Is there still a reliable "low" season?

Yeah, I get depressed when I think of Januarys gone by compared to January now. It used to be that you felt as if you had the property to yourself in January.

Your best bet now I'd say, is early September. Right after Labor Day, but before Food and Wine. You still have Free Dining going against you, but so few people will take their kids out of school that early in the semester that crowd levels are still low.

Early December used to be good, but as of late the Pop Warner tournaments have thrown things off. Depending on what kind of debauchery the kids (and parents) cause this year, they may or may not be invited back in the future.

This is a really good question. I would say January, pre MLK day, but sounds like Imagineer's had recent experience and it's getting crowded, too. Maybe that late August/early Sept. is what's left -- though the weather is usually so humid/hot/rainy that it can be tough to enjoy (especially if you're dodging hurricanes).

Maybe the "low-key" trip will have to happen per some really good planning from now on.

Oh, man, I SO agree with you. It's very depressing knowing that there is no certain time of the year when you can go and not worry about the crowds. Obviously, this is good for WDW's bottom line, but as a guest, it's just less enjoyable to be on property when it's crowded. My first trip in 2005 was end of January-early February, and it was great. No fastpasses necessary, I walked onto every ride I wanted. I really expected that when the recession hit, crowd levels would go down, but those Disney folks were very smart with their package deals. They know how to keep the business coming...

The other thing that depresses me is just how expensive it is to stay on site and buy a ticket to the parks. I've been desperately trying to find a time to get down there for a weekend during the Food & Wine Festival, because it just sounds so wonderful (my kind of vacation: grazing my way around the world!). But even if I were to stay at a value resort, once I add in airfare, it becomes a $500-600 weekend. Which is way out of my league.

What about late April/early May? This s when we always seem to have good luck. Right after spring break/Easter and before Memorial Day

I wonder if it will help their bottom line in the long run. I also wonder if DVC is affecting the patterns more than we guess.

The DVC thing is a good point!

I think this could be reliable, but you really have to time it right! That said, having taken several trips in early May, I've seen the numbers creeping up...

I just don't get it -- if Disney has so many promotions because not enough people are going, why are we seeing so many crowds?

It must be because so many people are taking advantage of all those promotions, which then makes you wonder about this recession and all this unemployment, SOMEONE must be doing OK

Either that or they're just doing their last round of borrowing before they declare bankruptcy.

I went from May 5-12 this year and I thought it was packed. Especially compared to my late January-early February trip of 2005. I guess it depends on what you're comparing it to.

It feels pretty crowded here right now, I must say. Not something we're used to from our previous May trips, but it sounds like "convention" has gone out the window.