Interesting observation on crowd levels (Touring Plans)

[Gregandmel]

I subscribe to touring plans and thought it was interesting that the crowd levels for March 15th to the end of March were all 5's, 6's & 7's. They are mostly 9's for the week before & after Easter, but I thought during Spring Break it would be crazy busy. I know we have Spring Break beginning mid March here in the midwest. I wonder if crowds are still a bit lower than normal? Anyone have any guesses? I remember last year around this time it was pretty crazy with crowds due to their 4+3 deals. Thoughts anyone? I'm sure it will still be crazy over the Easter holiday since a lot of Spring Breaks coordinate around that time off. I hope at the end of April the crowds are still manageable!

[Ms. Mode]

I haven't seen an graphics on this, but I got an email about discount rates all the way up to August 18th. We used to go the first week of August and it was ALWAYS considered PEAK...of course we aren't going this August so we can't use the discount...darn :mickey:

[Strmchsr]

6-7 is what it was last year during the first week of May (though they had predicted 8-9). That sounds about right for the Spring Break crowds. Crowded, but not so crowded you can't breathe. 6-7 still means some long waits, but not everything. However, there are several signs that, yes, crowds are down this year.

[BigThunderFan]

For our week in January the days ranged anywhere from 4 - 8, with 3 7's in there. At no time did I think the parks were anywhere close to this. I would have guessed more along the lines of 2 - 5. I have been during Spring Break (week of 3/17) and the last week of April, and both of those times the crowd levels were easily 5 times as many people. I would call those closer to a 7 or 8. Nothing like Christmas crowds, but not small by any means. I don't think Touring Plans was right on this one. Or else I just went to all the right parks this time :number1:

[Strmchsr]

I don't think Touring Plans was right on this one. Or else I just went to all the right parks this time :number1:

While I certainly don't think TP is perfect, one thing to keep in mind is that you can't compare the number of people in January to the number of people in March/April even if TP's numbers look the same. TP does their numbers based on average ride wait time, not the number of people in the parks (size of crowds). So, you could have a 30 min wait on a ride in Jan and a 30 min wait for the same time in April. April would have a ton more folks but Disney would have more open, more trains operating, more CM's etc to handle the larger crowds so the actual line wait times could be similar.

[HoosierDisneyFan]

The latest update has a few days at 10 (ugh!).

[Kenny1113]

Don't sweat it! I was wdw last spring break on the days that they closed mk bc they had reached capacity. We still had a great time. Yes there were lots of people, but we still got to ride alot of the rides we wanted to, except Space mtn bc fp were gone by 12:30.

[AndrewJackson]

We are vacationing March 19-26. All of our days are 7's - 8's, with one exception - Wednesday is 5. That seems strange.

We have been many, many times during this time of year. If you have a plan, a 7 or 8 is really not that bad. There are several strategies for dealing with the moderate crowds; get to the parks at opening, take advantage of FastPass, eat counter service at non-peak times (lunch at 11:00 or 1:30), etc.

[Gregandmel]

Yeah.....a couple of days after I posted this thread, they updated the crowd calendar. I'm sure it's still basically in line with what is considered "normal" though - but again - it's a worst case scenario for the 3 main attractions at MK at peak time. I"m sure with good planning everything will work out great for those going during that time. :thumbsup:

[happy day]

all the numbers just went up. It must have been all the deals put out.

[Plex]

How accurate do you think their best/worst park for the day is? It seems like they identify the worst park of the day to always be whichever one has evening EMH, yet that seems to be a popular strategy for avoiding crowds.

[MOJoe]

While I certainly don't think TP is perfect, one thing to keep in mind is that you can't compare the number of people in January to the number of people in March/April even if TP's numbers look the same. TP does their numbers based on average ride wait time, not the number of people in the parks (size of crowds).

That's a very good point.

Maybe TP should call their report the "Wait Calendar" instead of the "Crowd Calendar". ;)