What is going on with the huge crowds this week??

[BluewaterBrad]

I think mjackln was just trying to help dude.

[cinderellagrl]

My mom and Dad are at the Grand Flo this weekend. They said that when they checked in all the parking lots were full and that cars were parked along side the road. A cast member told them that there are a lot of conventions in the area, and that because it was around the MLK weekend many of them brought their families. He informed them that crowds should die back down this week.

[BouncingTigger]

[QUOTE=wdwfan47;1528927]

Look.. I was also there Jan 7th 8th 9th 10th 2008 It was jammed.. I have been going to WDW for over 25yrs... You have not shown me anything in your post that I don't already know.. I have been there on or around these dates for years.. It has nothing to do with all that you said.. My opinion! Quite Empty.. We park hop every day, something times, two to three times in one day.. I can get from park to park in 15 minutes or less.. I see the parks from all angles. I live here in Florida and go to the park very very often.. This is very unusual to have crowds like this.. and by the way I have a good time every time I go.. Oh, and by the way, SE was open.. and anyway that would not have a bearing on park crowds... Have a Disney day!!

PS If theres anything you need to know about WDW, I'm glad to help you...

I think CaptSmee's post was helpful and well thought out. Even if you do disagree, maybe tone it down a bit? We are all Disney fans and it's good to hear other people's help and views.

Also, I see you are pretty new to Intercot, and since I didn't get a chance to say this before...WELCOME to INTERCOT!

[Mickey91]

The question then becomes when does MLK week end. I never knew some many folks could not only get MLK off but make it into a week event. Being that I am part of the educational community I find it very difficult to understand why families would take advantage of a one day holiday.

We homeschool both our children right now but DS is going to the public high school this fall. We are taking advantage of the one day Labor Day Holiday to lessen the amount of days he will miss. My DH isn't able to get a summer vacation as is the case with a lot of folks, especially since our school system seems to be making the summer holiday shorter every year. So, it may be that it is one of the only times that people can get away. And four days missed is better than five. Just my.

[Mickey91]

Look.. I was also there Jan 7th 8th 9th 10th 2008 It was jammed.. I have been going to WDW for over 25yrs... You have not shown me anything in your post that I don't already know.. I have been there on or around these dates for years.. It has nothing to do with all that you said.. My opinion! Quite Empty.. We park hop every day, something times, two to three times in one day.. I can get from park to park in 15 minutes or less.. I see the parks from all angles. I live here in Florida and go to the park very very often.. This is very unusual to have crowds like this.. and by the way I have a good time every time I go.. Oh, and by the way, SE was open.. and anyway that would not have a bearing on park crowds... Have a Disney day!!

PS If theres anything you need to know about WDW, I'm glad to help you...

I can't imagine what was said that could have sparked such a ferocious reply. It is well known that EMH tend to produce heavier attendance at the parks. Maybe you didn't intend for your comment to have such venom but here at Intercot, even when we squabble, we try to do it in a Disney fashion. Sometimes we all get carried away with topics we are very passionate about but we try not to bite each other's heads off. By the way:

[Here we go again...]

In addition to MLK you were there for the National Cheer/Dance competition for high school and college.
Teams come from all over the country... and there are a LOT of them.
It sounds like they were hitting the parks during their breaks.

[WDW1985]

Look.. I was also there Jan 7th 8th 9th 10th 2008 It was jammed.. I have been going to WDW for over 25yrs... You have not shown me anything in your post that I don't already know.. I have been there on or around these dates for years.. It has nothing to do with all that you said.. My opinion! Quite Empty.. We park hop every day, something times, two to three times in one day.. I can get from park to park in 15 minutes or less.. I see the parks from all angles. I live here in Florida and go to the park very very often.. This is very unusual to have crowds like this.. and by the way I have a good time every time I go.. Oh, and by the way, SE was open.. and anyway that would not have a bearing on park crowds... Have a Disney day!!

PS If theres anything you need to know about WDW, I'm glad to help you...

Man, can't we all just get along???

...let's all join in a chorus of Zipadee Doo Dah!!!

[Tinkitude]

I agree. This is not a topic that should cause any arguing. There are tons of things that could effect the crowds at any given time. I'm sure the time is coming where it will be impossible to predict when the "slow" times will be. There are lots of ways around the crowds, and I appreciate the tips I have learned here about doing so. If you can just remember to pack a little extra patience, any time can be a great time at Disney! Gee, I'm missing it really badly now. Might be time to plan the next trip!!!!

[mykidsmom]

I just returned from a trip Jan 5 -9th. Since I go annually, I have found that the week prior to the marathon or between the marathon and MLK weekend, are the best times to go. I must admit that Jan 5, 6th were extremely crowded. I am guessing the last of the New Years crowd and it being a weekend. January 7, 8, 9th were like heaven, empty parks and walk- on attractions, just like January should be. Looking forward to the same week next year!

[tundramom]

3. Lotusphere is this week...probably the biggest convention at WDW...they've taken over the Swan, Dolphin and at least portions of the Yacht and Beach Club. Number of attendees and staff probably exceeds 15000...plus spouses, families, etc.

Pardon my ignorance but what is Lotusphere?

[suzicreates]

We were in Disney from Jan 20th-25th. Only days crowds were really bad for us was Friday the 25th and we expected those.

My husband played golf on Thursday and the man he partnered with was from Brazil and mentioned that the dollar is really weak there and this is the 2 week holiday break for most of the country so he said tons and tons of Brazilians were treking up and down Florida from Orlando to Miami to make the most of their money. It made total sense since I saw tons of people holding flags and large groups following them.

As far as my family goes, our school system had exams and tons of half days and days off surrounding the MLK holiday so we took advantage of the kids missing minimal days of school.

Have a Disney Day!!!

[King Triton]

Pardon my ignorance but what is Lotusphere?

Its a computer software conference held annually near the end of January. Lotus refers to Lotus Software, a division of IBM. The product of theirs you may most be familiar with is Lotus Notes.

Anyway, this conference is housed primarily in the Swan and Dolphin hotels, but also spills into some of the Disney hotels -- such as the Yacht and Beach Club. I attended about 5 years ago and there were about 8000 attendees then, and it has grown to over 10,000 by now. Add in all the Lotus/IBM employees and a lot of families, and you get a large crowd.

Also, during Lotusphere week, you will usually find that one of the WDW parks will close "early", like at 5 or 6, then reopen again from 7 to 10 for Lotusphere attendees. Of course, this would exclude Epcot. I believe this usually occurs on Wednesday of Lotusphere week.

At one time, Lotusphere was the largest conference held on property; I don't know if that is still true. Also, rumor has it that the conference center expansion that took place at the Dolphin several years back was fueled by Lotus looking into other venues for their conference. The Dolphin agreed to expand their facilities if Lotus would commit to a long term contract, which they did. Again, thats speculation...

Sorry that was so long winded!

[senderella]

I am leaving on Friday. I was there the same time last year and there were absolutely no crowds. Hopefully the crowds will have lessened. If not that is okay too. It is all magic to me and I don't mind to just sit on a bench in front of the castle and watch the crowds. It is great seeing "first timers" reactions, especially for kids.