After 1201 Mile Drive

[WannaBeAPrincess]

Happy belated birthday!! We must share the same birthday...the 20th?

We were there visiting DLR this week too. Had a great trip...pretty crowded, but with the right planning, we did everything we wanted to do. We usually left early evening when people were waiting for F! and fireworks...just too much to mange with four kids in tow...crowds were definitely too much even for me. Those morning hours are golden! And the weather was awesome. Love those overcast mornings

 

[blackjackdelta]

Friday it was clear in the AM and blustery in the afternoon. Rode ToT 4 times and still wanted to back but the family had had it. That ride makes me laugh. I watch peoples faces and they appear to be about ready to freak. Its 95% psycological...anyway what a great time.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Happy belated birthday!! We must share the same birthday...the 20th?

We were there visiting DLR this week too. Had a great trip...pretty crowded, but with the right planning, we did everything we wanted to do. We usually left early evening when people were waiting for F! and fireworks...just too much to mange with four kids in tow...crowds were definitely too much even for me. Those morning hours are golden! And the weather was awesome. Love those overcast mornings

To you to,also. We are on our way home and have stopped in Redding for the night. I must admit I am a bit tired.

Jack

 

[WannaBeAPrincess]

Safe travels! We are a bit exahusted here as well.

 

[nunzia]

Friday it was clear in the AM and blustery in the afternoon. Rode ToT 4 times and still wanted to back but the family had had it. That ride makes me laugh. I watch peoples faces and they appear to be about ready to freak. Its 95% psycological...anyway what a great time.

You should ride with my DH..he rode once and claimed never ever again...you shouldn't swear in front of children at Disneyland he said ..but he was probably fun to watch. Anyway..he was braver than me, because I just say no way.

 

[blackjackdelta]

So glad you are having a great time, Jack. Quick question ... with your iphone, did you ever get any disneyland apps to use and if so, which ones do you like?

Oh, and I'm wishing you a "FANTASTIC BIRTHDAY!!!!!"

Thanks,
I used the "Walkee" and the DisneyPlanner apps. Walkee was used the most and we kept updating wait times. My daughter became obsessed.

Jack

 

[Niele]

Thank you for the info, Jack. I know what you mean about obsessed, I'm using these apps 3+ months out and love them. Many thanks for updating the wait times for the rest of us. I check them out every so often and know some lucky people are there at that very moment ... ah, jealousy raises its ugly head! So glad you had a nice birthday in such a wonderful place.

 

[caligirl stuck in va]

To you to,also. We are on our way home and have stopped in Redding for the night. I must admit I am a bit tired.

Jack

OH, that is home!! I am so jealous!

 

[HydroGuy]

Jack, I was wondering if you could do it over again and choose different dates would you have gone before the AP blackout lifted? Just curious.

 

[fairykin]

Happy Birthday, Jack and may you be blessed this year and always!

Be sure and travel safe back home

 

[lulubelle]

To you to,also. We are on our way home and have stopped in Redding for the night. I must admit I am a bit tired.

Jack

Are you home yet Jack? Any final thoughts for us? Thank you so much for sharing your vacation with us.

And Happy Belated Birthday.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Jack, I was wondering if you could do it over again and choose different dates would you have gone before the AP blackout lifted? Just curious.

I definately would based on this last experience. I have never seen it so busy. Mainstreet, you were back in like sardines just slow oozing somewhere. The F shows seating started at around 1630, and you could not walk anywhere quickley or even slowly. Just getting back to the PS at F took twenty minutes. Many power outages, rides down, and the strollers just made everything worse.

But made the best of it and had a great time. Did not do as many things as I would like to have, just could not get to places in a timely manner and when you did, they were not operating.

Jack

 

[blackjackdelta]

Are you home yet Jack? Any final thoughts for us? Thank you so much for sharing your vacation with us.

And Happy Belated Birthday.

Thanks for the birthday wishes. I summed most of the experience for Trey. If you have questions please write. Never did get answer about your picture of your two daughters.

