March Check-In **Official** Thread (Start with Post #17)

[EmJ]

Menus are out for the F&W Festival!
Foodie Guide to Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival 2020


People have started posting about missing out because of technical glitches (very recent -- maybe over the past two days?). Hopefully, the app will have an update soon to take care of all this. And, we have a nice, new "How To" Guide that can help with the basics: "How To" Guide For Riding Rise of the Resistance at DL - No Spoilers - Please Read Post #1!!!. (This is now post #4 on page one of the Rise of the Resistance BOARDING GROUPS Superthread *No Ride Spoilers Please* *PLEASE READ POSTS 1-4*.)

Yeah, the last few days have been ROUGH. What I would give to be a fly on many Disney walls at the moment. It was going so well, and then just... not. Why were the best four days followed immediately by two of the worst? So curious, but we will probably never know.

DH and I decided we will try for a boarding group on only two of our four days and will likely only try once if we get it on the first day. We're coming back. The ride will still be there. And it's not the be-all-end-all of our trip.

 

[OneThree]

I'll get you added, but to confirm, DLR is Disneyland Resort, right? Is that not considered on-site?

Sorry. By DLR I just meant we’d be at Disneyland.

 

[EmJ]

Sorry. By DLR I just meant we’d be at Disneyland.

Ah! I understand. I'll get you added to Post #17. Your days almost exactly overlap ours, actually! We will be there 3/30-4/4.

 

[Courtney Disney 2019]

We are going the week of March 23rd, on some of the crowd calendars it looks like the busiest week of spring break, busier then Easter. Any ideas?

 

[mamapenguin]

We are going the week of March 23rd, on some of the crowd calendars it looks like the busiest week of spring break, busier then Easter. Any ideas?

Well, we will be there starting the 22nd so it will be busy. Oregon Spring Break is 3/22-3/27. Washington is the following week. I think Easter is busier at WDW. We were there last Spring Break and it was busy, but not extreme.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Well, we will be there starting the 22nd so it will be busy. Oregon Spring Break is 3/22-3/27. Washington is the following week. I think Easter is busier at WDW. We were there last Spring Break and it was busy, but not extreme.

And someone posted that Canadian Spring Break covers the last two weeks of March, so, as you said, busy!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

F&W Festival menus updated with prices: Festival Marketplaces at the 2020 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival Menu | Disneyland Resort

 

[EmJ]

F&W Festival menus updated with prices: Festival Marketplaces at the 2020 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival Menu | Disneyland Resort

Thanks Lucky, I have updated Post #19!

 

[Funtimeswithteenagers]

We are going the week of March 23rd, on some of the crowd calendars it looks like the busiest week of spring break, busier then Easter. Any ideas?

We will be there the same week for spring break. I’ve read on here you can’t trust crowd calendars. I’ve been to other sites and that week is expected to be crowded but not as crowded as California spring break which is April.

 

[BrianL]

So, suddenly my mom wants to go to LA and do Disneyland for her birthday next month. We are looking at two days, March 13 & 14. Is this crazy? It seems like availability is scarce and we'd need to stay further away than I'd like to. I was not prepared to be doing a trip with such last minute notice, but she wants to see my sister who is in Hawaii and can easily come to LA, so we're meeting in the middle. Are there any concerns about those dates - i.e. will it be crazy busy? Thanks.

 

[khewlett]

March 5th thru the 9th! Trying the Disneyland Hotel for the first time!!! Pixar Nite too! Shhhhh! Just the husband and I!

 

[gerilyne]

It looks like the parks are staying open later than originally scheduled the week we are there. Fortunately this does not change any of my plans for the mornings, they were already at an 8am regular park opening for the week. But now it appears that DL will be open until midnight that whole week and not 11pm. We have never gone during March and spring break; I hope it isn't as busy as October was a few years back; or at least not busier than that.

