From a Cast Member at a Disney hotel: Monday’s are the busiest days for Magic Kingdom since most guests check into their hotels on Sundays. The first thing they all want to do is to hit MK. The least busy day for MK is Friday, but it also is the busiest for EPCOT.
Wow, this is surprising and I’m glad I saw this comment, I am going Feb 8th and had plans to go to MK on a Wednesday and Epcot on a Friday but I might swap them
We just got back. It's a total crapshoot. Don't follow anyone's advice. Start at a park; if it's too crowded, go to another one at 2 PM. There has been no rhyme or reason for the crowds / days.
It sounds like you didn’t know how to use it then. I was there 2 weeks ago and was able to get a genie pass for literally every ride we rode by just continuously refreshing until it gave me a time I wanted. You just have to know how to utilize the system to the best of its ability.
Remember WDW is literally designed in such a way that it's impossible to do it all in one vacation. Knowing the popular rides and booking them early in the day is a solid solution to this problem. And have reasonable expectations - you won't be able to do it all.
@@christinestone4846 spending the whole day with my head down refreshing my phone is not what I want to do in Disney. I know it’s meant to make things better, but I’m not so sure it’ll be for us.
RIP Fastpass. It was efficient, accessible, and almost always provided a great experience. (Sorry about the long, poorly written rant. I kinda just started typing and couldn't stop) Obviously Disney has always been a massive cooperation that is out to make money first and foremost, but since Micheal Isener did his thing, they've at least tried to provide a top notch experience at the parks. Now the new CEO Bob Chapek has made it very clear that he has a different strategy. Cutting programs, experiences, and extras that most likely didn't make money is one thing, but replacing a beloved program that essentially ran the whole queue system with a downright worse one that costs money is just plain stupid. I think the reason many people go to Disney is for the little extras and the details that make the very expensive trip worth it. Y'know, the bus that would take you and your luggage to your resort at the Magic Kindom, and the band playing in the lobby when you arrive. Or the FastPass system that made it easy to plan your day and get on rides faster. How 'bout the seasons pass that made it easy for locals to enjoy the parks as well? And as if getting rid of all of that wasn't enough, the entry prices just had to go up by 8.1% as a little kick in the nose to top it all off. I guess none of that is necessary, and withouht them the company will make a lot more money, sure. I bet Chapek is also pretty happy with his 2x pay increase to a cool 32.5mil a year. But what about the people that are providing all of that money? Surely as benefits get cut and prices get higher and higher ON TOP of new added costs, the general public will start to realize that they're getting price gouged even more for an overall worse time at the parks. I don't know what will happen when they do, but it might not be pretty for the attendance numbers.
You are 100% right, it’s just going downhill and for people like me that used to adore the Disney parks, the lack of fast passes definitely makes a huge difference.
I will say, you can tell when Disney pricing is out of control when you have locals who are in the parks weekly and still say "WOW!" when they see the price. DAMN YOU DISNEY
We were staying at a resort and the guy in the booth at Magic Kingdom charged us for parking. He flat out refused to scan my magic band to see we were staying at a WDW hotel and shouldn't have had to pay for parking. To the credit of our hotel (Port Orleans FQ), they refunded the parking fee even though (yet another mistake) the guy didn't give a receipt. Too many rides were breaking down while we were there. We were crowded into pre-show rooms elbow to elbow with people, only to be told after spending 10 minutes in there, that they were shutting the ride down, and we could 'come back anytime during the day.' Just a mess. Still, I miss it now that I'm home! HAHAHA
Our son lost his tooth in the queue for Pirates. All the people around us were helping us find his tooth, and we did end up finding it! The Tooth Fairy had to visit us at the resort that night 😀
I'm trying to wrap my head around how it is SO BUSY during a late January weekday! Geez. That looks almost Spring Break busy! Other than that, another excellent vlog!
