WDW Holiday Crowds 2011 - let the capacity closures begin!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

From the Touring Plans public site (subscribers and those with the app get more detailed info). TP's predictions are generally pretty accurate. We use their app all the time and their wait times are often even more accurate than those posted at the attractions.

For those traveling during the busy times, keep in mind that park capacity closures are common Christmas-New Years week. I'll dig up the 4 levels of capacity closures and post those here as well.

Disney World Crowds

Disney World crowds are hard to predict even for seasoned veterans. Our Disney World Crowd Calendar is extensively researched by professional statisticians to help you answer "When to go to Disney World?" and "Which park to visit each day?" This calendar ranks crowds in Disney World for the next 365 days and recommends which parks to visit and which parks to avoid. You should use it to:

1. Compare two sets of travel dates to see which has the lower crowds.
   
2. Help you pick which park to visit on each day.
   
3. Decide which Disney World Touring Plan (if any) to use.
   

Index: MK=Magic Kingdom EP=Epcot HS=Disney's Hollywood Studios AK=Animal Kingdom

DateCrowd LevelBest ParksParks to AvoidNotes The Crowd Calendar Fri, December 16, 2011 5 out of 10 MK AK EP Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Sat, December 17, 2011 8 out of 10 EP MK Sun, December 18, 2011 5 out of 10 MK HS Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Mon, December 19, 2011 8 out of 10 EP HS MK Tue, December 20, 2011 8 out of 10 HS MK Wed, December 21, 2011 8 out of 10 EP HS AK Thu, December 22, 2011 10 out of 10 EP HS AK Fri, December 23, 2011 10 out of 10 HS AK EP Sat, December 24, 2011 10 out of 10 MK HS AK Christmas Eve Sun, December 25, 2011 10 out of 10 EP MK Christmas Day Mon, December 26, 2011 10 out of 10 EP AK MK Tue, December 27, 2011 10 out of 10 EP MK Wed, December 28, 2011 10 out of 10 MK EP Thu, December 29, 2011 10 out of 10 MK EP Fri, December 30, 2011 10 out of 10 MK EP AK HS Sat, December 31, 2011 10 out of 10 HS AK MK New Year's Eve Date Crowd Level Best Parks Parks to Avoid Notes Sun, January 1, 2012 10 out of 10 HS AK MK New Year's Day Mon, January 2, 2012 10 out of 10 HS AK EP Tue, January 3, 2012 6 out of 10 HS MK

http://touringplans..../crowd-calendar

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

From WDW Magic. This was the first thing I could lay my hands on. Lou, can you confirm all this is correct? Last I heard having an ADR was no guarantee of admittance if you didn't meet the other criteria for the phase of closure, but this seems to suggest it is.

Walt Disney World closing phases

Phase 1

Guests with 'Magic Your Way' base tickets, or a '1-Day 1-Park Ticket', Guests without an admission ticket, and Cast Members using Main Gate & Silver Passes will be turned around at the parking lot booths.

Phase 2

Admission is limited to:

• Disney Resort Guests (including the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, and guests arriving by bus from the Hotel Plaza Boulevard hotels)
  
• Annual and Premium Annual Passholders
  
• Guests with Hopper tickets coming from another park
  
• Guests re-entering the park
  
• Guests with dining reservations
  
• Magic Kingdom Guests with reservations for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or The Pirates League
  
• Guests using Walt Disney World Resort Transportation will be admitted.
  

Phase 3

Admission is limited to:

• Disney Resort Guests (including the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, and guests arriving by bus from the Hotel Plaza Boulevard hotels)
  
• Annual and Premium Annual Passholders
  
• Guests with dining reservations
  
• Magic Kingdom Guests with reservations for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or The Pirates League
  

Phase 4

Closed to all guests.

http://www.wdwmagic.com/Park-Closing-Phases.htm

[Lou... 3,118]

I've sent you what is posted on the HUB.

Lou, can you confirm all this is correct?

Will do.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

ok folks, I've summarized the official policy here...

Phase 1:

The following will be turned away at the Auto Plaza and told the Theme Park has reached capacity -

• Day Guests with Magic Your Way Base Tickets or a 1-Day 1-Park Ticket

• Guests without Theme Park admission

• Cast Members using Main Gate & Silver Passes

Phase 2:

The only guests allowed in are -

• Disney Resort Guests*

• Annual and Premium Annual Passholders

• Guests with Park Hopper tickets crossing over from another Park

• Guests re-entering this Park today

• Guests with Dining reservations

• Magic Kingdom Guests with reservations for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or The Pirates League

• Guests using Walt Disney World Resort Transportation

All other guests will be told the Theme Park has reached capacity and will not be admitted.

Phase 3:

The only guests allowed in are -

• Disney Resort Guests*

• Annual and Premium Annual Passholders

• Guests with Dining reservations

• Magic Kingdom Guests with reservations for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or The Pirates League.

All other guests will be told the Theme Park has reached capacity and will not be admitted.

Phase 4:

Closed to all Guests

One thing to note that I've read repeatedly from pretty reliable sources is that with a Phase 4 closure, Guests with ADRs, even pre-paid ADRs (such Cinderella's Royal Table) will not be allowed into the park and will not have their money returned to them. This is probably even more important to note now that WDW has a $10 deposit for some dining locations that is forfeited if you don't show up.

