Anbody been a Gradnite Chaperone?

[tinkermell]

Thinking about being a Grad Night chaperone for my DD this May.
Was wondering what I might expect?
Are we allowed to do the attractions also?
Is is super crowded?
If it is, are Fastpasses up and running?
How about food?
What places are open for snacks and drinks?
Thank you so much!

 

[rowan1813]

I can't answer all of them but hopefully I can answer a few; keep in mind however that my own GradNite was 6 years ago this year (jeez how the time flies!)

Thinking about being a Grad Night chaperone for my DD this May.
Was wondering what I might expect?
Is is super crowded?
Thank you so much!

It will be extremely crowded. I remember going and it was wall-to-wall kids pretty much everywhere, especially in the areas with the more popular rides (SM, Indy, BTMRR) and in the areas where the "dance clubs" are set up. As someone who only went during off-season times before that, I was completely shocked and not at all happy cause I wanted to ride the rides. silly me I remember talking with my friend that I was going around with that Disney must have decided to pack as many kids in as the Fire Marshall would allow so they could get as much money as possible.

If it is, are Fastpasses up and running?

If I remember correctly, they are not running during this time which makes the lines for the aforementioned rides horrendously long. Our school got there pretty much at the beginning of the evening and my friend and I went to Tomorrowland as soon as we could but there was already a 2 hour wait time and it just got longer as the night progressed. Even Jungle Cruise had a 45 minute wait time. IIRC the only ones that we really walked on were the Fantasyland rides (Snow White, Pinocchio, Mr. Toad's).

How about food?
What places are open for snacks and drinks?

IIRC there are certain places open for food during the night but not every place is open (i.e. Blue Bayou, etc.) I think more of the popular quick-service places (Bengal BBQ, Hungry Bear, etc.) are the ones that are open.

I hope this helps. Just be prepared for large crowds and as the night winds down, more and more kids are going to be finding spots on Main Street to crash. I think that is what surprised me the most was the amount of kids that had just found a spot against a wall or if they were lucky, at a table with chairs, to put their head down and sleep. Not sure why I was surprised though as my school made us go to school all day and we left almost immediately after school was over (no time to sleep). I'm sure every other school is like that too; don't want to lose out on all of that money that is gained while kids are in the seats!

 

[tinkermell]

I can't answer all of them but hopefully I can answer a few; keep in mind however that my own GradNite was 6 years ago this year (jeez how the time flies!)



It will be extremely crowded. I remember going and it was wall-to-wall kids pretty much everywhere, especially in the areas with the more popular rides (SM, Indy, BTMRR) and in the areas where the "dance clubs" are set up. As someone who only went during off-season times before that, I was completely shocked and not at all happy cause I wanted to ride the rides. silly me I remember talking with my friend that I was going around with that Disney must have decided to pack as many kids in as the Fire Marshall would allow so they could get as much money as possible.



If I remember correctly, they are not running during this time which makes the lines for the aforementioned rides horrendously long. Our school got there pretty much at the beginning of the evening and my friend and I went to Tomorrowland as soon as we could but there was already a 2 hour wait time and it just got longer as the night progressed. Even Jungle Cruise had a 45 minute wait time. IIRC the only ones that we really walked on were the Fantasyland rides (Snow White, Pinocchio, Mr. Toad's).



IIRC there are certain places open for food during the night but not every place is open (i.e. Blue Bayou, etc.) I think more of the popular quick-service places (Bengal BBQ, Hungry Bear, etc.) are the ones that are open.

I hope this helps. Just be prepared for large crowds and as the night winds down, more and more kids are going to be finding spots on Main Street to crash. I think that is what surprised me the most was the amount of kids that had just found a spot against a wall or if they were lucky, at a table with chairs, to put their head down and sleep. Not sure why I was surprised though as my school made us go to school all day and we left almost immediately after school was over (no time to sleep). I'm sure every other school is like that too; don't want to lose out on all of that money that is gained while kids are in the seats!

Wow! Much more crowded than I was thinking!

We are going May 11th. I wonder if will be just as crowded, cuz it it earlier?
Wishful thinking, I'm sure......

One more question. Were you able to go to DCA too?

 

[coaches24]

I have never been for a grad night but there are two on our trip in May so I have been paying attention to all the threads and info I see on GN. Here is what I have gathered. Since this year is different it might not have as big an effect on crowds because grads get a park hopper good for the whole day. The park hours are expected to be the same as normal instead of closing early like before, this too should help with crowds I hope. Might just be wishfull thinking on my part that crowds will be smaller but I am hoping so since the grad nights will be Wed and Thurs on my trip.

 

[skiingfast]

Here is some rational about the crowds you can expect. Fireworks can be viewed from a huge area, tons of people able to see. This year no more fireworks but instead a private showing of F!, which far less people can see.

Also I have seen a CM who seems very knowlegeable about this event state there will be much less people at each party this year.

 

[rowan1813]

Wow! Much more crowded than I was thinking!

We are going May 11th. I wonder if will be just as crowded, cuz it it earlier?
Wishful thinking, I'm sure......

One more question. Were you able to go to DCA too?

No, DCA was not an option for us that year so I know that is going to change a lot of the dynamics this year. I also saw that it is going to be an all day option as well as throughout the evening so that might change things around too. We only had the option of going to DL during the evening; I don't even know if we could have gone during the day as well (my high school is in the Central Valley as opposed to LA schools). We also did not have fireworks or Fantasmic! playing. Like I said earlier, it was 6 years ago so I am sure that a lot has changed since then but I thought I would give you my experiences to at least start you off.

Good luck!!! I hope you have fun!