We went at this time 2019. Right before the pandemic and it was basically 10/10 crowd levels. Looks like it's back up to that. Everyone told us this was the slow time of the year. I think people need to stop thinking Disney has slow times of year. Lol
Lighting Land and Genie Plus was so annoying when we were trying to show some family around the parks. The app wouldn’t stop crashing, and even Genie+ paid passes were not designed to be user friendly. I can only imagine the amount of complaints Disney gets about it because if I’d paid for some of the priced options like ROTR, I’d not be a happy camper with the way some days pan out for a ride like that.
@@mike9147 but express is something you have to pay for whether or not you get it from staying at the hotel which I think is a better deal especially if you get a discount on hotels for Florida resident or annual pass but it’s still built into the price
Hey to the people saying the way to manage to Genie is to get up early etc etc. Yeah, not for anyone on actual vacation / holiday. Who in their right mind wants to get up early everyday, faff with their phone and potentially waste money? The amount of people (you can see them in parks on ALL recent Disney vlogs) who are phone watching all day, crikey, they might as well be sat in an office checking emails. "Magic" should not be so, confusing, hard or stressful. It's not fun, it doesn't have to be this way, and it's putting people off. And fair enough to the Trackers for inadvertently demonstrating how rubbish Genie actually is.
You realise people do actually just naturally wake up early 😂 and you only need to pay for the big popular rides so just rope drop those ones and just genie + the others
Speaking of kids losing teeth, during our trip in August, my daughter lost 2 of her teeth! One she lost in the snorkel tank at Disney Cove (right above a nurse shark), and the other in the Shades of Green Hallway! In order to make “the tooth fairy experience” as normal as possible, I took our rooms ice bucket, filled it with water, and put a note on top that said something to the affect of “I dove down to get your to get your tooth, and couldn’t find it. Here is your dollar anyway!” And I put 4 quarters in the bottom of the water 😆
I hope Disney is watching your vlogs. It definitely seems like the Disney experience has gone downhill. We were planning to go to Orlando in November. I think we will skip Disney this trip and focus on Universal and SeaWorld. I appreciate your honest opinion of your recent trips.
My daughter lost a tooth before breakfast at Topolino's!!! I told her I called Tink who let the Tooth Fairy know we were at Disney instead of at home!!! She wrote Tink a thank-you note. It was precious.
This is how it was when I went last month and we were a group of 9. Almost unbearable, we went to three of the four parks and each day we were only able to do a handful of rides. The crowds and waits were absurd, and I thought I was used to waiting on long lines at Disney, nope this is a new level
We rode Big Thunder Mountain during the fireworks and it was amazing. Seeing the giant fireworks as you exit the mountains! I highly recommended it, and the lines are so low during that time.
Thanks for your honesty. Thank you for letting us crash your date. Yes, we too have had Disney Date Days like you two, and like this video! Thankful to be at Disney, have fun despite it all, just being together in our happy place. It is crazy these days. Very different. We make the most of each visit, talking to guests and casts members, encouraging them, etc… puts our attitude right. We also are trying new things to us, in order to make the visit special. This keeps the adventure and magic alive. Married 32 years , almost 32.5. ❤️
Oh man i loved this so much! Felt like older videos when it was just you two hanging out and going to the parks, giving sassy opinions on things 😅 not that I don’t love your current content, but it is nice for a change!
I was having a rough day and in front of my apartment has those green electrical boxes and when I saw them in my head I heard Jackson’s voice saying “don’t touch” and it made me feel better. I thought I’d share because of all people y’all would get it!
