Conference koolit::disney

    Mike, 
    
    Is the Animation Tour really that uncrowded mid-day??  I was there two
    years ago late June and we had at least a 35-minute wait after lunch to
    get into the tour.  And there's hardly any shade... :-(  But it's a
    great attraction!!  :-)
    
    Anyways, adding to what Mike said in the base note, mid-day is a good
    time to hit the large-capacity shows (if the line's not out the door). 
    In EPCOT, I would include Universe of Energy, China, Canada, and even
    American Adventure among these.
    
    But really, if you're going to spend the whole day in the parks, you
    should still use the afternoon to re-charge.  Make a reservation for a
    late lunch at one of the sit-down restaurants in the parks or at one of
    the nearby Disney hotels.
    
    Or grab an ice cream and plunk yourself down for a parade or a show.
    
    If you can't sit still for a parade, get in line for one of the busier
    attractions, hoping that the line will get shorter as everyone goes to
    check out the parade.  
    
    And in the MK, there's always Tom Sawyer's Island or the riverboat
    (which I hate to say that I've never ridden)...
    
    In EPCOT, park yourself on a park bench in/near Morrocco and wait for
    the Disney characters to show up.  During our last trip, we
    consistently saw them around this pavilion.
    
    Any other suggestions??
    
    - Skip

In the MK, I like to bug out at that time for a slow lunch at Narcoosee's
across the water in front of the Grand Floridian (Great view for a lightning
storm, too!)

In EPCOT, I find the crowds diminished in Communicore at that time so I 
can take my time...

In MGM I'm likely to get into the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular since
it holds a bizillion people anyway.

Bill

    One of my husband's favorites is to spend an hour or two at Discovery
    Island.  It's cool and relaxing and great for pictures.
    
    KJ
    

    What we generally do is go back to our hotel, in the park of course,
    and go to the pools or local beaches for some relaxation. Then get
    ready to hit the parks after 5 or have dinner first and then hit the
    parks for the evening!!!
    
    It makes for a real good day! We generally start first thing in the
    morning so we don't seem to hit the real crowds then either.
    
    Bob

Several years ago I visited th MK, Epcot and the studio park (2 months 
after if opened).  I found then that if I went DIRECTLY to the back of 
both Epcot and the MK, I was able to go right into attractions and on 
rides.  This made a HUGE difference in my kids (ages 5 and 8 at the time) 
enjoyment...they could get their fill early.

Has this changed much, ie are there "new and improved" strategies for 
beating the crowds/lines?

Steve_who_cant_stay_away_for_more_than_a_year_or_so

    So, what do you think the summer crowds will be like since there is such a
    frenzy over airfare?  I was so tempted to book a reservation, but don't
    think I could ever handle that Orlando summer sun.
    
    

    Well,
    
    The economy is still hurting and airfare wars alone won't make for big
    crowds down there. I expect that the crowds will be about the same as
    they have been over the last two years.
    
    As for the "Orlando Summer Sun" well if you can work your way around
    the heat and humidity you'll get more for your vacation dollar than any
    other time of the year.
    
    Mike

    
    
    
       We did it. We're going for the week of August 14th - 21st. I have
    family down there (about 2 hours away on the Gulf coast), so we've been
    there in August before. To me, it's no hotter then the Philly area that
    time of year.
    
       What we do during the noon to five hours...
    
      Well we usually get an early start. We always go to the back of the
    park and work our way forward (this seems to work the best in EPCOT).
    Stay to see the parade (at least once) then head back to the hotel for
    a nap (we have a 7yr. old, a 3yr. old and an baby who will be 5 months
    old in August). We head back to the park around 6 or 7 and take in the 
    night time activities.
      Last year we we're there over the 4th of July. Not as bad as I
    thought it would be. It was a little crowded and a little hot, but we
    had a great time.
    
    
                    looking forward to August, Phil...

    Re: Beating the 12 - 5 crowds...what about weekends?
    Is it wise to stay away from the parks Saturday and SUnday???
                               

    Nope, it's wise to go on Saturdays and Sundays and maybe even Monday
    and Tuesday mornings...but avoid the parks on those two afternoons.
    
    Saturday early morning openings are the best times.
    
    Also, attraction hopping is more enjoyable during parades.
    
    Mike

    My family and I just returned from Disney World a week ago, and we have
    not had time to write a trip report.  
    The parks are extremely crowded this year, earlier than usual
    leading up to Easter, according to employees.  Here is my crowd input. 
    I don't know what the answer is for everyone, but I'll tell you our 
    situation, and if you recognize yourself, perhaps you can benefit from it
    if you are vacationing during April/Easter
    
    We were already on sleep-deprivation when we started our vacation.  Of
    course, this was our mistake.
    We spent a week of late evenings at work, then flew non-stop to Disney,
    where we thought an afternoon nap at the Contemporary would suffice.
    The Parks seemed busy, but tolerable that evening (Saturday) but the
    rest of the week it was often 60 minutes of lines.   By Tuesday, I 
    was very tired & very disappointed.  We had been trying the Very Early
    approach, with a break in the afternoon, and it was not working, either
    at MK or Epcot.  We didn't look forward to returning to face the
    crowds, yet we felt under pressure to make the most of our time.  So,
    we finally had a family conference and decided that we would pretend the 
    parks didn't exist until after lunch.  From Tuesday on, we slept late,
    as if we were in a place that didn't have much else to do, had a nice, 
    relaxing breakfast, & went swimming.  After all that rest and relaxation, 
    the parks became tolerable, and everything was fine after that.  
    In fact, it turned around immediately.  The extreme crowds were still there,
    but our frustration tolerance was much higher, & our expectations more
    realistic.  I recommend finding out which Park opens early, and run the
    other way.  We found that the park that opened early the day Before is
    the one to go to.  We did this with MGM and rode Tower of Terror three
    times with no wait, which I understand to be a very busy attraction.
    The weather was beautiful, and if you need a Disney babysitter, we 
    used Jackie Molinari several times, a grandmother, and recommend her
    without hesitation.  Enjoy!