Off-season is REALLY "off"

[gweeptrish]

WDW veteran here; finding myself really disappointed in DLR right now. We've been planning a trip to DLR for the first week in February for a few months. Now that it's close enough to see the official posted entertainment schedules

I'm *shocked* to see that there are no parades at all for the week we're going to be there. No fireworks or Fantasmic Mon-Thurs and the parks open only 10-8.

Off-season at WDW means 1 offering of parade & fireworks per night instead of 2 or 3 and parks closing at 9 or 10 instead of midnight. I had no idea that DLR cut back so much more than that.

Everybody says DLR is so much easier than WDW - no need to plan it out like a major military campaign. Now I'm wishing I had, so this would not be such a surprise.

 

[blackjackdelta]

WDW veteran here; finding myself really disappointed in DLR right now. We've been planning a trip to DLR for the first week in February for a few months. Now that it's close enough to see the official posted entertainment schedules

I'm *shocked* to see that there are no parades at all for the week we're going to be there. No fireworks or Fantasmic Mon-Thurs and the parks open only 10-8.

Off-season at WDW means 1 offering of parade & fireworks per night instead of 2 or 3 and parks closing at 9 or 10 instead of midnight. I had no idea that DLR cut back so much more than that.

Everybody says DLR is so much easier than WDW - no need to plan it out like a major military campaign. Now I'm wishing I had, so this would not be such a surprise.

Not sure who the "everybodies" are but they appear to know very little about DLR. You will deal with less crowds but also less attractions, etc. There have been many posts on this boards about the "off" season, year after year, and most of those posts have been voiced disappoiuntments over what is not going. You can still have a great time and hope you did not have your heart set on many things that do happen in the "on" season.

Best of luck,

Jack

 

[moomy-san]

Fantasmic still runs on the weekends- and World of Color is still on!! No parade? The parade route is being paved. This is an inconvenience, YES, but the last parade was worth missing!!

 

[Disney Princess]

Can you change your dates to include a weekend night? DLR is very different from WDW because of the different crowd that visits. When DLR has its slow season, many entertainment events only happen on the weekends when more people will be at the parks. The shorter hours will be WONDERFUL as you will probably not have huge crowds to deal with. Still, inluding one weekend night might provide you the chance to have some fireworks/shows, etc. Good luck - I hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[gweeptrish]

Can you change your dates to include a weekend night?

Unfortunately not at this late date. We'll just make the best of it but I am really disappointed. I can't believe that DLR management thought it was a good idea to schedule rehab such that it would take out both parks' parades at the same time.

 

[gweeptrish]

Not sure who the "everybodies" are but they appear to know very little about DLR. You will deal with less crowds but also less attractions, etc. There have been many posts on this boards about the "off" season, year after year, and most of those posts have been voiced disappoiuntments over what is not going. You can still have a great time and hope you did not have your heart set on many things that do happen in the "on" season.

Those "everybodies" would be this board. Seems like every post from a WDW veteran on here gets answered by a bunch of people saying "calm down, chill out, DLR doesn't need the kind of intensive planning WDW needs, etc."

I guess it had never occurred to me that a parade or fireworks counted as an attraction. I certainly expected rides to be down for rehab but never for a moment guessed that there wouldn't be fireworks. I'm sure I'm not the only person that thinks that scheduling construction such that it wiped out the parades in both parks at the same time was less than optimal.

The reduced park hours are only a problem because we're coming from the East Coast with a 1 year old and a 4 year old. By 10am California time we'll have already been up for 5 or 6 hours. It had also never occurred to me that the Disney-owned hotels in DLR wouldn't have playgrounds. Every single Disney-owned hotel in WDW does.

On a more constructive, less-whiny note, can anyone offer suggestions for things to do with a 1 and 4 year old between say, 7am and 10am at DLR? I don't want to let them get loud and rowdy where normal people are trying to sleep. Is it practical to take them over to Downtown Disney to run about? Is it pretty deserted that early?

 

[Disney Dreams]

What are your dates?

From what I see, if your visit includes a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, you can see:
- World of Color
- Billy Hill and the Hillbillies
- Laughing Stock
- Jedi Training Academy
- Aladdin
- Disney Dance Crew
- Disney Channel Rocks
- ElecTRONica
- Fantasmic!
- Fireworks

So, other than a parade, you have just about everything.