So if you have an ADR in a particular park during one of these super busy times, you need to be sure to get there early and stay there.

*Guests of WDW Swan and Dolphin Hotels and Shades of Green at the Walt Disney World Resort are considered "Disney Resort Guests." Also included are Guests from Hotel Plaza Boulevard hotels arriving by bus (Best Western Lake Buena Vista, Buena Vista Palace, Doubletree Guest Suites, Hotel Royal Plaza, Wyndham LBV, The Hilton Lake Buena Vista).

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

The crazy's can have those crowds!!!!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I keep saying I want to (just one time) stand in the middle of Main Street on Christmas and just soak it all in.

Of course that's all I'd be able to to is stand, since ain't nobody gonna be movin! :rofl2:

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

According to WDW Magic, Magic Kingdom hit a phase 2 closure today (12/25) sometime around 11:30 and reopened to all guests by about 2:30

[Lou... 3,118]

As of 10:15 a.m today, Dec 26, although busy, Disney does not anticipate any phased closings.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

At 11:30 WDW Magic reported a Phase 2 closure at Magic Kingdom

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Must be a busy day in The World as there are park closures galore!!

According to WDW Magic...

Magic Kingdom hit Phase 2 closure around 11:30 - reopening around 2:45

Hollywood Studios hit Phase 2 closure around 12:30 - reopening around 2:50

Animal Kingdom hit Phase 2 closure around 12:30 - reopening around 2:50

The big surprise there is AK which *rarely* closes!

Also they're announcing that Blizzard Beach will remain closed tomorrow (Thursday) due to the weather.

http://www.wdwmagic.com/

[AuburnJen 771]

The BB closure is going to be hard on WDW, because that is another place for people to be.

I went into the parks two years ago for several days during the 10 out of 10 periods. We did it because it was one of my mother-in-law's last wishes to spend New Years with her children and grandson. Needless to say, it was very difficult to navigate around, but she got her wish.

My wish is to never do that again unless it is someone else's dying wish. I have only been claustrophobic once in my life and that was at Mardi Gras in New Orleans on Bourbon Street. This comes up to a fast second IMHO.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Just logging this info here for posterity. WDW Magic reported that MK hit a phase 3 closure on 12/31 at 11am. The park reopened to all guests at 8:20pm.

No other closures reported over the New Years weekend.

[Lou... 3,118]

It was a mess. Cars backed up to the Epcot exit off World Drive.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Figured since we're creeping up on that time of year again, it would be good to give this thread a bump so people that will be at WDW during Christmas week will know what they may potentially be up against.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Thanks for bumping this, Monique.

For the first time ever, the TCD gang holds regular (not seasonal) AP's, which means we can go in to the parks for the 2 weeks when Seasonal Passes are blacked out around Christmas.

If I am understanding this correctly, even with a phase 3 closing, resort guests and annual passholders will be allowed in.

Based on the reporting from last year, it looks like there were no phase 4 closings. Does anyone know the last time there was a phase 4 closing?

TCD

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

New Year's Eve 2009 MK hit a Phase 4 at around 11am and reopened at about 9:30pm

I don't recall any Phase 4's in the last couple of years.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

New Year's Eve 2009 MK hit a Phase 4 at around 11am and reopened at about 9:30pm

I don't recall any Phase 4's in the last couple of years.

Seriously?

Nobody could go in for 10 hours?

That sounds bad.

I wonder why that happened in 2009 and not again since?

TCD

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

That was the worst I've heard in the several years since I started paying attention to such things. Not sure why that particular day was so bad.

Last year the big suprise was that AK actually hit a phase 2 one day for a few hours.

EP seems to be the park least likely to close - probably because of the size and ability to hold a LOT of people. But they also do a lot of NYE stuff so it can get crazy there too. Friends of ours were there for NYE last year and left at 7pm because it was literally wall-to-wall people and with a 7yo and a 3yo in a stroller it was starting to actually get scary trying to move around.

[Brent... Just Brent 83]

I disagree, but I didn't have a stroller, so can't factor that in. I was at EP last year for NYE. I thought it wasn't so bad. Definitely crowded, but not much worse than a busy food and wine day. They had extra food stands and lots of drinks stands around. Concerts and other things going on. The wait for Soarin' was about an hour, so again, not much different than a busy day. We got a great spot for fireworks and all. The only thing I will say is that there were very long lines for the restrooms and I'd DEFINITELY take Disney transportation. It took an hour just to get out of the parking lot, but again, we left right after midnight instead of staying until 2am when it would have been better.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

>... there were very long lines for the restrooms

They did mention this too, and with 2 young kids I'm sure that was a contributing factor as well.

I don't think they'd ever been during Christmas week before either, so their perception of how crowded it really was may have been skewed a bit.

[Brent... Just Brent 83]

True. And I know both of us went into it expecting the worst. I guess we were pleasantly surprised when it wasn't as bad as we thought. I think most people were just drinking themselves silly, so I also wouldn't recommend it for some families. It felt a little more geared towards adults.