I Have An Idea.....

[WinnieBell]

This is my first time to post here and it may be my last.

I WAS very excited to take my children to Disneyland, but I've been doing a lot of reading and it sounds like Disneyland is not what it used to be.

It sounds like now, to take my children on say, It's A Small World ride we will have to wait ...forever... Sounds like my children will have to wait in line for an hour to see it once behind people who will be there for the 500th time.

Yeah, I've read if you sprint around for the first hour in the morning you can see stuff, but.... I'm with small children here.

Anyway, I have an idea that alot of people here may not like... BUT...
I think AP holder should have one line and tourists another. For every TWO tourists you let in - let in ONE AP holder.

Or something like that. Otherwise I think I will cancel my plans.

 

[FlameGirl]

This is my first time to post here and it may be my last.

I WAS very excited to take my children to Disneyland, but I've been doing a lot of reading and it sounds like Disneyland is not what it used to be.

It sounds like now, to take my children on say, It's A Small World ride we will have to wait ...forever... Sounds like my children will have to wait in line for an hour to see it once behind people who will be there for the 500th time.

Yeah, I've read if you sprint around for the first hour in the morning you can see stuff, but.... I'm with small children here.

Anyway, I have an idea that alot of people here may not like... BUT...
I think AP holder should have one line and tourists another. For every TWO tourists you let in - let in ONE AP holder.

Or something like that. Otherwise I think I will cancel my plans.

I just don't believe that to be true. There is a wealth of information on these boards that will help you decide when the best / least crowded times are likely to be. We go every year and most rides are walk-ons...we never wait more than 20 minutes for a ride we want to go on.

I understand you're frustrated, but I think you should give it a chance. I don't think punishing the AP holders who have paid a premium to be there will go over well, though.

Good luck. It's not as bad as you think.

 

[BELLEDOZER]

As premium pass holders (of which I intend to be one in the near future), pay a premium, and the reward is that we can go within the limitations of our AP's. To punish those of us are paying the extra money to be AP holders is unfair. And to push us to the back of lines is equally unfair. I will have just as much rights as an AP holder as you will with your 3 or 4 day hopper pass. It's us regulars who have a true love of DL, that keep coming back, and help keep the costs of the hoppers passes down for the rest of the people who do not go on a regular basis. If you are concerned about large crowds, then I suggest you check out HydroGuys threads about DL, and take advantage of the Fast Pass system. What ever decisons you make are what's best for you and your family. And just for the record, I went with young children last year, and no problems with lineups and the "AP holders".

 

[Lissame]

We personally don't have an annual pass, but we go to DL about once a year. We started taking our children when they were quite small.

I would again repeat the suggestions to read about the best times of day, year, etc. to go to DL, and just relax and experience the magic when you are there. When our kids were small, we had a lot lower expectations than we do now--they needed more sleep, were easily overstimulated, etc.

I have been to DL more times than I can count, and I have never, ever had to wait more than 10 minutes to ride Small World. It's a matter of watching for a time of day when the line is shorter.

My biggest encouragement to you would be to go early in the day, and then just relax and enjoy yourself!

 

[Reddog1134]

I'm not saying it's a good or bad idea but I'm not sure how it's automatically viewed as a punishment to AP holders. It would depend on the ratio of AP holders to non holders.

 

[Lissame]

I also wanted to add--last year we went June 26-July 2. Very busy. Most annual passes were on their last week before block out. I got totally paranoid reading the boards right before we left because I had heard they even closed DL down for entrance at one point.

Then we got there--and it was amazing! The day we did our magic morning, we were there early and right when the park opened we headed over to Splash Mountain. There was NOBODY in New Orleans Square or Critter Country. Got some incredible photos with the place deserted. We ended up riding Splash Mountain three times without having to get off before someone actually showed up to wait in line. It was SO fun.

 

[Disney Dreams]

So if you put this in the non-Disney perspective, should all regular diners at a popular restaurant be seated at a slower pace than first-time diners?

It just does not make sense.

Disneyland is a popular place. If it's busy, you can still enjoy it with your children. They will enjoy it. And if you let yourself, so will you.

The magic is still there,
Dreams

P.S.

I'm not saying it's a good or bad idea but I'm not sure how it's automatically viewed as a punishment to AP holders. It would depend on the ratio of AP holders to non holders.

Could be an APs express line depending on the time / day / attraction.

