Originally Posted By ecdc >>...about to be an insane idiot in a few days. But at least I know it. << Godspeed
Originally Posted By hopemax My husband and I were there the same time as ecdc, just shifted a day (Fri-Mon). We actually had a really good time, and got a lot more accomplished than I first feared. Successfully managed to watch the 2nd Candelight on Saturday (with Geena Davis) from the first row behind the rope behind the VIP section. And we successfully picked up Candy Canes on Sunday. We had Magic Morning on Saturday which allowed us to ride Hyperspace Mountain and see the new Star Wars segment with minimal wait. But the bathroom lines on Saturday evening, were insane. We were waiting for the Processional for first Candlelight, and I first tried the Adventureland bathroom, then Rancho del Zocalo and finally ended up at Village Haus in a line only about 5 people long instead of 30. But here's the crazy thing. As busy as it was, there were still many, many people waiting in lines at Jingle Cruise, Pirates etc. Now, they want to bring that modified FP+ nonsense from WDW. So imagine taking 80% of the people waiting in those lines, and dump them into the walkways too! Opening - 11AM is key, you need to pack the popular rides in, and work the Fastpass. We used the train a lot to get from land to land, so we didn't have to figure out too much which walkway went which direction. But I really had a great time, even though it was a madhouse. WDW's operations has really gotten to me. Lines that never move and long standby waits. We never waited more than a half an hour for anything at DL. Well, except Candlelight which was a 4PM - 8:30PM campout by the time we watched the 2nd show.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>Opening - 11AM is key, you need to pack the popular rides in, and work the Fastpass.<< This is when we had a great time, too. I don't want to oversell how bad it was. We weren't weeping and my children weren't screaming that they hate Disneyland. Perhaps the Candlelight impact made it much worse. Again, not in terms of crowds, but in terms of walkways and navigating the park. The train closed at 3PM on Sat (and I assume on Sunday) for the Processional. The Opera House too. We'd come into DL at 3-4PM only to find the entire left entrance blocked and cast members waiving you to the right. Ropes *everywhere* herding you in one direction. Waiting in line was ok. FP was helpful. But seriously, how Disney makes it so difficult to get from point A to point B w/o people swearing off the park ever again is beyond me.
Originally Posted By familyguy Dabob2 You're not an insane idiot. I was just there in Nov and we had a GREAT time and didn't experience hardly ANY of what ecdc is describing; OTHER than the early mornings being the best time. We had 4 day passes and went Monday through Thursday, so I'm sure that made a difference, but that is EXACTLY why we did it that way. If would be forced to go on the weekend, maybe I would avoid going. But for now, I still enjoy experiencing the park with the method that works for me and my family and have not stopped really enjoying ourselves yet. We have never waited in lines for the restroom.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>But the bathroom lines on Saturday evening, were insane.<< Although it seems like a subtle difference, the bathrooms are probably the most striking difference between DL and WDW to me. Restrooms in both places have about the same spacing between them, but the WDW ones are all HUGE. Where it's not unusual for a DL bathroom to only have space for a handful of people at a time, even the smallest WDW ones (excluding those inside restaurants) seem to be bigger than DL's biggest. Even with WDW's bigger crowds, it doesn't seem to be an issue there, while DLR's are always jampacked >>Now, they want to bring that modified FP+ nonsense from WDW.<< I'm still not convinced that it will make things worse. It will certainly help somewhat, since guests won't need to visit an attraction to get the FP in the first place, but it will also give people more scheduled periods where they may need to wait around And WDW has certainly proven that it will increase attraction wait times across the board. Some major attractions will slightly decrease wait times, but most of the old non-FP attractions have seen significant increases (POTC, HM, and iasw are among the worst, now typically hovering around 40 minutes on an average day) Granted, I haven't been to WDW during a peak period since they implemented FP+, but it didn't seem to make things any worse on my recent visits. Prior to doing it in person, I was very opposed to FP+, but in reality it's not so horrible (though I'd probably prefer they trash the FP concept completely, I realize that's unrealistic at this point)
Originally Posted By Dabob2 "Dabob2 You're not an insane idiot. " Oh how little you know me. Seriously, I won't like the crowds, but I'll have a good time. I'm seeing friends one day and my sister and brother in law another so that'll be fun in itself.