This video warmed my heart 🥰 Hearing you say you’re at the Ticket and Transportation Center. Singing “Walking right down the [side] of Main Street USA”. Y’all being at Magic Kingdom together just milling around for the day. Tim joking about his sweater. As a long time sub, this felt like home 💕
I am disabled so I use DAS but one of my friends got Genie+ at MK 2 weeks ago while we were there (didn’t know I could add people to my DAS while at the park until she paid for it…) and it was absolutely awful for her. Especially when it compared to how I was using DAS. I don’t feel bad for using DAS because I truly need it and I can’t do most of the rides anyway but I feel bad for people who buy it and then spend half their day still waiting in a line. DAS has greatly improved while Lightning Lane/Genie+ has gotten much worse. Luckily as a person doing a park a day while on vacation we got on everything I wanted/was able to do at Disney with DAS and had an awesome time.
@@aubreyden10 I cannot wait in long lines due to bladder issues and back issues. I have to be able to rest in between rides. If your dad is perfectly fine waiting in long lines, then you don't qualify for das. BUT if there is any reason other than being able to go through the line he would need it, you can preregister online for DAS. I did have to sit by my computer and wait for an agent for 5 hours to get DAS. But it saved a LOT of time at the park.
@@1986loopylou I've learned to take advantage of services that make me more comfortable in life because making life hard for myself is just too dang hard. :)
Good to know about Cosmic Rays and that it could take that long for the food. I'm kind of surprised because in the old days the quick service used to always be pretty quick at Cosmic Rays. This will help prepare us on our next trip this new way quick service restaurants are now. I also don't remember the Under the Sea/Ariel ride line ever being that long anytime we went there. So this trip we're doing for Spring Break is going to be interesting.
I personally always go with cosmic rays. It really isn't that long. I've had a few quick service restaurants and Universal take longer. I might be a bit biased though. I've always liked Cosmic Rays.
We just returned from our WDW trip MLK week-- crowds were average. We used mobile order at Cosmic Ray's and I got right in. It definitely looks considerably more crowded when they are there. And according to crowd calendar, this week was supposed to be a less crowded week 🤷♀️
@@mollyfrank679 It's probably because Disney doesn't know how to mange anything anymore, especially capacity. They're letting way too many people in then they should, wich causes crowds that can't be handled. All for 💰 💵
Dang those prices on the 50th merch are crazy! You really have to pick and choose your favorites unless you're ballin! Also, wanted to say about the food wait times, my husband and I are like food camels-- we'd rather just eat a few snacks throughout the day and then eat one big meal for dinner, so we usually bring snacks that we buy from Amazon so we're not spending so much time waiting in line. Of course we also don't wake up any time before 10am! LOL. Maybe eat something before you go next time?
We are the same, we load up on snacks and when we desperately need protein or whatever. I thought the same about those prices too. I was like disney is really getting ridiculous! ):
Is it just me or do the crowd levels seem extremely high for this time of the year? It appears that the footage for this video was shot on Monday, January 24th.
Hi Tim and Jenn, thank you for taking me with you to the MK, I miss it a lot. My cousin went with his family for the holidays and they got the Genie+ they told us that it was not worth it at all, they just have chance to ride 2 rides using it per person. Next time I go I will of course skip it. As usually great information
Sadly, this was my experience the entire 5-day trip I took in October. Outrageous lines, waiting an hour for food from the sole food location available, overcrowding. Totally un-magical. I love Disney with all my heart, but I can’t justify taking another trip for a while.
I am the “one” that always makes the plans/reservations, ect… and I totally do not understand Disney Genie + system… at all. Totally confusing . Met a lot of people in the parks that felt the same
Cosmic Ray's is like literally the busiest quick service in all of Disney World and you ordered at peak lunch time. Not surprising you had to wait a little bit.
Thank you for this honest review! Also, LOVE how Tim recognized Her Universe and Dress Shoppe! The Alice in Wonderland merch, it looks so "pen & Ink", very cool!
Thank you for your perspective on Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. Personally, I was very upset by the news of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes because the merchandise and park tickets are expensive enough already. I haven't been to Disney World in a really long time, but I think you can have a good time at the parks by avoiding the crowded days and planning which rides you absolutely want to do. I love that tip of bringing your own food/snacks/lunches to the parks. I will do that when I get to Disney World this spring!
