Just back with a couple of observations....

[TChrist05]

First of all I would like to thank all for there suggestions regarding our recent trip to DL...the suggestions did help....but I gotta tell ya....the place was crazy busy....never again would we visit during peak season....
It is funny cause before we left I read on the boards how busy it was...how difficult it became to get soda and ice cream off the carts cause they were so busy....and you guys were exactly right! We just gave up at times to get a soda or popcorn since they were just so busy....and I must say, it is my humble opinion that the cast members are not as helpful, and some seem like they could care less than the cast members in Disney World. I do realize that it is busy and all, but from the cast members in the parks to Downtown Disney they just did not seem to want to help.
We were on our first trip to Disneyland and seemed to ask a lot of questions, and some did help, but for the most part we were disappointed in there overall attitude.
Another difference that we found was the cost of food both at the restaurants as well as the food carts between DL and WDW....unless things have changed in WDW in the past couple of months, the price of a 20 oz. soda is $2.75 in DL and only $2.00 in WDW....and the price of the ice cream bars in DL is $3.50 compared to $2.50 in WDW....
I would say that the time of year truly makes a big difference...and the next trip to DL will definately be off-peak...say end of September early October possibly next year....cause the crowds were horrific....but thanks again to all the offered help for our first trip....it was truly an experience.
Tom & Marilou

 

[CalGal]

My experience was so much different from yours! I was hesitant to go at the beginning of August for the heat and crowds, but we were meeting family, so the timing wasn't our choice. We had such a fabulous time and while the crowds were heavy, it had little impact on our experience.

We were at DL from 8/2 -8/7, and never had a wait of more than a minute or so at carts. My DS had a bit of a wait for scooped ice cream, and naturally we had a long wait for snacks before the Snow White Show, but never from carts. I suppose it was a matter of timing. There are always long lines at carts shorty before parades for example. DL felt more crowded than WDW at similar times of the year, but that should be expected since the park is so much more compact and walk-ways are narrower. We went 1/2 early for some shows to use priority seating, but other than that, all of our waits for rides and shows were very short. And the short waits were tolerable because the weather, although warm, was SO much more comfortable than August at WDW! Using FP, going early, and making PSs when possible minimized the impact of the crowds at DL for us.

I'm sure the food and beverages are more expensive in California, as is the overall cost of living. But then, in California, you can stay within walking distance to the parks for $100/night and get 4 day parkhopper passes for $150. With the family restaurants across the street, and by bringing your bottled water with you, it's possible to do DL on a budget without having to spend hours waiting and riding buses.

I also found the cast members to be helpful and friendly. I did notice more CMs in training than normal, and I think you'll find that DL has more seasonal CMs than WDW.

Obviously, if you have the luxury of going during the off season, I recommend it. But then, be aware that you risk more rides down for refurbishment, shorter hours, and fewer shows. But for me, the waits, the crowds, and especially the weather, were so much better at DL this trip than they were at WDW in August visit a couple of years ago

 

[safetymom]

We just got back. We were there 8/7-11. We didn't find the parks crowded. We did remark though that the CM's were not very friendly. The ones we encountered seemed to have a chip on their shoulder. We wished everyone a good day in spite of their attitude.

 

[JenJen]

The cast members attitude is a big problem right now but you have to realize that thousands of cast members have quit or have been fired since the beginning of this year leaving cast members working 70 hours or more a week. This is due to horrible contract changes, attendance policy changes, and overall changes in the company that the cast is not happy about. I am not going to get into it all here but lets just say that foods was the first dept. hit with these changes and thousands quit leaving new cast members with long hours and very little patients. I feel bad for the cast members that are working long hours with very little reason to do so and see it is reflecting in the costumer service more and more. Being a annual pass holder we now know to leave the park to eat we learn after waiting 1 hour for food at hungry bear in June. Even at peak season with high crowds in the past this was never a issue.
For those cast members that are sticking it out THANKYOU for you service. For those people higher up making the changes that are reflecting in negative cast member attitude. SHAME ON YOU!!!!!
JenJen

 

[TChrist05]

