Another look at DHS "super crowds"

[MarkS2112]

in January with 7am opening it was much better. It seems the 8am opening is causing big problems. Also transportation is not reliable now. Skyline not open early enough. We just took a Lyft and were good.

people wanted park expansion and now it comes with crowded conditions. Can’t have it both ways unfortunately. Also RotR is a game changer.

 

[midnight star]

in January with 7am opening it was much better. It seems the 8am opening is causing big problems. Also transportation is not reliable now. Skyline not open early enough. We just took a Lyft and were good.

people wanted park expansion and now it comes with crowded conditions. Can’t have it both ways unfortunately. Also RotR is a game changer.

Forgot all about the 7am openings!

 

[LSUmiss]

Yes! This is our first trip with our toddler, and the crowds have made it miserable. My wife waited 15 minutes to use the restrooms today at MK.

We're changing our plans for the rest of the trip. We'll just do our 3 FPs then scram and hang at the resort. The magic of wandering around and taking in the scenery has died for us.

We are here now too. We were ok in Epcot so far today & was only in DhS for a couple hours thurs evening. But we spend a lot of time going back to the room b/c the crowds make it too much to try to keep in the parks all day. Today we did all the easy to get FPs & went back to the room.
We are still enjoying ourselves b/c we have tweaked our plans A LOT & lowered expectations from previous trips. But I find that disheartening that that’s how things are now.

 

[cakebaker]

We’re planning on 3 less than half days at HS. We’ll try getting a bg, use our 3 FP’s and we’re out of there. If we get a late bg, we’ll hop back when it’s called.
There is nothing that could get me to fight that crowd and wait for hours in standby lines. If we didn’t have the ability to hop, I wouldn’t go at all.

I understand that they built something amazing and at least until the new wears off it’s going to be crazy. But what’s inexcusable is the later opening times and their refusal to open the skyliner early enough. Crowds like this demand earlier openings and later closings.

 

[ClapYourHands]

I just don’t get these hours. Disney went crazy with EEMH in the fall, even during the historically lower-attendance period of September, for crowds that never materialized for a half open land. Now that they’ve finished the land by opening the crown jewel of the park and spring travel season has begun, the operating hours are business as usual, despite ridiculous crowds.

 

[buzzrelly]

I just don’t get these hours. Disney went crazy with EEMH in the fall, even during the historically lower-attendance period of September, for crowds that never materialized for a half open land. Now that they’ve finished the land by opening the crown jewel of the park and spring travel season has begun, the operating hours are business as usual, despite ridiculous crowds.

I agree!

Where are those EEMH now that we need them??

 

[etoiles]

We’re here. Left room at 6:40. Caught bus from Contemporary at 6:48. Arrived at 7. Through entrance by 7:20. Waiting by the tunnel. Two Young kids and two adults so we’re not the fastest group.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I just don’t get these hours. Disney went crazy with EEMH in the fall, even during the historically lower-attendance period of September, for crowds that never materialized for a half open land. Now that they’ve finished the land by opening the crown jewel of the park and spring travel season has begun, the operating hours are business as usual, despite ridiculous crowds.

It's almost like they are doing it on purpose to make HS seem busier than it should be.

 

[TomorrowlandKD]

I remember a couple years ago when we were all tired of HS and how little there was to do at that park. Now there's much much more to do and we're all annoyed that people actually WANT to go to HS now. The world's a silly place!

 

[TomorrowlandKD]

We’re here. Left room at 6:40. Caught bus from Contemporary at 6:48. Arrived at 7. Through entrance by 7:20. Waiting by the tunnel. Two Young kids and two adults so we’re not the fastest group.

Let us know! Did you get a BG?? Any "incidents" outside in the lines waiting to get in the park by panicky people? I'm really anxious to do people watching just as much as getting a boarding group when we go in October!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Where are those EEMH now that we need them??

They miscalculated and blew their "extra park hours" budget offering those EEMH at three parks for two months straight and the crowds didn't materialize. Now is when they actually need them. Hindsight is 2020.

 

[TomorrowlandKD]

Hindsight is 2020.

So is the year! ;-)

 

[ClapYourHands]

It's almost like they are doing it on purpose to make HS seem busier than it should be.

Well, I'm cynical, but not quite that cynical. I don't think Disney would do something to purposely worsen the guest experience. I mean, yes, Disney will do things that DO worsen the guest experience, but I don't think that's ever their goal.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps Disney was unprepared for the current influx of visitors. They grossly over estimated the number of guests who would come in the fall. Perhaps they figured since MFSR and the ambience of GE didn't bring the hoards, the opening of RotR wouldn't be the game changer it has proved to be.