Be careful with those wait times too. Ever since Genie + has launch the wait times have been inflated to convince people to buy Genie +. My family and I experience this on our trip during Christmas. And yeah the prices are insane and I'm kinda sad they dont sell lot of it online.
I was at Disneyland yesterday and a lot of the rides had actually undershot the wait times. The worst was Roger Rabbit. It said it was a 35 minute wait. We wound up waiting almost an hour and a half because of lightning lane. It ruined the entire day for us because we were only able to get on 3 rides before we got exhausted from standing in one spot without moving for 30 minutes at a time.
Jeez Genie+ is such a scam. I remember reading it when they first announced it and being so confused as to what they thought they were doing. I absolutely love Disney, but this just disappoints me. P.S. Jenn, I absolutely love the Aristocats shirt!
Saw a video from Disneyland from this Monday; very low crowds and no need for the Genie Plus at all they showed. Odd how much more busy it was there, but then again WDW...thanks for the video! Glad you guys got some time together.
I was actually at Magic Kingdom this exact day. As someone who only makes it out every 3-5 years it was a bummer it was so randomly crowded. As far as Genie+ I worked it as hard as I could this day and did in fact get Peter Pan (because I was up at 7 am), Winnie the Pooh, Philharmagic, Little Mermaid and Big Thunder for my party of 4. Definitely a lot less easy to navigate than the old Fastpass system but if you dedicate yourself to it I think it can still work out especially if you're staying on property and start reserving at the crack of dawn.
We were there the same day!! The crowds were NUTS. We always go in January when we go, and never experienced crowds like it. Genie+ did work pretty well for us - we couldn't have done much without it.
We were in front of you guys at the TTA. We got stuck right before the end. I waved from the platform and y’all waved back and made my day! Thanks for all the videos!
Our favorite bathroom in that area is between Space Mountain and Carousel of Progress, behind the stage were Buzz and Stitch come out. Never a line, very clean 👍🏻 it’s funny you can tell who the locals are, bundled up like you and Jen. Out of towners are in tank tops and shorts. 59 degrees sounds like heaven rn. It’s 15 degrees. Fun video!!
We haven’t been since 2018 but we opted out of the meal plan that year and stocked our room with sandwich stuff and snacks and brought out own soft sided cooler with water bottles and lunches/snacks and saved so much money and time . Definitely an option worth considering. We did eat at cosmic rays once and had breakfast at Cinderella’s royal table but outside of that we didn’t eat park food and considering it again next trip
Are the wait times, for the popular attractions, really that long or could Disney be manipulating the wait times to "encourage" people to buy Lightning Lane? Just wondering.
This morning we got in line for Rise of the Resistance with a posted wait time of 115 minutes. We set a timer and by the time we plopped our butts onto the ride seats, it hadn't even been 40 minutes. Later on in the day, Kilamanjaro Safaris had a 45 minute wait time and we didn't even wait 15 minutes. This was a common theme throughout the day but those were the most extreme examples. Pretty much tells us everything we need to know
We were at Magic Kingdom that day and I can confirm it was definitely very long waits for most rides. We were able to get more done with Genie+ than Tim and Jen did, but we also were there most of the day. The crowds were insane and I'm still not really sure why. What you said could still be a possibility, but just speaking for Monday, the 24th, it was definitely as busy as the wait times indicated. Tuesday I tried to get a lightning lane for Rise of the resistance, but failed. We were able to ride that afternoon in standby with a posted wait of 130 minutes and we waited about 60.
Honestly it was hit or miss for me when I went 2 weeks ago. Some the times were pretty spot on and others were a lot shorter than posted wait time. 🤷🏽♀️
59°F is a pretty good summer day here in Sweden ;) We do of course have warmer days too. Up to 80-85°F. But that's only in june, july and august pretty much. For every other month 59°F is really good! Haha.
