Just back from CRAZY trip...

[Sherry E]

I talked to every CM I could and they seemed baffled by the crowds, too. They said early October is usually not that busy and they wondered if the hype from Miley's party had carried over into the week. A bunch of them said not to enter the park from Oct. to December if you want to avoid crowds. And our next trip will be Feb. or late Jan. for sure.

I thought the food at Goofy's was really good. I loved the creme brulee french toast and the bread pudding. My kids loved having mac and cheese for breakfast. My DH had some cobbler and loved it.

I also wonder if the increase in crowds now as opposed to the lower attendance during summer is an indicator of the economy taking its toll? Perhaps so many people went to DLR now because there were all kinds of discount offers and things, seeing that it is supposed to be 'off-peak season' but avoided summer when rates were higher? Like even Goofy's was higher priced in summer than it is right now. Maybe this is a sign that NOT AS MANY PEOPLE (knock on wood) will be in DLR around the holidays, another peak season - because the rates go up for that time too and people just cannot afford it!

I have to admit, with as much as I ate at Goofy's, I was tempted to try a slice of the pepperoni pizza they had out for breakfast! I don't know how good it would have been but I was considering it!!!

Now I remember - your family was getting the senior discount because your inlaws were going with you, right? How did that work out? Did everybody show up at the same time to check in, or did you have to wait for your inlaws to show proof of a senior being with you to get the discount, or did the GCH give you the discount before they showed up?

I don't blame you for not wanting to switch rooms. I had problems with my PPH room (and the kind of sloppy check-in process this time), but it seemed more hassle than it was worth at that moment to re-pack and switch rooms. Now, in hindsight, I think it would have been better for me to complain while I was there. I probably would have gotten better results that way! I would have preferred to go back to GCH because the convenience of it is SO helpful for tired feet!

 

[Rainforest_Elf]

Elf, I looked for you, too.

I didn't have a lime green mickey head, but I do have to ask....were you in the Riverbelle Terrace for breakfast around... 10:30-11am on Tuesday 10/7? I heard someone talking about disboards and I made eye contact with a man talking to his family about it, but I was too shy to say anything. I wish I had brought a LGMH with me though, it sounds likie there were a LOT of us disboarders there!!

 

[amyamya]

I didn't have a lime green mickey head, but I do have to ask....were you in the Riverbelle Terrace for breakfast around... 10:30-11am on Tuesday 10/7? I heard someone talking about disboards and I made eye contact with a man talking to his family about it, but I was too shy to say anything. I wish I had brought a LGMH with me though, it sounds likie there were a LOT of us disboarders there!!

Nope, wasn't us. We were sitting in front of the door to the Riverbelle after getting the shaft on Indy at that time and that's when we got dreamed with Fastpasses...

 

[amyamya]

I
Now I remember - your family was getting the senior discount because you inlaws were going with you, right? How did that work out? Did everybody show up at the same time to check in, or did you have to wait for your inlaws to show proof of a senior being with you to get the discount, or did the GCH give you the discount before they showed up?

!

Yes, we were able to check in and go to our room before they arrived! We were glad for that. We just had to go back with them at some point and show id, which we did when they checked in...

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

We still had fun, in between the crazy parts. The magic was still there!

BTW: Emmers, I stumbled upon your cute hair website and was surprised to see your pic! I was like, I know her (kinda!) Funny!

That's sorta random! hahaha

Yeah, I guess it's hard to have a HORRIFIC time at Disneyland, right?

 

[julw]

We were there from Monday 10/6 to today 10/12. I can agree the crowds were heavy. I was expecting it though. I remember high crowds last October when we went as well. I wasn't expecting the heat though on Tues and Wed! We thought Wednesday was the least busy, with Friday and Sat. being just crazy! I even thought that MTOT was way more packed this year than last.

Also, my Dh was one of the unlucky ones who got bit by the sick bug at DL. He had to go back to the room on Tuesday and was not feeling well all night.

I guess we were totally lucky on Thursday night to miss the crowd mess. We had BB reservations for 6:50, so that kept us from the crowd nightmare- thank goodness. Though I have to say, that would be the ONLY good thing about our meal there. We wont eat there again. Service and food were BAD. My DH actually sent back his meal and he NEVER does that...I am usually the one to do that while he sits embarrassed, lol. We ate at Ariel's and the Napa Rose and they were GREAT!

 

[Sherry E]

We were there from Monday 10/6 to today 10/12. I can agree the crowds were heavy. I was expecting it though. I remember high crowds last October when we went as well. I wasn't expecting the heat though on Tues and Wed! We thought Wednesday was the least busy, with Friday and Sat. being just crazy! I even thought that MTOT was way more packed this year than last.

Also, my Dh was one of the unlucky ones who got bit by the sick bug at DL. He had to go back to the room on Tuesday and was not feeling well all night.

I guess we were totally lucky on Thursday night to miss the crowd mess. We had BB reservations for 6:50, so that kept us from the crowd nightmare- thank goodness. Though I have to say, that would be the ONLY good thing about our meal there. We wont eat there again. Service and food were BAD. My DH actually sent back his meal and he NEVER does that...I am usually the one to do that while he sits embarrassed, lol. We ate at Ariel's and the Napa Rose and they were GREAT!

