As you all know I recently came back from a trip to Walt Disney World this March! I feel like now and days there isn't really a great time to go to Disney World. It's basically always crowded, which sucks because I remember going as a kind and the parks being empty! You could walk up to any ride with little to no wait times, you didn't need dining reservations, and fast passes didn't even exist. Well, that is now a thing of the past! So, I wanted to give you the run down on my review from our time at Disney in March.
Crowds
March is known for being a big Spring Break month, which we did encounter a little bit. We were surprised to see how many kids were at the parks. During early March we expected to see some college students, but there were a lot of kids in grade school or middle school. THEN we realized that Mardi Gras was going on... Which, apparently means the entire state of Louisiana is out of town and on vacation. So, if you are ever planning a trip during spring I would double check the date of Mardi Gras and plan around that week. Crowds were INSANE due to this reason. Wait times were some of the highest we've seen, and there was just wall to wall people at every park. We had gone to Disney in April last year and did not encounter these issues. All of my pictures showed a relatively empty park, while this trip we resorted to using random walls as backdrops due to crowds. It was honestly pretty bad. At points we were just so tired of all of the people.
Rides had mostly high wait times, at points flight of passage was 200+ minutes, Toy Story Land attractions were 180+ minutes, and Mine Train was around 160+ minutes. Luckily, we are planners and always have Fast Passes for these bigger attractions, but even going to rope drop there was wall to wall people. Normally, going to rope drop at each park lets us get everything done in the first 3 ish hours. But, this go around that was not the case.
Also, during this week there were multiple groups at Disney for various events. Some including music days, cheer and dance people, and more. So, that also didn't help the crowd levels.
Overall, the crowd were insane during our week at Disney. We were there March 2nd-10th for reference. Two years ago we were there the following week and it felt much better. I believe most of our issues were due to Mardi Gras. So, if you could avoid that week when planning your spring trip I would recommend it!
Weather
To say the weather was bi-polar was an understatement. One day it would be 85 degrees the next it was a high of 60 and down pouring rain. So, we had to pack a lot of different outfits for this trip. My best advice is to always pack layers no matter when you are going to Disney. Unless you are just a boss and can wear shorts even if it is 60 degrees and raining. I am not that person. So, I ended up packing 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of white jeans, then shorts or skirts to go with all of my outfits. Also, I always pack a rain jacket to have on hand. I also packed a lightweight quilt and jean jacket to wear depending on the weather. Honestly, I wish I had something heavier! Again, I am kind of a weeny when it comes to weather so you may be totally find in just a sweatshirt. But, i found myself cold on the 60 degree wet days.
From all of this you can conclude that weather in March is bi-polar. We had the same issues when we went in March 2 years ago. So, bottom line pack some layers and various outfit options including jeans, shorts, and pants. That way you are prepared for whatever weather you may encounter.
Fast Passes
As I had mentioned earlier we are Fast Pass pros. We got our Fast Passes the first available day we could and ended up with great Fast Passes. From attractions like Slinky Dog, Flight of Passage, and Frozen we scored everything! If you are staying on property be sure to get your Fast Passes the day they open up, and if possible the exact time that they do. I may have woken up at 6am to get them, but it was so worth it. Especially with the crowd levels we dealt with, there was no way we would have waited the long waits for the rides that we did have Fast Passes for.
During our trip we were also able to score some Fast Passes at the parks as well. We actually got our second Flight of Passage Fast Pass of the day! So, even when the parks are busy keep checking different time combinations and throughout the day for additional Fast Passes. You never know what you may get.
That is the full review of our time at Disney in March! What has been your experience at Disney during March? I want to hear your thoughts!
XOXO
Miranda
