Crowds, Orlando

Majority of the themeparks gets too crowded at any time of the day. So be prepared to be with rubbing elbows to other visitors :-) Also, keep an eye to your kids (even the elders) or else you might find yourself waiting at the missing child section.

Because it has now become so big, I was pleased to see that Walt Disney World wasn't nearly as crowded as I remembered it to be when I went there as a kid (Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios didn't exist back then so the crowds were bigger at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT). However, there is one thing that hasn't changed: night shows make for massive crowds! As we were leaving the Fantasmic show at Hollywood Studios, we saw a man frantically running around, screaming his young boy's name who'd obviously gotten lost in the crowd. We felt so bad for him, we all began holding hands and didn't let go until we'd made it to the shuttle! Luckily, we also got to see the happy ending to this scary story: one of the park's security guards had spotted the little boy walking alone and managed to get him reunited with his family. What a relief!!

If traveling with small children be especially careful with them in areas of large crowds.We encountered a lot of pushing and shoving during parades and special events and I saw small kids pushed out of the way and knocked down by rude adults.I have a low tolerance for rude people who take mistreat kids.

During the VT meeting on saturday, we espied one of HotSauces henchmen lurking in the crowd. He is new to the job, as one can tell, since he forgot to take off his office uniform for something more incognito.

Plan on being in Orlando, Florida this weekend (April 25th - April 27th)?

The National Rifle Association (NRA), along with other convention-related activities, will bring between 50,000 and 60,000 visitors to Orlando to attend conventions and visit area attractions!

If in Orlando, now would be the time to look for those "out of the way" attractions and activities!

2 more images

Crowds and Disney go hand in hand. Visiting Disney World during peak times and holidays guarantee an even bigger swarm of people. We try to visit the parks during off peak times when there are no school vacations or holidays. try to come early in the morning and leave before the afternoon sets in. Returning in the evening also provides shorter wait times because most families are back at their resort or at dinner.

Just know that with nationally renowned theme parks, there will be tons of people, tons of children and tons of long lines. When visiting EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, Sea World, Universal Studios and all other parks, remember to maintain a good patience level.