Crowds now?

[Pooh Crew]

How crowded are DL and DCA right now? We arrive next Wednesday and I am curious about current crowd levels.

 

[PrincessIM]

We just got back and I found DL busy. DCA wasn't bad. Definately take advantage of EE especially on Sat and Sun. 7 am is early but it's so worth it. It was so empty that DH and I were wondering where everyone was. We would get there early and then around 1 would head back to the hotel for lunch, swim and a nap and then head back to the parks around 5.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

We were there this week, Tues - Thurs, and I was pretty shocked by how many people were there. Not so much on Main Street, but the arterials getting to the lands were very packed. I could not believe how many GROUPS of teenagers there were. Not sure if schools or grads were visiting or what -- just tons and tons of teens everywhere. Some rides had longish waits (45+ mins) but many were only 10 mins or so, Pirates was listed at only 5 mins, so you can definitely get on many rides without much of a wait. Still, lots of people everywhere!

Get there early, early, early and you'll be happy you did!

 

[DoomBugger]

Crowded, especially DL. This last week even the last hour was crowded, I was disappointed that rides like BTMRR were still 30 minute waits on the weekday final hour. Believe it or not Sunday night last week was way less crowded than the next night, Monday night. Sunday night the final hour we were able to stay on BTMRR about four times in a row before we got off, Monday night we couldn't even get on it.

DCA wasn't too bad and the final hour Monday there I was able to walk on ToT with no wait twice in a row.

 

[Pooh Crew]

Awww...come on! You were all supposed to say something along the lines of "not very crowded right now" or even "a little more crowded than the off-season, but very do-able". I'm used to WDW in October. Give a girl some HOPE!!!

 

[sandgrace]

You would have to be really be in "Fantasyland" if you want DL to not be crowded in the summer! LOL! I would always advise to plan for it to be very crowded anytime of the summer unfortunately.....

 

[Heather1101]

We got here Tuesday and we leave tomorrow morning. Tuesday was unbelievable...we walked on many rides and the crowd level was moderate. The longest wait we had was 15 minutes for any ride in the park.

However, that all changed Wednesday and the crowds seemed to double overnight. Despite the increase in crowds, the wait for rides are still pretty low (15-30 minutes on average) The highest wait time I've seen was for Space Mountain on the night the park closed early for Grad Nite (it was 65 minutes). The longest thing we stood in line for was Nemo for 27 minutes and the line was all the way back to the entry sign.

We are really enjoying our decision to come to DL the first week of June. The weather has been great, although today was a little hot with the full sun shining all day, and the crowds are MUCH better than they were when we came the last week of June!

Have fun on your vacation and take advantage of MM and Fastpass!

 

[2ndStar]

Yikes. I'm getting a bit scared too. We usually go the week before Xmas week or the first week in January and have very light crowds. I haven't been to DL during the summer since I was a teen. This may be our last summer trip if it's too crowded. I know it will be crowded, but we are holding out hope that some schools are still in session next week, so hopefully it is bearable. We are being realistic though and planning to get there early, take a hotel/swim break during the day (we usually don't leave the park at all until late when we're there in the winter), take a nap, and return in the evening.

By the way, we get there Wed as well!! Fingers crossed for manageable crowds!

 

[princesskayla]

I'm used to WDW in October.

Sorry - a little off topic, but, how is WDW in OCT? When did you go? I am taking my motherin the last week of OCT. Will it be nice??

 

[princesskayla]

More on topic now - Is DL able to absorb crowds well? Even when yall saw it is really busy - the wait for rides is still only around 30 mins: Is that true for all summer, or does it get worse?

YEA - my 100th post!!

 

[Queenbillabong]

The wait times get FAR over 30 minutes in the summer - and at other times as well! In May, some of the wait times in the afternoons were over an hour! Good thing we did all the riding we wanted to in the morning, while everyone else was sleeping in

 

[DLR29]

Awww...come on! You were all supposed to say something along the lines of "not very crowded right now" or even "a little more crowded than the off-season, but very do-able". I'm used to WDW in October. Give a girl some HOPE!!!

I'll give you some hope. Just because it's crowded does not mean at all that it isn't "Do-able". Here are my top 3 tips for getting a ton done during somewhat busy seasons:

1. Arrive early early early early. #1 tip. If you can't do anything else, do this. Get to the gates 30-45 minutes early and you will not wait in any lines for pretty much the first hour. Most people show up around 9:30-10AM so if the park opens at 8AM you can have a lot of time to enjoy short lines.

