The busy holiday season is upon us and certain days come with very heavy crowds in the parks. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve are all very busy days in the parks, which can be a little stressful. However, there are ways to reduce the stress during really busy park days.
Here are some suggestions:
If you are planning to visit the parks on a day you know is going to be so busy that it might fill to capacity then it’s best to get to the park as early as possible. On days that are referred to as a level 10 day (the highest level) that means that the park will most likely fill to capacity. So I would definitely get to the park at least an hour before the park is scheduled to open.
Once you are in the park, don’t leave unless you are done and don’t plan on coming back. Once a park fills to capacity it doesn’t matter if you have already been in the park that day, you won’t be able to re-enter the park. For example, Magic Kingdom’s capacity is 100,000 people, that’s when the park closes. The parking lot closes at 75,000. So it doesn’t matter if you were in the park earlier in the day, if it’s at capacity you won’t be able to get into the park.
Try to plan a few things you definitely want to do, because in all honesty if you are going during a high attendance day you probably won’t get to ride a lot of rides. So by picking out a few things the family definitely does not want to miss, that will help to avoid some disappointment.
Plan, but don’t plan too much. With high attendance days it can be difficult to move anywhere quickly, so don’t create extra stress by trying to jam in too many things to do. If you have ever been caught in the crowd after the fireworks then you know how difficult it can be to move around in the park. Now picture that crowd everywhere you go. Another way to help with this is to group your activities according to which sections they are in, so you are not zigzagging in the park through the crowd.
Bring food and drinks with you to the parks. Unless you snagged a sit down reservation, the lines at the quick service restaurants can be very long, so it’s helpful to have your own food and drink with you. Plus, if you have your own food and drink you don’t have to worry about getting through the crowd to find food.
Bring activities for waiting in line. If you are planning on riding some rides, and especially if you have little kids, it’s never a bad idea to bring some activities with you to keep the kids entertained while you wait. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train can be an hour long wait on a normal day, so on high attendance days it can get as high as a two hour wait or longer.
It definitely helps to be prepared during high attendance days and it is possible to have a good day in a big crowd. You are still in the most magical place on earth, after all.
Have you ever visited during a high attendance day?
Thanks for reading!
*Liz*
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