Have a great day,

Jack

 

[HydroGuy]

Jack, I was wondering if you could do it over again and choose different dates would you have gone before the AP blackout lifted? Just curious.

I definately would based on this last experience. I have never seen it so busy. Mainstreet, you were back in like sardines just slow oozing somewhere. The F shows seating started at around 1630, and you could not walk anywhere quickley or even slowly. Just getting back to the PS at F took twenty minutes. Many power outages, rides down, and the strollers just made everything worse.

But made the best of it and had a great time. Did not do as many things as I would like to have, just could not get to places in a timely manner and when you did, they were not operating.

Jack

For posterity I will mention that I do not think Jack's experience reflects what happens every summer. Maybe Albort or an AP holder can comment further. Some summers there is no huge draw or it occurs earlier in the year. So the effect on summer crowds is not as big as what happened to Jack or what happened to others in June.

For example, I would predict the World of Color show at DCA next year will not have as extreme an affect during the pre and post blackouts next June and August. Why? Because it is scheduled to open in March. Hence there will be lots of time for the AP holders to fit in a visit to see WoC before the June blackout starts.

It seems to me the critical ingredients for a crowd surge in June before the blackouts in late June and then again after the blackout lifts in mid or late August are:

1. Something significantly new happens at DL or DCA
2. It opens in June before the blackout starts
3. The daily capacity of the "new thing" is more limited

Hence this year there was the new Nightastic program with new summer fireworks and (more importantly I think) the upgraded Fantasmic. Fantasmic can handle about 8000 per show and hence 16000 per night on a double showing night. And Nightastic opened on June 11 (if memory serves) a couple weeks before the blackout.

I have only experienced this one in 2007 and it was not as bad in my case as Jack's. FNSV opened around June 10. Capacity was 900 per hour or roughly 15000 per day. Crowds were huge and four-hour lines for FNSV existed at first. We came for two days before the blackout in late June (around the 24th that year) and stayed two days after. The lines for Nemo dropped down to 2 hours after the blackout. Even so, I did not notice a huge drop in overall crowds at the parks after the blackout. I did notice that it was less crowded, just not hugely less crowded.

 

[Disney Dreams]

...Fantasmic can handle about 8000 per show and hence 16000 per night on a double showing night. And Nightastic opened on June 11 (if memory serves) a couple weeks before the blackout....

There have been 3 Fantasmic shows on some nights this summer as well, however that factors in to your numbers. (I'll let you figure that part out - numbers are not my friend! )

 

[lulubelle]

Thanks for the birthday wishes. I summed most of the experience for Trey. If you have questions please write. Never did get answer about your picture of your two daughters.

Have a great day,

Jack

Oh Jack, surely you jest, right?
My DD22 is on the left and I am on the right. Glad you like our photo. Is the picture in your avetar you?

 

[HydroGuy]

Oh Jack, surely you jest, right?
My DD22 is on the left and I am on the right. Glad you like our photo. Is the picture in your avetar you?

Had me fooled too.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Oh Jack, surely you jest, right?
My DD22 is on the left and I am on the right. Glad you like our photo. Is the picture in your avetar you?

No jesting! The avatar is me when I worked in Afghanistan. It was our winter gear.

Jack

 

[WannaBeAPrincess]

It was definitely a different dynamic this time around for us as well, Jack. Being that we were there the same time, I can say I agree with everything you said. Between F! and fireworks, half the park was practically unusable from about 5 pm on. And then when they shut down half of Fantasyland for fireworks too, that leaves Tomorrowland The crowds were just too much this time around. The number of scooters and strollers were definitely up it seemed. It was frustrating to say the least.

On the up side, we did see a few shows that we don't normally see. But next time, I think I will avoid having my birthday at Disneyland.

 

[lulubelle]

No jesting! The avatar is me when I worked in Afghanistan. It was our winter gear.

Jack

Very cool.