Ahhhh...another person who had a not-so-great time at the Blue Bayou. Same here! There are more and more of us coming out of the woodwork! For those prices and that kind of a wait to be seated they really need to get their act together with food and service quality!!

 

[SmoothDisneyH2O]

Am I at a different DL than the rest of you? We were there yesterday and the weather was perfect, not hot at all. It was busy but I expected it to be on saturday. The crowds were managable, we arrived at DL at abot 10:30 am and by the time DCA closed at 10 pm we had ridden pirates, hauntd mansion, jungle cruise, star tours, buzz lightyear, space mountain, sun wheel, tower o terror, screaminh, soarin, and celebrated mtg DM b-day at mickey & Minnies b-day bash at park plaza, went back had a short nap and had dinner a BB (which we all hated) and we did all this without using a single fastpass. We were at Universal studios today and will be again tomorrow so Im not sure how the crowds were today, but well be back on tuesday-thursday and Ill give you all another update.

 

[Sherry E]

Am I at a different DL than the rest of you? We were there yesterday and the weather was perfect, not hot at all. It was busy but I expected it to be on saturday. The crowds were managable, we arrived at DL at abot 10:30 am and by the time DCA closed at 10 pm we had ridden pirates, hauntd mansion, jungle cruise, star tours, buzz lightyear, space mountain, sun wheel, tower o terror, screaminh, soarin, and celebrated mtg DM b-day at mickey & Minnies b-day bash at park plaza, went back had a short nap and had dinner a BB (which we all hated) and we did all this without using a single fastpass. We were at Universal studios today and will be again tomorrow so Im not sure how the crowds were today, but well be back on tuesday-thursday and Ill give you all another update.

I guess everyone's perceptions of crowds and heat and what they can tolerate is different - it is kind of subjective - and it is all open to interpretation. What one of us finds uncomfortable may not be unpleasant to another person (I know my level of tolerance for heat and it is much lower than other folks')! What looks to be a huge crowd to one may look normal to someone else! And also, things change at DLR every day, and some specific areas are more congested than others. Sometimes there is a pattern and then other times it is unpredictable. I think this year has been kind of unpredictable at DLR from what I am hearing! So there is no concrete, absolute assessment of what the weather or crowds were like at DLR because we all just share our own experiences with our own points of view!

And yet another Blue Bayou hater coming out from the shadows! I feel so much better that I wasn't the only one who didn't think it was worth it because so many people love BB!!!

 

[fairycat]

SmoothDisneyH2O- First there was a huge turn in the weather this week from hot at the beginning to colder by the end.

As to crowds, it must be expectations, I was in the parks on Thursday and didn't think they were bad at all. I got on a lot of rides, took tons of pictures, got a fast walk up seating at WCT. It wasn't a slow day, but nothing like Summer or peak days.

 

[DangerMouse]

SmoothDisneyH2O- First there was a huge turn in the weather this week from hot at the beginning to colder by the end.

As to crowds, it must be expectations, I was in the parks on Thursday and didn't think they were bad at all. I got on a lot of rides, took tons of pictures, got a fast walk up seating at WCT. It wasn't a slow day, but nothing like Summer or peak days.

Hi Heather! Would you say it was as crowded as the Ladies' Only trip in April?

 

[SmoothDisneyH2O]

SmoothDisneyH2O- First there was a huge turn in the weather this week from hot at the beginning to colder by the end.

As to crowds, it must be expectations, I was in the parks on Thursday and didn't think they were bad at all. I got on a lot of rides, took tons of pictures, got a fast walk up seating at WCT. It wasn't a slow day, but nothing like Summer or peak days.

The funny thing is that this past week prior to our trip I was so worried about the crowds that I actually got sick from the stress and eveyone on these forums helped my out and calmed my nerves a bit which I greatly appreciate, and now everyone is talking about how crazy the crowds are and Im thinking "what crowds?" I totally agree its all about perception.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I guess everyone's perceptions of crowds and heat and what they can tolerate is different - it is kind of subjective - and it is all open to interpretation. What one of us finds uncomfortable may not be unpleasant to another person (I know my level of tolerance for heat and it is much lower than other folks')! What looks to be a huge crowd to one may look normal to someone else!

This is very true. We went during Gay Days weekend last year (having previously been only once in a very slow period in late September.) We were a bit overwhelmed by the crowds, especially on a Saturday evening. Like you, one evening we walked into the park, got stuck in the crowd on Main Street, and just turned around and slowly made our way out of the park.

We weren't scared, but just stressed out. One group of teenagers was pushing through the crowd, and when one girl hopped over my child in the stroller and nearly fell back onto him when she lost her footing, I was ready to "help her up" by the hair!

UGH. We don't do crowds well. But when we complained about the crowds to other DISer friends who were there that same weekend, they said the crowds weren't bad at all.

 

[fairycat]

Hi Heather! Would you say it was as crowded as the Ladies' Only trip in April?