 

[HydroGuy]

Disneyland is better than ever IMO. And a better deal price-wise than ever (compared to value given vs. other activities like sporting events, concerts and skiing). AP holders help fill the parks when they are otherwise less crowded and actually keeps prices down for everyone else. Further, if you do not like AP holders you can choose to go when they are blocked. I like AP holders fine but prefer to avoid AP crowds and so I do just that - go when they are blocked.

And finally, never in my life have I waited an hour for IASW. During Christmas season it does get longer lines - not sure about an hour - I doubt it - but the reast of the year it rarely gets above 20 minutes even mid-day in the summer.

Whether you want to stop going to DLR is up to you, but the case you have made so far is not convincing to me.

 

[bumbershoot]

I am a former AP holder AND a tourist (at the same time!). Even though we don't have APs right now, I do not agree with your theory or idea at all.

I'm not sure what threads you're reading, to think that you will need an hour in line to ride small world. Small world is a wonderful ride and I've listened to the music hours on end and love love love it...and I've never waited that long for it.

Whereas when I was a kid, I waited hours to ride Space Mountain!


Who really cares if the people in front of you have seen it before? I'm sure there are things you've done 18 million times that someone else hasn't ever done before... People are there because they enjoy it or love it or someone else in their family enjoys/loves it...everyone's there to have a good time. So have a good time! Plan well, make sure everyone is well fed and watered, and have fun.

 

[Monkey Monkey]

I am a passholder and have been to DLR about 10 times so far in 2010, always on weekdays.

It is my personal opinion and experience that the predictions of giant crowds when the APs are not blocked out is misleading.

There are simply not hour-long waits for rides midweek, even in the middle of the afternoon or evening. I've walked on to POTC more than I've waited in line, and even those lines were less than 5 minutes.

The longest waits I've encountered have been about 30 minutes for Peter Pan and TSMM. The only Fastpass ride my family frequents is Buzz Lightyear, but we don't get FPs for it because there is never a long line. So there may be longer lines for FP rides, but since they have FPs available, waiting in an hour-long line would be unnecessary with the right planning.

The crowds that I see at DLR don't "seem" like locals frequenting the parks. I see a lot of big families in matching shirts, and large groups of high school students, and lots of Japanese visitors. I see very few moms like me, alone with their kids. And I look.

 

[farmfresh]

Seems to me the real concern for you isn't AP holders necessarily, but lines in general. And with a couple of kids, yes, long waits can seem daunting!

Making new lines for regular customers isn't the way to solve the problem. But there are some really easy ways to minimise your waiting time. Once you have an idea of your days, and a plan, why not ask for some hints on the boards here?

I do have some sympathy with your concerns. There has been a lot of discussion on these boards about the massive numbers using the new passes, and a bit of added hype over the WOC crowds. This has meant changing use patterns in the park, with old 'busy' and 'quiet' times shifting around, and different visiting patterns - people coming just for new rides, rather than for a three or four day stay, for example. These are also issues for Disney - it doesn't seem as though they were quite prepared for the repsonse they got to the new payment and pass structures. (nor the reponse to their own hype for WOC!) So whilst AP holders aren't necessarily a problem, there are have been some consequences operationally.

So you might well have picked up the impression from these discussions that , well, things have changed. But the overwhelming view (and the reason this board exists!) is that visitors are still having a great time in the park, even with these changes.

So keep posting, and you'll find yourself on small world in no time!

 

[Karlzmom]

Hmmmmm....single post, throw bomb on AP holders.....sounds like a troll to me . Please don't feed the trolls!

 

[disneymom23]

I am an AP holder from Northern CA. I go twice a year. My 12 year old would rather have a root canal than miss a day or school so we have only been at busy times- spring break, thanksgiving week and summer. We have had a great time every time.

Before my first trip, I spent hours here learning all the tips and tricks. For us, part of the fun is staying ahead of the crowds. We are on a mission to see how many FP's we can collect in the morning.

We get to the gates early, at least a half hour before park opening. We take advantage of every MM, and focus on rides for the first 3-4 hours. Then we take it slow- have lunch, shop, people watch in the early afternoon. We take a long break in the afternoon and use our fp's at night.

There are ways to combat the crowds, even if you go at a busy time.

