I miss the "old" Disneyland

[dizneekrazee]

I was at DL the year that Indy opened in the 90's. The wait time was four hours.
:

I also went the year Indy opened, (and the Splash did, also), the entrance to the line for Indy was in Frontierland, just passed Shootin' Exposition. At LEAST 4 hours. I was about 8 years old, and I still remember that. And, there was no FP option so we could come back later.

 

[CamoMama]

I think as adults we tend to idealize our childhood and forget anything that we deem unpleasant. I don't remember waiting in line forever for Peter Pan when I was a kid, but I do remember playing games while in line, so it must have been longer than I recall.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

You know what else tho? When we take our kids..we're in charge. When we went as kids, our parents were in charge. Sometimes I wonder if that's a part of it too..cuz our kids never feel like their disney is robbed of magic...I just happen to be the one behind the scenes pulling the strings

Now our next trip with just DH and I...we are so crazy excited for. Eating churros for lunch..waiting in long lines without someone having to pee in the middle of it (and consequently having to lose our place and not get to even RIDE the ride...yes..oh yes it did) and being able to just SIT and not have kids get bored.

Anyway, that's another theory I have. The experience is totally different than when I was a kid for sure..but a good portion of it is cuz I'm the parent not the kid. *Le sigh*

 

[FantasyIsland]

Yes, I was there opening day for the Indy ride and the line was 4 hours long! News helicopters was filming how long the line was! But it was fun and exciting being there that day and now its my young daughters favorite ride!

 

[CaptainEIEIO]

My family frequents Disneyland about twice a year.

Reading how some people plan amazes me sometimes. We don't plan our days out and we will never wait in line first thing for a fast pass. We have to young kids (6 & 2) and can't wait in long lines or wait for a show for very long.

We feel like we get to do most things anyway. We don't have the best spot for Fantasmic, we don't stake out a spot for fireworks, etc... but we still get to enjoy them. We used Single Rider Line for RSR and it was fine.

I think for some people planning is part of the fun and adds to their experience, but for us, we just like to enjoy being there and do rides when we feel like it, not when we're supposed to.

We usually go during the week (Sun-Fri) on off peak times so we don't have to plan things out like some people do. I also saw WOC once and haven't felt the need to do it again. I like Fantasmic way better.

I still enjoy Disneyland, but I don't think I would enjoy it as much if I had to adhere to a strict schedule like some people do. For me, I think it would take some fun out of it.

^^^^^This^^^^^ I have been going to Disneyland since 1962, and I still know that place like the back of my hand. I don't really plan a day at Disneyland like I would at WDW, its not necessary. For us anyway its not. We always go in the off season so the lines are shorter and personally we hardly ever use a fastpass. About the only rides we do are for Star Tours and sounds like we will for RSR.

I was there for the opening of Space Mountain. You want to talk about a long line, that was about 5 to 6 hours long. Weaved all the way around, then down and out of the building, then down Tomorrowland right out into the hub, then down Main Street USA. Now that was a long line!

 

[SweetAlex]

I agree with many others. We also do not plan ANYTHING other than 1 character meal and this time, we have to go to Fanstasmic our first night as it's the only night playing. Last time we went, we just did anything we wanted, when we wanted. No running around, no reservations, no rushing to get anything done. It was a fabulous time! Planning and reserving and having to be somewhere at a certain time because my schedule says so does NOT work for me. I understand that many are more comfortable having a plan in place, and that's perfectly fine but for me, that would completely stress me out.

I think the "plan like crazy" mentality may be more necessary if you only have 1 or 2 days at the parks and want to get as much done as possible, or maybe if you go peak season (i.e. Christmas) but if you are going when crowds are manageable, there is absolutely no reason to go crazy on planning.

These boards are great for so many things. For instance, I learned not to spend $250 on the Fantasmic! reserved seating dessert thingy... if it hadn't been for DIS, I likely would have and really regretted it. Hotel advice, restaurant recommendations and transportation decisions have all been found on here for me and it's really helped.

