Originally Posted By mstaft Hi Everyone, Just got word of a family reunion in California- Dec 24 thru Jan 1. Not a great time to visit DLR from a crowd standpoint! Most of us have never seen DCA at all or haven't seen Mansion or IASW at Christmas. We have one single solitary day during the week to go to the resort. (That is killing me! ) We are all ages and all types of fans. Some of us not fans at all. What would you do in one day- and what day of the week would you choose to go? What's Downtown Disney like on New Year's Eve? How soon can we make reservations? You get the drift. Thanks for your help! www.insightsandsounds.blogspot.com
Originally Posted By SoThisIsLove You poor thing...what a dilemma! Hopefully all of the non-fans will just stay away and not bug you guys. The restaurants inside the park take reservations 60 days out; not sure about the DTD ones. I imagine all of our intrepid locals will be chiming in quite soon with their knowledge and experience. Just an interesting tidbit: on the way out of DL this past Monday night, I was stopped by someone for a survey. She asked tons of questions. One of them was how many attractions (rides, shows) we had done that day. After I had told her, I asked how many was considered to be a great day at DLR. She said eight! So...I guess if you guys can manage 8 that day, you'll be doing well. Good luck! I hope you get to see all of the attractions you really hope to see. Personally, I would love to see the Mansion & IASW just to get the Christmassy feel. But, if it's after Christmas day, perhaps it won't be as important to you. Definitely see Soarin' in DCA. That would be appropriate for everyone. Ideally the fireworks and parade would be a not-to-be-missed proposition as well. Perhaps you can divide up into age-appropriate or attraction-driven appropriate groups. Some people like the more thrilling rides; some don't. I think it would be much more fun and efficient if you didn't have to move a sea of humanity from one area to another all of the time. Maybe all meet up for a big meal or something, but other than that...break up into small, doable groups. Just an idea. Hope it turns out to be fantastic for all of you. xoxo
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP I vote for the 30th, it's a Tuesday, and not any of THE days. However, I don't really expect it to be signifigently better than anything. When we did a large reunion during summer time we split into a million different groups, but Grandpa had set up a late lunch reservation at one of the places outside the park. We all knew to be there at 2pm or heads would roll. (Frugal man that he is Grandpa aproached the resteraunt owner, made arrangements to bring about 35 in for a late lunch. As part of the deal, Grandpa negotiated for free parking in the resteraunt parking lot in return for the business. That's Grandpa) You can plan your day at the park for a busy day, but I wouldn't even try to plan for a group that large. Just try and get them there as early as possible and pray for them to have a good time.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 You will have a fantastic time! Our DD went with her extended in law family last year from Dec 25-28 and they had a blast. They said the crowds were like a busy summer day but never felt mobbed. I suppose different people have different comfort levels though. They intended to go just for the atmosphere and a few rides but had no problem doing what they wished Our DD and SIL know the tricks of the trade, things like get there at opening, fastpasses, making PS, baby swap, pass through Carnation Plaza to Frontierland and such. Being armed with the "tricks"and having a loose plan would be great. You can call the Disney PS line 60 days out for any reservations in the DLR area. I think Rainforest is an exception but that may have changed. SoThisIsLove had a great suggestion to split your group up. Nothing worse than getting SO excited at seeing the Mansion and having someone say "meh, I hated that movie" or complaining about the crowds, or asking what movies are showing at the DTD theater. When we go with our adult kids we use texting to keep in touch when we split up. Have fun planning!