I was at magic kingdoms on Monday!!!!!I'm from NH. I was on the look out for you guys but didn't see you. We have a very similar day. We also ate at cosmic rays. Would have loved to run into you guys someday. Love the channel and your adorable family.
I absolutely love everything that this channel does. I feel that I can rely on Tim and Jenn to give their totally honest opinion on what is going on in Orlando. I love your content and always have. Thank you for all the wonderful videos over the years.
I was suppose to be there this week and cancelled. After watching this, I’m SO glad I did. The whole thing was a failure. The food, the lines, the crowds, Genie +. None of that looked fun at all 🙅🏻♀️
Well the problem you said that it was all and all and OK but honestly if I flew in from Wisconsin spent $5000 that was the way it was for the entire week. Let's talk about how disappointing that would be oh not to mention airfare. I believe all in all it was OK you both of you ... because you do live there and you can go another day and it's not that big of a deal. I absolutely love Disney as well but the fact that it is that crowded and they don't have enough open to be able to actually handle the capacity that they have... is sad.
Next time buy Genie+ right away at 7:00 am and book a ride for later in the day when you plan to be there. Then book another one once you 120 minute rule expires. You can stack rides and it works out better
@@alexandramrojas I don’t disagree with that!!! If you are going to pay for it I was just saying that is the best way to maximize it. I agree though 7:00 is early on vacation
That's too bad you guys didn't have such a good day at MK. Seems so incredibly busy that even without Genie plus being an issue this day would have been too busy to do anything great. And your food being cold, sounds awful! But glad it tasted good at least. Thanks for sharing!
Last trip I discovered that the only times genie+ felt worth it was on days when you are both willing to be awake at 7am to book your lighting lanes and yet you won’t really be in the park until much later which is a rare situation. I booked lightning lanes for my family’s first day (arriving in the afternoon,) and by booking in the morning and during my flight we arrived at the parks after check in in the afternoon and were able to knock out five attractions (2 lines and 3 LLs) in about 4 hours. I could see this working if you didn’t have to have reservations for the park you were booking lls for (or you could reserve where you planned to park hop.) You could wake up, pick up lightning lanes throughout the day while ropedropping another park, have a lunch time rest and then use your collected lightning lanes and wait in a few short lines at your park hop park. I personally wouldn’t buy Genie+ again unless it is completely retooled
I went to MK on December 7 and had sadly the worst time it was just as full and wasted my money on genie+ as well. We had to leave earlier than I wanted. However I did use it at Epcot, animal kingdom, and Hollywood studios and much preferred genie+ at those parks. Probably because of less rides and less people. Everyone loves going to MK on their trips. That park isn’t fun anymore! :/
I was there a week before you and I agree. My family and I actually enjoyed Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom more than MK, they were less crowded , therefore more enjoyable. We didn’t buy genie+, just waited in standby lines and it was fine. I don’t like the concept of genie+ though. Bring back fast passes. Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy yourself, hopefully next time will be better!
I too do not care for the sparkly black pant sets, but I loved some of the other things I saw. I hope they are still there in June. We also like brining our lunch into the parks then we plan a sit down meal later on. You are right it is so nice to just eat when we are ready and get right back to rides. As always we love watching 🙂
I heard that MK was incredibly busy this past Monday but actually seeing it is so crazy! I’m hoping the crowds slow down for my trip next week cause i’m bringing my boyfriend for his first visit and I want to be able to show him all the must dos!
Can’t believe how busy it was at MK on a Monday in January 😳 My family and I visited at the end of November and the lines weren’t that long…thank goodness! Hope next time you go back, it’s more magical 🏰💕 ( and less crowded..lol)
Ah, Tom Sawyer Island, 1993. I still remember standing and waiting at the dock for the raft to come over, and the HUGE SNAKE that crawled out of the men's room right next to the dock. To this day, I still don't know how I climbed to the top of that railing so fast, but that' where I found myself........