Try not to worry too much about it. Don't read too much into the "planning posts". Relax, have fun and go with the flow! I promise you'll still enjoy it, no matter how other people vacay.

 

[Scribble Kitty]

It sounds like you feel out of the loop. You used to have Disneyland down to a science, and now so much of that has gotten shaken up.

Dont let these threads scare you off or convince you that Disneyland is now some sort of battle you have to have a through strategy for. You remember what rides build up lines quickly and try to do them early.

You'll get back into the swing of things once you get there and realize that it really isnt much different, just more to do.

 

[tdhickey]

Nostalgia gets the best of us sometimes, personally I love what Disneyland has become. Sure it was great before, but it is even better now. I can do a little planning up front and avoid disappointing results (like ride closures, no reservations, etc). People use to buy the book and follow that plan, now they use apps and stuff. People used to spend the whole trip behind their massive video camera, now it's their phones.

What is great, the old Disney is pretty much still there, however lots of new great stuff is too!

 

[RayB]

I think people with small children here need to plan more--what are their favorites and do these first or give them priority.Also with the new fast pass rules you will have to stay in the areas so you can use it before it expires.

If your kids are older use the single rider.The line for the racers is like 10 minutes, we rode it twice in say 20 minutes while the regular line had hardly moved.Honestly if you will use this for say Indy, Splash Mountain and others you can do so much, also if you stay until closing again it is empty late.

You can also catch the second show of WOC and Fantasmic so much easier.If your kids are young then you need to buy your way in to say WOC with picnic lunch or dinner it is worth it .

My other tip is to stay somewhere real close, it makes a huge difference to be able to go back for a brief rest especially with kids.And consider ordering Pizza Hut, they deliver, rest your feet or swim and the food comes.

Those are tips from my trip last week watching others.

 

[bethwc101]

We will be going in a week to Disneyland. As far as planning goes, we don't sit down and map out every move, because rides shut down, lines grow longer, and they just fall apart. But we do plan some things. For exampple we picked the first ride of the day. And each of us picks one ride and we make sure to do everybody's one ride that day. And if there is early entry for Disneyland, then we start the day at DCA and vice versa just to avoid the crowds that will unavoidably already be there. That is about it for planning for this trip. In the past we have done things like Goofy's Kitchen and planning when to go for that in the morning, but it just was not worth it. One thing we do is last time we were there was rush to get good seats for Fantasmic, because that was my one birthday wish, to get front row seats to F! and we did. But other than that we just cruise around saying, what do you guys want to do, or that line is too long want to try this. And we always have fun.

 

[merrysmom]

I agree with the pp who said that part of the difference is just being the parent in charge, rather than the kid being told what was going to happen next. I'm fully nostalgic thinking about getting off Space Mountain with my dad (I was the oldest and the only one who'd ride it with him!) and RUNNING to get back in line because it was short that day... and it makes me smile to think about my sister and I telling the CM seating people on the Matterhorn that we were a party of two so we could get the last seat, even though my mom was convinced that we would be kidnapped before she, my dad, and my brother made it through the ride to find us at the exit... so many good memories. And yes, lots of things are different now.

As far as needing to plan every last detail, I think probably a lot of people are like me and read the boards, and try to digest any useful tips, and then just go to the park and use your best judgement as to where to go and what to do. It's still fun!

I also understand the feeling that you don't want to miss anything. I live in Utah and I have five kids, so it's a fairly expensive proposition for us to get too Disneyland. We aim for every other year, but sometimes we can't make it that often. So it does seem kind of important to give my kids a chance to see and do everything while we are there. And that's where the tips come in handy. Knowing which things to hit early in the day may make the difference in not having to miss (or wait an excruciatingly long time for) anything.