 

[Christina-B-Na]

t looks like the parks are staying open later than originally scheduled the week we are there. Fortunately this does not change any of my plans for the mornings, they were already at an 8am regular park opening for the week. But now it appears that DL will be open until midnight that whole week and not 11pm. We have never gone during March and spring break; I hope it isn't as busy as October was a few years back; or at least not busier than that.

Me too! I noticed the extension till midnight the days we are there as well. I’m guessing that means they expect to be very busy. We’ve never been during spring break either so I am feeling a bit anxious but hoping for the best.
14 days from today we will be driving in from Arizona!
Brought out the suitcases and am finishing up some of our matching family shirts. I’m always so afraid I’m gonna forget stuff so I start packing two weeks before. Ha! I’ve had to hide the suitcases though because our kids don’t know we’re going.
So excited and I’m just hoping for great weather and manageable crowds...... and also REALLY hoping we can snag a ROTR BG!!!!

 

[Syndrome]

1st week of March, the hours creeped up slightly . Not quite till midnight through the week , and only at DL . Like 10 and 11 pm .
DCA did not change at all .

 

[EmJ]

So, suddenly my mom wants to go to LA and do Disneyland for her birthday next month. We are looking at two days, March 13 & 14. Is this crazy? It seems like availability is scarce and we'd need to stay further away than I'd like to. I was not prepared to be doing a trip with such last minute notice, but she wants to see my sister who is in Hawaii and can easily come to LA, so we're meeting in the middle. Are there any concerns about those dates - i.e. will it be crazy busy? Thanks.

It might be crazy busy, but I'm of the opinion that you travel when it fits into your life and schedule, so I say go for it. As long as you go anticipating high crowds and set your expectations and plans accordingly, you should be fine!

 

[DanT]

In last years we have come to the conclusion that it is almost always busy to some extent. With a strategy and knowing the parks, we have still enjoyed ourselves, and ridden everything we want, usually multiple times. You just need to know when, where and why.

 

[harmon54]

So in trying to plan for crowds I have searched various park plans but they all seem to be somewhat different? How do you know which one will work? Is it fine just to have some sort of plan? This seems a lot easier to do at WDW since you pick your fast passes so early- I feel like I need to know how to react on the fly at Disneyland and I have read and reread the Maxpass thread and I am still not sure I know what to go for and when?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

So in trying to plan for crowds I have searched various park plans but they all seem to be somewhat different? How do you know which one will work? Is it fine just to have some sort of plan? This seems a lot easier to do at WDW since you pick your fast passes so early- I feel like I need to know how to react on the fly at Disneyland and I have read and reread the Maxpass thread and I am still not sure I know what to go for and when?

Since MP/FP is a day-of system, it really is a bit "on the fly" because you can't know exactly what will happen until you get to the parks and start pulling FPs. That said, it isn't as hard as most people think it will be. You do want to have some kind of plan, but to be flexible enough to work around things, too. Since you can't choose your return times, you have to be able to work with the system, not against it. Does this make sense? What are the rides that are your absolute musts?

 

[gerilyne]

Me too! I noticed the extension till midnight the days we are there as well. I’m guessing that means they expect to be very busy. We’ve never been during spring break either so I am feeling a bit anxious but hoping for the best.
14 days from today we will be driving in from Arizona!
Brought out the suitcases and am finishing up some of our matching family shirts. I’m always so afraid I’m gonna forget stuff so I start packing two weeks before. Ha! I’ve had to hide the suitcases though because our kids don’t know we’re going.
So excited and I’m just hoping for great weather and manageable crowds...... and also REALLY hoping we can snag a ROTR BG!!!!

I am working on my packing list; we leave a week from Sunday but Saturday the 7th is when we drive up to the park and fly hotel (the joys of not living near an commercial airport). I am always worried I am going to forget something really important. If I could, I would start packing now too.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

And someone posted that Canadian Spring Break covers the last two weeks of March, so, as you said, busy!

We're in BC and our spring break is the second and third week of March, so everywhere is slightly different. That being said, I think there's really no 'slow' time at DLR anymore.

Thank you for the F&W info!