 

[DisneyMax74]

I am not an annual pass holder but I don't think it would be good at all for Disney from a business sense to punish pass holders in favor of tourists who come maybe a single time or only once a year. The pass holders have paid good money to have the annual pass and they frequent the park more often. They will be there buying lunch or dinner, buying snacks and water as well as merchandise. I would bet Disneyland makes far more money over the course of a year from an annual pass holder as opposed to a tourist who comes and spends 4-5 days there.



As great a place as it is, Disneyland is a business. It exists to make money. Being "fair" is not necessarily its primary concern. They try to do the best they can but to be honest, the longer their lines are the more money they are making. Protecting a "spot" for someone who comes once every year or once every 10 years at the expense of someone who comes once a week, possibly more, is not actually an idea that would be good for business.

 

[Monkey Monkey]

Just to illustrate my point, this was the wait board from Wednesday, April 14th at 12:30pm:

And this was from Thursday, May 6th at 3pm:

 

[letitsnow]

And how would they know if you were an ap holder it a hopper ticket holder?

It's a small world is a fast loading ride and the longest we waited to ride it was 30 minutes.

 

[momrek06]

Waiting is part of life ... BUT that being said there is NO WAY on this earth I would ever give up DISNEYLAND, ever!!!

 

[DisKatrina]

I really can't imagine have two different lines like that. Sounds like a class system of sorts, which is silly when anyone who pays a ticket (whatever kind of ticket) has the same right to ride. I don't like the OP's idea at all.

This thread is reassuring, though. It seems like everywhere I look I keep reading about 1-hour plus lines (here, the Unofficial Guide, etc.). I think it's more of an overall impression than anything specific. I'm going next week and I admit I've been a little nervous about the lines. This is my first time in many years (and there were practically no lines back in 1997 when my DH and I last went) and my DD's first time. I'm hoping we don't spend all of our time waiting in and stressing about lines. I just want my family to have fun and soak up the magic. This thread is making me feel better.

 

[HydroGuy]

Hmmmmm....single post, throw bomb on AP holders.....sounds like a troll to me . Please don't feed the trolls!

I never even looked at the OP post count but you are absolutely right. This looks very much like trolling. I hesitated to post even this for fear of bumping but I encourage everyone else to let this die. No reason to post anything else.

 

[disneywondergirl22]

i have to agree with the others. thats an unfair statement to make.

you just have to know when to go and when not to and that is EASY to figure out.

for example, this year, spring break and 2fers fell at the same time in march/april. i would never come then if you live locally and can come another time. the crowds are not only extremely terrible, but they are not as nice either. i wouldn't come when those events are happening separately, much less when they are happening at the same time.

summer and holidays? of course don't come then.

that said, as a CM and an AP holder, i can tell you that there are MOST DEFINITELY downtimes of the year.

weekends, summers, and holidays have never changed ever in the history of all tourist attractions (not just parks) as being the worst in regards to crowds.

and if you have to come on a peak day, just accept that there will be lines, don't come in the summer when it's hot and most lines are in the sun with no shade. relax and enjoy.

other than that, you just have to basically use your common sense and think about what could be going on. is there a new major attraction at the park? if so, wait a few weeks. is it a weekend? choose sunday over saturday, but weekdays are better. is it christmas or anytime in december? dont come, not for a full day anyway. is something special about to end, like the end of halloween? is it the first week after passholders are allowed back after summer/holiday blackout?

ive gone to the park on my birthday in january for the last 2 years. in 2009, i went alone and got to stand in a lot of SR lines, so i had no wait to ride anything. the longest was probably 5-10 minutes, at most, and thats an overestimate (since i can't remember). i rode every ride the park. and rode the big rides several times. all in one day.

this past year, there were 4 of us. our longest wait was 20 minutes for space mountain, which is not bad for SM. most of our waits were under 10 minutes.

in fact, my last day at the park 2 weeks ago, on a wednesday, we waited about 20 for SM, about the same for Indiana, and then went on almost everything with no line, less than 5 minutes.

there were 4 of us adults last summer in july. it was hot, crowded, and lines were over an hour. my BFs parents dont like running around anyway, and spent most of the day eating, so it wasn't a big deal. but i would never go then again.

and yes, i would agree about passholders being the bigger moneymaker. my best guy friend and his girlfriend, they typically go down once a week, or once every other week, depending on how busy they are with auditions. i have other friends who go once or twice a month. once i became a CM, and still had my annual pass (which i didn't need to use, of course), i visited much more often, like when i signed people in. but we all still bought food and gifts and such.