June 22 - Where won't the crowds be?

[vpalmer]

Considering June 21 and 22 are blackout days for Give a Day, Get a Day and it is the last day before an AP blackout period (not for the entire summer, but close), I'm assuming it will be extremely busy.

We will arrive at DLR on this day (plane lands at 10:45) and have four additional days to tour. We have a five day hopper (get 5 days for three promotion) so I am considering entering a park for a short time on Tuesday evening. This will be our first exposure to DLR (well I went as a kid in the 80's and as a teenager in the early 90's but I'm not sure that counts. )

I am not looking to do anything specific and I assume in the evening most of the crowds will be waiting for Fantasmic and WOC. Our plan is to have dinner at Goofy's Kitchen and maybe go into the park from 8-10 or so. Any thoughts on what we should do for a relatively short period? Preferably something that the masses won't be doing that time of the evening.

 

[Hound 109]

If it was me, I'd enter the park (DL) late afternoon & pick up FPs for Indy or SM. Then soak things in & get your bearings. Take pictures or ride the horse & buggy down Main St. Ride the Jungle Cruise or Pinocchio or Small World. Check out Toon Town or ride the train all the way around.

THEN take the Monorail (from Tomorrowland) to the DLH for your Dinner with Goofy. (then return to the park with your FP)

 

[tholczer]

If it was me, I'd enter the park (DL) late afternoon & pick up FPs for Indy or SM. Then soak things in & get your bearings. Take pictures or ride the horse & buggy down Main St. Ride the Jungle Cruise or Pinocchio or Small World. Check out Toon Town or ride the train all the way around.

THEN take the Monorail (from Tomorrowland) to the DLH for your Dinner with Goofy. (then return to the park with your FP)

This sounds like the perfect plan.

Tracy

 

[DLR29]

If it was me, I'd enter the park (DL) late afternoon & pick up FPs for Indy or SM. Then soak things in & get your bearings. Take pictures or ride the horse & buggy down Main St. Ride the Jungle Cruise or Pinocchio or Small World. Check out Toon Town or ride the train all the way around.

THEN take the Monorail (from Tomorrowland) to the DLH for your Dinner with Goofy. (then return to the park with your FP)

Sounds like a great plan. However, on that day, I'm almost positive that the FP for Indy and Space will be gone by early-mid afternoon. That day could actually shut down both of the parks due to capacity issues. If you can grab a FP somewhere, great! But don't expect them to be available for the major rides after 2PM or so.

It also might be faster to walk back to DLH instead of taking the monorail, depending on crowd levels.

 

[vpalmer]

Thanks guys! If DL reaches capacity in the afternoon, will they open it again after crowds thin in the evening? Especially that day, I see plenty of people leaving DL in the afternoon and heading to DCA for WOC that evening.

Good tip on fastpasses being gone that day. We honestly really don't even need to ride that much. I noticed Toon Town was mentioned. This is a big draw to DL for us as that area of the park pales by comparison at WDW. We'll be attending Toontown maddness but probably not until Saturday. I did think we might take the monorail into the park and just hang out in toon town for a couple of hours. Will the masses be through with TT by nightfall?

 

[Eeee-va]

Thanks guys! If DL reaches capacity in the afternoon, will they open it again after crowds thin in the evening? Especially that day, I see plenty of people leaving DL in the afternoon and heading to DCA for WOC that evening.

Good tip on fastpasses being gone that day. We honestly really don't even need to ride that much. I noticed Toon Town was mentioned. This is a big draw to DL for us as that area of the park pales by comparison at WDW. We'll be attending Toontown maddness but probably not until Saturday. I did think we might take the monorail into the park and just hang out in toon town for a couple of hours. Will the masses be through with TT by nightfall?

I was there around June 21 2009--that period had similar blockout issues as you'll be facing (though no WoC!). I will second that by 2-3 PM on summer weekdays around June 21st 2009, all the major FPs were gone.)

Our wait for the monorail around suppertime around those dates was very long.

