My best DL tip for hitting lots of rides

[VillainsRock]

Hi all - this is my first post so please be gentle I have a DL AP and am planning my first trip to WDW in October (also 2 days at Harry Potter) and am super excited!!! Have been reading all the zillions of tips about MK & Epcot and AKL (pretty sure that's where we are staying) and decided to pop over and post my big DL tip in hopes someone might find it useful.

Let me preface this by saying that I am a 44 year old married woman with no kids who has lived in Los Angeles for 25 years now. Always have loved going to DL when I've had friends in town, but hate hate hate standing in line. And over the past few years it seems like every time I've gone, lines have been horrific. A boyfriend took me once on a Saturday, we stood in line for an hour for some ride in TT, then another hour for a burger at VH, then just left. I never had an AP until last December when a couple of my employees talked me into going with her after work. I own a retail store in North Hollywood, about a mile from Universal Studios and we work every Sunday until 6pm. So this one Sunday night, I drove down with them. We got to the park around 7pm, and there was nobody there. We literally walked right onto every ride. I bought my AP that night, and have been at least 15 sunday nights in the last 8 months. I think the longest I have waited for any ride has been about 20 minutes, and that was for Ariel the weekend after she opened (no star tours yet, that's still impossible.)

Sunday nights that are cold or rainy are the best - the place is almost deserted by 8 (if there are no fireworks because it might rain, people bug out super early.) Rainy days are pretty awesome as well, as we californians tend to think that we will all melt if we get hit by the slightest drizzle - grab a poncho and go!

The Sunday night thing even works on busy weekends. My best friend came to visit from SF back in June. I skipped out of work a coupe hours early and we got down there at around 5pm. She was super anxious to hit some rides, pointed out to me that the line for Splash Mountain was only 35 mins - I laughed at her and we got cotton candy and just walked around looking at the crowds. My employees/co-horts met us for dinner at 7:45, and just as we were finishing our Monte Cristos, Fantasmic (I think) began. A zillion people were crowding around to see the show, and we walked right onto POTC, then right into HM and made it out in time to see some of the fireworks. I believe we ended up doing 15 rides that night - the funniest part was the very end - we had planned to do Indy at the very end, got over there and it was closed. So we walked right onto JC, which let us out at 11:45. I said "I think we can squeeze in one more ride" so we zipped over to FL. Walked right onto Snow White, then walked right onto Pinnochio, then walked right onto Mr. Toad. As we were getting off Mr. Toad, I looked at my phone and it was 11:59 - I screamed "PETER PAN!!!" and we all made a mad dash and got in line about 15 seconds before the rope went up! I still don't know how we managed it! my best friend told me it was her best trip to DL ever and she went on more rides than she ever had in a full day of being there (she's actually the one who then came up with the plan for us all to go to WDW!!!!) Oh and that night I did some CRAZY pin trading too -think I did like 75 trades!!!

Sorry this is so long and rambling, but I just had to share, especially since I just read a post where a WDW regular reviewed his trip to our little park - he was here for D23 and mentioned the horrendous crowds on that Sunday because of the "return of the AP" (first non-blackout date since June). Well, I was there that night from 7-12 and hit Space Mountain, IJ, BL, WTP, POTC, HM, all the FL rides including the carousel which I had never done, even had a sit-down casual dinner at VH and did mad pin-trading (That FL marathon at closing is a great trick by itself!!!! Obviously this won't work if you've got little, tired kids, or if you're only there for one day and you absolutely have to get a good seat for fireworks. But if you're going for a three-day weekend, and can fit it in, Sunday nights are awesome!!! Don't worry, I don't plan on anything but being there for the rope-drop every morning when we are at WDW. Even DH is excited for our trip - he doesn't do DL with me often but I always bring him home a cookie when I go with the girls

Sunday nights that are chilly or rainy (we don't get many) are the best - 7 to midnight the park seems just empty. Well, rainy days are good too - we Californians tend to think we will all melt in the slightest drizzle.) but the Sunday night thing works on busy weekends too - my best friend came d

 

[VillainsRock]

Sorry for the repeat at the end - am on iPad and can't figure out how to scroll down on edit

 

[edit1]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Will have to remember your tips next time I go!

