Help Me to Understand "Crowded"

[LisaT91403]

As a local, I try my best to avoid the super-crowded times. Disney helps me to accomplish this by blocking my AP most of the times when crowds are at their worst. As a result, I'm having trouble wrapping my head around exactly what "crowded" actually means.

We visited last Sunday (a race/marathon day), and it got pretty crowded in the afternoon. We did not accomplish all that we would have liked, and it was a school night, so we left early-ish. Now we are thinking maybe we'd go back this Tuesday *afternoon* to see the castle and IASW all lit up, and hopefully catch the fireworks and the late showing of F!

Part of me says "It will be fine. You can get a fast pass or two, and then just roll with it...whatever you are able to ride, you ride. No big deal. See the lights, enjoy the show." The other half of me says "What?! Are you CRAZY?! The Tuesday before Thanksgiving? Don't be ridiculous! You won't be able to even walk, and it might take you hours just to get into the parking structure and then into the park. Don't bother...totally not worth it!"

If you have braved the Tuesday-before-Thanksgiving crowds, give me some perspective and help me to understand what I'd be up against.

 

[Mister Skellington]

Great question and honestly I haven't been to Disneyland when it wasn't crowded in quite awhile! A sold out Halloween party seemed just as crowded as the night before. I have not been thanksgiving week though.
Having said that, you will see posts on the board for the exact same night and one will say it was packed and the next will say it was slow. It really depends on what part of the park you are in at any given point. Like I said, it always seems crowded in the afternoon/evening to me. Of course with a plan and good use of FP, I rarely wait in lines for more than 20-30 minutes. When lines are longer I go find a show or something else to entertain me.

 

[EWDonald]

Since "crowded" means something different to everyone, there is no definitive answer to your question.

 

[LisaT91403]

Since "crowded" means something different to everyone, there is no definitive answer to your question.

I completely understand what you are saying. I went to a Friday night MHP this year. I went to a Saturday night Candlelight Processional back when they did 20 nights. Yes, it was crowded. It was manageable for us. What I'm trying to understand is how much *more* crowded can it get? That's the part I'm having trouble grasping.

 

[Gisele]

crowded is when you confuse the restroom line for the Dole Whip line, or vice a versa for that matter. crowded is when you have to wait 20 minutes or longer for a churro. crowded is when fast passes are sold out before 10 in the AM and the park opened at 9. crowded is when Mickey and Friends parking lot has lines extending around the block. crowded is when there is no such thing as getting a quick bite, because the lines longer for counter service then it is Churros. crowded is when people start selling their space in line. crowded is when everyone around you is coming too close of a personal friend crowded is when some of the characters hiding behind buildings and bushes so as to avoid being overrun by tots. crowded is when you arrive at opening and leave 3 hours later.

 

[rmonty02]

crowded is when you confuse the restroom line for the Dole Whip line, or vice a versa for that matter. crowded is when you have to wait 20 minutes or longer for a churro. crowded is when fast passes are sold out before 10 in the AM and the park opened at 9. crowded is when Mickey and Friends parking lot has lines extending around the block. crowded is when there is no such thing as getting a quick bite, because the lines longer for counter service then it is Churros. crowded is when people start selling their space in line. crowded is when everyone around you is coming too close of a personal friend crowded is when some of the characters hiding behind buildings and bushes so as to avoid being overrun by tots. crowded is when you arrive at opening and leave 3 hours later.

LOL! Crowded is when the HM line and the PotC cross paths before noon.

 

[disneyobsessed808]

I'm in the same boat as you. Wondering if I should try to go tomorrow or tonight, though, the crowds will probably be insane.

 

[LisaT91403]

crowded is when you confuse the restroom line for the Dole Whip line, or vice a versa for that matter. crowded is when you have to wait 20 minutes or longer for a churro. crowded is when fast passes are sold out before 10 in the AM and the park opened at 9. crowded is when Mickey and Friends parking lot has lines extending around the block. crowded is when there is no such thing as getting a quick bite, because the lines longer for counter service then it is Churros. crowded is when people start selling their space in line. crowded is when everyone around you is coming too close of a personal friend crowded is when some of the characters hiding behind buildings and bushes so as to avoid being overrun by tots. crowded is when you arrive at opening and leave 3 hours later.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

Maybe I'll just suck it up and go...then I can report back as to what crowded really is!

 

[Ccihon]

I've been there on days rated a "2" (not crowded) and on days rated a "7" (yuck).

The latter did feel noticeably more crowded, esp. in narrow parts of the park like by the Dole Whip stand, etc. We have young children, though, and the younger rides don't seem to fill up as badly - even on those crowded days I don't think I waited more than 5 min at the Winnie the Pooh ride. On the other hand, the Star Wars and Indian Jones rides were mobbed, and the Pirates of the Caribbean also had pretty long waits. I think the older/more popular stuff is what suffers the most on those days, so if you are local and flexible, you can still have a pretty good time even when crowds are high... on the other hand, if you have a very specific list of things you want to do and see, you might be frustrated.