Originally Posted By -PLP- Hi mstaft, as for dinner reservations, try to make them as soon as you can lock down a date. Sometimes you can get in very easy and other times they are booked weeks out. My wife and I tried to get in the Napa Rose last sat. for dinner but they were booked so we called SteakHouse 55 in the Disneyland Hotel and they had several openings at the last minute. So it can be pretty much hit or miss from our experiences. She likes the restaurants at the resort so we have been trying different ones. I did enjoy the meal at SteakHouse 55 very much. I ordered the porterhouse steak. The meal at napa Rose was really good also but for the price I liked SH55 better. Napa Rose is in the Grand Californian and is a pricey restaurant with portions that get smaller as the price goes up. LOL In DTD we enjoyed Catal Restaurant and Naple's Ristorante e Pizzeria. The service was good at Catal when we have eaten there but at Naple Pizzeria I liked their pizza but the service stinks. The second time we went there we were never appraoched by a server for over 10 mins so we left. Good Lukk and have a great time, -PegLegPete-
Originally Posted By monorailblue Interesting about the survey in #2. When I worked a the park (up until 8 years ago), we were always told that the number was 10. When it slipped below ten, dissatisfaction went through the roof. The goal, in terms of operating capacity, was always for an average of 10 (or more) Attractions and Adventures per Guest per day. Not surprised that it has dropped, but sorry to hear it.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm not sure what the crowds will be like on individual days, but it will be really crowded the entire time. I would avoid New Year's Eve like the plague, as it's notorious for being the busiest day of the year. They will most likely close the entrance to DL for at least a little while that day. As for what to do, plan on spending a full day in the parks. Get there early, and do what you want to do. iaswh generally has shorter lines during daylight hours, since it's so pretty at night, but I promise the ride itself is exactly the same for both (and even the longest wait there is rarely over 20 minutes, even if it's stretching across the path). I think HMH usually has longer lines in the morning, but is never terrible. If you pass by when the line is outside the entrance arch, come back later, as it should be shorter (even if it's out the front and all of the queue is being used, it still should be less than 20 minutes before you're inside, but they do tend to leave the area between the stretching rooms and loading full of people that time of year). And for DCA, definatley hit Soarin'. If you can, use FP's since the line moves really slowly. Check out Screamin' if people like coasters, as it's one of the best out there. I had heard that they designed Midway Mania so that they can change the games seasonally, so it's possible that it will have Christmas-ey decorations within the games themselves. If you're fans of TOT in WDW, the DCA version might be worth checking out, since the line is generally less than 30 minutes. Generally speaking, if you're there for a full day (get there near opening, and stay until near closing), you should be more than able to get everything you want to do in. I was there a couple years ago on Dec 26, getting there around 8:30 and staying until Midnight (DL only), and I think our attraction count was 47, riding Sewgays in Innoventions, plus lunch at the Blue Bayou (made reservations that day for a late lunch which helped avoid long lines too), and a showing of Fantasmic! for good measure. If you know your way around the park fairly well and which attractions you should use FP for (Space, Splash, Soarin') and which ones aren't really worth the trouble (Indy, Screamin', HMH), and are willing to do a lot of walking, you can definately do everything you want to, and probably some random things you weren't even expecting.
Originally Posted By oneyepete I remeber the time we went between Christmas and New Years and it was full with Rose Bowl players and their fans.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros That's another thing to keep in mind once you get closer to the actual date. If you have a preference for either team playing in the Rose Bowl, you can check and see when their days are. On one day, the players come and hang out and are generally enjoying the park (I think both teams players come the same day). On other days, the marching bands from the school come and do a little mini-rally on Main Street. Those are on seperate days, so if you're interested in that, check who is coming when. If you don't care either way, it really won't effect crowds for any of that time, just what they're wearing (and hopefully USC won't be at the Rose Bowl again this year...)
Originally Posted By Yo-Ho Socks Our family visited Disneyland last December 27 through January 2. I can honestly say that we had the time of our lives, and I have previously visited Disneyland more than 30 times. Don't be fooled, however: the crowds were enormous - as many as 100,000 were reported through the turnstiles in one day, and it felt really, really packed to us. With small children, maneuvering a stroller became difficult, and the lines to get a bite to eat were almost always long, regardless of time of day. I strongly recommend buying the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland (either 2008 or 2009, which I think is available now), and use the 1-day touring plan, to maximize the number and quality of attractions you can see. You can also use RideMax, which a friend recommended to me but which I haven't tried. Either of these options are sure to enable you to make the most of your visit. Have a great trip! -- Yo-Ho Socks
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains The key is to go in knowing it will be very busy... If you go with the right mindset you will have a blast. I find that busy times are great fun - use the fastpass system as much as you can and take time to just sit and enjoy the madness!! Oh - and if you are not going to be "bad" on NYE I would then go on Jan 1. The early morning will be better and you can start getting fastpasses and enjoy the calm before the storm.
Originally Posted By mstaft Great ideas, thanks everyone. I am leaning toward DL only and saving DCA for another year. (At least 2012!) How is Nemo subs from an adult perspective???
Originally Posted By Yo-Ho Socks I was disappointed with Nemo. But as another person suggested, that may have to do with waiting nearly 90 minutes in line (and this was with Early Entry!) to get on the ride. If I had only one day at DLP, I would skip Nemo.
Originally Posted By GMLSKIS I'm shocked to read in post #2 that 8 attractions is an average day. I guess that would be a big family waiting in long lines, getting there late and leaving early. I use single rider lines and fast pass and know my way around. Also in a typical busy 16 hour day when the parks are open 8 till midnight I'm there the whole time. On my trip last month I had 2 full days and 2 partial (the day I drove up and the day I had to drive the 5 hours back home). The 2 full days I got in 39 one day and 29 attractions the other. My one day record is 42 without really trying to set a record. It depends on what you ride. The full day with only 29 the sub was my first thing and still almost took the whole first hour because they weren't up and running all the subs yet. On the 39 attraction day I did 5 Fantasyland rides in the first hour.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 Yo-Ho Socks has a good point about finding a place to eat. Now I recall DD mentioning that the lines for food were crazy. Then again they were 9 people who were trying to stay together. Opt for off times or grab sandwiches to bring into the park (La Brea has some nice ones or PS one of the 3 restaurants in DL asap. Again, have fun!
