AK Passholder event

[Magickndm]

We got back last night at midnight from AK's passholder event. It was packed! I think a lot more people showed up than even they thought. I know I was looking forward to a nice leisurley evening. They closed the park to non passholders at 5 p.m. We read that if we were there at 5, we too would have to exit, then re-enter at 6:30, but this was not the case. We registered at a booth out front, got an orange wrist band, then went in the park. We got coupons for a free ice cream, soda, and a lithograph commemorarating Primeval Whirl. The lines for the ice cream...there were several kiosks in various locations...had at least 100 people waiting per kiosk. My DD wanted to know if there was a fast pass line! Finally a CM walked around telling everyone that the coupons would be valid for 30 days (it actually said on the coupon valid only on May 18th). Great move on their part I thought. The lithograph was given out to the first 6,400 people who got to AK because this was all they had! Anyone who did not recieve one filled out a form with name/address and were told it would be mailed to them. Another reason why I think many more people showed up than they thought. They also had a raffle, you had to play one of the games over by Primeval Whirl (free), then your name would be put in the raffle. These lines were also really long, so we didn't even get to do it We rode Primeval Whirl before the crowd got there and really enjoyed it. I'm glad we rode it then, because later the wait was 80 minutes. They also kept open Dinosaur and It's Tough to be a Bug. All in all we had a great time, I hope they do this again for the passholders. We'll be back next weekend to cash in the free soda and ice cream!
Oh...one complaint:
I was really disappointed with the new passholder's lounge there. It's on a screened in patio (no A/C) with only one water tank to get cold water from, no sodas like a Epcot, and seemed very noisy. Geez! Do I sound spoiled! But it really is quite a step down from the one at Epcot.

 

[snuggles]

Thanks for shairing your experience with us. I plan on checking it out next weekend and I am a bit disappointed that its not air conditioned. Were the lithographs only for opening day?

 

[Strawman]

The passholder event at AK was nothing short of a disaster. It was so incredibly packed there was no way to get anywhere. We were unable to see any of Chester & Hester's or the passholder lounge, there was absolutely nowhere to go. Nearly everyone I saw was very upset at the way this turned out, lots of folks were looking for someone to complain to. WDW was caught with their pants down on this one, obviously they were not prepared for this sort of turnout. Personally I was disappointed but I felt bad for the CM's, they were really getting an earfull. It'll be interesting to see the rhetoric on this board.

 

[DISchick]

Sounds crazy, but it must have been neat to be there! Thanks for sharing!

Jill

 

[Magickndm]

Sorry snuggles, the lithographs were only given out that day. I'm hoping that lounge was just a temporary one because so many passholders were there. It was advertised as being Tough to be a Bug themed, which it was not. It looked as if it was just thrown together at the last minute. Guess we'll see!
And yes, Strawman, it was crazy, but if you had been at the Magic Kingdom for New Years, this was a piece of cake! I think the CM's did a great job of crowd contol, it was non-existant at MK. Hopefully next time they will be better prepared for the crowds.

 

[izzinmac]

We also attended. Didn't get there until 6:45. I have never seen the parking lot as full. Lines through the turnstiles took at least 15 minutes. When we finally got through, there were more people leaving than entering as you made your way into the park. Got to the first ice cream cart, and the line went clear out of sight. We finally made our way over near the entrance to "Bugs World" and a CM was there saying there was no wait. So we headed in to get away from the mob. Walked right in just before the doors closed. Enjoyed that show (again), and when we left, everyone in the group was hungry. The lines at the Barbarque Rib place was remarkably short compared to everything else, so we got in line, got our order in about 10 minutes, (also able to get our free drinks in that line- seemed like other drink vendors had lines a mile long!) and wandered down to the waterside in their seating area. Virtually empty there, so we had a great meal. Did see several rats scurrying about. Guess they are not used to visitors this late! After eating, wandered over to the new attractions. Sign said about 45 minute wait (changed from 70 minutes while we stood there), but looked much shorter. Since we rode it a few weeks ago, we decided not to wait, (the great advantage of annual passes - you don't feel like you have to ride everything just to get your money's worth) but it is a great ride. Decided to leave about 8:45 and as we got to the first ice cream cart - line was much shorter- so got our ice cream and left. Did talk to one CM on a headset who said they were expecting 3,000 guests, and at last count were over 10,000. Probably have a job openning in the planning department. Anyway, we had a good time after the initial shock, but there sure were a lot of unhappy Disney loyalists that night!

 

[yesdisneyfool]

How sad . We are going in October, maybe they will have the KINKS worked out and decide to extend the lounge.

Hey maybe Tinker Bell can sprinkle a little PIXIE DUST?

 

[Annie&Hallie'sMom]

Maybe they will learn from this? AP holders (as well as Disney regulars) WILL show. We are a dedicated bunch. I know if I was still an AP holder and was going to be in the area, I would have been there.