Today in MK 12/31/12

[Joannelet]

Is anyone there today? One of my friends is there and just texted me just now to say "third time in history Magic Kingdom closed all gates at 10am because it is overcrowded."
I know dec 28th MK closed at capacity. I cannot imagine how crazy busy it must be there with the new section of Fantasyland being opened and being Christmas/New years week on top of it! Yeesh!

[Strmchsr]

It's not at maximum capacity (phase 4) but it did reach phase 3 closing this morning pretty quickly. It's definitely nuts crowded. Phase 3 means the only people that can get in are Resort Guests (including Swan and Dolphin), AP holders, guests with ADRs and guests with reservations at BBB or Pirate's League. Phase 4 means no one else gets in, period. Hasn't hit that yet.

[disney obsessed]

I have been there when it is closed. Even I would not want to do it again.

[KevMcNJ]

I will never understand why people are willing to pay more to go now. If someone handed me free passes Id probably say no thanks

[TracyL]

Being there on a day when it's that busy requires a great deal of patience and basically not caring if you don't get to do anything. What's surprising is that sometimes even on crazy days, certain attractions may have very short waits. We were there on Christmas night, and found it to be pretty sparse back in the new Fantasyland areas. Granted, by that time a lot of the families with small kids have already bailed for the day (that's part of our calculus in timing when we go on Christmas Day), but for example, around 8:30 or 9:00 PM Dumbo had a 10-minute standby. Pirates often has a 10-20 minute wait on days like that, and even the Mansion can be as little as 30. You just never know.

The trick is, again, to be very patient and to choose "off the beaten path" places to go. Do the less popular attractions like Carousel or Hall of Presidents, and watch the fireworks from Fantasyland. We had a wall to sit on and a gorgeous view for Holiday Wishes on Christmas, and very few people sharing it with us, while the hub was probably a sardine can. You just have to be open to different ways of enjoying the experience.

That said, if you're a first-timer or an infrequent visitor, there is NO. Worse. Time. To. Go. Really. If you want the "Holiday Magic" experience, come in early December when everything is in full holiday splendor and there's hardly anybody around to appreciate it! :santa:

[TinkerbellT421]

Friend if mine was there, he's a first time visitor. He called me, I told him, I told you you picked a bad week to go lol. Couldn't pay me enough to deal with that crowd.

[debbymc4]

We're going to MK on Friday. I have my fingers crossed that folks will start clearing out by then. Am I delusional?

[Strmchsr]

We're going to MK on Friday. I have my fingers crossed that folks will start clearing out by then. Am I delusional?

No. Crowds will be less by Friday. The crowds will still be moderate, but not the filled-to-capacity crowds that you see just before New Year's. Friday night will be crowded at MK, but that's every Friday since locals tend to come in then.

[TinkerbellT421]

No. Crowds will be less by Friday. The crowds will still be moderate, but not the filled-to-capacity crowds that you see just before New Year's. Friday night will be crowded at MK, but that's every Friday since locals tend to come in then.

Also, the weekend will be slightly busy due to the marathon. But we have been during that weekend and it isn't even close to as busy as it is right now. It is definitely manageable.

[Melanie]

Marathon isn't this weekend, Tonya, it's next. I think debbymc4 is going this coming weekend.

[TinkerbellT421]

Marathon isn't this weekend, Tonya, it's next. I think debbymc4 is going this coming weekend.

Ahhhh! Good pick up! :blush:

[debbymc4]

Yep. We're driving down tomorrow. Going to Islands of Adventure on Thursday and MK on Friday. I started to panic when I read the crowd report, but I'm feeling a little better. I have a little one, so we're early morning, no coasters kind of folks. Hopefully it will be enjoyable. It's my birthday on Friday or I would have pushed the trip out one more weekend. It's a milestone birthday, so I wanted to go on my actual birthday.

[Strmchsr]

:birthday: and Have a great trip!

[DisneyFan1979]

I was at MK Christmas Eve last year and WOULD NEVER GO AGAIN. When we were exiting the park, castmembers directed us behind Main Street to avoid the parade crowds, but then we came out again in front of Tony's Town Square and were stuck in absolute gridlock for 20 minutes. It was awful, I was very disappointed with Disney's crowd control management. Usually they are very good about keeping an open pathway and that time they were doing nothing. Everyone was pushing and children could have been hurt.
On the other hand, I have been to Epcot on New Year's Eve twice and had no problems with the crowds. The bigger spaces there seem to handle the crowds better.

[JabberJaws]

Wife and I were at MK on the 30th. In town for the Outback Bowl in Tampa on the 1st and had free tix for disney (old CM connections still in tact! I would never pay to go this time of year).

Anyways, our gameplan was go early and hit up everything, then do whatever we can once crowds set in.

Got their at 7:45 a.m. and it was awesome. Beautiful weather and light crowds. Did Space Mt twice (walk on), a few other things, and got FPs for other stuff.

By 10 a.m. it was insanity. Crowds were nuts and the traffic in FL (new and old) was barely navigable.

By 3 p.m. we had had enough and were done for the day.

Still, we managed to ride every ride at least once except Peter Pan (even smaller rides), got to see all of NF and do Little Mermaid (even got to see inside of Be our Guest because they were letting people just go in and check it out early in the a.m.) and by the time crowds were at their peak we were done for the day and relaxed back at the hotel.

Key is, if you go that time of year, go as early as humanly possible! Even during the busiest times most people don't show up until around 10 or 11 a.m.

[debbymc4]

We survived! It was terrible weather and crowded, but we had a great time anyway. Universal yesterday was chaos and awful.

[AndrewJackson]

I've done it once, back in 1992. Magic Kingdom on Christmas and Epcot on New Year's Eve.

Been there just about every year since 1974. I will NEVER go between Christmas and New Years again.

[TracyL]

Totally agree with the "get there early" strategy. Even on the worst days, it's OK during the "golden hour" -- the first hour after park open (and during AM EMH if you're staying on property).

Between 10-11 AM is when it all goes pear-shaped and it's time to turn your patience up to max. From then on, it's just endure as much as you can and for heaven's sake, bail at least an hour before the fireworks if you want to have any prayer of getting out of the park in less than a couple of hours.