I'm not certain anyone knows for sure what they'll do about Disneyland if it hits capacity? In most cases, Disney invites people to go over to DCA instead, but with WoC, DCA is likely to hit capacity, maybe even before DL does. I really don't know how they handle it when both parks are at capacity.

Toontown should probably be less busy near the end of its day, but it does close at maybe 8:30 PM (? not absolutely certain when) for the fireworks show, and does not re-open until the next day.

If you're figuring to stay in the parks until close, you should be able to get decent or even great seats to Fantasmic! by hanging out in the area at the end of the first show, creeping forward as fireworks start, and then getting front and center seats as the crowds disperse after fireworks. Total wait time is a bit over an hour this way, which is currently much less time than you'd have to wait to get the same seats for the first showing. Another option is to see the fireworks from in front of the castle, if that's a priority for you. (I'm honestly not a fan of the show that will be playing when you're there...but going out of my way THREE times to see the show before we finally saw Dumbo kind of jaded me.)

Have a great trip!

 

[vpalmer]

I was there around June 21 2009--that period had similar blockout issues as you'll be facing (though no WoC!). I will second that by 2-3 PM on summer weekdays around June 21st 2009, all the major FPs were gone.)

Our wait for the monorail around suppertime around those dates was very long.

I'm not certain anyone knows for sure what they'll do about Disneyland if it hits capacity? In most cases, Disney invites people to go over to DCA instead, but with WoC, DCA is likely to hit capacity, maybe even before DL does. I really don't know how they handle it when both parks are at capacity.

Toontown should probably be less busy near the end of its day, but it does close at maybe 8:30 PM (? not absolutely certain when) for the fireworks show, and does not re-open until the next day.

If you're figuring to stay in the parks until close, you should be able to get decent or even great seats to Fantasmic! by hanging out in the area at the end of the first show, creeping forward as fireworks start, and then getting front and center seats as the crowds disperse after fireworks. Total wait time is a bit over an hour this way, which is currently much less time than you'd have to wait to get the same seats for the first showing. Another option is to see the fireworks from in front of the castle, if that's a priority for you. (I'm honestly not a fan of the show that will be playing when you're there...but going out of my way THREE times to see the show before we finally saw Dumbo kind of jaded me.)

Have a great trip!

Great information! I had no idea Toon Town closed before the fireworks. That is good onformation to know. So, is the rule of thumb, Toon Town will close about 15 minutes before the fireworks?

 

[Eeee-va]

Great information! I had no idea Toon Town closed before the fireworks. That is good onformation to know. So, is the rule of thumb, Toon Town will close about 15 minutes before the fireworks?

Fireworks are at 9:25 and I think Toontown closes at 8:30 PM (that was my guess and when I'd done a Google search on it someone else on the DISboards said the same). So it closes about an hour before fireworks.

(They have to clear everyone out by 9:25 and they'd rather do a soft closing at 8:30 PM than run through the streets screaming for everyone to evacuate before fire rains down on them from above. )

Even when the park is busy, though, Toontown does start to clear out by the end of the day. I am not sure if Mickey is in his house after 5 PM or so, though.

 

[vpalmer]

Fireworks are at 9:25 and I think Toontown closes at 8:30 PM (that was my guess and when I'd done a Google search on it someone else on the DISboards said the same). So it closes about an hour before fireworks.

(They have to clear everyone out by 9:25 and they'd rather do a soft closing at 8:30 PM than run through the streets screaming for everyone to evacuate before fire rains down on them from above. )

Even when the park is busy, though, Toontown does start to clear out by the end of the day. I am not sure if Mickey is in his house after 5 PM or so, though.

That's very helpful. We'll be doing the Toontown Morning Madness Saturday morning, so missing Mickey won't be a huge deal because we'll see him later in the trip.

Thanks for the rundown on the timing. I tried to Google and came up with lots of different answers.

I think I'll plan on an early dinner at our hotel (Goofy's Kitchen) maybe around 5:00 or so. We'll be coming from the Central time zone, so eating early won't be a problem! Then maybe we can catch the monorail from DD into TommorowLand and hit TT until it closes.

Thanks so much!