Just got back :)

[whitneyebz]

We just got back from a 3 day trip. We had a blast...every time we go we have more fun than the last. This time there were 13 of us and we did a great job of getting FP's and getting in shorter lines. We also took advantage of switchpass since we have a 2 year old.

I feel like people have been extremely negative about disneyland lately. Everyone keeps using words like "jam packed" and saying how crowded it is, etc...I tried to ignore those people and I am glad I did! Yes it was crowded, but not more so than last year late January. We never waited more than 25 minutes for anything (and it was rare that we waited that long) and we rode all our favorites...some multiple times! I will never understand why people wait in 90 minute lines when you can do so much just by getting your FP's and then going on less popular rides at other times. We had a few bits of disney magic, too...like when we walked onto Peter Pan friday morning right arouhd 9:20...it had been closed down until the minute we walked up! Anyway, just wanted to say that even with crowds, you can have a blast! The crowds did not bother us much at all. My only regret is that we never had time for parades or shows.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

So cool that you all had such a good time. You're right that getting those fastpasses really help. I'm glad you had so much fun.

 

[Indiana Scott]

Glad you had a great time but if you only waited 25 minutes for any ride then it probably wasn't all that crowded! It gets a lot worse than that.
But like you, we avoid the very worst times of year for times like this!

 

[sherilaine]

I don't think people are being negative about crowds, well maybe a few are upset but I think most people are just trying to be realistic and help set proper expectations for others. We were there the same time and it is more crowded than past years. We skipped 2015 so maybe this year is the same as last. However, it is still completely manageable it's just not as quiet and relaxing as we experienced in 2012, 2013 and 2014, but change happens.

I am thankful for this forum as it equips us with strategies to use when we are at the parks when it's busy. I think that actually made us more efficient than when we visited during lighter crowds as we were lazier as we could get away with it. We did not wait long for rides either as we either did the busier rides early in the day or pulled fast passes. We rode HSM about 10 times and never waited more than 5 minutes because we either walked on in the morning or always had a FP. But the lines were there - 90 minutes at times we saw for Space and RSR! I also cannot imagine waiting in a 90 minute line when there are other alternatives, there is so much else to do during the busier times of the day. The one thing I had not seen before on Friday was most of the rides that issue fast passes eventually all ran out - later in the evening there were none left for Star Tours, TOT, Screamin and BTMRR - but like you mentioned, we did other things during that time, visiting the quieter attractions and that removed the stress. That is also a great time to get any shopping done.

Expectations and being prepared make or break your experience I think and I'm glad you had a positive one.

 

[Disney127]

Glad you had fun, thanks for sharing! We don't let the crowds bother us, we just find other things to do if the lines are too long.

 

[whitneyebz]

Oh it was crowded.we just skipped things if we saw a line longer than 30 minutes or saved it for later. A few we did not do were dumbo, and toy story due to tge long lines...but we got in all.our favorites and more! And I agree that it's good to be prepared...most people talking about crowds are just trying to warn people. I've just seen several posts on Facebook and such that were really complaining!

 

[agamble]

if you only waited 25 minutes for any ride then it probably wasn't all that crowded!

Not really true. We won't wait longer than 30 minutes for a ride. We were there during the week leading up to the 60th last year, including the 24 hour day. It was BUSY that whole week with TV show tapings and weird hours, etc. We still didn't wait long for rides. You just need a plan, and be willing to skip a ride when it has a long line. We didn't ride Jungle Cruise until our last morning (24 hour day) because it had long lines all week and/or was broken down. I agree with the OP, it's silly to wait 90 minutes for a ride with FP. You just have to know how to tour the parks. I've only ever ridden the Racers with a FP because I won't wait that long. With a FP you're usually on in about 15 minutes.

 

[LizzyS]

Next time we go, I want to utilize FP more. We've never been disappointed in being early risers and hitting the e-ticket rides early in the morning, though.

 

[agamble]

Next time we go, I want to utilize FP more. We've never been disappointed in being early risers and hitting the e-ticket rides early in the morning, though.

Being early in the parks makes a big difference too. We have little ones, so we spend at least one morning riding all of the Fanasyland rides. Typically that can be done in about an hour first thing in the morning. Later in the day it could take several hours. Who wants to wait 30 minutes for a 2 minute ride? Not me! I like to walk on those rides.

 

[Eosphotog]

Coming from the East coast makes those early morning starts a lot easier too