More crowded or less.......

[titansfan]

Hi,

My family and I visited Orlando during the first week of August in 2004. The crowds were appalling and the que lines were over an hour for most rides in Universal and IOA. I wasn't mentally prepared for this and the crowds along with us trying to pack to much activity into our vacation in just 6 days, threw a damper on, and caused much stress to my first time Orlando experience.

This year we are planning a trip from May 28th until June 10th. I know the initial weekend we arrive is a holiday weekend and I can expect the vacationing population to be swollen.

My question is: With the insight of those who have visited orlando area often, Will the remainder of our visit be less crowded (first 10 days of June) than our previous visit (first 7 days of August)?

Oh, and based on the first trip I have expanded this one to two weeks and I am now on blood pressure medication so at least those aspects of the trip should be much better.

Thank you for any insight

Chuck

[stabard]

Hi Chuck

We have travelled in June before now. It was the first time we had taken our kids to Florida. I have to say that we all had a great time. The weather was fabtastic and we did not notice any excessive queues or that the parks were busy. We did learn to visit the parks in the afternoon and evening as they seemed to be even quieter then - we once went on the Rapids at Animal Kingdom 5 times on the trot as there was no line at all.

I am sure you will have a great time - enjoy those extra days too [msnsmile2]

[wrightbuxton]

Hi Chuck

we were in Florida for the first couple of weeks of June last year and all was fine.

No matter when you go, with a little bit of planning you will not need your medication[msnsmile2]. Why not one member of your party go and get a fast pass for one ride whilst the others go and start in line for another that way you can usually walk straight off one ride onto another - for example the big new ride is Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom. If one of you goes straight and gets FPs for everyone,all the others can start in line for the safari tour the person getting the FPs can then join them in line.

Also, take advantage of the notice boards that are up in the parks which show the wait times for certain rides.

Hope this helps. No matter when you visit Florida you will have a great time.

Julie

[Snapper]

Hi Chuck,

The theme parks are still going to be busy, but maybe not quite as full as they get in the middle of summer (July and August). As a bit of an inside tip, May and September are, in my opinion, two of the best months to vacation in Florida. You still have the lovely sunshine all day long, you skip the reallly fierce heat of the summer, and these two months are probably the least busy in the theme parks.

Whether the theme parks are busy or not there are a few things you can do to lessen the impact of the queues. Both Disney and Universal run a FastPass system, which gives you a ticket to bypass much of the queue on some of the headline rides and attractions. It's not quite that simple (isn't anything?) but it's a good start.

The theme parks tend to get busy from about 10am/11am thru to late afternoon. If you can get your timings right this is a great time to take in some of the shows. Most of the theme parks have a handful of shows running. Whatever you do, don't miss Beauty and the Beast, Indianna Jones and the new stunt show at Disney/MGM. See those shows, take in the less headline'y attractions and grab a bit of lunch and the queues will start dropping off a little later in the afternoon.

Another option is to skip the theme parks on a weekend and spend the day relaxing by your villa's pool (errrr - you are staying in a villa, yes? If not you are *really* missing out on one of the best things Florida has to offer!!)

Staying in a villa brings also into play a completely different option for a less-stress day. If you head into the theme parks early in the morning the queues are much lighter. When it starts to get busy just before lunchtime, head back to the villa for a bite to eat and have a couple of hours by the pool. Then mid-afternoon head back to the theme park, catch a couple of shows, ride as many attractions as you can fit in and finish the day with one of the amazing firework shows.

Hope there are some ideas for you there.

Have a great vacation.

[Paula D-S]

We like Julie were also there for the first two weeks in June last year. I personally didn't have any problems with queues. As with any big attractions I expect a bit of a wait but nothing too bad.

[Maz]

Hi - we've been at busy times such as xmas and in the summer months. The best ploy if it is busy - (I am not sure about your dates) is to get to the parks early and do a few big rides quickly. The have a break or long lunch then start again. When you know you've got a few things done it is better. If you are visiting Disney fast pass is a must.

[MarkJan]

Don't forget the usual "rules" of attacking a theme park. Get there to be near the front when opning and start at the back of the park. Or, go mid afternoon when everybody else is getting tired.

Having now read Snappers post, that seems to be the best option of all.