JenJen....thanks for the imput....I have to admit that since we live on the East Coast we do not really hear about anything going on the Disney regarding labor issues....although we have talked many times to cast members in Florida and they seem pretty happy with the way they are treated and how the company takes care of them....I realize that we usually want more when it comes to our employment(within reason ofcourse), but would the changes just be to the Disneyland operation or all the properties that Disney owns....it just seemed like it was two different worlds regarding the way the cast members acted toward the guests. I myself am the talkative type, so if I am standing around and therre is a cast member you can figure I will end up in a conversation with them. I did talk to the DVC rep that was in the Grand Calif. Hotel and had a very nice conversation regarding the selling of the vacation club in California.
I applaud all the cast members regardless of which property and park they work...it is very difficult to always have a good day....but it just seemed to me to be such a vast difference between California and Florida.
Tom

 

[safetymom]

I understand they may be having problems but there is no excuse for the way that some cast members talked to us. If you still have a job it is part of your job to be nice to guests.

 

[disneysteve]

We were at DL 8/6-8/11. We found the crowds to be quite light, especially 8/6-8/8. It did pick up after that but still very manageable with good Fast Pass use. Some CM's seemed not very friendly but most were very nice, better than what we've encountered at WDW the past couple of years.

 

[jlawall]

Wow, we did notice longer lines in food service areas and limited hours in some cases. Overall, I didn't have any bad impressions with CMs in the parks.

In our hotel, GC the staff was excellent but our concerns were not met as efficiently as usual. I guess the labor issues have led to this.

 

[TChrist05]

I gotta tell ya....in my humble opinion....this was my first trip to Disneyland so maybe I am not much of a judge about crowds there....but I think it was crazy busy...and not one area of the park do I feel that the staffing was adequate....just as a prime example....they had the area outside the Tiki Room that sells the pineapple juice and Dole whips....people waited at least 20 - 30 minutes to get served....they were going back and forth between the two sides....sometimes someone with the power to make changes and give better customer service should walk around and observe how things are being done. Lets face it, you are on vacation at the happiest place on earth...so you are not going to march and complain to someone unless you are extremely ticked off....I myself work in a customer service type industry and as a manager we constantly monitor things and make appropriate changes....sometimes not as quickly as we should but we do watch....there is no time that a cast member should be rude because they are overworked....just my opinion....and when things are very busy we can be a little more tolerant....Bottom line for us is that we will go back next time off peak, get to see more and have a better time.
Tom

 

[disneysteve]

they had the area outside the Tiki Room that sells the pineapple juice and Dole whips....people waited at least 20 - 30 minutes to get served....they were going back and forth between the two sides

We encountered this too. Very poor planning. One CM serving both sides at peak time of day. Very inadequate.

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

We were at DLR 8/1 - 8/3 and we must have been lucky!

We never ran into an unpleasant CM. I did notice most of them were "Class of 2005". An urelated note, I missed seeing the CM's hometwon on their name tags!

Other than the periods following Fantasmic or fireworks, we never found ourselves in terrible crowds. We saw a few LONG lines at counter service restaurants, but always found alternatives with shorter lines.

We didn't wait more than 30 minutes for any attractions. Our last two trips to WDW have been in the first week of November. DLR on 8/1 - 8/3 was a little, not a lot, more crowded than the first week of Nov in WDW.

Following advice from the DIS will allow you to avoid a lot of crowds!

 

[alyssa810]

We were there 8/-8/10, and then again on 8/13, and let me tell you, Monday the 8th was CRAZY busy at DL!!! We thought it was going to be bad when we went back on Saturday, but it wasn't as bad as Monday!!!

 

[Sk8Leigh]

Here is an article about the problems the restaurant division has been having at DL.

http://www.miceage.com/allutz/a060705a.htm

IMO, it sounds like they did the right thing, and the CMs just didn't like the change, and it will just take a while until they get through the situation. The turnover will help, but then they have to get staffing back up to where it needs to be.

 

[Kaelyn]

wow. i have to say that i totally agree with TDA. as a former cast member myself (stores) i watched many a bad policy come and go, and as a manager (lead), i can only imagine the pain that the harriss schedules created. i can understand the frustration of the cast member who had their cake-walk taken away, and i griped about my fair share of perks being removed over the years, but what people shouldn't forget is that disney is a business. i feel badly for the guests who are suffering from this (i will be one of them in october!), but with disney's best long-term interests at heart, i whole heartedly support the current back to basics trend and will gladly suffer for a while if it makes disney stronger in the end. once the basic work ethics are reinstilled in the current cast, then disney ethics will be taught to the newbies and those who are not up to disney snuff will leave or be removed. this is a good thing!

