Does anyone know why lines are so long for January? [Archive]

Boost

01-16-2011, 08:39 AM

Mini trip report and just wondering why it was so tough to get on almost anything...

Just got back from a one day trip yesterday. We hit MK in the AM and Epcot in the PM. Once inside MK, we headed to Aladdin, because our two year old daughter LOVES it. Line was not too bad. From there, headed over to POTC and the line extended out of the building, just opposite Pirate and Perico. Next was BTMR, which we Fastpassed. Splash is apparently in refurb, line for HM was unreal, so we walked through Fantasyland and over to Tomorrowland. As we neared the Speedway, I remarked to my wife that I cannot recall the last time that I saw the line queue all the way out of the building and two lines deep outside. The line for SM was all the way back to Buzz and Buzz's line was snaked back and forth and extended over towards COP.

We ended up going over to EPCOT and the lines didn't seem so bad. Our only disappointment was that we got there after all Soarin' FPs were given out and the line was 90 minutes long! We chose not to wait, and found other places to go.

The crazy thing is that with all of the long lines, the park did not seem that crowded! We have been to all parks at all times of the year before, so we definitely know what mid-January is like, crowd-wise.

Does anyone have any insight into the long lines in January?

PlutoToo

01-16-2011, 08:57 AM

I think this weekend is Martin Luther King weekend, and is traditionally a busy weekend. Fri. night pirates and HM were basically walk on.

Strmchsr

01-16-2011, 08:58 AM

Two reasons: First, this is MLK weekend and a lot of folks come in for short trips for that since they have Monday off.

Second: January has become VERY popular with South American tour groups, especially from Brazil, since this is their big summer vacation from school.

DizneyRox

01-16-2011, 09:03 AM

Are they running the rides at full capacity? Two queues for POTC? Both stretching rooms for HM? Staffing has a lot to do with the lines...

Not saying it's not busy. Having gone one year on MLK weekend, I too was surprised at the crowds, but I don't recall unusually long waits. Im also accustomoed to going in July, so lines are really not a problem...

Boost

01-16-2011, 09:40 AM

Yep, aware of MLK weekend and yes, we did see several South American tours.

I was just wondering if there were any other reasons for the really long lines.

Thanks, guys...

Dyanna

01-16-2011, 10:52 AM

We just returned last night from spending the last week there. I must say I thought it was just as crowded as being there for the F&W Festival & Halloween time. When we arrived on Jan 8th it was crowded due to Marathon weekend. Wait times were quite long too. Toy Story ride at DHS was at 110 minutes & the Tower of Terror was 75. Soarin at Epcot was 90 min or more, Test Track was at 60 min, At Space Mountain was also at 50. We passed on the usual long wait for Peter Pan at over an hr. This weekend being MLK the crowds were the same but did notice many many Brazilian tour groups. Also there were some local school 5th graders taking field trips late in the week as well. Jan is no longer a slow time to goto Disney but I dont think there is a slow time to go anymore. I read in another post that she saw 18 Brazilian tour flags all with fastpasses cramming in the fastpass line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I too saw that the fastpass lines were sometimes just as long as the standby lines

Melanie

01-16-2011, 10:54 AM

This makes me so sad! The week after the marathon used to be THE BEST week to go. :(

JPL

01-16-2011, 11:29 AM

Add Martin Luther KIng Weekend, the Marathon, short staffing, Tour Groups, and all the discounts together and it will equal larger crowds and longer lines.

Ian

01-16-2011, 11:36 AM

There just aren't that many truly slow times left anymore. Disney has done a brilliant job at adding special events and luring in groups during the traditionally slow times of the year to help level out attendance.

I'm not shocked at all that it was crowded, especially considering that A. Saturdays are pretty much always crowded and B. it's a holiday weekend.

Melanie

01-16-2011, 11:45 AM

I'm still holding out for September. It was still pretty empty this past year.

JPL

01-16-2011, 11:56 AM

Well most people think I'm crazy but I can't wait for Free Dining and all the other promotions to be cut back so it goes back to somewhat normal again!

Ian

01-16-2011, 12:23 PM

I'm still holding out for September. It was still pretty empty this past year.It was pretty crowded when we were there in September of '09, although we were there a bit later in the month. I think that first week is the best.

CaptSmee

01-16-2011, 09:11 PM

I'm still holding out for September. It was still pretty empty this past year.

