How are Disney crowds now? (ongoing....)

[Leofoenget]

I did know about the So Cal passes. We are coming from Canada 17-22. (4 DAYS!!!!!)What are people's opinions about crowds? Will the So Cal pass situation make a difference?

It probaby will. They have been blocked out all summer.

 

[vossjemi]

We just got back 8/10-8/12 after DCL cruise. Sun 8/10 after getting off cruise and checking into hotel, made it into DL around 11am. Made mistake of waiting in line for Indy. Walking in board/CM said temporarily closed, but walked by and it was open again with lines starting to form. Sign said 30 minutes. Should have just gotten FP and left because it was closer to 45-50. Ugh first big mistake from first timer. And, my kids ages 6 and 8 hated it. They cried and never wanted to go on Indy again!

Rest of Sunday 8/10 the crowds didn't seem to be too bad. No more than 10-15 minute waits for BLAB & Star Tours. Got FP for Autopia, but CM said didn't need it since line so short...I disagree. It still took 20 minutes. Kids loved it and rode it several times. SM said 30 minute wait, but got FP and came back to ride later. Just dh and I rode SM, as kids too scared. DD8 wouldn't even ride Star Tours. Kids loved Honey I shrunk the audience. Lines for Nemo to long to even consider. Rode BLAB several more times as kids loved it. Son loved Astroblaster (prob 15 minute wait). After fireworks, we were able to ride all rides in Fantasyland with no more than 5-10 minute waits. Peter Pan was maybe 15.

Since we closed DL & stayed to midnight, kids needed to sleep in Monday 8/11. Tried to get up and out by 8am, but not possible...arrived around 10:30 so, we went to CA that day. Kids still with fear of "not knowing" what a ride would be like didn't want to ride Soarin. But, we finally convinced them, and they loved it. Maybe 15 minute wait. Got FP to ride later too. Spent most of day in Riverfront? area & was able to walk on most rides like nonswinging sunwheel, Stinger, Zephyr, Jellyfish. Got FP for Screamin for dh/myself & waited in line about 30-40 min for TSMM. No line for maliboomer. Mullholland was 20-30 minute wait so got FP & ate lunch. Didn't make us wait 2 hour window, so got another FP as kids loved it. We rode California Screamin (dh & I only) and then back to MM for another round. Went over to Hollywood pictures and rode Monster's Inc. Kids wouldn't even consider ToT so we opted out. Rode Soarin w/FP (now up to 45 minute wait). Left around 5ish to refresh/eat dinner.

Went back to CA later and tried to ride Soarin again w/FP we had gotten on way out, but broken down and opted to just go to DL for rest of evening. Very busy that Monday 8/11 at DL. Many told us park packed all day. Walkways were sooo packed. Rode BLAB with maybe 20 minute wait. Got FP autopia, used it, and it did still take 20 minutes there w/FP, although standby said 60 when I got FP, but changed to 35 when we used it. I don't like how they do FP for autopia. It really doesn't help much. I think SM was around 45 minute wait, but we didn't ride as were trying to do rides kids wanted to do. Watched fireworks, and decided to make early night of it since it was so packed so we could do MM next day.

Tues 8/12 we tried soooo hard to be there by 7am. My kids are 6 and 8 and still literally need about 11 hours/day to sleep. At home they usually sleep from 8pm-7am. On cruise, we stayed up later than bedtime, but planned activities which let them sleep in which helped a lot. But with getting off ship early on sunday (lucky to squeeze in a little nap that afternoon as kids just won't fall asleep normally if we ask them to take nap), monday was bearable. Even though we went back to refresh monday, they didn't nap, but since we left by park at 9:30, walked back to hojo, and bathed, it was still 11pm by the time they fell asleep. It wasn't easy waking them to go to park for MM! We missed most of it unfortunately and got in park around 7:45. Went to Nemo and waited 50 minutes as determined to do it. Not really worth the wait.

Matterhorn we waited about 5 minutes on far side (Nemo side very long), and DL really didn't seem to busy. Waited about 10 minutes for Alice in Wonderland, went to Toontown and rode RR with no line. No line for gadget go coaster either. Road several times. Went over to Pirates of C and waited about 10-15 minutes. Left park around 11am to check out of hotel and put luggage in storage as flights later that day. Went back to CA around 12:30, got FP for Soarin as line was 30-40 minutes or so. Went to bugs land....got right into bug's life show, and rode all those rides. Longest wait was bumper cars, maybe 20 minutes. Went and watched Turtle Talk w/Crush; then rode Soarin and left park at 3pm to catch our shuttle to airport.

