ACK! Should I Change My Dates Due to Changing WOC Opening Dates?

[Mugglemama]

Any thoughts on this would be really appreciated!

Quick rundown - We've been to DLR a gazillion times, but for the first time ever we are bringing my husband's parents and his 2 nieces (8 & 9yo) that they have been raising since birth. My MIL has not been to DL in 25 years or so, and is VERY excited about this trip. She is in weak health, and this will almost certainly be her last trip there. I want to make it as good as it can be!

Along those lines, I stressed for months over choosing dates. Like so many others, I'd like to try to avoid horrendous crowds if at all possible. It seems particularly important during this trip because we are only doing a 3 day trip, and I'd just really like for my MIL to get to do most, if not all, of everything she'd really like to do while there. Also, the nieces have never been there before, so we want it to be super fun for them, too.

OK. So, I had chosen mid-May for our trip. I was thinking since WOC was supposed to open in March, that maybe a lot of the initial hullaballoo over that would be scaling down a bit by then. Since the dates fall between Spring Break and the end of most school year's, I was hoping that many people probably wouldn't be pulling their kids out to go during that time, since they'd just had time off and will be out for Summer in a matter of a few weeks from that time.

UGH! But now with the WOC dates changing, and from what I read it sounds like many are under the impression it will actually open IN May, I think my plan is screwed.

I'm thinking now I might REALLY be better off to just wait until AP's are blocked out for the Summer to go? (NO offense to SoCal AP'rs, I used to be one myself several years ago!! I'm just really trying to schedule this in a way that leaves my MIL having had the best time possible, that's all).

If it were you, what would YOU do?? Keep the plans for May, or wait until after SoCal AP's are fully blocked in July?

Help!!

P.S. We're not going to attempt to see WOC on this trip, as far as I know.

 

[michelleh1]

I don't have any advice, we scheduled our first ever trip for mid-May for the same reasons as you - thinking it would be less crowded and more rides would be working than now. although we could wait, I don't want to. my kids ask me about Disneyland every day! I would like to see WOC because I don't know when we'll make it back to DLR. I guess we'll just have to do more planning to make sure we get to do everything that we want. I'll be anxiously awaiting others advice.

 

[Leofoenget]

Any thoughts on this would be really appreciated!

Quick rundown - We've been to DLR a gazillion times, but for the first time ever we are bringing my husband's parents and his 2 nieces (8 & 9yo) that they have been raising since birth. My MIL has not been to DL in 25 years or so, and is VERY excited about this trip. She is in weak health, and this will almost certainly be her last trip there. I want to make it as good as it can be!

Along those lines, I stressed for months over choosing dates. Like so many others, I'd like to try to avoid horrendous crowds if at all possible. It seems particularly important during this trip because we are only doing a 3 day trip, and I'd just really like for my MIL to get to do most, if not all, of everything she'd really like to do while there. Also, the nieces have never been there before, so we want it to be super fun for them, too.

OK. So, I had chosen mid-May for our trip. I was thinking since WOC was supposed to open in March, that maybe a lot of the initial hullaballoo over that would be scaling down a bit by then. Since the dates fall between Spring Break and the end of most school year's, I was hoping that many people probably wouldn't be pulling their kids out to go during that time, since they'd just had time off and will be out for Summer in a matter of a few weeks from that time.

UGH! But now with the WOC dates changing, and from what I read it sounds like many are under the impression it will actually open IN May, I think my plan is screwed.

I'm thinking now I might REALLY be better off to just wait until AP's are blocked out for the Summer to go? (NO offense to SoCal AP'rs, I used to be one myself several years ago!! I'm just really trying to schedule this in a way that leaves my MIL having had the best time possible, that's all).

If it were you, what would YOU do?? Keep the plans for May, or wait until after SoCal AP's are fully blocked in July?

Help!!

P.S. We're not going to attempt to see WOC on this trip, as far as I know.

Are you taking the kids out of school? I have gone the Monday after Mother's day for a couple of days and it was fine. I think if you go mid week in May avoiding the weekends and Memorial day weekend you will be fine. It's a little pocket before the crunch. Also remember that WOC is in DCA so I think most of the locals will invade DCA moreso than DL. Another good time to go is mid week last week of June after the so cal AP's again avoiding the weekend. Been a few times that week also, although you have to check Grad Nite dates

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Mid-week should be fine. Weekends will be crazy with WOC opening. I'd guess that WOC will only show Fri-Sun in May because they typically don't have late hours midweek in DL anyways.

 

[HydroGuy]

There is no announced date for WOC and it appears there have been delays at least in part because of recent weather in SoCal. I read a DLR CM recently say he/she heard about delays until late May. It is hard to know what to do when the date is not certain.

I would suggest changing your trip because of WOC is not a good idea unless you really want to see it. Then later is better. Otherwise keep your date and deal with what happens. My two cents.

 

[Eeee-va]

I also hate the uncertainty of trying to figure out the best time to go!

I think you should try your best not to stress, though. So much is going to come down to chance. My personal guess (which may or may not be what happens) is that WoC will not be running then anyway. IF that is the case, you will be in the sweet spot--Rivers of America probably not walled off, but no surge in crowds.