We're going this weekend, but for longer in Sept. See you there! ;)

Melanie

01-16-2011, 10:12 PM

We're going this weekend, but for longer in Sept. See you there! ;)

Yes, the first few weeks are great. School is back in session and Halloween parties haven't started yet. If you like just plain old Disney World (no parties, festivals going on), it's a great time to go!

MarkC

01-16-2011, 10:25 PM

Very happy to hear that. We arrive the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. I realize the first couple of days might be a little busy but hoping the rest of the week is really, really quiet.

Gator

01-16-2011, 11:29 PM

I don't remember a Saturday being anything but busy, regardless of what time of year you go. I've read some tour planning guides that say Saturday is a great day to be at the MK. WRONG. It's crowded everywhere on Saturdays.

LisRich

01-17-2011, 09:25 AM

Yikes! Do you think it will lighten up a little in a week or so? We're coming down on the 28th for a long weekend and I was hoping for smaller crowds. We were there in mid-September and it was fine - how does January compare to September?

PopPhan

01-17-2011, 10:58 AM

Well most people think I'm crazy but I can't wait for Free Dining and all the other promotions to be cut back so it goes back to somewhat normal again!

I just don't see that happening.....If they find that they can draw more people in with promos like that, and with building more resorts/dining areas/etc., I can see the money crunchers at Disney keeping it up, to the point of saturation -- where people have been there so often that they, finally, get tired of it and stay away.

If, and/or when, these promos STOP bringing in the guests, then they will stop offering them, not before. Remember, the money crunchers equate more bodies on property to increased spending and increased profits!

rubato

01-17-2011, 06:49 PM

We were incredibly disappointed in the long lines and crowds. We were there the 5th -11th. I have never seen lines so long. And, I couldn't stand to be at DHS it was so bad. We went on a non EMH, non Fantasmic day and we couldn't walk through them all.

I also was unhappy to still be hearing Christmas music on January 11th. Our first day, it was a nice surprise, since we've never seen the decorations, but we were definitely done after 7 days of it.

WDWCrazyKaren

01-18-2011, 01:57 PM

mickeys_princess_mom

01-18-2011, 10:24 PM

I'm with the previous poster! We were there the 4th - 11th, and we've never seen mobs like there were this year. The tour groups were the absolute worst I've ever seen, and the lines at DHS were so crazy, that we just left. It was miserable. And we got there for rope drop!

Now I'm trying to figure out the 1st week of Feb for next year. I can't do these crowds again!

Puzzled by these last two posts. We were there the 6th through the 11th and were walking on anything we wanted to do! We tried to avoid the marathon crowds, but had a really easy time! Only thing we didn't get fastpasses for in time was Toy Story Mania, but we just dragged in too late for that. We'd go again at this time of year. The tour groups we observed were not a problem.

Melanie

01-19-2011, 09:09 AM

I also was unhappy to still be hearing Christmas music on January 11th. Our first day, it was a nice surprise, since we've never seen the decorations, but we were definitely done after 7 days of it.

I totally agree, although it was a big disappointment for me. We were there over the long Marathon weekend, and saw some of the decorations coming down, but the music was still going strong. It's just too late for that!

sportsguy2315

01-19-2011, 09:24 AM

I totally agree, although it was a big disappointment for me. We were there over the long Marathon weekend, and saw some of the decorations coming down, but the music was still going strong. It's just too late for that!

We were also there Marathon weekend, but pretty much everywhere we went from DHS, Epcot, and YC was still in full strength Christmas mode. As for the line, we also had 90+ min waits for Soarin, while Mission: Space never got over a half hour.

BigThunderFan

01-19-2011, 10:54 AM

We were there from 1/7 to 1/17 and we had no problems getting on EVERY ride. The weekends were busy, don't get me wrong, and we saw lots of tour groups, but we avoided the busier parks and the groups as best we could and had a great time. The weekdays were just as good as last January with most rides being walk ons all week long. It wasn't until 1/15 that it started getting busy (after all the marathon crowds left on Monday that is). We showed up at opening on 1/16 at MK, rode everything by 11am with little to no wait, then hightailed it out of there for Epcot. The crowds were really surging in and I can't imagine how bad it would have been if we stayed. We came back after dinner to use a couple fastpasses and pick up our Christmas ornament. Big Thunder had a 70 minute wait DURING the MSEP. Very surprising. But we still got on in 5 minutes with FP. We also walked on to POTC 2x before leaving as Wishes started.
They were obviously expecting large crowds as the park hours were extended that weekend. I know Touring Plans had Sunday listed as 7/10 for crowds, and it sure looked like it.
I wouldn't hesitate to go back the same time in the future. Might not stay at Pop again though, as the buses were always standing room only, even at 8am. When we rode the 8am bus last year from WL we were always the only ones aboard. I know Pop is the largest resort, but wasn't expecting so many in line for the early bus.

