Daily Crowds on average

It's now the spring, and I am planning on making several local park trips this year, since I can drive now.

Anyways I was wondering, from all of you who get the opportunity to go to parks all the time, what the best day of the week is.

Obviously the day of the week with the least crowds is not on the weekend. I'm wondering what the best day of all is, thanks.

I'm surprised no one has ever posted something like this before. I searched it. We like to avoid lines right?

Anyways I'm particuraly interested in Lake Compounce park and SFNE.

It has been posted before, and the answer always is that no one can predict the crowds.

However, the obvious (early/late in the season, along with weekdays) applys.

You can't be serious, can you? Think about it--first of all you gave no park name/s in your thread title. This kind of topic has been posted numerous times in the past, but usually with a "What day of the week is a good day to visit "Park A" question (it's also covered in the terms of service that you signed off on). Some websites have legitimate answers to their best predictive ability (official and unofficial). Try those first in the FAQ (frequently asked questions) section. As to be nice, all I can say is that it's a crapshoot. Pay attention to special days in a parks calendar like "Cristian Music Day", or "Corporate Company" Day (this one may not be advertised). Those days are sure to be extra crowded. Crowds can also fluctuate wildly from day to day at any park.

If you're planning to visit Holiday World, feel free to email me with the dates you're considering. I'll look into my crystal ball and will tell you the best day to visit.

Do it all the time...can't predict weather, though. :)

Paula

Read Travel Tips Sticky by Mamoosh, that is the answer to all your travel questions! *** Edited 4/2/2005 2:37:00 AM UTC by Dan D McD***

The site below, in beta testing, might prove helpful someday:

http://www.whentoride.com

Yes, that's a REAL site.

mOOSH

That's a good idea for a website! Why didn't I think of that?

Its a good idea in theory but its not completely practical. You're bound to find some instances where someone experiences low wait times one year and humongous wait times the next. Hopefully people will use it as a tool and not gospel.

mOOSH

Generally: Saturdays are bad, Fridays arent much better, Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays are good, Tues and Weds (so long as its not a SF park as this is a AAA day) are best.

Finally, the further you are away from the 4th of July the better you will be so long as you arent going to a Fl park Christmas Week or the week after Easter.

LOL Moosh, went to GAdv on Columbus Day last year expecting an empty park based on previous years...(Monday after PPP)....wait times for all the *big coasters* ;) grew to over an hour....I bailed.

"Too good" weather is as bad as too bad...

edit: I'd wait an hour for Raven or Legend (diet Pepsi in hand)....but not for RT...;)
*** Edited 4/2/2005 6:36:35 AM UTC by rollergator***

SFStL on 4th of July 2003 wasn't bad at all...except for the water park.

lake compounce on a sunday is not bad, especially in the late afternoon. got to power ride boulder dash 4 times in a row without going around the queue twice.

You don't need a Web site to figure out what the crowds will be like. Look at the hours they're open, consider if the kids are in school and factor in the weather. It's not rocket science. A sunny weekend in July when the park is open until midnight will be busier than a weekday in may when the park closes at 7, the kids are in school and it's raining.

There's your crystal ball... it's called common sense.

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Jeff said:
You don't need a Web site to figure out what the crowds will be like.

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Sorry, I think the site Moosh found is a great idea. It's one thing to know how many crowded the park will be, but it's another to see the breakdown of expected lines coaster-by-coaster.

The data in WhenToRide is pretty weak. (I reported data for 9 US parks I visited in the last year, and Cedar Point was the only one where there at least two other enthusiasts reported results.) It will be a lot more useful if coaster-geeks like us report our experiences. :)

FYI, the WhenToRide link in Moosh's post doesn't refer to the new home of the website. Try http://www.coasterfanatics.com/whentoride.

[edited for spelling because I don't want to be flamed too....] *** Edited 4/3/2005 2:31:06 AM UTC by greatwhitenorth***

Give me a break. Do you think Raptor will have a long line when the park opens, given its proximity to the gate? Do you suppose The Hulk would be busy in the morning? It's still common sense.

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Jeff said:
Do you think Raptor will have a long line when the park opens, given its proximity to the gate? Do you suppose The Hulk would be busy in the morning? It's still common sense.

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Thats true, one of the most satisfying things to do is go on a busy but not packed day and always be one step ahead of the crowd and hit allmost all the major rides in less then an hour.

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Jeff said:
Give me a break. Do you think Raptor will have a long line when the park opens, given its proximity to the gate?

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I understand the logic here. But, while there are some givens relating to the park layout, hours, and such, there is a big factor that this thinking doesn't cover at all ..... operations. Not all parks run their rides the same.

The site could also be helpful to someone that knows nothing about the park or layout. No everybody is quite as smart as all of us.

I prefer to do most of my travelling April, early May, September and October. PKI is usually DEAD in April and CP is the best during October. Better weather, less crowds. I don't really care to visit a "home" park (and I have adopted many) in the summer, especially on a weekend.

Most of my trips involve May/ June, and early Sept/Oct. this year, so we will see. If it all possible I try to visit the parks on the weekdays, if they are open of course.

I am not crazy about heat, crowds, and lines. :-)

-Tina

*** Edited 4/4/2005 8:16:49 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

I'm with Tina, the best trips are early and late in the season. I do the above just on the heat factor alone. I can't stand frying on asphalt all day, especially while waiting in a long line.

However, I have found that early June isn't too late for nice crowds and weather. Most people think that Memorial Day yields huge crowds, but the last three years I have taken my big trips over that weekend which have included, but not limited to the "Ohio Triple Crown" & "Pennsylvania Quadruplets" to find moderate crowds and cool weather.

*** Edited 4/4/2005 8:22:31 PM UTC by Neuski***