Does the slow season exist anymore? - The DIS Discussion Forums

calikathy4 · 02-10-2013, 05:43 PM

I'm a so cal deluxe passholder. My family and I love Disneyland. I try to take my kids as much as I can. We were really looking forward to the "old days" when you could go in Jan/Feb and have low crowds. Since Carsland opened in DCA it seems like there isn't really a slow season anymore. Am I wrong? I check the crowd levels on a few apps I have on my iPhone and even on a weekday they are usually at 80% plus. The days we have gone this past month have all been moderately busy to very busy. Just wondering everyone's thoughts, experiences and suggestions.

There are days where we may have gone, but the app said 89% or something so we decided not to. Wondering if these apps are accurate, if there are better days to go, etc. We are passholders again, but just moved back to CA after being out of state for 5 years so I know things have changed. My crowd level gauge is always how long I have to wait for Winnie the Pooh, which my 4 year old loves. If I have to wait longer than 5 minutes, the park is reasonably crowded as it used to be you could walk on to that ride anytime in Jan/Feb.

My disclaimer: I understand we are very spoiled to live so close to Disneyland and the fact that we can take advantage of the park as much as we do. We truly wish everyone could experience the magic as often as we can.

pharmama · 02-10-2013, 05:55 PM

I am not sure how Mousewait calculates their overall park ratings but I have definitely wondered.

We were there in Jan (this year) on 1/3-1/6 and the park was PACKED. Mousewait was showing the parks in the upper 80s. We were there again on 1/26 and it was not bad at all. Almost everything in DCA (except RSR of course- though we arrived at 10am- 1hr after park opening and 2hrs after APEE began and we walked right up to the RSR FP machine and pulled times for 1:45pm) was near a walk on. DL was a little more crowded but not bad. And Mousewait showed both as mid 80's.

This experience has definitely made me wonder/a little wary of putting too much stock in the overall rating on MW.

dragonflycurls · 02-10-2013, 06:12 PM

I was wondering the same thing. I guess Carsland has paid off pretty well for Disney.

We are going this Wed-Fri, my father is actually at the parks today and said it was quite busy lots of people and long lines. When he called us he was in line for Tower of Terror- 60 minutes.

LisaT91403 · 02-10-2013, 06:30 PM

Based on my experience, the MouseWait Crowd Index is meaningless. Sometimes it shows a very high index, but when you look at the wait times, they are short. And then vice versa. It makes no sense. I have learned just to look at the wait times and ignore the index altogether.

I visited the parks on Wednesday, January 30th, and it was definitely off season. I think the longest wait we had was ~20 minutes, and that was in the RSR FastPass return line. Peter Pan was ~15 minutes. Everything else we rode was a shorter wait than 15 min, usually a "walk on" (which is less than 5 minute wait for me). I will add, however, that we skip a lot of the "E Ticket" rides because DS(4) isn't into them. But those lines looked really short or non-existant as well.

TheChapman6 · 02-10-2013, 06:35 PM

I have no idea but I'm getting OCD and checking all the apps a few times a day to see what the wait times are. I want to be able to pack as much into our vacation as I possibly can. I did buy a membership to touring plans but I'm thinking about getting the ridemax thing too?

RayB · 02-10-2013, 06:39 PM

See you in the parks Wednesday,Thursday will not be bad.Fri, Sat, Sunday will be packed pretty much.Son works there.Thursday it rained nobody there, Friday, Saturday, today packed pretty much.The weekdays in winter are really slower, son says Monday-Tuesday pretty slow.They run some of the rides half speed like Soaring...

dragonflycurls · 02-10-2013, 06:51 PM

We'll be in the parks for the afternoon/evening on Wednesday (flying in from Seattle in the morning) and then all day Thursday. We're hoping to get a lot done on these days- RSR on Wednesday, and then Thursday doing EE for Fantasyland, etc.

I am not personally a fan of the Cars movies, but I guess a lot of people are.

jmac323 · 02-10-2013, 06:55 PM

We were just there two weeks ago and other than Carsland didn't wait over 20 minutes for a ride. I did feel like there were more people than last February when we went but I surely would still say it was slower than Spring/Summer.

Disney Dreams · 02-10-2013, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayB

...The weekdays in winter are really slower, son says Monday-Tuesday pretty slow.They run some of the rides half speed like Soaring...

That's the entire balancing act. Disney runs the attractions at half capacity, which makes the wait times "acceptable" by Disney standards. What it does NOT necessarily mean is 10 minute waits that guests hope to have.