All in all, I wanted/tried to use touring plans, but most FP rides my kids were just too leary of. They didn't want to ride things if they couldn't see in advance what it was going to do. They didn't want to ride anything if it was going to be dark (they didn't like Indy, Matterhorn, or PoC). My DD8 said she doesn't like it dark and going down...too scary for her. Gosh, when I was their age, we loved all these kinds of rides. DH & I mentioned next time we may just go alone! haha I didn't think crowds were too bad other than Monday night. We could have used FP better if just DH and I were riding, but most of the rides kids wanted to do weren't FP rides, so we didn't get much use out of FP.

 

[Gisele]

Vossjemi,

Sounds like you had a very nice time except for the wait times, I don't really care too much either for having to wait very long, for anything.
I hope that it is not terribly crowded during the last week of this month, only time shall tell.

 

[Golfing Goofy]

Hi all, we just came back on Tuesday from DLR. I think the most interesting thing that I noticed regarding crowd level was how empty it was on Saturday morning, especially magical morning early entry.

Unlike Tuesday and Thursday early morning entry, all the tomorrowland rides were up and running. I guess I just figured that it would be extra crowded on Saturday because it was a weekend. It really didn't get crowded until about noon.

We generally go during the more off season times (Feb, early March, and 1st week of December) and I really felt that it was more crowded than those times; however, it was not as bad as I had anticipated. In addition, it was nice that almost all of the rides were running. Off season usually means that a handful of rides are being refurbished.

Hope that helps.

 

[PatMcDuck]

We are at DL now. We went to C.A. on Tuesday, and it was not crowded, just busy. Then went to DL yesterday, Weds. It sure seemed packed to ME, but the CMs told us it was not bad for summer. Many lines were an hour or more. We are on a Make a Wish trip for my daughter, so we do not really wait on lines. But it just seemed so congested, and almost EVERY ride broke down that we tried to line up for. Space, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn, Indy, and the monorail ALL were down for periods of over an hour. We circled back and got on most of them later. It seemed odd to me that so many would shut down.

I was also surprised you can smoke where ever you want by the pool, at least at the Grand Californian. (we are at the Paradise Pier, but got passes to use their pool this afternoon). We had Europeans sitting near us that wanted to smoke the whole time, so we moved.

WEATHER=PERFECT!

 

[LVdisneyChick]

sunday 8/10 was the least busiest of our 3 days (8/10-8/13

 

[dizneygirlz3]

Just got back last night. Went Thursday afternoon to Calif. Adventure and Fri. am to Disneyland. Wasn't too bad. It seemed like the lines at Calif. Adventure were shorter at about 5:00 pm. Friday did a lot of rides before 1:00 and utilized fast pass. Our kids start school Monday 8/18 and we are in Bakersfield, Ca. so maybe next week it will not be bad with kids going back to school up north.

 

[lugnut33]

Spent 8/12-8/15 at DL.

First day we made ti for opening and hurried to Nemo, 20 minute wait. Pounded out a bunch of rides with little waits, especially in Fantasyland. Toontown was empty, it was weird. Crowds started hitting around noon, but Space was 45 minute wait. That night it was crowded and Indy was over 1 hour.

Next day was supposed to be out EMMH, and we couldn't get up. Slept in and went to DCA. DCA crowds were light, except for Mania.

Last day I was surprised that Space Mountain was 25 minutes at mid-day. Practically walked on Big Thunder. Did walk on Pirates and Haunted.

 

[Rainforest_Elf]

Just bumping this up to the front page. How are the crowds now?

 

[Goofy_Dave]

Just bumping this up to the front page. How are the crowds now?

We just got back! We were there 9/5 through 9/8. I'm not sure I want to let this cat out of the bag, but what a great weekend crowd-wise! It really was not bad, even on Saturday. Saturday afternoon/early evening got a pretty crazy around Tomorrow Land and Fantasy Land, but there were still 10 minute wait times and under to be found most everywhere else except the biggies which were 30-35. It was so non-crowded in DCA this morning that we walked onto TOT and when we were done our "bellhop" asked us if we wanted to go again. Everyone yelled, "Yeah!!" so we went again right away. Awesome!

All in all, it happened to be hotter than H, but a great weekend to go. We were actually booked to stay through all of today, and leave tomorrow but we ended up leaving after lunch because we had done everything we wanted to do at least twice! The Desert Inn was nice enough to not charge us for the day since the maid had not come yet.

 

[disney-inspired]

Did anyone go yesterday, Monday 9/8 or is anybody there today?

I'm going on Wednesday!

 

[pumpkin5156]

Did anyone go yesterday, Monday 9/8 or is anybody there today?

I'm going on Wednesday!

me too! Maybe I'll see ya!