As for the hours, yes, they are shorter. However, there will be less people. So, in theory, it evens out. Less crowds, means you can get a lot done.

What were you hoping for that you are not seeing that has you disappointed? Maybe we can help.

- Dreams

 

[sonnyjane]

On a more constructive, less-whiny note, can anyone offer suggestions for things to do with a 1 and 4 year old between say, 7am and 10am at DLR? I don't want to let them get loud and rowdy where normal people are trying to sleep. Is it practical to take them over to Downtown Disney to run about? Is it pretty deserted that early?

It sounds like you're staying at a Disney hotel? If that's the case, then you will get to go to every Magic Morning available during your stay. That means you'll get to enter Disneyland an hour earlier (so 9:00 AM) on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday (although I know you said you won't be there on the weekend). I also recommend booking a character breakfast one of those mornings, most likely Minnie & Friends since I think the Goofy's Kitchen one might still be relocated during your stay.

I also agree with Dreams that while there are shorter hours, I think you will be surprised by how much you can accomplish on a quiet, mid-week day in February. You likely won't miss those hours!

 

[gweeptrish]

What are your dates?

From what I see, if your visit includes a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, you can see:
- World of Color
- Billy Hill and the Hillbillies
- Laughing Stock
- Jedi Training Academy
- Aladdin
- Disney Dance Crew
- Disney Channel Rocks
- ElecTRONica
- Fantasmic!
- Fireworks

So, other than a parade, you have just about everything.

As for the hours, yes, they are shorter. However, there will be less people. So, in theory, it evens out. Less crowds, means you can get a lot done.

What were you hoping for that you are not seeing that has you disappointed? Maybe we can help.

- Dreams

Our trip does not include a weekend date. So no fireworks, no Fantasmic. Our kids are 1 and 4 so they have no idea what a Jedi is, or Tron, or anyone from the Disney Dance Crew.

I hope WoC makes up for the fireworks. It certainly seems like everyone likes it. Maybe we'll just go every night and pretend they're really wet fireworks.

 

[gweeptrish]

It sounds like you're staying at a Disney hotel? If that's the case, then you will get to go to every Magic Morning available during your stay. That means you'll get to enter Disneyland an hour earlier (so 9:00 AM) on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday (although I know you said you won't be there on the weekend). I also recommend booking a character breakfast one of those mornings, most likely Minnie & Friends since I think the Goofy's Kitchen one might still be relocated during your stay.

I also agree with Dreams that while there are shorter hours, I think you will be surprised by how much you can accomplish on a quiet, mid-week day in February. You likely won't miss those hours!

I forgot about Magic Mornings! We avoid them like the plague at WDW. Thanks!

 

[Janell]

Im a DL vet who has been to WDW 4 time, including planning a Disney wedding.

DL is more kick back in the aspect that you don't have to make ADR's months in advance(for off season, some peak season days do fill up). Once you are at the DL resort, you have access to both parks very quickly. Where at WDW, if you want to park hop, you will need to figure out which bus to take to where to get you where you want to go.

DLR is a lot smaller then WDW. With that said DL has more rides/shows then MK does.

Im sorry that you are upset that shows and parades wont be showing while you are there.

DLR has a different group to provide for then WDW. WDW is more vacationers, where DLR is more a local park.

I hope you find a way to enjoy the parks.

 

[pinktink83]

Ya, you always have to double-check that your favorite rides will not be closed, especially if you are going during off-season. One of DL's worst qualities (IMO) is the lack of information ahead of time for things like closures, etc. (like that whole debacle with Miley Cyrus' 16th Bday Party closing DL all night)

Even sometimes during the on season, they don't have the parades and shows every single day. You def have to schedule in a Fri, Sat or Sun if you want to *make sure* you get to see the parades and shows. We usually do a Sun-Wed/Thurs trip and catch all the parades and shows on Sunday, then we don't have to worry about it for the rest of the (less busy/crowded) week.

Sorry you guys are missing so much. Thats a total bummer after spending so much money to get there. Could you extend your trip a day or two to get a weekend day in there?

