Originally Posted By DlandDug This is the place to discuss your experiences at Disneyland on March 29, 2012. You can also ask questions about what happened or just talk about anything you may have heard about the 24 hours of happy madness that unfolded in Anaheim.
Originally Posted By DlandDug Somewhere later today or early tomorrow, there will doubtless be some high level backstage meetings to figure out just exactly what all happened yesterday during the “One More Disney Day” promotion at Disneyland. It was probably more than anyone expected— but not at all in a bad way. For myself, I arrived at 5am to cover the opening of the day’s events, scheduled for 6. The crowd was huge! Early arrivals (including overnighters) were confined to the east esplanade (where the busses pull in). The line extended through most pedestrian areas, and back along the route that leads behind the Hyperion Theater in DCA. 2000 people had already been issued wristbands for the special hats. I saw some people pass through the line who had clearly jumped ahead. But without the wristband, they were not issued hats. The opening was low-key, although nicely handled. There was a fairly large media presence. The Disneyland Band was on hand, playing song after song. The Disney characters were out in force, and the Disneyland Ambassadors were available. There were even chefs to give demonstrations of the specialty menu items that were being offered throughout the day. I learned that, as of 5am, virtually every reservation in the Park restaurants for the next 24 hours had been filled. A long-time cast member welcomed the crowd and led them in a countdown. The first guests, who had been waiting since 10pm the night before, streamed through the gates. And the guests kept coming, and coming. I was all the way down Main Street twenty minutes later and noticed the street was still quite busy. People were still coming through the gates at 6:50am. Every food outlet in the park quickly filled up, and lines formed. This was a pattern all through the day. Thanks to cell phones and Twitter, any place that started to empty out would suddenly get a rush of guests. Disneyland never really slowed down, although it was pretty pleasant through the late morning and early afternoon. There was a definite change in the “vibe” around 4:00. It started feeling like a late afternoon on New Year’s Eve. Rumors started swirling about park closures, crowds turned away, and traffic jams on the freeway. Most of these were easy to confirm or deny on social media. Adding to the confusion was the (some would say baffling) decision to choose this day to film an episode of Modern Family in Disneyland. Sections of Frontierland were closed off throughout the early part of the day for the cast and crew. At one point shortly after 4, I noticed a line extending out of the Emporium side door, and into Town Square. When I went to see what it was, it turned out to be guests trying to get exclusive logoed merchandise. Cast members were coping as best they could. I guess many guests who were just arriving were unaware that the t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and watches were available in multiple locations. There was also confusion about the free buttons that were being given out at the entry gates. Some locations simply set them out in baskets, some handed one button to each guest, and some said there weren’t any more. I was to meet a group of friends who were arriving at 7pm for dinner. There was a series of calls as they explained that they were caught first in traffic, then in the crowded tram stop, and then at he massive lines at the front gates. They actually got to the hub at 8pm. We ended up at Rancho del Zocalo, which was not overly crowded. (They were also offering a special tamale dish.) My next “appointment” was at 10pm on the Big Thunder Trail. Friends and I were to meet and see if there was a possibility of getting into the “Midnight Snack” that was promoted on line. The Snack was set up for 11:45, with the line forming starting at 10. As I passed through the Trail at 9:15, there was already a massive line, and a number of guests gathered at the entrance. I quickly changed plans, and we all met at Carnation Gardens, where Mickey’s Pajama Party was scheduled for 11pm-6am. This turned out to be a fun, but minor, meet ‘n greet with photo opportunity. We then made our way to Frontierland to do the same with… the Country Bears! (These guys haven’t been seen in Disneyland for years!) Frontierland was getting somewhat crowded, as we realized that the 1am Fantasmic! Crowd was starting to fill in. We made our way back to Main Street, just as an announcement was made (at 12:30) that the Fantasmic! Viewing area was completely full. Cast members were now in full guest control mode, directing everyone away from Frontierland with lighted batons. Again, it was crowded and noisy, but everyone appeared to be having fun. By now, stories were circulating about what was happening at the front gates. We decided to check it out for ourselves. Sure enough, there was now (at nearly 1am) a massive crowd waiting to get in. As we arrived, they began letting people through. There were hoots and hollers as people got into the park. (We saw one guy literally drop to his knees and kiss the pavement!) I asked one person how long they had been waiting outside, She said three hours. I asked if that was all in line. She said they had been stuck in line for no more than twenty of thirty minutes; it had taken two-and-a-half hours to get from the freeway to the parking structure. My group decided to get away from the crowds on Main Street by riding the steam train. As we pulled out of Main Street station (it was now after 1:30am) we were shocked by the sight of a sea of people waiting to get to the ticket booths! The lines for gate admission were finally going down, though. After one –and-a-half trips around the park, We got out at Toontown for a final walk through the park. By 2am I was ready to call it a day. Once through the exit gates, I noted that there was still a massive number of people trying to buy tickets. (Someone, mistaking me for a cast member, offered me $100 if I would smuggle them into the park!) There were fewer gates open, so the line to get in now snaked, more or less single file, all the way around the entry plaza. All in all, it was a fun day—one I will certainly never forget. I am sure there were mistakes, and a lot of interesting lessons learned. But for Disneyland, it had to have been a major success.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>This is the place to discuss your experiences at Disneyland on March 29, 2012.<<< Wow...long night! Pretty sure you meant February 29th though.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer They could have made a killing if they charged the APs extra for the event.