No where near as bad! That was the kind of day were even JC had a 20-30 minute line, I got on JC in 5. It was busy for October, especially when you compare it to the old days, but I wouldn't say it was bad. But again I am a little more use to the crowd levels and expectations because of how often I go and all the seasons I see.

But if you expect the old pre-Halloween focused DL days, it was probably surprisingly busy!

 

[amyamya]

No where near as bad! That was the kind of day were even JC had a 20-30 minute line, I got on JC in 5. It was busy for October, especially when you compare it to the old days, but I wouldn't say it was bad. But again I am a little more use to the crowd levels and expectations because of how often I go and all the seasons I see.

But if you expect the old pre-Halloween focused DL days, it was probably surprisingly busy!

On Tuesday the JC had a 25 minute wait. We waited for the rope drop on Thursday so we could run to JC so the kids could see it. My idea of busy is when you are still waiting 20-40 minutes with a Fastpass which we did on several rides...we never rode Nemo, TSM, Matterhorn, Splash, Peter Pan, Grizz, or Calif. screamin' because those all had waits of 40 minutes up to 90 minutes.

 

[Sherry E]

This is very true. We went during Gay Days weekend last year (having previously been only once in a very slow period in late September.) We were a bit overwhelmed by the crowds, especially on a Saturday evening. Like you, one evening we walked into the park, got stuck in the crowd on Main Street, and just turned around and slowly made our way out of the park.

We weren't scared, but just stressed out. One group of teenagers was pushing through the crowd, and when one girl hopped over my child in the stroller and nearly fell back onto him when she lost her footing, I was ready to "help her up" by the hair!

UGH. We don't do crowds well. But when we complained about the crowds to other DISer friends who were there that same weekend, they said the crowds weren't bad at all.

And it never helps when idiot people start hopping over you and pushing. That only makes it worse. Well, I think if my friend and I had been stuck in the sort of situation with no exit like Amyamya was, my friend would have surely panicked. We were sort of protected in a way because we were still at our Carnation Cafe table when we saw the post-parade crowds starting to clog up the sidewalk. We could have stayed at the table. My friend was worried that we wouldn't get out, like Amyamya's experience, but then we remembered that there is a shop entrance back by the bathrooms so we were able to cut through there.

I remember being in DLR on New Year's Eve once - about 8 years ago - and it was SCARY. Not only could you not walk along the sidewalk on Main Street but you couldn't walk in the middle of the street either. It was wall to wall people. My friend (same one) suddenly 'had a sore throat' and had to go up to the room, but I knew she saw the crowds and was secretly panicking!!!

 

[Sherry E]

On Tuesday the JC had a 25 minute wait. We waited for the rope drop on Thursday so we could run to JC so the kids could see it. My idea of busy is when you are still waiting 20-40 minutes with a Fastpass which we did on several rides...we never rode Nemo, TSM, Matterhorn, Splash, Peter Pan, Grizz, or Calif. screamin' because those all had waits of 40 minutes up to 90 minutes.

We actually encountered a long wait on Soarin' even with the Fast Pass. That was the first time I have ever waited for 25 minutes even after getting a FP! Nemo is just too long and there is no way to speed up that line. TSMM does move quite fast, so it looks more ominous than it is! The HMH line was worse of a wait for us than TSMM!

 

[amyamya]

We were sort of protected in a way because we were still at our Carnation Cafe table when we saw the post-parade crowds starting to clog up the sidewalk. We could have stayed at the table. My friend was worried that we wouldn't get out, like Amyamya's experience, but then we remembered that there is a shop entrance back by the bathrooms so we were able to cut through there.

!!!

Sherry, that is exactly where we were stuck. We had tried to cut through the store but the walkway to main street was full of people and the store was full of people and they weren't letting people go back into the store! If you needed to use the bathrooms behind us you were out of luck. There was no way to move to let someone through. A woman was pleading with us to let her get to the bathroom and we tried but could not move one inch. I noticed many security officers coming out of a door by the bathrooms and running through the outside tables at Carnation to try to help get things moving.

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry, that is exactly where we were stuck. We had tried to cut through the store but the walkway to main street was full of people and the store was full of people and they weren't letting people go back into the store! If you needed to use the bathrooms behind us you were out of luck. There was no way to move to let someone through. A woman was pleading with us to let her get to the bathroom and we tried but could not move one inch. I noticed many security officers coming out of a door by the bathrooms and running through the outside tables at Carnation to try to help get things moving.

We also saw running security guards!!! It is funny you mentioned that! We saw them run quickly past us, back towards the Carnation bathrooms and that shortcut we used to get away from the crowds (not the Fortuosity shop, but further back), and my friend even commented on how she had never seen any of them running and looking 'urgent' before, like they were on a mission!!

If they closed that exit (escape route) way in the back of Carnation off when you were there, then I KNOW they were crazy crowded!!!! Yikes! It makes one feel suffocated!

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Wow, I'm glad we opted to avoid BB for now. Maybe the service will be better in the future.

I'm used to HOT hot..so none of that would bug me. But huge crowds get to me