Just how crazy is Easter week?

[Jchoma]

We are a family of 4, planning our next trip for 2019 and I’m debating between June & the week before Easter (our spring break). I’m leaning toward spring break to avoid the summer heat, but am really nervous about extreme crowds that week. I would love some input on just how crowded Easter week is from anyone who has experienced it.

Our strategy for our last visits has been to arrive before rope drop, and hit rides that develop long lines later in the day first thing. I make our first fast pass around 2 hours after park opening, and we usually get to a lot of rides with that approach. During spring break (Easter week), are there long lines starting at rope drop? Is it truly wall-to-wall people during the day?

Easter 2019 is 4/21, so I’m wondering if many school spring breaks will be earlier and that’ll help with crowds.

 

[teachmedis]

I was there on Easter week in 2015, and I'll be there Easter week this year. In 2015, we rope dropped and took advantage of emh (often 7 a.m. opens and 2 a.m. closures). We never waited more than 15 minutes for anything, and I only felt uncomfortably crowded twice (once in Africa and once in Tomorrowland). We took breaks midday, and went back in the evening. I didn't tour with a conquer the parks mindset, but I was pleased with how much we got done. I found in 2015 that everything was running like a well oiled machine. We didn't wait long for buses, dining reservations etc. My experience this year will probably give you a better idea for next year. So far both my dining reservations and fastpasses have been a breeze. Ask again after Easter and we'll see if it's still a well oiled machine (it's not sounding too great right now). Also, you can't beat the weather.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I’ve never been but my brother and SIL were there over Easter in 2016. They were veteran spring break visitors but found Easter to be a step above and wasn’t really to their liking. But everyone has a different tolerance level for crowds.

 

[KittyKitty]

I was looking at states' school break for Easter 2019. I found that the ones taking school break around Easter were doing it the week before.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I've heard from others and saw pics of crowds during easter....and it looks absolutely INSANE.

 

[MainMom]

I would choose summer over Easter week. We were at WDW summer of 2015 & 2016 and found the crowds to be easily managed. Summer and school breaks are the only times we can vacation. We are trying spring break this year (not attached to Easter) to see how it compares to summer. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to book a summer trip again.

 

[stace1214]

Our family would take summer over Easter hands down. We don't mind the heat and really don't like crowds. I've been once at Easter, after being stuck in a bottleneck in Fantasyland for way too long more than once during week has completely turned me off from that week.

 

[prprincess]

We did it once back in 2012 and never again. I prefer end of August.

 

[kittylady1972]

Wow...these results so far are scaring me...a veteran WDW visitor. We've been during Thanksgiving Week many times as well as July 4th week. We've done a week in June and a few days in August. We've done October during Food and Wine. We've done Memorial Day weekend (last year when Pandora opened). I swore Easter was a time I'd never go...and yet here I am planning a long weekend there this year.

We are HOPING that the weather will be okay for waterpark visits since our passes include those. We can handle doing some rope drops or early mornings and we'll have our own vehicle with us for transportation. I'm thinking morning and evenings only at the parks, then time at the resort, or waterparks, for other times. We plan to leave on Easter Day for our (14+ hours) drive home hoping that wont' be as bad as waiting until Monday.

It's not set in stone yet...so perhaps I'll see who else chimes in with recent experience and can compare it to some of the other times. I do recall that July 3rd at Magic Kingdom (they did the 4th of July Fireworks that night also) was INSANE on Main Street, plus it rained, as people waited for the fireworks which went off about an hour or more late but were totally worth the wait!

We would only be able to rope drop Friday and Saturday, would arrive late Thursday and were thinking of hitting MK that evening hoping crowds wouldn't be bad late at night either.

 

[sponica]

I just checked when Patriots Day is in 2019. It's Monday April 15, so that week will be the school vacation week for a good chunk of the New England states (well at least most of MA/RI/CT). Those are fixed in time. I'm not sure how the states operate who move their break to whenever easter is...

Given that choice, I'd choose june.