 

[FourM's]

We only do DL in the "off season". We love magic mornings! the last time we were there we did all of fantasy land twice with no lines before the park opened to the general public. Magic mornings at DL rock! We just got back from a trip at WDW in October and did not take advantage of any of the magic mornings, the time change made it to early for us.
The OP had asked about downtown disney being a good place for his kids to run around in the morning. I would think it would be very quiet that time of morning and your kids could run around and stretch their legs.
I think you will be pleasantly suprised at how small the crowds are during your visit. This is the time of year that we normally go (also midweek) and we rarely spend very long in lines. This season has its plusses and minuses. Just enjoy the plusses, like not needing a reservation for almost any meals, except for maybe Blue Bayou. You can be a lot more flexible with you dining. Have a great time!

 

[gweeptrish]

You def have to schedule in a Fri, Sat or Sun if you want to *make sure* you get to see the parades and shows. We usually do a Sun-Wed/Thurs trip and catch all the parades and shows on Sunday, then we don't have to worry about it for the rest of the (less busy/crowded) week.

Sorry you guys are missing so much. Thats a total bummer after spending so much money to get there. Could you extend your trip a day or two to get a weekend day in there?

I guess that's really the major difference between WDW and DLR. Saturday is the quiet day at WDW because it is the traveling day. Apparently Saturday is the busiest day at DLR?

I really wish we could extend our trip, or better yet split it between DLR and the San Diego area for the zoo & seaworld but this is what we've got to work with so I'll just have to make the best of it. At least I'm finding out in advance at all so I can prepare my 4 year old and talk up all the things we CAN do.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Another WDW veteran, rookie DL person here. Magic Mornings are much different than EMH at WDW. I'm sure you have already heard, but DL IS mostly locals. Locals who don't want to get up early on a Saturday. Locals who prefer to come for evening entertainment.

MM is a ghostown. There is no "show" at ropedrop, much less stress getting fastpasses, etc. You can get tons done before noon. The attractions are so close together that you can easily bop between "lands".

DL is a different touring strategy. Without nightime entertainment, I would try to stay in the park until you drop. I don't know if your little ones can sleep in their strollers, but taking the typical afternoon WDW swim/nap break will eat a lot of your park time.

DL and DCA are as close as Future World and World Showcase at Epcot. We also hit DL first, go to our musts and pick up FP for later. When the crowd starts to get heavy we usually leave for DCA. We pick up FPs on our way to lunch. There are many good choices in DCA. And remember, the FP are not connected between parks. We go back to DL in the afternoon and use our leftover FPs and fast loading rides.

I would look into a character breakfast in the morning for some activity for your kids before park opening. Storyteller's Cafe in Grand Californian is a good choice. You don't have to order the buffet. Your family can split a couple of entrees (they are huge) and have a nice character experience.

DL Character meals offer many more characters than a typical WDW meal. I was amazed when we had a dozen characters visit us during our breakfast with Minnie at the Plaze Inn. We made a PS for before park opening, comparable to Crystal Palace in environment.


I totally understand your disappointment with the evening offerings, but remember there is no guarantee they would take place anyway. I've had long weekends where every single fireworks show was cancelled because of wind.


You will be amazed how much you can get done at DL. The atmosphere is magical and it has a charm that WDW can't match. Have a great time!

 

[LavenderPeach]

Those "everybodies" would be this board. Seems like every post from a WDW veteran on here gets answered by a bunch of people saying "calm down, chill out, DLR doesn't need the kind of intensive planning WDW needs, etc."

DL is more kick back in the aspect that you don't have to make ADR's months in advance(for off season, some peak season days do fill up). Once you are at the DL resort, you have access to both parks very quickly. Where at WDW, if you want to park hop, you will need to figure out which bus to take to where to get you where you want to go.

Yes, I think what people mean by DLR not needing as much planning is that you don't have to plan months in advance where and when you're going to eat, you don't have to plan out which park to go on which day (since it's easy to park hop every day), and you don't have to have every ride and attraction planned out before you go. However, it's still helpful to be informed about how things work at DLR. In that sense, it's still very important to plan ahead (for those of us who are planners).