2. Use FastPass as much as possible. Hydroguy has some great threads on FP. It works very much like the WDW ones, but there are some advantages to DLR FP. For one, Grizzly River Run(DCA) and Roger Rabbit (DL) are not connected to their own park's central FP system, allowing you to obtain FPs for them even while holding onto another ride's. Also the proximity of the parks from each other makes it very easy to hop and be holding FPs for both parks at the same time.

3. Understand the attractions. Know which rides have long lines, which rides have high capacities, which rides have FP or single rider lines. You don't want to be riding Pirates at 8 in the morning because that ride has such a high capacity that you can get on with a short wait almost anytime. On the contrary, you don't want to ride Peter Pan, Dumbo or Nemo at 1 in the afternoon when their lines are 60min+. Research on the DIS and other sites, maybe buy the unofficial guide, as it's very good at this kind of tip.

 

[princesskayla]

Oh my goodness! Yall are starting to scare me. I am going to DL at the end of June but I will not be able to go in the early morning. I have to go to a convention and will not arrive to DL until around 6:00pm. I plan on staying until closing every night. I will be able to do this for four days. Should I not even bother to go?

 

[Pooh Crew]

Sorry - a little off topic, but, how is WDW in OCT? When did you go? I am taking my motherin the last week of OCT. Will it be nice??

Oh, I just love WDW in October. It was not crowded at all in my opinion, and the weather was just perfect!

 

[DLR29]

Oh my goodness! Yall are starting to scare me. I am going to DL at the end of June but I will not be able to go in the early morning. I have to go to a convention and will not arrive to DL until around 6:00pm. I plan on staying until closing every night. I will be able to do this for four days. Should I not even bother to go?

Absolutely still go! You just need to understand that the best way to do the most is to do those 3 things. If you arrive at 6 every night, be prepared for long lines pretty much everywhere and very limited amount of FPs. The crowds will slim down a little after 11, but not as much as early morning.

 

[Eeyore76]

Understand the attractions. Know which rides have long lines, which rides have high capacities, which rides have FP or single rider lines. You don't want to be riding Pirates at 8 in the morning because that ride has such a high capacity that you can get on with a short wait almost anytime. On the contrary, you don't want to ride Peter Pan, Dumbo or Nemo at 1 in the afternoon when their lines are 60min+. Research on the DIS and other sites, maybe buy the unofficial guide, as it's very good at this kind of tip.

The Unofficial Guide is Awesome! It breaks down all the rides, and is even tailored to the "peak season" visitor.

There are awesome park touring plans that are meant to maximize your experience at DL, and minimize frustrations like waiting, and it also teaches you about getting the most out of the Fastpass system.

I'm sorry if I sound like a commercial, but seriously, between that and the awesomeness that is the DIS boards, I feel mega prepared for my visit.

 

[Leofoenget]

Oh my goodness! Yall are starting to scare me. I am going to DL at the end of June but I will not be able to go in the early morning. I have to go to a convention and will not arrive to DL until around 6:00pm. I plan on staying until closing every night. I will be able to do this for four days. Should I not even bother to go?

Totally GO!! I will be there the exact time and my first day I wont arrive until 5pm. I strongly suggest getting ridemax. My first itinerary starts about 4 and has a block of "free time" until about 9. I will get there, snag a fastpass for Indy i think, then hop to DCA to see the parade. Do a few things there, then hop back for fireworks and fantasmic, meanwhile snagging fast passes along the way, then stay until closing.

my 2c

 

[Jake's Mom]

We just got back from 9 days in Disney. It was busy but manageable. Like other posters have mentioned, get there early and make use of Fast Passes. We would collect FP's all morning then use them at night.

 

[Gurlie_16]

I hope its manageable when we go!

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

We go home today, and have been here since Sunday the 1st. It's been busy. We saw a lot of schools on field trips, and other groups. Thursday I would say was the best day we had crowd wise.

A lot of it was foot traffic crowded though, with a lot of rides not having too long of lines. But still, a lot more crowded then I had hoped for, for this time of year.

We still rode EVERYTHING we wanted, and then some! Taking advantage of the FP was a must for sure though. As it always is! But this week just confirmed for me that even though a lot of schools are still in, with all the different things going on, there really isn't ever an off season anymore! Not like it used to be anyway!