Melissa

 

[cats mom]

I realize no one is really to blame for these changes, and crowds are just bound to get worse as the world grows! We don't HAVE to go to Disneyland, it is our choice to do so, and thus we will deal with the craziness in order to get the magic . I just wonder if anyone else evers feels this way when they read the boards? Is it just me?

I feel much the way you described about WDW OP.

We may end up with a few free days in FL and if we do we'll either find a short cruise or go to US/IOA because WDW planning feels far too complicated, especially for a short last minute trip.

But I think DLR is still very doable and enjoyable, even for those who aren't OCD planners, and I really hope it stays that way!

I will say I also dislike lining up and/or saving spots for anything hours in advance though.

When people started putting down blankets mid afternoon to save spots for F! I thought the powers that be at DLR would put an end to it in a hurry. When they didn't, we adopted the see the 2nd show or don't see it at all plan. There's still a wait involved, but not hours on end.

We've never been front and center for WoC, and probably never will be, because we won't invest the time waiting in line and then waiting in the viewing area it would require. We've seen the show, but from the back of the viewing area.

I hope you find things are easier at DLR than you're anticipating OP!

 

[rtfelt]

I've also been going to DL for nearly 50 years. What is new is the access to information. When I went as a child, we didn't know a ride was down for maintenance until we showed up at the gate and saw the sign. I went on Mattahorn at age 5 and was totally freaked out. As I grew I wanted to experience it again to see what I was so scared about, but every year we went that ride was down. It wasn't until I was in my early 20's and went at Christmas time (mid 80's--btw I have NEVER seen it as busy as I did that day nearly 30 years ago) when that ride was running. Even though the line was over 3 hours (yes 3 hours for Mattahorn), I waited in that ridiculous line because I needed to update my 15+ old memory. That never would have happened now. We can look online at what rides will be down for maintenance, and if that ride is critical to you then change your time. Just because the information is available doesn't mean you have to use it. You can still just show up and see how it goes. A couple years ago while waiting in line for Space I got talking to a couple college exchange students who were there just for that day. It was after 9 pm and they hadn't done many rides including Indy, ST or HM... In fact they didn't even know what they were (not know what Indy is--really ). I gave them some quick suggestions on what to do in the last couple hours before the park closed while my kids looked on in disbelief that someone could spend $100 for one day at DL and not have a clue. That's often how we did it when we were young. We missed things because we didn't know, but when we were children we didn't know we didn't know, so we were just happy to be there. I never plan my day at DL, but I'm an AP and go all the time. If I was only going once every decade or so, I would want to make sure to minimize the wasted time (in lines or moving around or trying to figure out what to do next). The information available now helps in doing that, but if it minimizes the magic for you then for sure don't use it. For me the magic gets minimized/eliminated if the whole day is spent in long lines and you miss your favorite attraction.

 

[sheetz]

When I look at the wait times for many attractions nowadays I actually think they are lower than they were years ago. I'm another one of those who literally waited 3+ hours for Space and Indy back in the Pre-fastpass days. And as for IASW the only time the queue is 60 min is when the holiday version opens.

I agree with those who note that a lot of the posters here are WDW vets who approach DLR in the same way they do WDW. There's just something about the way WDW is run that makes people become OCD superplanners. On Disneyland-centric forums you do not see the type of compulsive planning that you do here.

 

[Melidef3405]

It really just boils down to a matter of perspective. I've been going to DL at least once a year(single day trip only) since 1978. The "old days" might seem better in hindsight but there's always been the good & the bad (ticket booklets, pre-Fast pass, Mousersize!). For every minus, I feel there are more plusses. It's entirely up to you how much you want to plan everything out depending on what's best for you & your family since little ones under 3 can be game-changers. You just might find yourself being swept up in the magic & not plan at all. Most importantly, don't forget to enjoy your little ones first visit to Disneyland.

 

[adykate]

So many great points made by all the replies, and I appreciate many of you giving me a different perspective on things. I do agree that FP is wonderful. I do remember waiting 90min+ for Splash, Space and Indy, and for the short time it was there, I think I waited 2hrs+ for the Rocket Rods mess . I also remember running up to the board by the ticket booths to see what was closed that day, and being so upset if something major was down for refurb!

