DL vs WDW...lets talk about crowds shall we?

[disneegrl4eva]

I have a question for those of you who know wdw and DL...im more interested in those people who have actually experienced it firsthand rather than having opinions of what someone told them..


so we all know that when we say its crowded at DL its really crowded...but I have heard that when people say its crowded at wdw that to us DL vets its really nothing in comparison to what we experience here at home...is that true???

 

[DLR29]

It is true. The people on the WDW boards have a lower tolerance for crowds than the ones on the DLR board. This is probably because over here we have tons of amazing threads that help navigate through crowds and try and help people make the most out of their trip, even during super crowded times.

I went to WDW in July two summers ago and I was warned that the crowds were gonna be sooooooooo huge. We didn't have problems with many lines at all. And the large spaces at WDW made the crowds seem much smaller than at DL where the walkways can get pretty packed.

 

[tink2dw]

We were at WDW during Spring Break. I would say it was very hot, and very crowded! More insane people jumping over wheel chairs.

 

[mmmears]

I've been to WDW during Spring Break and it was very crowded, but not "scary crowded" like DL gets around the lagoon after Fantasmic during the summer.
Last year my DH had to carry our 10yo DD out of fear she would get trampled!

The worst crowd we were in was at the MK on New Year's Eve during the fireworks at midnight -- really really crowded, but with much better crowd management than DL has. (plus the park is bigger). We were just 3 adults there, but I would have panicked if I had a child with me, it was that "crazy".

I think that since DL is smaller than MK or Epcot (although it has more attractions), when it gets full it feels more crowded & it's harder to move around.

 

[Krissy Marissy]

We like to visit WDW over christmas and new years. And I have to say DL is nothing compared to that time. It is insane! At epcot they open this other path that they normally keep closed and you exit that way from the world showcase because the crowds are so thick they have to keep traffic moving one way. It is amazing! DL gets crowded but honestly the mk is bigger so when that place is full it is crazy! Also the humidity makes the heat seem less bearable and people get crankier more quickly! I think when wdw is extremely crowded things feel more chaotic to me.

 

[JaneJetson]

As an adult, I've only been to WDW in January and the crowds were low. As a child and teenager we went in the summer. I don't recall the walkways being as crowded as at Disneyland. But the lines were very, very long.

 

[Hound 109]

I have a question for those of you who know wdw and DL...im more interested in those people who have actually experienced it firsthand rather than having opinions of what someone told them..


so we all know that when we say its crowded at DL its really crowded...but I have heard that when people say its crowded at wdw that to us DL vets its really nothing in comparison to what we experience here at home...is that true???

I agree with others that DLR is easier to negotiate with the crowds. One can:

- tour early (of course) & pick up FPs for the crowded evening.
- hop easily to DCA at any point.
- hop to your hotel (or DTD when the crowds become unbearable in the afternoon.
- hop with your feet.

WDW forces one to:

- hop with busses... & when it's "crowded" it causes the busses to be crowded & you often have to wait in lines for busses (might have to wait for 1-2 busses to fill up before you get on one during spring break).
- hop on a bus (or wait in a line at the monorail) just to get to your hotel for a break & then back. (a time waster especially when it's crowded).
- makes it harder to employ the pick up FPs early in the morning strategy (& use them in the evening) that is SO easy (& important) at DLR. For example you're (say) Studios in the morning.....those FPs don't do you as much good if you're at Epcot in the evening.
- you got to hop on a bus to go to DTD.

Also, the general strategy of touring early at WDW (although essential) is less effective (when it's crowded) than it is at DLR.....because more people are doing it. EVERY time I've been to DL, I arrive early & get SO SO much done the first 2 hours. Not as easy to do at WDW because WDW is a resort & has SO many beds that are full (& visitors up & at'em during peak seasons).