However, now that they've SEEN what's going on there, Disney has no excuse not to address the crowding issue going forward.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Well, I'm cynical, but not quite that cynical. I don't think Disney would do something to purposely worsen the guest experience. I mean, yes, Disney will do things that DO worsen the guest experience, but I don't think that's ever their goal.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps Disney was unprepared for the current influx of visitors. They grossly over estimated the number of guests who would come in the fall. Perhaps they figured since MFSR and the ambience of GE didn't bring the hoards, the opening of RotR wouldn't be the game changer it has proved to be.

However, now that they've SEEN what's going on there, Disney has no excuse not to address the crowding issue going forward.

I don't buy it. They know President's Day, Mardi Gras, races happen every year this time. They know their occupancy rates. They knew this ride was going to bring people. They should have EEMH every day.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Well, I'm cynical, but not quite that cynical. I don't think Disney would do something to purposely worsen the guest experience. I mean, yes, Disney will do things that DO worsen the guest experience, but I don't think that's ever their goal.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps Disney was unprepared for the current influx of visitors. They grossly over estimated the number of guests who would come in the fall. Perhaps they figured since MFSR and the ambience of GE didn't bring the hoards, the opening of RotR wouldn't be the game changer it has proved to be.

However, now that they've SEEN what's going on there, Disney has no excuse not to address the crowding issue going forward.

And now they have bloggers and Disney 'news' groups that cover them actually writing articles that suggest people shouldn't go. Their response? Get a few influencers to write about how great everything is (when you get the red carpet rolled out for you). Spring break is almost here. They really need to start extending hours.

 

[ClapYourHands]

I remember a couple years ago when we were all tired of HS and how little there was to do at that park. Now there's much much more to do and we're all annoyed that people actually WANT to go to HS now. The world's a silly place!

But the issue isn't that there's so much to do at the park. Truthfully, without the insane crowds, it would still only be a one-day park. It's just that the ride capacity is so low, and the non-headliner attractions are so sparse, and the physical footprint of the park is so small that everyone is jammed into a few areas trying to get on those few headliners. Disney didn't build out the ancillary attractions to support a park full of people who are interested in the headliners.

AK doesn't have more rides than DHS, and FoP is still a very sought-after FP even after all this time. But when I go to AK, I can go look at the gorillas or take DD to the boneyard when lines are insane. We can still enjoy the park, even if it's at capacity. DHS has nothing comparable.

Personally, I'd be happy to do Lightning McQueen or Muppets at opening and let the RD crowds do their thing, but Disney hasn't given guests any options that don't involve standing in very long lines for the first two hours of operation. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with a four-year-old for the first few hours. Maybe just leave for breakfast somewhere on the Boardwalk, but honestly, if I'm dragging her out of bed before dawn, hopping a bus, and waiting an hour for the park to open, she's going to be pretty hangry if I don't feed her at some point prior to the BG-fast-fingers-death-match.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Boardwalk, but honestly, if I'm dragging her out of bed before dawn, hopping a bus, and waiting an hour for the park to open, she's going to be pretty hangry if I don't feed her at some point prior to the BG-fast-fingers-death-match.

You don't have to stay after you tap in. Set up a dining alert for the Bon Voyage breakfast or book Cape May. You tap into HS, then turn right around and go to your ADR. You can do the BG madness while she's visiting with characters.

 

[ClapYourHands]

And now they have bloggers and Disney 'news' groups that cover them actually writing articles that suggest people shouldn't go. Their response? Get a few influencers to write about how great everything is (when you get the red carpet rolled out for you). Spring break is almost here. They really need to start extending hours.

I don't follow enough of the bloggers to know who is who, but it will be interesting to see if the "influencers" see through the red-carpet treatment and report something like, "ROTR is amazing and MMRR is adorable, but ordinary guests will face huge lines so you might want to wait until RotR is a bit more reliable."

 

[SaintsManiac]

I don't follow enough of the bloggers to know who is who, but it will be interesting to see if the "influencers" see through the red-carpet treatment and report something like, "ROTR is amazing and MMRR is adorable, but ordinary guests will face huge lines so you might want to wait until RotR is a bit more reliable."

Only Josh at EasyWDW would do that. It's why he never goes to media events.

 

[ClapYourHands]

You don't have to stay after you tap in. Set up a dining alert for the Bon Voyage breakfast or book Cape May. You tap into HS, then turn right around and go to your ADR. You can do the BG madness while she's visiting with characters.

This is true, but if something goes wrong, I don't want to be too far away from GET. I would feel more comfortable leaving after the BG process, unless anyone can confirm that there's better signal or more reliable wifi somewhere else.

Disney character breakfasts aren't really in the budget, but I might head over to Garden Grove at the Swan for our weekend DHS day. Too bad it's not a character breakfast on weekdays, too, but it's good food and low-key with no ADR required. We saw Minnie and Goofy there last trip, and we were just walk-ups.

Now that I think of it, I could hop a skyliner, which would be a ride in itself, and take us up to AoA. I realize the pool is off limits to us, but DD would probably really enjoy the playgrounds. It's a thought anyway.

I'm open for any plan B suggestions that won't cost me an arm and a leg.