In the park - Insane 12/10

[CarolynK]

I'm really surprised by the reports of it being crowded. We were there this past Saturday through Wednesday (12/10-12-14) and thought it was perfect. We could actually walk without bumping into people and do as many rides as we wanted (within reason!). We probably crammed more stuff into those 4 days than we did in the whole week we were there last October (10/10-10/17). We did all of our favorites multiple times (Indy, Star Tours, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Jingle Cruise, Soarin', Grizzly River), saw the fireworks all 4 days, saw Paint the Night twice, saw the Christmas Fantasy Parade twice. We never even made rope drop either (got to the park 45 minutes - an hour after park opening). We took at least a 2 hour break at our hotel everyday from about 3-5 p.m.

Great! We arrive this Sunday...and I've been a bit worried about crowds.

 

[OldPyrate]

We were there 9, 10, & 11; Saturday was really crowded! We had Early Morning and only managed Peter Pan, Alice, and Space Mountain x2 before the rope drop. By noon DL was packed...I've never seen lines like that before. Sunday was better, especially after 9 pm.

 

[MacMama0930]

I'm really surprised by the reports of it being crowded. We were there this past Saturday through Wednesday (12/10-12-14) and thought it was perfect. We could actually walk without bumping into people and do as many rides as we wanted (within reason!). We probably crammed more stuff into those 4 days than we did in the whole week we were there last October (10/10-10/17). We did all of our favorites multiple times (Indy, Star Tours, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Jingle Cruise, Soarin', Grizzly River), saw the fireworks all 4 days, saw Paint the Night twice, saw the Christmas Fantasy Parade twice. We never even made rope drop either (got to the park 45 minutes - an hour after park opening). We took at least a 2 hour break at our hotel everyday from about 3-5 p.m.

That's why people have to keep in mind that "crowded" is a really subjective term. I was there that week in October and obviously it was busy, but I had a far superior time than the year prior (which was MUCH lighter), partly because it was 100 degrees the year before and I didn't have a good understanding of FP or have a good touring plan. So THAT trip felt super crowded to us - much more so than this October, which like you said, had 10/10 days, mostly because the weather was cool and I made sure I knew the FP system and also had a written touring plan. The trip went so smoothly, despite the crowds.

And then when I went back in November, it felt like a ghost town to me while people on here said it was crazy! It's funny that way. There's so many variables that can change a persons perspective, what time they get to the park, whether they truly understand how to get the most out of FPs, whether you have strollers, big kids vs toddlers, a persons mood (which if they're like me, can vary daily!).

My suggestion to people is to start early, have a basic itinerary, know how FP work, splurge on preferred seating for shows if you can, take afternoon breaks, etc.

 

[minnieralyks]

Great! We arrive this Sunday...and I've been a bit worried about crowds.

This upcoming week might be different than last, due to it being closer to Christmas. Hopefully crowds won't be too bad, since many Annual Passes will be blocked out. Either way, I know you'll have a wonderful trip!

 

[minnieralyks]

That's why people have to keep in mind that "crowded" is a really subjective term. I was there that week in October and obviously it was busy, but I had a far superior time than the year prior (which was MUCH lighter), partly because it was 100 degrees the year before and I didn't have a good understanding of FP or have a good touring plan. So THAT trip felt super crowded to us - much more so than this October, which like you said, had 10/10 days, mostly because the weather was cool and I made sure I knew the FP system and also had a written touring plan. The trip went so smoothly, despite the crowds.

And then when I went back in November, it felt like a ghost town to me while people on here said it was crazy! It's funny that way. There's so many variables that can change a persons perspective, what time they get to the park, whether they truly understand how to get the most out of FPs, whether you have strollers, big kids vs toddlers, a persons mood (which if they're like me, can vary daily!).

My suggestion to people is to start early, have a basic itinerary, know how FP work, splurge on preferred seating for shows if you can, take afternoon breaks, etc.

I agree, it's definitely a subjective term. These past days may have been busier if some weren't used to going during peak times. We're used to going during peak times (Christmas and Halloween), so that may have played a part in it as well.

On a side note: The Disneyland app is really nice! I love being able to check FP times without having to walk all the way over to the ride.

 

[LizzyS]

Agreed about the term "crowded" being subjective.

Sometimes I think it's just the luck of the draw, too.

 

[MikeRx]

October 9-14 was the perfect storm of Columbus Day (October 10th) and a large number of school fall breaks in Arizona, Washington and all points west! It was really crowded each day, but still manageable if you did rope drop, fast pass and tempered your expectations (took a deep breath). We are expecting this and more December 28-Jan 1st! Thankfully we have a well manicured plan...Dinner at Club 33 on the 29th, VIP tour on the 30th and a WOC dessert party on the 31st.
I anticipate the first week of Jan to be a busy too as many AZ schools aren't back in session and the blockout of APs is lifted by the 3rd (Signature - Jan 2nd and Deluxe - 3rd). We'd originally planned this week until the Club 33 and tour option came through for us.
Mike

 

[Gisele]

We went to DL 12-13-14 and even though we had a great time, I've never seen the crowds that bad. It kind of made me not want to visit around Christmastime, that's for sure. The bottleneck at Tomorrowland was wall to wall people. I later learned that the date was the last before certain APs were blocked, so that didn't help, lol.

insert icon for scream here....lol

 

[wongck]

I'm really surprised by the reports of it being crowded. We were there this past Saturday through Wednesday (12/10-12-14) and thought it was perfect. We could actually walk without bumping into people and do as many rides as we wanted (within reason!). We probably crammed more stuff into those 4 days than we did in the whole week we were there last October (10/10-10/17). We did all of our favorites multiple times (Indy, Star Tours, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Jingle Cruise, Soarin', Grizzly River), saw the fireworks all 4 days, saw Paint the Night twice, saw the Christmas Fantasy Parade twice. We never even made rope drop either (got to the park 45 minutes - an hour after park opening). We took at least a 2 hour break at our hotel everyday from about 3-5 p.m.

My guess is that weekends are crowded and week days are not.
We were there 2-Dec to 9-Dec (sorry missed the dates on this thread) and was the CP weekend.
On those weekend, it was very easy going (of course I went to the least crowded Frontierland side) till about noon and after lunch. We went back to rest anyway and was back at 4pm for the night tour. Even with the crowd, at around 5pm, we managed to do all of toontown within an hour all the (two) rides, Mickey greet and house visits. Even waited 15min for the Gadget coaster.
Further down south at Main street is was like a river of people flowing up and down... I wonder where they are going.

On the weekdays, we did much more than planned for. So much so that I could afford a 50 mins wait in the morning for PP even after the 1st 20 min abandon wait ( at RD and was asked to leave by the CM) for it. Even with such time wasted we could tick off the rides we wanted to do at DL and with time to spare. So weekdays are still much better than weekends.