 

[15minfromOGDL]

We were at WDW between Christmas and New Years and throught the crowds were not that bad in comparison to DLR. We used TGM and stayed closeby offsite and rented a car so that probably helped us avoid the transportation crowds. We were at AK during Christmas and Epcot on NYE and thought it wasn't that bad to those ame times in DL

There was only 1 night leaving MK when I thought it was insane waiting for the ferry to the parking lot. Otherwise, I sometimes think that regular Friday evenings at DLR are just as "bad" as Christmas week at WDW.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

thank you all for your help...Im going next year starting the weekend of Thanksgiving and will be there till the 6th of Dec. I am expecting larger crowds during the weekend but when I was told that it will be a breeze for me because I know well about how crowded it can get in DL, I just had to get some weigh ins...

 

[Inkmahm]

This thread is scaring me a bit. I haven't been to DL in 20+ years and I don't remember an August day at DL being so crowded.

My DH and I are going to DL in August 2009, Tuesday 8/18, Wed 8/19 and Thurs. 8/20. Should I be worried that DL will be more crowded in August on weekdays than WDW is during spring break (one of the times we normally go?)

 

[PinkBudgie]

I have never been to WDW but I think you should not worry. This past summer it was less crowded than past summer, I thought, anyway. And you are going in mid Aug. Also, many schools around here are actually going back in session around that time. Go early, and hop over to DCA in the afternoon. It is less crowded there. Then come back to DL in the evening. You'll have a great time!

 

[HydroGuy]

This thread is scaring me a bit. I haven't been to DL in 20+ years and I don't remember an August day at DL being so crowded.

My DH and I are going to DL in August 2009, Tuesday 8/18, Wed 8/19 and Thurs. 8/20. Should I be worried that DL will be more crowded in August on weekdays than WDW is during spring break (one of the times we normally go?)

IMO no. Summer is a busy time but in my experience manageable.

Sounds like you know what you are doing, bu this thread may give you some ideas:

"Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

 

[mt mommy]

We went to DLR in end of January 2006. The park was almost empty. We walked on every ride but Soarin'.

We went to WDW the same time the next year January 2007 and I wouldn't say the same. It wasn't empty.....but we did wait in lines 20-30 minutes for mediocre rides like Jungle cruise. We waited an hour for Soarin'.

So, I don't know what to think. My experience was for a January visit, DLR was less crowded.

 

[Inkmahm]

IMO no. Summer is a busy time but in my experience manageable.

Sounds like you know what you are doing, bu this thread may give you some ideas:

"Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

Thanks for the link! I'm a veteran at WDW but still could use tips for DL.

 

[mmmears]

This thread is scaring me a bit. I haven't been to DL in 20+ years and I don't remember an August day at DL being so crowded.

My DH and I are going to DL in August 2009, Tuesday 8/18, Wed 8/19 and Thurs. 8/20. Should I be worried that DL will be more crowded in August on weekdays than WDW is during spring break (one of the times we normally go?)

For us, the problem was that Fantasmic was running twice a night. It draws a ton of people over to the river's edge in New Orleans Square & Frontierland. Then, it's all over and all those people need to move.

If you stay in Tomorrowland or Fantasyland during this time, it's not nearly as crowded.

The days in August were fine, it was actually the evenings that were packed. CA wasn't packed at all (as usual). It was our only time there in Aug -- we had to be in LA anyway, so we went to DL. We usually go in May or June and find it not crowded at all then.

 

[Inkmahm]

For us, the problem was that Fantasmic was running twice a night. It draws a ton of people over to the river's edge in New Orleans Square & Frontierland. Then, it's all over and all those people need to move.

If you stay in Tomorrowland or Fantasyland during this time, it's not nearly as crowded.

The days in August were fine, it was actually the evenings that were packed. CA wasn't packed at all (as usual). It was our only time there in Aug -- we had to be in LA anyway, so we went to DL. We usually go in May or June and find it not crowded at all then.

Is Fantasmic not presented in a big stadium like in WDW?

 

[HydroGuy]

Is Fantasmic not presented in a big stadium like in WDW?