 

[PinkBudgie]

Welcome! So glad you joined us! Great tip!

I have to add though that the Sunday night trick doesn't work during the high summer season. I know this because we always go with APs and leave on Sunday for our 8 hour drive down. We arrive at the parks late Sunday afternoon or early evening and are there for the night. We go for the entire week until we are blocked out on Sat. This past July both parks were packed Sunday night. Pretty much all the FPs are gone and we go on things like Little Mermaid, Monsters, and I forget what at DL. POTC is always a fast loader so that's good too. We wandered through FL but found very long lines. We did go on Matterhorn though because that was the last day it was open before they closed it for a long while.

I can see how this would be awesome during the school year because everyone has to get home for school the next day. I'd love to be close enough to take advantage of this!

 

[HydroGuy]

Sorry this is so long and rambling, but I just had to share, especially since I just read a post where a WDW regular reviewed his trip to our little park - he was here for D23 and mentioned the horrendous crowds on that Sunday because of the "return of the AP" (first non-blackout date since June). Well, I was there that night from 7-12 and hit Space Mountain, IJ, BL, WTP, POTC, HM, all the FL rides including the carousel which I had never done, even had a sit-down casual dinner at VH and did mad pin-trading (That FL marathon at closing is a great trick by itself!!!! Obviously this won't work if you've got little, tired kids, or if you're only there for one day and you absolutely have to get a good seat for fireworks. But if you're going for a three-day weekend, and can fit it in, Sunday nights are awesome!!! Don't worry, I don't plan on anything but being there for the rope-drop every morning when we are at WDW. Even DH is excited for our trip - he doesn't do DL with me often but I always bring him home a cookie when I go with the girls

Hi VR, welcome to the boards!

I am a DLR Deluxe AP holder and have twice been to DLR over the blockout transition time. Once in June when the blockout started and once a couple weeks ago when it lifted. I was at DLR a couple weeks ago Tue/Wed/Thu before the blockout lifted and then Sunday evening - same as the one you mention - on the day it lifted. It really was much more crowded that Sunday evening than the week before. I saw it on numerous rides.

Please do not misunderstand me that I am saying you are wrong. I am just saying that whatever you interpreted as reasonable crowds on Sunday, August 21 was noticably less the week before.

On the other hand, some other folks reported lighter crowds starting on the next day Monday (of last week, the 22nd) and there are reports of very light crowds this week.

In any case, thanks for your observations!

 

[VillainsRock]

Hydro - I see what you're saying, and I'm sure there were more people that day that the AP returned. I guess my interpretation of "crowds" has less to do with how many actual people there are, and more to do with how many of them are trying to do the exact same thing that I am. I dont care if there are a zillion people actually in the park, as long as they are all waiting for fireworks or on the long walk home while im riding rides. true, I haven't been during high season, just once in June and once in august, but that night in august the only ride we stood in line for at all was space mountain and that was less than 10 minutes simply because of what time it was. Until recently, I wouldn't have even considered going to DL on a Sunday in August.

Also, am I the only person who refers to that next day exhaustion as a "disangover"?

 

[PinkBudgie]

Hydro - I see what you're saying, and I'm sure there were more people that day that the AP returned. I guess my interpretation of "crowds" has less to do with how many actual people there are, and more to do with how many of them are trying to do the exact same thing that I am. I dont care if there are a zillion people actually in the park, as long as they are all waiting for fireworks or on the long walk home while im riding rides. true, I haven't been during high season, just once in June and once in august, but that night in august the only ride we stood in line for at all was space mountain and that was less than 10 minutes simply because of what time it was. Until recently, I wouldn't have even considered going to DL on a Sunday in August.

Also, am I the only person who refers to that next day exhaustion as a "disangover"?

Imagine our exhaustion after 5 1/2 days straight- up at rope drop every morning! Now that's a "disangover".