 

[TChrist05]

My opinion is that most of us kind of resist change at first, and resist it even more if it seems to change the way we work.
The cast members have to realize, as others have stated is that Disney is a business, and sometimes has to make the tough decisions for the bottom line. I don't know if the cast members get the same perks as the cast members in Florida, but the people in Florida has stated to me they are happy with there benefits and perks that they get from the company. My dream is to someday retire from my job in NY and move to Florida and work for Disney...although it is different when you work to pass the time than to work to support your family...just seems like it would be a great place to work....most people(guests) happy all the time....etc....
It will be interesting to see when Mr. Eisner is finally gone if things will get better or worse for the employees....but it was plain to see that they have "SERIOUS" issues in there food service division....and the managers that are in charge of these things should get out, see the problems, react, and talk to some of the guests. They are the one's who can really offer the suggestions to make your visit to the Happiest Place on Earth....or the Happiest Celebration on Earth really that.
Tom

 

[CalGal]

..just as a prime example....they had the area outside the Tiki Room that sells the pineapple juice and Dole whips....people waited at least 20 - 30 minutes to get served....they were going back and forth between the two sides....
Tom

I will say that I find the area around here (Tiki Room to Indiana Jones) to be about the most crowded area on an ongoing basis (except following parades, shows, etc.). The walkways are fairly narrow, there are always crowds around Indiana, and this is a popular thoroughfare to NOS and Critter Country. I frequented this particular Tiki Juice Bar twice during my last visit, once without any wait, once with a wait of perhaps a minute. I did have a fair wait at the Bengal Barbeque though... Perhaps I didn't have any problems with the food service because I had read posts that the counter service restaurants were experiencing labor shortages and was prepared for waits. Recommendations that may or may work for some guests:

- Eat during off hours
- Make PSs if such restaurants are in your budget
- Shop around a little; if you're thirsty, and you see a cart with a line, keep going. The next cart may not have a line at all. Watch for carts and counter restaurants that are a little more out of the way, especially around parade times. (There's a fruit cart near just past Haunted Mansion on the way to Splash that is typically not crowded; it's not listed on the map, but has many of the same offerings as the Tiki Juice Bar)
- Check out Pizza Port or Rancho del Zocalo; lines aren't usually too bad at these restaurants for light snacks or full meals.
- I find the longest waits are usually before shows and parades. We grab a spot and then send someone for the food run. The wait may be long, but we're just trading one wait time for another.
- Hop over to DCA for a meal; it's usually much less crowded. You might even duck into GCH and try White Water Snacks near the GCH entrance to DCA. It's good, reasonably priced food, and is seldom very crowded I understand.
- Bring in some cold water and light snacks to tide you over.

 

[yeartolate]

We were there 8/-8/10, and then again on 8/13, and let me tell you, Monday the 8th was CRAZY busy at DL!!! We thought it was going to be bad when we went back on Saturday, but it wasn't as bad as Monday!!!

I was there on Monday and crazy busy is right!!!! I found the CM's to be phenomenal.


We were in the parks 8/7 - 8/11 . I nailed down every reservation I wanted within one week of departure. This included 3 character meals and Blue Bayou. We had AAA fastpasses so we were able to ride freely and leave the parks for 4-5 hours midday to relax.

If I had a major negative observation of the trip it had to do with cranky parents with very young cranky children. Way more than I ever remember. I have every sympathy for a parent with a cranky/tantruming kid in a public place - I have no sympathy/respect for the parent who insists on dragging that kid around the park or keeping them in long lines rather than taking them back to the hotel.

 

[Vanvmom]

If I had a major negative observation of the trip it had to do with cranky parents with very young cranky children. Way more than I ever remember. I have every sympathy for a parent with a cranky/tantruming kid in a public place - I have no sympathy/respect for the parent who insists on dragging that kid around the park or keeping them in long lines rather than taking them back to the hotel.

I agree with you 100%! We explain in detail our expectations before we go into the park. If one of our kids acts up in line, they are given 1 gentle reminder to comply with the rules. If their offense continues, we get out of line and go sit somewhere to wait while everyone else in our group rides the ride. I must add, we've only had to leave the line one time, and if one of our children is tired, they need to nap.