I think part of my anxiety is because it is my first time going with really young kids, so I am worried about total meltdowns if we have to wait in long lines. Also, my husband is not a huge Disney fan, simply because of the crowds. He and I have been to several of the parks just he and I, but always during very off season times. It seems there is no such thing these days with Carsland. So I am trying to plan a bit to try and keep stress levels down by minimizing meltdowns (kids and husband!) due to long lines, walking through mass crowds in particular areas, and walking around a lot but accomplishing nothing.

That said, I really am going into the trip with the mentality that we won't be riding any major "big" rides with height restrictions because it is more important to me to just experience and enjoy our time as a family. I can't wait to just slow down and see the park through the eyes of my kids, and do things I haven't done in forever because we were always racing from one ride to the next. It will be a whole different experience for me, and one that I know I will always cherish.

The first time I saw F! I was 16 years old. I got tears in my eyes, and every viewing after I imagined that some day I would be able to watch it with my own husband and kids. Due to a cancer diagnosis at 28, I gave up that dream for a long time. So just being able to walk through the gates at Disneyland pushing a double stroller, and getting a picture taken of all of us on main street will be all I need to have my magical trip...even if I CAN'T just park in a flat, wide open parking lot and walk a few minutes to the ticket booths

 

[BSOGfam]

We were there last month with our 2 1/2 year old. F! wasn't showing, so we didn't have to worry about that. We went mid afternoon for our WOC fastpasses, but they weren't even needed. My DS didn't even want to stay more than 5 minutes, so it wasn't a worry. My DH and I rode RSR and Indy in the single rider, and practically walked on both. Don't worry about the lines or strategies. Because you're reading these boards, you're already at an advantage over many people there. I have to say, taking my DS there for the first time made it our most magical Disney trip yet.

 

[Teki]

It is because it has become more popular, things are new and exciting and more and more people want to see them. Personally I dont mind the wait for F! if done correctly it can be pleasant. My Fiance and I usually have one person sit in the spot while the other goes and gets dinner, after that he useually has a nap and I people watch or read a book. Now days we all have smart phones so most people seemed to be pretty entertained. I have seen families with young children bring coloring books or small toys to keep the kiddos entertained. I've also seen parents tuck kids in for a nice nap in strollers before they have to take them down. I have never been hit with a stroller. I know lots of people seem to have but my personal experience is its never been a problem. As far as Cars land um yeah your going to have to wait in line upwards of 90 mins....but that happened in the 80's and 90's too its not new. Woc is the same as F!, enjoy the wait slow down people watch etc.

 

[Pinup Mommy]

I so totally agree with the OP, I grew up going to the park in the 80'-90's as well, but then I kind of grew out of it. Flash forward 15 years as a mom went back and everything changed. Yes everything is bigger and better, but what I noticed was the crowds and longer wait times. There are a lot of AP holders, the SoCal pass along with the monthly payment plan has caused the park to become busy with locals.
I found to looking up black out days help, and go when most passes are blocked. I too am part of the problem, as I am a pass holder, we were still able to purchase the premium this year but afraid we may become priced out. Disney has realized the park has become to crowded with AP holders.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[beachdreamr1229]

I was one of those Disney kids from the 80s/90s, too. It does feel like there's quite a bit of over-planning now, but some people enjoy that. Bottom line, you don't have to plan to have fun. We made no food reservations and still ate at some great restaurants. We saw the Fireworks from our hotel, which may not have been the "best" view, but for us it was perfect. I would love to see WOC, but I didn't freak out when we didn't get a FP for the night we were there--we'll just see it some other time.

Even with the way Disneyland has changed over the years, we just got back from our first trip with our son, who is almost 3, and it was more magical than it's been in a long time because we got to see him experience all the magic in a way only a child can. The eyes of a child are very special.