Originally Posted By ecdc I stand by my insane idiot comment, which was of course intended to be taken literally and not as hyperbolic rhetoric Hey, if someone goes to DL and has a great time, good on 'em. If they go when it's slower or don't mind crowds, more power to them. Or, like Dabob, they know what they're getting into and are excited to meet up w/ friends and family, marvelous. In the past, that's been me. Maybe someday in the future it will again. All I can say is that my last experience was so stunningly beyond reasonable for crowds and navigating the parks, I will take a break from DL and will think long and hard about attending in the future so long as the status quo remains.
Originally Posted By darcy-becker <We have never waited in lines for the restroom.> Me either. I was also there this last week end. It was crowded but I didn't find it too horrible. I was there by myself though and that can make a difference. I saw the first Candlelight on Sunday and it wasn't too difficult.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "We weren't weeping and my children weren't screaming that they hate Disneyland." LOL I'm addicted to Disneyland, but I think we've all about been here before. The tears, the tantrums, the sheer exhaustion. hahahahaha!
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Well, great and exhausting at the same time. Even though it had only been 2 years since my previous visit, there was plenty new to see. All three DL coasters (SM, Matterhorn, BTMR) had had updates since then. I was a little underwhelmed with the SM overlay (and its 60-120 minute wait times; I either did it first thing or fastpassed it, so I did ride several times, but never wanted to do it spontaneously and wait that long), but I loved the Matterhorn and BTMR additions. Harold is actually kinda scary now! I made sure to ride both the Columbia and the Twain on some of their last journeys around the original full-length river. Loved the DL Forever fireworks and associated Main Street projections. It was so mobbed before fireworks I decided not to fight the crowd, and just watch Paint the Night beforehand, even though I'm not much of a parade guy. Ended up actually enjoying it - some of the LED effects were quite nice. Crowds were huge at both parks, but I knew they would be going in. My sister and brother-in-law hadn't been to DL in over 20 years (they tend to go to WDW), so they hadn't even seen Indy yet, or of course DCA. It was fun to see their reactions to the new-to-them stuff. I stepped off a curb funny at one point, and I kind of twisted my left knee, which was bugging me the whole rest of the time, especially going down stairs. It's fine now because I've been resting it, but resting one's knee is not something one does at DLR! So that meant I found myself planning more sit-down type things than I might have, like the Tiki Room and Animation Academy. Turns out I got to see the famous Maynard intro the Tiki Room for the first time ever (and he was freaking hilarious!), and even though I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, I managed to draw a reasonably creditable Tigger (meaning, you could tell who it was supposed to be) in the Academy. So win-win!
Originally Posted By ecdc I'm glad you had a great time! Sounds like a lot of fun. Clearly one's expectations (or lack thereof) of crowds makes a huge difference. I really enjoyed the Matterhorn effects and could swear the seats were more comfortable than last time, but that could all be in my head. I rode both the Columbia and the Mark Twain, well aware they'd never be the same. Ditto the railroad. Took the circle tour twice. I'll be in New York (to see Hamilton!!) in three weeks and will be shooting you an email.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Glad you had a fun trip, Dabob! "I managed to draw a reasonably creditable Tigger (meaning, you could tell who it was supposed to be) in the Academy. So win-win!" Isn't it amazing how they turn out? I was so proud of my Minnie drawing I made last time!
Originally Posted By Yookeroo The Animation Academy "students" really do turn out pretty good stuff considering. It's an underrated attraction. Nothing to go out of your way for, but you do get neat results.
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>But seriously, how Disney makes it so difficult to get from point A to point B w/o people swearing off the park ever again is beyond me.<< My last few DLR experiences have been along those lines: wall to wall people. I haven't been back since 2008 because of that. I just hate the idea of spending my hard earned money on airfares, hotels, meals, tickets, etc. just to find myself struggling with the crowds. I was toying with the idea of going In February, which in the past was not so crowded because it's "cold" but now I have my doubts.
