We have been at DL since Tuesday, and the park gets crowded very quickly. By about 11am most big rides had waits of 45 minutes and Splash Mountain's wait was 90 minutes in the early afternoon.
It seemed almost as bad as Eastertime at WDW.
But, if you get there at opening you can get an awful lot done before the crowds roll in.
We are very grateful to these boards for mentioning the
AAA package with the 'enhanced fastpass". It really made a big difference, but my biggest piece of advise is GET THERE EARLY because it get very crowded after about 10-11 am.
Also, Hydroman had some excellent advise for using fastpass,both regular and enhanced, so search for that.
CA seemed way less crowded than the MK.
This is our first visit to DL, we've been to WDW many times. I really like the MK here, many of the rides seem "better" here, and my kids loved Indiana Jones.
So, to recap; yes, it's crowded so GET HERE EARLY. It willmake a huge difference in your day. Then head back to the hotel in the heat of the day to relax, and come back after dinner.
Hope, this helps...Sarha