- Dreams

LisaT91403 · 02-10-2013, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Disney Dreams

That's the entire balancing act. Disney runs the attractions at half capacity, which makes the wait times "acceptable" by Disney standards. What it does NOT necessarily mean is 10 minute waits that guests hope to have.

- Dreams

And depending on the ride, it can make a big difference or not. For example, when they run one Casey Jr train, the line can be longer/slower than in "busy" season with 2 trains running. On the other hand, when we last visited, they only ran Soarin' at partial capacity...and there still was no line. We didn't even get to use our FP because there was no wait in the standby line.

Lisa71 · 02-10-2013, 09:14 PM

Most schools are still out the first week of January so the second and third weeks are better. Carsland I hear is still packed so we have avoided it. Super bowl Sunday used to be good but have not tried that in awhile.

DLR29 · 02-10-2013, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayB

See you in the parks Wednesday,Thursday will not be bad.Fri, Sat, Sunday will be packed pretty much.Son works there.Thursday it rained nobody there, Friday, Saturday, today packed pretty much.The weekdays in winter are really slower, son says Monday-Tuesday pretty slow.They run some of the rides half speed like Soaring...

In addition to running rides at lower capacities, many attractions are also just plain closed.

Today I was in the parks on a normal "offseason" Sunday, but it felt really really crowded because...
-Big Thunder
-It's a Small World
-Splash Mountain
-Mad Tea Party
-Mark Twain Riverboat
were all closed. That's several thousand guests worth of capacity all closed for refurb!

It'sKim · 02-10-2013, 10:14 PM

We are here now and have been here for the last week. The last 2 days have been ridiculously busy. Pretty much every ride we walked past yesterday was a 45 min wait (except Screamin which hovered around 15 every time we were near) I hate the crowds. We have been before at this time of year and enjoyed it. This time has made us think we need a break from Disney

Between the crowds and the amount of refurbs going on, it felt like this trip just wasn't worth it. I imagine the large number of refurbs going on isn't helping the waits for other rides as people aren't as spread out. Oh well.

calikathy4 · 02-11-2013, 12:08 AM

We were there yesterday too and it was so busy it was frustrating. That's what prompted this thread. Someone had posted last Saturday wasn't that busy so we took a chance yesterday. I feel like I'm missing out on info that can help plan out trips better. Will have to try a tues or weds next time and stop counting on mouse wait. Thanks for all the responses!

pharmama · 02-11-2013, 12:12 AM

Or at least look at individual wait times on MW rather than their overall 'score'?

02-10-2013, 05:43 PM	#1
calikathy4 Earning My Ears Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 12	Does the slow season exist anymore? I'm a so cal deluxe passholder. My family and I love Disneyland. I try to take my kids as much as I can. We were really looking forward to the "old days" when you could go in Jan/Feb and have low crowds. Since Carsland opened in DCA it seems like there isn't really a slow season anymore. Am I wrong? I check the crowd levels on a few apps I have on my iPhone and even on a weekday they are usually at 80% plus. The days we have gone this past month have all been moderately busy to very busy. Just wondering everyone's thoughts, experiences and suggestions. There are days where we may have gone, but the app said 89% or something so we decided not to. Wondering if these apps are accurate, if there are better days to go, etc. We are passholders again, but just moved back to CA after being out of state for 5 years so I know things have changed. My crowd level gauge is always how long I have to wait for Winnie the Pooh, which my 4 year old loves. If I have to wait longer than 5 minutes, the park is reasonably crowded as it used to be you could walk on to that ride anytime in Jan/Feb. My disclaimer: I understand we are very spoiled to live so close to Disneyland and the fact that we can take advantage of the park as much as we do. We truly wish everyone could experience the magic as often as we can.

02-10-2013, 05:55 PM	#2
pharmama DIS Veteran Join Date: May 2012 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 576	I am not sure how Mousewait calculates their overall park ratings but I have definitely wondered. We were there in Jan (this year) on 1/3-1/6 and the park was PACKED. Mousewait was showing the parks in the upper 80s. We were there again on 1/26 and it was not bad at all. Almost everything in DCA (except RSR of course- though we arrived at 10am- 1hr after park opening and 2hrs after APEE began and we walked right up to the RSR FP machine and pulled times for 1:45pm) was near a walk on. DL was a little more crowded but not bad. And Mousewait showed both as mid 80's. This experience has definitely made me wonder/a little wary of putting too much stock in the overall rating on MW. __________________ ME DH DD 8 DD 4 DD 2 Countless Disneyland Trips Disneyland 1/2 Marathon 2009 & 2010 (dressed as Jessie) Disney Dream 5nt Double Dip, July 2012.

