Disney World....Insane

[bmac]

We've been at Disney World all week for a soccer tournament/college showcase for my 17 year old daughter. She's the fourth out of five (all girls) so I've only got to do this two more years with the youngest. I won't even debate the money side of what I've invested over the years in their sports versus any potential scholarships....not sure it can really be justified in any respect other than it kept them busy and happy and gave us more time than we could ever imagine with teenagers. ANYWAY....she had an early game yesterday and it being New Years Eve with the Disney parks open late we decided to spend the afternoon through midnight at the Magic Kingdom....we arrived at 11:30 to find the park full to capacity. Same thing at Disney Hollywood (I guess they renamed it from Disney MGM Studios). At 12:30 we got in to the last Epcot parking lot. Not their favorite park, but at least a place to spend a rather expensive day, since I had bought the tickets the night before and they're non-refundabel. Needless to say, there was NO evidence of a recession in Orlando, at least yesterday. The lines were insane... 2 to 3 hours long. No restaurant reservations were available after 2 and walk up service at food kiosks were 45 minutes to an hour long. Traffic all week in and around Orlando has been non-stop (and I'm from NY so I'm familiar with traffic). Restaurants and attractions outside the Disney parks have been packed all week too. WTF??? I'm sure there are many suffering the ill effects of this economy but none were on display in Orlando. I guess my point is more of just beng absolutely shocked at what I saw this week and, in particular, yesterday given the state of our economy....:huh:. I'm having a tough time correlating my observations with what I see every night on the news.

 

[Overextended]

We are going to Disney from Jan 11 thru the 18th after everyone is back in school. I think that the week after Christmas has always been packed...travel agent advised us not to go that week and said to wait until mid-Jan instead. Hope you still had a good time down in FL though.

 

[SearayPaul]

Glad to hear the parks are busy as my brother is a Chef out there Currently working in MGM. He started about 1979 and has never worried about having a job. During the Christmas and New Years week he can work all the hours he wants and then some. I hope you had a good time.

 

[Bridog]

Brian, You were there at the worst time possible. Busiest weeks of the year for Disney. You could not pay me enough to go there that time of year. Oh well...sacrifices made for your family.

 

[Gimme Time]

We were there the day after Christmas 2 years ago and were planning on staying through New Years. The day before New Years on one of the buses within the park the driver told everyone who was staying within the park as we were to make sure were where we wanted to be first thing in the morning before the parks open to the rest of the public. He stated that 45 mintues after the park opens to the rest of the park that all roads including the ones the buses traveled on became parking lots with almost ne movement the rest of the day.:smt021:smt021:smt021

We decieded then than the next morning we would get up and get out and head home a day earlier. :smt038Tickled pink as we drove to Wrightsville, NC for New Year's eve and had a great evening. Didn't reget the move for one minute and very glad the bus driver spoke up about the impending traffic & people issue that was about to desend on the park. We were told it is the second largest gathering of people in the US next to Times Square for New Years which is another place I wouldn't want to be on New Year's Eve.

 

[tmhudson2]

Coincidence -- I'm putting my 19 year old daughter on a plane to Orlando later this afternoon. She's a seasonal cast member at Disney World, when she's not in school, and she'll work there for the next ten days giving full-time cast members the opportunity for some time off. Then she's back to college.

We were there Thanksgiving weekend last year, and it was almost as zoo-ish as you describe.

 

[midway]

As a long time Disney visitor, since 1973, we went just about every year for the next 20 to 25 years with our daughter, we now have started back taking the grandkids, anytime you go in a Disney park try to get in early and go to the back of the park and work your way to the front, never start at the front and work to the back, go back to your room at 2 or 3 in the afternoon, because right after 3 the locals come in like a wall, come back out to the park 6 or so in the evening and work the front, this used to work with no lines, now they are much shorter. Most everyone that goes in starts right at the entrance, when you work the way I just stated all the people that started at the front earlier are now in the back and you have the front to yourself.

 

[330DA]

When getting in a line go to the left. Most people are right-hand dominate and tend to choose to go to the right.

 

[VTSeaRay]

Friends of ours called last night from their last day there... they said it was a zoo, and completely packed, they also said they waited 2-3 hrs to get on a ride!!! They'd only get about 2 rides / day.... They're flying back today.

There are a great couple of books that talk about the best way to experience disney without delays(some of the above comments are echo'd in the books)... when we went we followed them laying out where /what we wanted to see, and never had more than a few minutes line to wait in! It was great with 3 young boys.

-VtSeaRay

 

[Aarrhh & Aarrhh]

We go every year in September. The longest we have ever waited for a ride was 45 minutes. One year we rode Space Mountain 17 times in around an hour!!!

 

[Chris R]

I think I remember seeing a Disney ad on TV the other day..something like buy 4 nights and get three free. I'm assuming there may be some deals out there for pleasure travel like this....

 

[Overextended]

Our Disney Trip was CRAZY CHEAP!! Buy 4 get 3, airfare, meal plan, etc... Bargain.