No, the experience at DL is quite different than at DHS and in my and most people's opinion better at DL.

At DL Fantasmic is performed on Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America (ROA) inside DL. Seating is more along the lines of a parade or fireworks where people stand or sit on the ground. I agree the seating part is not as good as DHS but the setting around the ROA is magical and they make use of the two ROA ships in the show.

 

[ter-moo]

It only SEEMS less crowded at WDW, because there are more parks and the parks themselves are bigger, with wider walkways, etc. Because of DL's limited space, the crowd's have fewer options of where to go.

The lines are just as long during popular times.

 

[Amy&Dan]

To me Disneyland almost always has more crowds. I have been to WDW during Christmas week and it was nothing compared to some Saturday's I have had at Disneyland. WDW has a lot more room/parks/resorts for people to spread around in and that helps.

As others have stated, when Fantasmic is running at DL, that makes getting around the park a logistical nightmare. I have never seen anything that can touch the amount of people that cram into the Rivers of America area at DL when I have been in WDW.

Fireworks viewing in MK is also way different. At DL, you can pretty much forget getting a spot in the hub near showtime. At MK, last weekend, we saw Spectro in Frontierland and then were able to get to the hub without a problem and get a good spot with room to spare about ten minutes before Wishes started. That would never happen at DL, especially on a weekend.

So to me, crowds at WDW can and do happen and in a big way. But the human traffic jams that I have come to expect at DL have never happened to me at WDW. In the peak of summer, holidays and all the other times I have been. The sheer size of the parks at WDW, Epcot in particular can hold a lot of people. Wait times are comparable for rides, but getting around, finding spots to stand for a show or parade, are all very much easier at WDW based on my experience.

And obviously, I am talking about Disneyland itself, not including DCA which is almost always immune to this sort of thing.

I think anyone who has learned how to navigate their way around DL will be surprised at how much easier it is at WDW within the pakrs themselves. Now getting from park to park is a whole different thing. And at night, at park closing (MK in particular) its amazing how when all those people spill out how the ques for busses, boats and the monrail get packed. But in all, that compactness that makes Disneyland famous for human traffic jams isn't there at WDW.

 

[Hound 109]

To me Disneyland almost always has more crowds. I have been to WDW during Christmas week and it was nothing compared to some Saturday's I have had at Disneyland. WDW has a lot more room/parks/resorts for people to spread around in and that helps.

As others have stated, when Fantasmic is running at DL, that makes getting around the park a logistical nightmare. I have never seen anything that can touch the amount of people that cram into the Rivers of America area at DL when I have been in WDW.

Fireworks viewing in MK is also way different. At DL, you can pretty much forget getting a spot in the hub near showtime. At MK, last weekend, we saw Spectro in Frontierland and then were able to get to the hub without a problem and get a good spot with room to spare about ten minutes before Wishes started. That would never happen at DL, especially on a weekend.

So to me, crowds at WDW can and do happen and in a big way. But the human traffic jams that I have come to expect at DL have never happened to me at WDW. In the peak of summer, holidays and all the other times I have been. The sheer size of the parks at WDW, Epcot in particular can hold a lot of people. Wait times are comparable for rides, but getting around, finding spots to stand for a show or parade, are all very much easier at WDW based on my experience.

And obviously, I am talking about Disneyland itself, not including DCA which is almost always immune to this sort of thing.

I think anyone who has learned how to navigate their way around DL will be surprised at how much easier it is at WDW within the pakrs themselves. Now getting from park to park is a whole different thing. And at night, at park closing (MK in particular) its amazing how when all those people spill out how the ques for busses, boats and the monrail get packed. But in all, that compactness that makes Disneyland famous for human traffic jams isn't there at WDW.

I agree, but would add I've also experienced the occasional human traffic jams at WDW. In particular mid morning at AKL on their narrow trails & also at Epcot before & after Illuminations. The crowds often stop in their tracks.