plus Galaxies Edge and Toy Story. We stayed out of those areas during prime time, and did them both between 6:30&8. SDD was a 21 minute wait (posted as 40) and the MF ride was 10 or so. My daughter enjoys pin trading so we hit those locations up after lunch, and ate dinner early (4:30).

 

[Flamingeaux]

My prediction. You will be fine. Have fun and be safe.

 

[wdw&sonny]

First, thanks for being an RN. You are at more risk dealing with your patients that at WDW.
How do you feel at the grocery store with your daughter? Since we can't gauge your level of nervous, use your normal routine to decide. Even though the rules are in place to socially distance, there will be crowded spaces. I am not afraid of the grocery store, but I would not want to spend my whole day there. If you are comfortable knowing that, at times, it will be crowded, but you can always walk away from those situations, then go, take the precautions you feel are warranted and enjoy.

 

[Alynw]

My opinion is u will be fine and pleasantly surprised. Do not pay any attention to mde wait times or even the posted tines at the ride and every line looks long so do not worry about it, just get in line. I got in line for pandora other day and it was stretched almost to Africa, looked almost impossible to get in, was 30 min. Go have fun and report back.

 

[Drr10]

I was there Dec 13-18th. Weekends definitely more crowded with the locals. Disney does a good job. There are hand sanitizers everywhere. I did stay away from enclosed rides except for a few. Before I got on a ride I used my own wipes to wipe everything down. I had to go on Splash Mountain because it will probably be the last time I am able to ride it. I also ate outside everywhere. Wear your mask and if something seems too crowded then avoid it and thank you for being on the front lines. You deserve a break.

 

[lluv3971]

We did DHS yesterday. The crowded areas were places with winding (distanced) queues plus Galaxies Edge and Toy Story. We stayed out of those areas during prime time, and did them both between 6:30&8. SDD was a 21 minute wait (posted as 40) and the MF ride was 10 or so. My daughter enjoys pin trading so we hit those locations up after lunch, and ate dinner early (4:30).

This is the way to do it! That’s our (future) plan, too! Glad to see it worked out well for you.

 

[Lilylogan]

I was just there with my 9, 5 and 2 year olds and we did fine and had a lot of fun

 

[CarolynFH]

On our way home now after 12/19-25 with the family. DD and DSiL were the most cautious and concerned pre-trip but said they felt safe at WDW. The few bottlenecks are generally where people are in motion, passing by very quickly (seconds or less). Nothing worse than our local grocery - and much higher mask compliance than there.

 

[wilbret]

My prediction. You will be fine. Have fun and be safe.

I agree

 

[CampbellzSoup]

My prediction. You will be fine. Have fun and be safe.

Absolutely. Also you’re going to a theme park it’s going to be crowded.

 

[Heather07438]

We're going the same time I'm planning M-Th to be alot quieter than the weekends of our trip. For the areas that get thick like FantasyLand and GE, I think it will help to work them in very early or late to avoid the mid-day swarms.

 

[Mimimousie]

WE are here now, and I have never seen Epcot so crowded! , except for New years Eve a couple years ago.. could barely move today.. hour + waits..even to just get in Mexico. and very long lines for any food kiosk.. finally got food at one..and they only had 3 hot dogs cooked..so my family each had half of a hot dog for lunch lol. and the place only had hot dogs, pretzels, ice cream.. don't know what the 50 people behind me were able to get..

 

[eeyoreandtink]

WE are here now, and I have never seen Epcot so crowded! , except for New years Eve a couple years ago.. could barely move today.. hour + waits..even to just get in Mexico. and very long lines for any food kiosk.. finally got food at one..and they only had 3 hot dogs cooked..so my family each had half of a hot dog for lunch lol. and the place only had hot dogs, pretzels, ice cream.. don't know what the 50 people behind me were able to get..

The crowd is largely a illusion created by social distancing. As far as I know, Epcot was not sold out of park passes today and is still at 35% capacity, so there was a less than 35% capacity crowd there. I am sure it felt more crowded because of the space lines are taking up, but ride waits all week have been much less than this time last year. Food lines at kiosks are the result of people not wanting to use and wait for mobile order.

 

[Beamerball]

WE are here now, and I have never seen Epcot so crowded! , except for New years Eve a couple years ago.. could barely move today.. hour + waits..even to just get in Mexico. and very long lines for any food kiosk.. finally got food at one..and they only had 3 hot dogs cooked..so my family each had half of a hot dog for lunch lol. and the place only had hot dogs, pretzels, ice cream.. don't know what the 50 people behind me were able to get..

We are aso here now and found Epcot to be quite enjoyable today. We entered around 3 and most of World Showcase very manageable. The holiday food tent was empty! We only ate at holiday food booths with no wait at most of them. Also, The ride wait times did not match up. Figment, 40 minutes but waited 10. I think most people were standing in line for test track today but everywhere else seemed empty. Especially compared to this time last year.

 

[sethschroeder]

The crowd is largely a illusion created by social distancing. As far as I know, Epcot was not sold out of park passes today and is still at 35% capacity, so there was a less than 35% capacity crowd there. I am sure it felt more crowded because of the space lines are taking up, but ride waits all week have been much less than this time last year. Food lines at kiosks are the result of people not wanting to use and wait for mobile order.

Except 35% capacity at Epcot is actually 116% of its normal daily attendance prior to COVID. It would obviously be much busier though if this was a normal year and the week between Christmas and New Years.


The 35% Capacity Represented by Normal Crowds vs % of Capacity
AK - 63%, MK - 55%, HS - 51%, Epcot - 30%

Math: Park Capacity (Average Crowd)
MK - 100k (55k avg crowd)
AK - 60k (38k)
HS - 60k (31k)
Epcot - 110k (34k)

Current crowds if at capacity for 35% would be X% of normal crowds:
AK - 56%, MK - 63%, HS - 65%, Epcot - 116%