As others have said, a LOT of DLR's guests are locals who go on day trips so if a good chunk of their potential guests are going to be at work during the week, they are going to scale back on things during the off season when less people are likely to take time off to spend weekdays at DLR.

I can understand your disappointment when you were expecting something else, however, cheer up! You'll still have a great time - if you want to. Try not to focus on your disappointments and move ahead planning the stuff that will be available. Have you read Hydroguy's tips up in the stickies? There's lots of great info there. Keep reading the threads on the DLR boards until your trip and you should have a good feel for what is going on at DLR so you can plan accordingly.

 

[pinktink83]

Here's a thread for playgrounds located in the parks: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2594964

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you schedule those Bippity Boppity Hair Salon appts before the park actually opens? I swear I read someone did that...

Or character breakfasts? At least then you'd have something Disney to do while you wait for the park to open! Get a nice, big breakfast in, have fun with the characters, and then catch magic morning (which are awesome at DL, don't skip them!).

I wouldn't be too bummed...any parade/dancing/show will be fun for them to watch even if they don't know who it is. Disney doesn't do anything "boring"...it will still be loud, colorful and fun for the little ones to watch! They won't have any idea what they're missing. And at 1 year old...fireworks might scare the beejeebees out of him/her anyway, lol. Sorry...trying to be positive...is it working???

 

[gweeptrish]

DL is a different touring strategy. Without nightime entertainment, I would try to stay in the park until you drop. I don't know if your little ones can sleep in their strollers, but taking the typical afternoon WDW swim/nap break will eat a lot of your park time.

Thank you, that's useful to know. I was, of course, planning on the typical afternoon break everyday.

I would look into a character breakfast in the morning for some activity for your kids before park opening. Storyteller's Cafe in Grand Californian is a good choice. You don't have to order the buffet. Your family can split a couple of entrees (they are huge) and have a nice character experience.

DL Character meals offer many more characters than a typical WDW meal. I was amazed when we had a dozen characters visit us during our breakfast with Minnie at the Plaze Inn. We made a PS for before park opening, comparable to Crystal Palace in environment.

Thank you. I didn't know we could just do entrees. We weren't planning any character breakfasts because of the cost, but that could be doable. I'll definitely look into Minnie's and Storyteller's.

I totally understand your disappointment with the evening offerings, but remember there is no guarantee they would take place anyway. I've had long weekends where every single fireworks show was cancelled because of wind.

Really? Yet another thing I would never have guessed. I think WDW fireworks are only cancelled during hurricanes. Didn't realize SoCal weather was that much more challenging.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Our trip does not include a weekend date. So no fireworks, no Fantasmic. Our kids are 1 and 4 so they have no idea what a Jedi is, or Tron, or anyone from the Disney Dance Crew.

I hope WoC makes up for the fireworks. It certainly seems like everyone likes it. Maybe we'll just go every night and pretend they're really wet fireworks.

Okay, no F, Sa, or Su. and a 1 and 4 year old. That helps us help you.

1st: The one year old is not going to know what was or was not seen. The 4 year old may quite possibly be too scared of Fantasmic! to enjoy it. A lot of kids at that age are crying or hiding their eyes during half of the show.

2nd: If you don't mention what they are not going to see, they will not know they are not seeing it.

3rd:1 and 4? Characters, Musical Chairs with Alice & Friends, Dapper Dans, ASIMO, Turtle Talk with Crush, Aladdin, and rides, rides, rides.

You will have a great time. There is still a LOT to do that they (and you) will love!

- Dreams

 

[gweeptrish]

Okay, no F, Sa, or Su. and a 1 and 4 year old. That helps us help you.

1st: The one year old is not going to know what was or was not seen. The 4 year old may quite possibly be too scared of Fantasmic! to enjoy it. A lot of kids at that age are crying or hiding their eyes during half of the show.

2nd: If you don't mention what they are not going to see, they will not know they are not seeing it.

3rd:1 and 4? Characters, Musical Chairs with Alice & Friends, Dapper Dans, ASIMO, Turtle Talk with Crush, Aladdin, and rides, rides, rides.

You will have a great time. There is still a LOT to do that they will love!

- Dreams

Musical Chairs with Alice & Friends? Never heard of it before (but yes, I just googled it). Thanks for the tip!