 

[geergirl]

I think crowded for me will always be compared to New Years Eve over 10 years ago. It was just a solid mass of people on Main Street and not much better anywhere else. On Main Street you would sometimes see a gap in the crowd but then realize it was just a stroller. We gave up and left before the fireworks.

I feel lucky that all our trips other than that one have been less crowded. It's been part planning and part fluke.

 

[Jaylens Papa]

This morning we walked in at 9. No lines, hopped on Pirates, at the base of the " up " water fall the ride stopped. 25 minutes later when we got off, there where lines eferywhere. 75 minutes for Star Tours.
I have seen worse. I have seen the Pirate line go to the HM and back 3 times. On NYE.
It seemed to slow up a bit but I'm sure this evening it will pick up again.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I have seen Disneyland crowded. But I have seen MK way more crowded. The lines are WDW are generally much longer than those at DL. (which is one reason why I go to DL as often as WDW, despite living on the east coast.)


I am in a sticky spot myself, I have a trip to DL coming up and I arrive... on Dec 31. I know! Awful! We may not even go into the parks at all, and just hit them at 8 am on Jan 1 instead. I am worried about even driving to the hotel to park that day.

 

[Vintage Mouseketeer]

As an AP local I have learned not to visit when the SoCal passes are not blocked. I avoid Fridays and Sundays at all cost .... Of course the 2 weeks during Christmas break is pretty crazy too.

 

[ImDMous]

We went the day after Christmas a few years ago and that was definitely the most crowded I've ever seen. We were leaving Haunted Mansion to get back to Main Street and a huge traffic jam just sort of appeared. No one was able to budge in any direction. After about 5 minutes a ton of CMs appeared and started telling people "I don't care where you are trying to go, the right side of the street is going that way and left side of the street is going this way and after everyone is cleared out, then you can figure out how to get back to where you want." It was crazy. Everyone was still in a good mood, festive and happy (for the most part) but it was a massive amount of people. I've never seen a 2 hour line for HM before that day.

Even with all the crowds and lines, we had a great time. We didn't get on everything, we didn't even see whole areas, but we still had fun.

 

[Laz]

Crowded is SO relative. WDW crowded makes DLR crowded seem like nothing at all, esp. if you plan your day like WDW crowded.

 

[LisaT91403]

A quick update to my post, as we went and braved the crowds yesterday. Note that we did not arrive until a little after 1:00pm...and stayed until midnight closing.

The crowds themselves were, obviously, quite large. But for us, that aspect didn't really feel too different from some of the Sundays that we've visited.

Having said that, the *big* difference we felt was with respect to the ride wait times. On other "crowded" days, we felt the crowds in the walkways, in line for food or to meet characters, before/during/after parades, etc. But when it came down to the actual rides, it was manageable. We used fast passes for the big rides, rode the not-as-popular things with reasonable waits, and all was good. Yesterday, however, was not like that at all. Nothing seemed to have a reasonable wait time. And the fast passes were either gone, or had very late return times. With late return times, it means you basically can't get another FP for 2 hours -- and that really limits the number you can get in a day. At one point, I checked MouseWait and saw a 190 minute wait for RSR. Seriously? I couldn't help but wonder who would wait in that kind of line.

Despite all of this, we had a really fun day. Since we visit often, it didn't matter to us that our rides were limited. We enjoyed the atmosphere, rode a few things that we don't usually ride, did Jedi Training, and watched F!

We also had a nice dinner with our friends at Storyteller's Cafe -- a great break from the crowds. After reading some reviews here, I really didn't expect the dinner buffet to be good. But we checked it out, and it looked decent, so we opted to try it rather than ordering from the menu as we did on our last visit. The food was better than I had expected, and our waiter was great. We mentioned that there was no corn chowder at the buffet, and he went and brought out a few bowls for our table. The kids enjoyed the atmosphere and the food.

It was surprisingly easy to get a great spot for the second showing of F! We arrived during the fireworks, put our blankets down dead center in the sitting area, and that was that. Who knew that would be so easy?

The CMs seemed really friendly. Maybe they knew that it was a "tough" day from a crowd perspective, so they were trying to make up for it in some way? One of the CMs I was chatting with (super nice guy who was standing outside the castle, right near where you check in for BBB...wish I had gotten his name) said that the crowds on Monday were much worse than yesterday. That seems odd, doesn't it?

Would I have enjoyed the day if it were my one and only day in the parks and I had paid for a one-day ticket? Probably not so much. Would I do it again as an AP holder? Sure. I'm not as scared as I was before, as it was manageable for us.