Originally Posted By DlandDug There were a number of missed opportunities-- but I cannot help but feel they were unforeseen. -- There should have been PhotoPass photographers outside in the entry plaza. While carrying my tripod I was approached repeatedly by guests holding out their PhotoPass cards, asking if I would take their picture. -- Quick meals (picnic style) would have cleaned up. The sit down restaurants were all booked up, counter service locations were constantly swamped (Jolly Holiday had waits up to an hour), and ODV just isn't substantial enough for people staying all day. -- More souvenirs! I know there was a real question over whether they would have sold or not. But they appeared to be doing a brisk business all day. -- More photo locations. There was one "stand up" with a drumhead logo in Town Square. There was a long, slow moving line there all day and night. There should have been two or three of them, or even one for each land. As I implied at the start of my long post, I am sure all this is being discussed, or will be discussed, in the near future.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "She said they had been stuck in line for no more than twenty of thirty minutes; it had taken two-and-a-half hours to get from the freeway to the parking structure." What? I never cease to be astonished by the tenacity of hard core Disneyland fans who willingly subject themselves to what most people consider torture. I'm happy that people had fun, and that the event was a success, but there is no way in hell I'd sit in a two hour traffic jam to get into DLR's parking garage.
Originally Posted By DlandDug After sitting in the Ball Road offramp for more than twenty minutes, I'd be turning right and heading home. After midnight, there was an overwhelming demographic shift, from my own observation. It was almost exclusively twenty-something kids. In hordes. I guess it was one of those "Gotta-do-it" propositions.
Originally Posted By DlandDug Here's the first comment from a Disney Parks Blog post yesterday: >>Yes! Yes, you will be seeing me! I have class til 6:00, but I’ll be there by 8:00p.m.!!! I can’t wait! << <a href="http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/02/one-more-disney-day-begins-at-disneyland-park/" target="_blank">http://disneyparks.disney.go.c...nd-park/</a>
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "I guess it was one of those "Gotta-do-it" propositions." Exactly how I perceived it. I'm curious to know how the MK event went.
Originally Posted By crapshoot It turns out that they were pulling CM's out of DCA in order to shore up Disneyland. Back to back shifts were needed to cover labor requirements. Yikes!
Originally Posted By hopemax > I'm curious to know how the MK event went.< I have a little bit of info from WDW. My parents went, and on their way out, they ran into a manager my Mom knows. He said that they were overwhelmed by how many people came, and how long they stayed. This did end up with some logistical problems. Food places were overrun, and transportation leaving the park was problematic. When my parents left a little after 3AM, they were running 1 ferry and 1 resort monorail. The monorail line was down the ramp, and wrapped around in front of the water, and up into the center where security is. They opted for the ferry, but still had to wait for a full ferry to load, cross, unload and cross back. MK didn't get as crowded as DL, they didn't have to close due to capacity. The early part of the day, my Dad said was a typical day, although busier than normal. But after it got dark, crowds were way above normal. After the fireworks, they opened both backstage areas on MS for people leaving. For all the surveying Disney does, they completely missed the boat on how much food and merchandise they could have sold. My Dad was also surprised by the number of people who arrived at the park and were surprised to find out about the event. He even said on the tram ride at the TTC, there was no mention about the event, nor park hours and the entertainment schedule that are normally part of the spiel.
Originally Posted By DBitz2 >>We then made our way to Frontierland to do the same with… the Country Bears! (These guys haven’t been seen in Disneyland for years!)<< Dug, the Country Bears appeared last year for photo opps during the Character Fan Days weekends. Thanks for the report on the event. Confirms to me that I am very glad that I did not go! There was absolutely nothing that Disney offered that was an enticement for me and the crowd level would have been intolerable. I'm with Hans, I'm a bit flabbergasted at the response to this thing.
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "After sitting in the Ball Road offramp for more than twenty minutes, I'd be turning right and heading home." This was my reaction after sitting for 20 minutes on the Harbor offramp. I figured that even if I managed to make it inside, the crowds would be too unbearable. I was on my way home. Well, once I made it off the freeway.
Originally Posted By tashajilek Thanks Doug for the update! Disneyland did very well and it seemed to be a fun event. I would have gone earlier in the morning if i had a chance. It sounded like a nightmare for guests coming in late in the evening.
Originally Posted By JenniBarra Glad those that attended and reported here had a good time. I heard quite a different story from another friend who was there.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Sounds like you had a lot of fun. I'm still shocked by how crowded it actually turned out to be. I saw several posts on Facebook from various friends about being stuck in traffic to get into the parking structure. While it sounds like it was really festive, I'm still glad I stayed home and got a good night's sleep instead! : ) Since it seems that this has been labeled a 'success' by the general public (DL at least, not sure about MK), I wonder if we'll see more of these types of events in the future.
Originally Posted By WDWdreamin Wow! I'm surprised it was that popular. I think it would be a good idea for them to do it again, at least a couple times. And now we would hope they'd be better prepared. Thanks everyone for sharing. I'd love to hear more stories about the day/night.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Since Feb 29 comes but once every 4 years, it will be interesting to see if they just invent an "All Night Party Day" for some random day during the slower season next year.