Have a good time.

[dawn]

Some great tips to avoid queues already. You will certainly appreciate the extra time you have this time. Try to plan some 'relaxation days' into your itinery, so you can chill and recharge your batteries away from the parks[msnsmile2]
We usually find that later on in August is much less busy as many US schools go back middle August

[GrahamC]

We never go to the parks early anymore. We normally have a relaxed morning, let the boys play in the pool, or do some shopping, and go to the parks around 3ish. They are far less busy and the lines are much smaller. In june they will all be shutting fairly late so you will not be rushed.

The only exception is Animal Kingdom which shuts around 6. My tip there is to do the safari during the afternoon parade. It starts near the safari entrance, so you can watch it and then go straight on. There is never a line, and we have always found it the best time to see the animals. It seems to be when they are all up and about.

Have a great time.

[Susan]

Hi Chuck

Got this from Disney website, hope it helps.

Lowest Attendance: January (except New Year's Day) until just prior to Presidents' week in February
The week following Labor Day until just prior to Thanksgiving week
The week following Thanksgiving until the week prior to Christmas

Moderate Attendance: After Presidents' week in February through early March
Late April through early June (except Memorial Day weekend)
The first part of Thanksgiving week

Highest Attendance: Presidents' week in February
Mid-March through Late April ("Spring Break")
Memorial Day weekend
Mid-June through Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day and weekend
Christmas week through New Year's Day

During regular attendance periods the Theme Parks tend to be the busiest on the following days:
Magic Kingdom® Park: Monday, Thursday, and Saturday
Epcot®: Tuesday and Friday
Disney-MGM Studios: Sunday and Wednesday
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

Sue

[linda allen]

Hi Chuck,
We are going the same time as you and were there the same weeks last year.
It is a great time to go. Yes the parks are busy but not as busy as the summer, but you will find that the second time you visit you have your bearings and seem to move faster around the parks than when you first went.

[TracyAndDean]

Last year we visited Florida last week in May, first week in June and had a great time. Ques were low, weather was great, think personally think this is one of the best times to go.

[titansfan]

Thank you all for the advice and information. I feel like this year is going to be an outstanding vacation.

We are limiting our park experiences to the 5 park flex tickets, planning on at least 4 or 5 leisure/golfing days.

We did rent a villa in the Highlands Reserve community for the two weeks, and I agree that the villas are the best all around option.

Thanks,
Chuck

[russell148]

The FastPass system is definately a good idea. However, Universal have stopped offering this as standard for everyone. If you want to get a FastPass for a ride in IOA or Universal Studios you have to buy a book of tickets at a cost of $30 each.

Liz & Russell

[jovi]

Oh no[:O], what a bad idea, is this going to be forever or just a trial period? If not, how many tickets do you get for $30?

[russell148]

You have to buy 1 ticket each

Russell

[jovi]

So for $30 you get one ticket? Does this then let you use the fast pass system? Hope I am not sounding too dumb[msneek][msnscared][msnsmile]

[jackie greaves]

For your $30 you get to skip the queues once on each ride. You have one ticket, and when you use it they mark off that you have done that ride. You can ride Duelling Dragons twice as it is counted as two seperate rides. On some rides they don't bother to mark your card, and you can go on as often as you like. The trouble is they started off by selling a very small limit amount of these tickets, but last time we went they were selling alot more. Hence the queues for the fast track ticket holders was getting longer, and the other queues shorter.

[cdrako]

Hi Chuck,

There is a bit of a difference between the to dates and it reflects northern US tourists. They do not finish school until mid to late June - so coming before that will reduce your time standing in the que. They return in school early September which leaves August to try to cram the last of their vacation in...leading to very long lines.

[abbeyvillas]

Hi Chuck - early June is a great time to visit Florida and the weather is perfect. [msncool]
Although there will be queues for the main rides, the parks are not as busy as in the summer holidays. As previously mentioned, if you go for the fast track tickets it will make a big difference to your waiting time
Pam & Jeanette.

[chrisflowers]

June is a great month to go to the parks avoiding the holiday rush.

We have never had need for the fast track tickets at that time of year.

[neild292]

Late May / Early June is a good time to go - The parks are definately less crowded than in July / August

Neil