Does Disneyland have difficulty emptying the park?

[Disneyland1084]

Think about it. All those crowds to deal with. When it's closing time, do the workers have difficulty getting people out of the park? There must be people who throw a fit when a ride operator says they're closing for the night. Of all the millions of visitors to Disneyland, they must have this problem occasionally.

 

[bcla]

Think about it. All those crowds to deal with. When it's closing time, do the workers have difficulty getting people out of the park? There must be people who throw a fit when a ride operator says they're closing for the night. Of all the millions of visitors to Disneyland, they must have this problem occasionally.

Not really with the rides. Someone makes a judgement call as to when the line is cut off. We were at Peter Pan's Flight a little after midnight and they put a chain across the entrance. Not much to argue about. They'll usually do it a few minutes after closing time. If anyone insists, they either let it slide or threaten to call security if someone won't take no for an answer.

And it's pretty much a judgement call. I was with my kid there the night before they cut off the line quickly, and I saw people getting in line about 10 minutes after official closing.

 

[Dot2Vegas]

Think about it. All those crowds to deal with. When it's closing time, do the workers have difficulty getting people out of the park? There must be people who throw a fit when a ride operator says they're closing for the night. Of all the millions of visitors to Disneyland, they must have this problem occasionally.

I've never seen a problem and we have closed down the parks countless times. CMs will chain off the line at closing time and we have never seen an argument about it. We were let onto POTC once, about 5 minutes past closing. We were heading out and walked by. Went to get in line and realized the time. We told the kids it was closed and the CM at the entrance told us to come on in! We got to ride completely alone! We never have trouble being one of the last to leave either. Seems most people are tired and want to go when its time. Its our personal mission to be the last people to leave on our next trip! Anyone here ever been the last guest out??

 

[msd1776]

No, once the rides close most people quickly leave the park. We were there one night and ay at least at disney
World, they rope of areas and won't even let you back in to use the restroom

 

[Disney Dreams]

If you've ever been in the Park at closing, they have it down to a very simple system. A line of Cast Members start at one end of the Park and walk towards Main Street when you come off a ride, out of a show, out of a shop, you cannot walk towards the line. This pushes you towards Main Street. I have exited the Mercantile after closing and experienced this. Once you hit Main Street, you can go anywhere on Main Street until one hour after Park closing time, at which point, yet again, there will be a gathering of security and you cannot walk up Main Street, only down towards the exit.

I have shopped on Main Street until just before 1am before and experienced a nearly empty Main Street on the way out.

- Dreams

 

[Disney Dreams]

... Its our personal mission to be the last people to leave on our next trip! Anyone here ever been the last guest out??

Pretty darn close. Not sure I'd want to be the VERY last. there's an awkward vibe of "you know it's time to go, but you're not going" when it gets down to the last few dozen. JMO

- Dreams

 

[dragonflycurls]

I've worked at a theme park and the rides are pretty easy to clear out, it's the gift shops that take so long to close! Everyone wants to buy something on their way out, and we weren't allowed to just kick people out.

 

[Dot2Vegas]

Pretty darn close. Not sure I'd want to be the VERY last. there's an awkward vibe of "you know it's time to go, but you're not going" when it gets down to the last few dozen. JMO

- Dreams

Haha! That's what DH says. He doesn't want to be asked to leave by security! The kids and I are totally up for it and try to assure DH that if security did ask us to leave we would obviously politely and respectfully leave immediately!

 

[Disney Dreams]

Haha! That's what DH says. He doesn't want to be asked to leave by security! The kids and I are totally up for it and try to assure DH that if security did ask us to leave we would obviously politely and respectfully leave immediately!

I'm with your DH. There's a VERY fine line. And it's somewhere between the last person and the 20th to last person. hehe

"I'm leaving... really I am"

- Dreams

 

[Dot2Vegas]

I'm with your DH. There's a VERY fine line. And it's somewhere between the last person and the 20th to last person. hehe

"I'm leaving... really I am"

- Dreams

You mean being dragged out is taking it too far?! Hehehe!

 

[Cheshirecatty]

You mean being dragged out is taking it too far?! Hehehe!

Love this!!!

 

[Mama Who]

Pretty darn close. Not sure I'd want to be the VERY last. there's an awkward vibe of "you know it's time to go, but you're not going" when it gets down to the last few dozen. JMO

- Dreams

And at that point, really, you're just keeping people from getting to close up and go home for no good reason. CMs are tired at the end of a day too.