02-10-2013, 06:35 PM	#5
TheChapman6 Mouseketeer Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Severance, Colorado Posts: 121	I have no idea but I'm getting OCD and checking all the apps a few times a day to see what the wait times are. I want to be able to pack as much into our vacation as I possibly can. I did buy a membership to touring plans but I'm thinking about getting the ridemax thing too? __________________ Pepper Wife to ScottTrenton(10)Trevor(9)Tri stan(8) Tracen(5)Tressa(3). Truett(1)

02-10-2013, 06:55 PM	#8
jmac323 Mouseketeer Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: No. California Posts: 315	We were just there two weeks ago and other than Carsland didn't wait over 20 minutes for a ride. I did feel like there were more people than last February when we went but I surely would still say it was slower than Spring/Summer. __________________ Jenn & DH DD1 (7) & DD2 (3)

02-10-2013, 09:14 PM	#11
Lisa71 Adoption Rocks! Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: So Cal Posts: 554	Most schools are still out the first week of January so the second and third weeks are better. Carsland I hear is still packed so we have avoided it. Super bowl Sunday used to be good but have not tried that in awhile. __________________ Me (42) DH (40) : DD (7): DS (6):

Sponsored Links
The DIS Register to remove Join Date: 1997 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 1,000,000

02-10-2013, 06:12 PM	#3
dragonflycurls Mouseketeer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 107	I was wondering the same thing. I guess Carsland has paid off pretty well for Disney. We are going this Wed-Fri, my father is actually at the parks today and said it was quite busy lots of people and long lines. When he called us he was in line for Tower of Terror- 60 minutes.

02-10-2013, 06:30 PM	#4
LisaT91403 Mouseketeer Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 476	Based on my experience, the MouseWait Crowd Index is meaningless. Sometimes it shows a very high index, but when you look at the wait times, they are short. And then vice versa. It makes no sense. I have learned just to look at the wait times and ignore the index altogether. I visited the parks on Wednesday, January 30th, and it was definitely off season. I think the longest wait we had was ~20 minutes, and that was in the RSR FastPass return line. Peter Pan was ~15 minutes. Everything else we rode was a shorter wait than 15 min, usually a "walk on" (which is less than 5 minute wait for me). I will add, however, that we skip a lot of the "E Ticket" rides because DS(4) isn't into them. But those lines looked really short or non-existant as well.

02-10-2013, 06:39 PM	#6
RayB Mouseketeer Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 145	See you in the parks Wednesday,Thursday will not be bad.Fri, Sat, Sunday will be packed pretty much.Son works there.Thursday it rained nobody there, Friday, Saturday, today packed pretty much.The weekdays in winter are really slower, son says Monday-Tuesday pretty slow.They run some of the rides half speed like Soaring...

02-10-2013, 06:51 PM	#7
dragonflycurls Mouseketeer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 107	We'll be in the parks for the afternoon/evening on Wednesday (flying in from Seattle in the morning) and then all day Thursday. We're hoping to get a lot done on these days- RSR on Wednesday, and then Thursday doing EE for Fantasyland, etc. I am not personally a fan of the Cars movies, but I guess a lot of people are.

02-10-2013, 10:14 PM	#13
It'sKim Mouseketeer Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 130	We are here now and have been here for the last week. The last 2 days have been ridiculously busy. Pretty much every ride we walked past yesterday was a 45 min wait (except Screamin which hovered around 15 every time we were near) I hate the crowds. We have been before at this time of year and enjoyed it. This time has made us think we need a break from Disney Between the crowds and the amount of refurbs going on, it felt like this trip just wasn't worth it. I imagine the large number of refurbs going on isn't helping the waits for other rides as people aren't as spread out. Oh well.

02-11-2013, 12:08 AM	#14
calikathy4 Earning My Ears Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 12	We were there yesterday too and it was so busy it was frustrating. That's what prompted this thread. Someone had posted last Saturday wasn't that busy so we took a chance yesterday. I feel like I'm missing out on info that can help plan out trips better. Will have to try a tues or weds next time and stop counting on mouse wait. Thanks for all the responses!

02-11-2013, 12:12 AM	#15
pharmama DIS Veteran Join Date: May 2012 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 576	Or at least look at individual wait times on MW rather than their overall 'score'? __________________ ME DH DD 8 DD 4 DD 2 Countless Disneyland Trips Disneyland 1/2 Marathon 2009 & 2010 (dressed as Jessie) Disney Dream 5nt Double Dip, July 2012.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread: