Diamond Celebration: 24 Hour Event @ Disneyland Resort May 22-23!

[starshine514]

Disney makes it a really fun, energized event so I'm not too worried about getting a room this year either. We can always take a cat nap at the Animation Academy!

Have you been there since they Frozened it up? That place is a madhouse.

 

[Castillo Mom]

You know, I haven't! The last couple of times we went to DCA I didn't go inside Animation Academy. Oh no, I used to love to go in there during the summer to cool off, or doze off, lol!

 

[HappiestHaunt]

It is crowded and seating is limited. We have for a long time used the Animation building as a spot for some cool downtime. They still have turtle talk with crush, which luckily our daughter still likes so we do that. But there is like 4 bench islands in the main section. They have a roped off areas for the drawing academy, which is focusing on frozen characters. Then a roped off line area for folks with a return for the sisters M & G. Once you snag a seat for you and your party you might be OK, but they have constant cast member presence right there because of the M & G line. In fact, we were there a couple of weeks ago with our DD 8 and were just taking a bit of time out of the sun and off our feet. The M & G line was dead. After being there like 45 minutes, the cast member walked up and offered an impromptu entry into the M & G line for us and DD. She was thrilled and we waited about 5 mins and got to see the sisters. Which is almost amusing, because when we got a FP and did the M & G earlier this year,We had to wait until 7pm for our time and when we returned we still had had a 30 to 35 minute wait in the line up.

 

[knitster]

Won't the Frozen hullabaloo be taken out of the Animation building by May, though? I thought that was a temporary thing along with Freeze the Night and whatnot.

 

[figment_jii]

Won't the Frozen hullabaloo be taken out of the Animation building by May, though? I thought that was a temporary thing along with Freeze the Night and whatnot.

They've mentioned that the Sing-Along, Freeze the Night, and Olaf's Snow Fest will conclude before the 60th anniversary has started, but they haven't said anything about the A&E M&G and other activities in the Animation Building. A&E will continue to meet guests, so it's very possible that the rest of the stuff in the Animation Building will also remain after Frozen Fun ends.

 

[knitster]

They've mentioned that the Sing-Along, Freeze the Night, and Olaf's Snow Fest will conclude before the 60th anniversary has started, but they haven't said anything about the A&E M&G and other activities in the Animation Building. A&E will continue to meet guests, so it's very possible that the rest of the stuff in the Animation Building will also remain after Frozen Fun ends.

Uuuuuuuuuuugh!

 

[jkolkemo]

So excited, we added one more mom to our group, we are up to 5 moms in our group coming down from Portland. Escape from our Children trip.

 

[Coffee50]

I went last year & it although it was busy, it wasn't as crowded as a I thought it would be.

This year, however, it seem that So Cal annual passes are blocked (last year they weren't), so that could certainly cut down on crowds............but it's also the diamond celebration, so that may bring out additional crowds.

 

[Gisele]

So excited, we added one more mom to our group, we are up to 5 moms in our group coming down from Portland. Escape from our Children trip.

lmao! That cracks me up.

 

[figment_jii]

There is another Blog entry about some new things being added on the actual 60th date:
Live Music Expanding at Disneyland Park Beginning July 17

 

[kelseybelsey913]

So excited, we added one more mom to our group, we are up to 5 moms in our group coming down from Portland. Escape from our Children trip.

I'm flying down from Portland too!!! I have an absolutely incredible hubby watching our baby girl for almost a week so I can do this girl trip with my bestie!!! She hasn't been to DL in 12 years, and we decided she needed a celebratory graduating college trip. We plan on doing the whole 24 hours in the parks too. I need this sense of accomplishment in my life.

And thank you figment_jii for being so informative!!!!

 

[imajinable]

Ok..so i plan on being at DL at opening time (6am) on the 22nd and then i was thinking about maybe taking a break and heading bk to my room for a few hours around 1p. My question is what would happen if i come back and the park is at full capacity? I have a dinner reservation at the Blue Bayou at 6:30p would my reservation give me any special privileges? Like would they still allow me to enter the park bcuz i have a reservation even though the park is at full capacity?

 

[figment_jii]

Other Dis'ers have tried asking Disneyland Guest Service what happens if the park reaches capacity and no one has really gotten a straight answer. Based on the past, it does seem like there are different stages to the closures, with the last stage being a complete closure and no one being admitted into the parks. Between that and the preliminary stage (when they suspend ticket sales), no seems to know for sure who would be let in and who would not be allowed back in.

 

[jkolkemo]

Other Dis'ers have tried asking Disneyland Guest Service what happens if the park reaches capacity and no one has really gotten a straight answer. Based on the past, it does seem like there are different stages to the closures, with the last stage being a complete closure and no one being admitted into the parks. Between that and the preliminary stage (when they suspend ticket sales), no seems to know for sure who would be let in and who would not be allowed back in.

Can we assume that if you have a dining res. at BB they will let you back in if they hit capacity. Otherwise they charge you if you miss your time?

 

[imajinable]

Can we assume that if you have a dining res. at BB they will let you back in if they hit capacity. Otherwise they charge you if you miss your time?

Thats what i was hoping but they can probably just refund the charge if the park is at capacity bcuz it wouldnt be my fault that im missing my reservation.

 

[figment_jii]

Can we assume that if you have a dining res. at BB they will let you back in if they hit capacity. Otherwise they charge you if you miss your time?

I think it depends on what is meant by "capacity" and how it's decided. If it's something based on legal safety requirements (e.g., Fire Marshall designated capacity), then, no, I would not count on being allowed back in even if you have a confirmed ADR. If it's one of the lower stage capacity closures, then I think there is a better chance that you'll be allowed back in. Still nothing is guaranteed because DLR doesn't release the capacity closure stage information officially, so it could change at any time.

 

[imajinable]

Oh wow...idk what to do now. I might have to tough it out and stay in the park. It would kill me if i wasnt able to get back in for my reservation and the new parade and everything.

 

[figment_jii]

My guess (and note that it's only a guess) is that the park probably won't experience capacity closures until late afternoon at the earliest. The lower two levels of APs are blocked and folks do have to go to work and school. The new shows won't debut until nighttime, so my guess is that if capacity is reached, it won't be early in the day or for a really long period. At Christmas time, when capacity is frequently reached, it happens earlier in the day because everyone (well, a lot of people) are off from work/school the whole day. So, I think if you got back to DL before 3:00 pm or so, you should be okay. If you waited until just before your ADR, around 6:00 pm, then I think you have a bigger chance of running into capacity issues.

One other option is to monitoring social media and see if anyone is reporting that they've suspended ticket sales. That's usually the first thing they do when the park is approaching capacity. If you hear that is happening, then head back to the park as soon as possible. I don't know if Disneyland itself would post that they've suspended ticket sales, but I'm pretty sure it would show up on some social media platform by folks waiting in line to buy tickets.

 

[mrsskehan2013]

I am right there with you imajinable. I have resisses at CC at 6:30. Was planning at break but at this point I think I am gonna keep an eye out for crowds. If at 130 when I was planning on taking a break, and it is crazy we will stay. Luckily there is a Starbucks in Disneyland to keep me going lol.

 

[kim3339]

My guess (and note that it's only a guess) is that the park probably won't experience capacity closures until late afternoon at the earliest. The lower two levels of APs are blocked and folks do have to go to work and school. The new shows won't debut until nighttime, so my guess is that if capacity is reached, it won't be early in the day or for a really long period. At Christmas time, when capacity is frequently reached, it happens earlier in the day because everyone (well, a lot of people) are off from work/school the whole day. So, I think if you got back to DL before 3:00 pm or so, you should be okay. If you waited until just before your ADR, around 6:00 pm, then I think you have a bigger chance of running into capacity issues.

One other option is to monitoring social media and see if anyone is reporting that they've suspended ticket sales. That's usually the first thing they do when the park is approaching capacity. If you hear that is happening, then head back to the park as soon as possible. I don't know if Disneyland itself would post that they've suspended ticket sales, but I'm pretty sure it would show up on some social media platform by folks waiting in line to buy tickets.

I know you've mentioned that last year's wasn't as bad as the 1st year and this one is different b/c of the anniversary, but do you think the park might hit capacity late at night/early morning? I was thinking head back to the hotel for a couple of hours around 11pm and then back early Sat morning.