AP Holders Swarm after Blackout Days?

[dancer_mom]

So I have been debating this back and forth with myself. 2nd weekend in August right before blackout dates are lifted... or last weekend in August? This trip will mostly be for the little ones ie: we will be doing Fantasyland and maybe will use baby swap once or twice but I want to go before Electrical parade goes dark. Any opinions.... THANKS

 

[bumbershoot]

Just remember, they create the blockout days because they know the parks will be "swarm"ing with non-AP holders and they're just trying to lighten the load. It's going to be busy no matter what.

If the e. parade is important to you, plan for that, plan for heavy summer crowds, have a plan, and have fun!

 

[dancer_mom]

Thanks - That's really what I was thinking... heavy crowds because they are blackout dates and probably heavy crowds cause it's last weekend in summer. We will just use FP and have fun!

 

[Disney Dreams]

Others will post crowd trends, history, etc.... My approach is different. Pick the dates that work best for you and your famiiy and go with it..

When we planned our trip to WDW, not once did we ask or worry about crowds. We couldn't control them. Our crystal ball is only reliable about 50 percent of the time, and Disney could line up a promotion any time to hit during our dates, so... why not just go with what works best and then plan accordingly?

That's our approach and it works for us.

Just my 2 cents,
Dreams

 

[S. S. Columbia]

So I have been debating this back and forth with myself. 2nd weekend in August right before blackout dates are lifted... or last weekend in August? This trip will mostly be for the little ones ie: we will be doing Fantasyland and maybe will use baby swap once or twice but I want to go before Electrical parade goes dark. Any opinions.... THANKS

FWIW, this year the Electrical Parade went dark after August 23.

 

[Albort]

FWIW, this year the Electrical Parade went dark after August 23.

i dont remember it went out that early. I do believe it goes out September 3rd or 4th. right before labor day.

and yes, there was a surge of non blacked out APs right after the summer blackouts.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

If certain events like the electrical parade are an absolute necessity, then plan your trip to around when those events are happening and devise strategies for how to best deal with whatever the crowd situation may be.

When visiting during less crowded times of the year, there's always a tradeoff. Lighter crowds also quite often means that Disneyland has more attractions closed for maintenance whereas they try to keep almost everything opened during the busiest times of the year.

That said, if you visit during a very busy day, remember that getting to the park when it opens is one of the best ways to avoid crowds. You can experience a lot of attractions before the park gets too crowded and collect a lot of fastpasses for use later in the day.

 

[engo]

We were there right before/after the lift of blockout this summer (Aug). The crowds level was dramatically different after the blockout dates. We were there watching the e-parade every night. It's easier to find a good spot for e-parade viewing in the first several nights (before blockout is lifted). After the lift of blockout, there were more "experienced" locals in the park and it was harder for us to spot a good viewing location. Just my 2 cents.

 

[S. S. Columbia]

FWIW, this year the Electrical Parade went dark after August 23.

i dont remember it went out that early. I do believe it goes out September 3rd or 4th. right before labor day. ...

The DEP usually goes dark after Labor Day.

But this summer the DEP ended at the end of the summer Nightastic (Sunday, August 23).

Here's a thread from August:

No Electrical Parade on Schedule??
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2252681

 

[dancer_mom]

Thanks - these are all good things to think about. I know this last year was unusual with the summer nightastic so hopefully we will be safe on electrical parade. Interesting point about more 'experienced' show viewers being around. Will have to keep that in mind.

 

[gatorfreud]

We were there the weekend in August when AP's lifted - Saturday was blocked out, and it was fine. Sunday the blockout was lifted and WOW! It was very noticeably more crowded. If it is not a difference to you, I would definitely not pick the weekend in which they are lifted.

Kim

 

[bumbershoot]

As was already said, they didn't JUST lift the blockout. They added something BIG at the same time. It was Disney's ridiculous and stupid planning that caused so many people to be there.

Hopefully they won't do the same thing again.

But no matter what, if Disney is offering something good and fun, you can expect people to want to see it!

Oh I wish they showed the e. parade so much more often...my husband and son have still NEVER seen it.

 

[Disney Dreams]

...It was Disney's ridiculous and stupid planning that caused so many people to be there.

LOL Unless your goal is to increase sales and revenue. Then someone somewhere did brilliant, perfect planning.

...my husband and son have still NEVER seen it.

Oh wow!

Favorite Disney parade ever.

- Dreams

 

[bumbershoot]

LOL Unless your goal is to increase sales and revenue. Then someone somewhere did brilliant, perfect planning.


Oh wow!

Favorite Disney parade ever.

- Dreams

But they peeved people, too, which makes them LEAVE the parks and get angry. And as so many people think, AP holders don't buy anything, so they were just using their prepaid admission and gumming up the works (not my opinion, by the way).

And I know, it's the best parade. Hubby never even saw it as a kid! However, he did see EO, and his brother was there in an overnight line for the start of Space Mountain, so it all evens out, LOL.