If you want the very best chance of missing WoC crowds, I would move your dates FORWARD (earlier in May or even the end of April), not back. As much as I am trying to pretend otherwise (as I'm going in early-to-mid June), I think the period of very high WoC crowds is probably going to be measured in months or even years, not weeks. Fantasmic! still had high crowds for weeks after it debuted with minor changes in the summer, and World of Color is a completely new show. I don't remember how many years Fantasmic was super-crowded after its debut, but http://www.laughingplace.com/News-ID10034900.asp says that they projected 6500 people viewing each show but had an average of 11,000 cram in to each show the first summer--and they ran 3 shows every night! I do think debut crowds will be huge, but I think later summer crowds may still be pretty darned big.

All that said, are you sure that low crowds are what will make your MIL happy? Long story short, we went in mid-to-late June 2009 (a bit warm; very high crowds) and then early-to-mid December 2009 (cool, rainy; very low crowds). In June we rushed from ride to ride while in December we deliberately took time to relax and enjoy entertainment.

When it comes down to it, I think my mom actually enjoyed June more than December, if you can believe it. She was disappointed that she basically didn't get to see the sun in December! (Which wasn't exactly something I could control. )

I think you're stressing too much over making everything perfect, even though you really have very little control over it. I would plan to do some nice things that your MIL will enjoy that crowds can't affect--for instance, if you have a reservations, sit-down restaurants will be a pretty similar experience whether the park is crowded or not. (Not identical, I know, but probably fairly similar.) With good planning you should be able to have a good time even if the park is very busy.

Have a great trip, whenever you go!

 

[blackjackdelta]

If it were my choice, I would change. You just do not know what the WOC impact will be.

Best

Jack

 

[Mouse13]

Also keep in mind that the plans (back in October 2009 anyway) were to use a Fastpass ticketing system, Showpass, to distribute tickets for WOC at the beginning of each show day. However, I'm not sure if that is still the plan or how it will effect crowds at DLR.

 

[Mugglemama]

thanks a TON for your responses, everybody! your input is so helpful.

LEOFOENGET - to answer your question, we actually homeschool, so no, we won't be taking our kids out of school for this trip. we actually have a couple of unit studies planned which the trip to DLR will enhance (one on new orleans/creole/cajun food, music, architecture, etc.; and another one on early aviation). my in-laws however ARE planning to take the nieces out of school for this trip, if we go when originally scheduled. we would definitely be going mid-week...tues, wed, and thurs.

3MINNIES1MICKEY - thanks! i hadn't even thought about the fact that if WOC is running by then, that it might only be running fri-sun. that's an excellent point which i hadn't taken into consideration!

HYDROGUY - thanks for your suggestion! we actually are NOT going to attempt to see WOC if it is, in fact, running by the time we go, so that's not a problem. the truth is, it would actually work out better for us if it's not running, lol.

EEE-VA - stressing the dates is a pain, isn't it?!! i would actually follow your advice and move the dates forward, but my oldest is in college this year and isn't out until mid-may, which is why we are waiting that late. otherwise, i'd go NOW, lol!!!

BLACKJACKDELTA - i was totally thinking the same thing, although now that i've been told WOC would likely only run on weekends, and we're planning a mid-week trip, maybe our chances of not being affected by WOC crowds are pretty good?

MOUSE13 - wow, i had NO idea that was the plan. thanks for informing me! if there was a method to the madness as far as WOC crowds, then maybe we wouldn't be as negatively affected as i was thinking.

now, does anyone have a minute to tell me how to quote more than one person in my response so that i don't look like an idiot singling everyone out with my answers, HAHAHAHAHA!!! (no, seriously. please?)

 

[Albort]

DCA atm is a unknown place... the whole entire DCA strategy may even change soon...

DCA is currently testing a 9:00 opening... at the moment with only paradise pier opening...

WoC is a working process. As for it being out in May, its possible but unknown. There is a report that says summer but who knows. No one has ever tried a show like this so its a working/learning process.

 

[Brady's Mom]

now, does anyone have a minute to tell me how to quote more than one person in my response so that i don't look like an idiot singling everyone out with my answers, HAHAHAHAHA!!! (no, seriously. please?)

Right next to the quote button is a smaller button that has " marks on it. If you hover over it, it shows up as multi quote. You click that button on the post that you want to quote and add as many as you want, then you just answer the quotes in your response. This makes it much easier than copying and pasting!

 

[Bell<3Disney]

Another thing you might want to think about is that if you wait until July it is going to be really hot and humid and if your mother in law has health issues it might make it harder on her to do as much during the day. My husband and I are in our early twenties, and in perfect health but when we go during the summer we go back to the hotel for the majority of the afternoon to avoid the heat, and humidity. It just wipes you out!

 

[briggscreek]

We'll be there May 17-21 and I too was wondering if I should reschedule because of WOC. We decided to just go and have fun, but I'm still hoping that it's not showing by then, or that it only shows on weekends.

 

[Mugglemama]

Right next to the quote button is a smaller button that has " marks on it. If you hover over it, it shows up as multi quote. You click that button on the post that you want to quote and add as many as you want, then you just answer the quotes in your response. This makes it much easier than copying and pasting!

thanks very much for the instructions! unfortunately, there are times when i don't see that " button next to the quote button. and then, just now after i refreshed the page and the " appeared, i clicked it, and nothing happened. hmmmm....