 

[Jchoma]

Thanks for everyone's input. These results are scaring me a bit, too. It looks like it's coming down to picking between insane crowds in April or hot, likely rainy but less crowded dates in June. I wish I could pull the kids from school, but my son will be in middle school and I can't. Last year we pulled them the week after Thanksgiving and it was perfect!! I'm still on the fence. When we we went the week after Thanksgiving, one Saturday night at MK Main St. reached capacity. It was pretty uncomfortable. What I can't gauge is if every single park during Spring Break is just insane. We'd avoid EMH, rope drop, take mid-day breaks etc. and try to do a lot in the mornings, but if it's still wall-to-wall people and bottlenecks, that's just stressful. On the flip side, my husband and son just melt in the heat. So I'd hate for them to be miserable. This is a really tough decision!

 

[LSUmiss]

For those with experience, are the crowds usually worse the week before Easter leading up to the weekend or the week after Easter Sunday.

 

[AFwifelife]

FWIW, I wouldn’t avoid morning EMH especially if you are taking mid day breaks (and possibly park hopping after the break). But I agree with everyone that Easter is crazy. It’s one of the times that gold APs are blocked from and I’m completely fine with that!

 

[MarvinTheSpartan]

For those with experience, are the crowds usually worse the week before Easter leading up to the weekend or the week after Easter Sunday.

I'm curious about this as well, we're going this year and arriving on Easter Sunday.

 

[LuvAriel]

oh boy we are going this year with 21 people (ranging in ages 5 - 78) and we arrive the day before Easter 3/31!! I made all our FP's and ADR"s for all 21 of us with absolutely NO PROBLEMS!! I even got ADR's for CRT on Easter and FP's for FoP for ALL 21 of us in the morning so I will choose to focus on the fact that all 21 family members will be together in the happiest place on earth and stay positive, this trip will be what we make of it!. My family has been at least 18 times in the past 18 years (first time going over Easter, weve been countless times during the summer, Thanksgiving and right before xmas) so i cant imagine we will not have a great time! We have park hoppers so im hoping that will help. We are all so excited!!!

 

[kniquy]

Easter 2019 is 4/21, so I’m wondering if many school spring breaks will be earlier and that’ll help with crowds.

I went this past April 18-22nd 2017 (Easter was on the 16th)actually for a work conference that took place after Easter. I have a feeling that the week before Easter is busier but i could be wrong. I went to parks 3 days - doing Epcot on a Tuesday, MK on Wednesday and AK on Sat. Yes the parks were busy, but having gone at NYE - I didn't think it was all that bad. We were able to do our FP and select other rides on the app. I think the typical touring plans of get in for rope drop and then leave for your resort in the afternoon and back to a park in the evening is a great tactic. It was manageable but i geared our expectations for a somewhat busy time. You can go on the touring plans website and look back at how crowds were - I believe most crowds were around a 7.

The weather is what would make me want to choose April instead of June, perfect weather - warm but not humid. I think you might end up with more humid weather and hotter temperatures and afternoon rain in June.

I am in MA and most of the NE states have vacation around the 3rd week - so very possible it would be during that week.

 

[MarvinTheSpartan]

oh boy we are going this year with 21 people (ranging in ages 5 - 78) and we arrive the day before Easter 3/31!! I made all our FP's and ADR"s for all 21 of us with absolutely NO PROBLEMS!! I even got ADR's for CRT on Easter and FP's for FoP for ALL 21 of us in the morning so I will choose to focus on the fact that all 21 family members will be together in the happiest place on earth and stay positive, this trip will be what we make of it!. My family has been at least 18 times in the past 18 years (first time going over Easter, weve been countless times during the summer, Thanksgiving and right before xmas) so i cant imagine we will not have a great time! We have park hoppers so im hoping that will help. We are all so excited!!!

FP went pretty smooth for me as well, the only one I had trouble with was getting Frozen in the morning of our first day. I also got an ADR for CRT, but for our Thursday.

 

[MainMom]

FWIW, I wouldn’t avoid morning EMH especially if you are taking mid day breaks (and possibly park hopping after the break). But I agree with everyone that Easter is crazy. It’s one of the times that gold APs are blocked from and I’m completely fine with that!

Especially in the summer! It’s cooler and a great time to get a lot done without it feeling like 100

 

[MushuHill]

Last year we went the week after Easter because that was Spring break for my brother in Maine. In Georgia we had already had spring break. The weather was great and crowds were a little more than Oct, but not much. We enjoyed it.

 

[LuvAriel]

FP went pretty smooth for me as well, the only one I had trouble with was getting Frozen in the morning of our first day. I also got an ADR for CRT, but for our Thursday.

YAY!! Glad you got what you wanted!! Hope you have a great trip!!