rubato

01-19-2011, 12:26 PM

I guess it's all a matter of perspective. To me, a 20 minute wait is a long wait. I'm sorry, but I'm spoiled. I've never waited 20 minutes for any ride (we always FP TSM). So, to have rides with a 20-50 minute wait is insanely crowded to me. Some people will say that isn't crowded at all, but for me, it's crowded. We never had to wait for Mission Space, but there was a 50 minute wait for Rockin Rollercoaster! Yikes!

CaptainSad

01-19-2011, 04:26 PM

Well I was down from 12/4 to 12/12. I noticed it was pretty busy for that time also. I was down for the week before Christmas in 07 and the lines were walk on. Not this time. Yes I know 4th and 5th were the days they did the Christmas parade for TV. We stayed away from the MK until the 8th and 9th. But the 8th were long waits every where and the 9th for MVMCP was sold out and the park was packed. I don't remember it ever being like that when I went MVMCP or MNSSHP back in 04 and 07. It was walk on the times before.

disneymom2000

01-21-2011, 04:30 PM

The crazy thing is that with all of the long lines, the park did not seem that crowded!

The park didn't seem crowded because everyone was in a line somewhere. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Buttercup

01-21-2011, 05:57 PM

johnO

01-22-2011, 04:02 PM

We used to go in the 1st or 2nd week of February. The parks were not crowded at all. President's Day week is a different story. Way too crowded.

We then tried going in September and loved it. DDP, great weather, short lines.

we were there this past October, right around Halloween and it was pretty crowded, but not bad.

Melanie

01-22-2011, 04:03 PM

From what I'm seeing from tweets and such, WDW looks to be very busy again today.

Darbylew

01-22-2011, 04:24 PM

A 20 minute wait is short to me. I would never
complain about it. We have been in January
before and it was not crowded. We are going
back in March so I am hoping that it is before
most spring breaks. Can't wait to get back in
the land of Mickey and the Magic!!! :mickey:

ibelieveindisneymagic

01-23-2011, 09:56 AM

We did our first January trip this year, the 4th to the 13th and had mixed experiences with the crowds.

Generally, they were on the lighter-side, but the Monday after the marathon was super-busy, to the point it was a little crazy.

But, like anytime at WDW, when we got up early and was at the park first thing, it was amazing what we got done in a couple of hours.

Plus, crowds or not, I LOVED being at Disney and not being crazy hot!!!

johnO

01-23-2011, 04:30 PM

Yeah, I think cool temps make the crowds more tolerable. Crowded and Hot? You wont see me at WDW in the summer..

BigThunderFan

01-23-2011, 09:36 PM

Yeah, I think cool temps make the crowds more tolerable. Crowded and Hot? You wont see me at WDW in the summer..

The best part are the "cold" days. On two days last week the high was in the mid 50's and we barely saw anyone else the entire day at Ak and at DHS.

johnO

01-24-2011, 07:36 AM

The best part are the "cold" days. On two days last week the high was in the mid 50's and we barely saw anyone else the entire day at Ak and at DHS.

Thats awesome!

Melanie

01-24-2011, 07:47 AM

Generally, they were on the lighter-side, but the Monday after the marathon was super-busy, to the point it was a little crazy.

So I guess giving the free admission that day to marathon finishers worked.

Still sorry I missed you Heather! :(

CaptSmee

01-25-2011, 04:24 PM

From what I'm seeing from tweets and such, WDW looks to be very busy again today.

I'm sure it depends on which parks you tour which days. I avoided Fantasmic days (which are ridiculously crowded normally) at Hollywood Studios, & avoided any park hosting p.m. EMH's (which are traditionally more crowded), & avoided Electrical Parade days @ Magic Kingdom, except for 1 day, which was def' more crowded.

I saw very little crowds except for the day we went to MK hosting the Electrical Parade.