 

[taaren]

I have a friend who grew up in Orange County and once told me that as teenagers apparently it was a "thing" to hide in the Disneyland park at closing and stay overnight. This was 25 years ago, so security may have gotten better since then, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were still local teenagers that do this.
They didn't vandalize the property or anything, but apparently they never got caught either, just left the next day after the park opened.

Don't flame me please. I never did it, just heard about it.

 

[Dot2Vegas]

I have a friend who grew up in Orange County and once told me that as teenagers apparently it was a "thing" to hide in the Disneyland park at closing and stay overnight. This was 25 years ago, so security may have gotten better since then, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were still local teenagers that do this.
They didn't vandalize the property or anything, but apparently they never got caught either, just left the next day after the park opened.

Don't flame me please. I never did it, just heard about it.

I'd obviously never do that but man would it be fun to be "locked inside" Disney all night!!
They must do some pretty thorough security sweeps every night to prevent this from happening!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I've never seen a problem and we have closed down the parks countless times. CMs will chain off the line at closing time and we have never seen an argument about it. We were let onto POTC once, about 5 minutes past closing. We were heading out and walked by. Went to get in line and realized the time. We told the kids it was closed and the CM at the entrance told us to come on in! We got to ride completely alone! We never have trouble being one of the last to leave either. Seems most people are tired and want to go when its time. Its our personal mission to be the last people to leave on our next trip! Anyone here ever been the last guest out??

Last November we were the last guests out of the park. We had had dinner, and by the time we were finished the park was closed, so a cast member escorted us out. It had been raining, so everything glistened. As we got to Main Street, we heard, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls." They were rehearsing the holiday snow fall. We were almost to Town Square, and saw the cast members who were cleaning the stores after hours come out to watch the snow fall. Two days later the Christmas tree went up.

My kids and I count that as one of our favorite memories at Disneyland lately.

I'd obviously never do that but man would it be fun to be "locked inside" Disney all night!!
They must do some pretty thorough security sweeps every night to prevent this from happening!

I don't think they'd be able to do much but hide. There are so many workers out and about after hours.

 

[coluk003]

Ive only done this once, even though i go every month. I go on POTC right at 11:59. i know the CM's must hate me lol, but i get a boat to myself AND when i come out and get on Main Street USA its almost empty. I did this at or right after Xmas when the castle was still covered in "ice" and got an amazing shot, or so i think.

 

[Disneyland1084]

I have a friend who grew up in Orange County and once told me that as teenagers apparently it was a "thing" to hide in the Disneyland park at closing and stay overnight. This was 25 years ago, so security may have gotten better since then, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were still local teenagers that do this.
They didn't vandalize the property or anything, but apparently they never got caught either, just left the next day after the park opened.

Don't flame me please. I never did it, just heard about it.

Wow! Well, they wouldn't get away with it now considering there's cameras everywhere. How I'd love to be locked inside Disneyland. Oh, that would be awesome.

 

[sherilaine]

On nights when the park closing early - like 8PM, I imagine there are a lot more people leaving and it is not quite the same as on a night when the park closes at mignight?

 

[Sully14]

I have a friend who grew up in Orange County and once told me that as teenagers apparently it was a "thing" to hide in the Disneyland park at closing and stay overnight. This was 25 years ago, so security may have gotten better since then, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were still local teenagers that do this.
They didn't vandalize the property or anything, but apparently they never got caught either, just left the next day after the park opened.

Don't flame me please. I never did it, just heard about it.

When our family won a night in the Dream Suite back in 2008, one of the highlights was an after hours tour. We were told what we could take pictures of and what we couldn't (i.e Coke trucks driving on Main Street).

During the 2 am tour- in bathrobes- the CM told us that one of the nightly security duties is to search for stowaways. Yes, there are cameras just about everywhere, and the security people know where the 'usual' places to try to hide are located. Every CM working when the park closes has a duty to keep an eye out, too. Disney does not treat stowaways as a friendly game of hide-and-seek nowadays.....one will get arrested for trespassing if found hiding. (at least that is what we were told)

A few years back one of our kids scraped their knee in DL. My wife is an RN so she was looking at the knee, when a kindly elderly gentleman eating an ice cream casually strolled over to her and asked if she needed assistance. Only then did we see the ear piece where someone was directing him over to us. I thought, wow..everyone is being watched all of the time.

 

[Dot2Vegas]

Love this!!!