The crowd levels were pretty manageable for us, but we use Touring Plans, touringplans.com. We have been subscribers for years, used to buy his books (we had volumes back to 1991), and now the author has an app we follow. Even if the lines say 90 minutes for a particular ride, it's not unusual for Disney to be guiding crowds to other parts of the park to get people going to Nemo or Spaceship Earth or Mission Space. Touring Plans wants us to report wait times. There is a timer you set when you get in line, then a timer to end the wait when you are on the ride. Subscribing is cheap and it's a way to help all of us navigate the parks without paying for premium services. Our kids all use our account, whether they go by themselves or go with us. The app can be loaded on many devices. It's great and saves us from long waits unnecessarily.
When we got into line at Rise of the Resistance at 9 AM, the line was long, absolutely, and the time said 80 minutes. We were in line for 43 minutes. The rain made it seem longer. It seemed like we zipped along quickly on the inside of the building. I would go to sit on a bench to dry and clean my glasses and my sunglasses, and the line would move before I even got things ready. It was fast.
At the end of our time at Hollywood Studios, we waited the longest for the Mickey and Minnie Runaway Train because it was our last ride and the line never seemed to go down. I should have walked on by and left early that day because it was pouring rain, and Rick was getting tired of the rain and tired of standing out there so long. The line started way outside of the umbrellas.
Soarin' had one of the "theaters" go down and told the crowd that it would now be a 45 minute wait. Most of the people turned and walked out of line, not wanting to wait 45 minutes. Rick and I were on the ride within 15 minutes. The middle theater was definitely down, not saying they were lying, but people way ahead of us in line got out of the line after the announcement. Even people in the Lightning Lane got out of line. I saw them heading back to the exit. There are 3 theaters. One being down is not a big change in how fast you will get there, especially in the LL. How impatient are people?
My entire point is that Touring Plans has honest information about lines, not that Disney is dishonest, but if you have ever gone to Frozen at opening (early magic hours opening) and had the big disappointment of seeing that sign say 90 minutes, and the cast members are saying, "You should go elsewhere and come back here later," you know that is to guide you to a less-busy area of the park. It's what they are taught to say. Nemo needs some visitors, Mission Space lines are dead (almost all day).
Remy, same thing. There are cast members discouraging people from riding early. Stay in line, and you will see how wise you were to get to that ride first thing. It's like "lightning fast." No LL people ahead of you because I suspect that LL doesn't truly start until an hour after park's early magic opening.
We wouldn't move into your unit or anything, we would be at Bonnet Creek for those few days.
