Ok...so how busy are we talking?

[AprilJ26]

We will be visiting Disneyland March 12-16. Our last park day is the 15th. We are used to spring break and thanksgiving week crowds at disney world, but we’ve never been to Disneyland. I know DL is a lot smaller so I hear that the crowds get overwhelming pretty quickly. Are we going to be miserable? Like won’t be able to walk miserable?? I’m so worried we should have picked a different time, but I know we definitely want to go before the summer. We will get to the parks before opening and plan to use Max Pass, so I’m not so much concerned about wait times...I’m just worried about physically walking from place to place without feeling claustrophobic, lol.
Anyone who visits this time of year want to offer any advice or reassure me...or tell me I’ve made a huge mistake???
We are driving distance to WDW, but are paying for flights to DL bc we really want to experience it. I’m afraid my family will be so mad at me if they can’t enjoy themselves bc of outrageous crowds that possibly could have been avoided by driving to wdw instead.

 

[sherilaine]

I think you will be fine. Disneyland can be busy any time of year now - it really doesn't have an off season anymore so the advice I have finally started to take is plan your trip for when it's most convenient for you to go rather than trying to work around Disney crowd predictions. We always went early March - took our kids out of school and tried to avoid spring break and every year we watch it get busier and busier. This year we are taking advantage of time off school around Presidents Day and sure it'll likely be busier but it works for us better overall. If you are going to show up before park opening and buy MP then that is really all you can do to manage the crowds. It sounds like you are also managing your expectations so if you are heading thing thinking it will be wall to wall people then you will likely be fine cause chances are mid March is not going to feel like Christmas!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Good advice above. These threads can help with your planning: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets, www.disboards.com/threads/maxpass-fastpass-an-overview-and-some-strategy.3726246/.
It will be crowded, but you should be able to walk. Do you have park hopper tickets? That will really help when you feel the crowds too much -- just hop to the other park.

 

[tarheelalum]

Get up early and ride a lot of attractions before 10am. After 10/11am or so you are going to want to switch to fast passes mostly. Buy max pass, it will take away a lot of stress. Your family will love you more after visiting the park Walt built !!

 

[AprilJ26]

Good advice above. These threads can help with your planning: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets, www.disboards.com/threads/maxpass-fastpass-an-overview-and-some-strategy.3726246/.
It will be crowded, but you should be able to walk. Do you have park hopper tickets? That will really help when you feel the crowds too much -- just hop to the other park.

Yes we are definitely getting park hoppers! Thanks!!

 

[HydroGuy]

I have found one of the differences between WDW and DLR is how "crowded" is defined. DLR parks have more rides and people-eaters than WDW parks. So the queues tend to be much shorter. Plus they have more headliners per park so the most popular FPs are easier to get because they are spread out over more rides (I am talking about FP #4 with WDW).

On the other hand the DLR parks are physically smaller with narrower walkways - especially DL. So DLR will often feel more crowded in the walkways but also feel less crowded in the queues - as in the lines are shorter. For me I would rather have shorter lines and more crowded walkways than the opposite. But DLR walkways can get really congested. However, "Project Stardust" has been changing that in recent months ahead of SWGE and the expected epic crowds for that.

Hope that helps. Don't be overly concerned at DLR but do be aware.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

And since DCA is a newer park, walkways there are wider and don't feel as crowded as DL's.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

It's not bad. The worst times are during parades and nighttime shows/fireworks, but otherwise, it's typically very reasonable. I think you might actually find it slightly easier than WDW. I know I do at least. Get a Maxpass. It's a lot easier to deal with than FP+ and you don't have to plan everything months ahead. Even without FP/MP, my family can usually see and do just about everything we want to easily. There are only a handful of rides that have horribly long waits typically.

 

[kkmcan]

Since that's the start of spring break season, it won't be as bad as say Easter Week. If you go with a plan, arrive before rope drop and utilize fastpasses you'll be fine. Also, escape from the parks in the late afternoon (when its the busiest) to get rejuvenated and come back in for the evenings.

 

[AprilJ26]

Thank you all so much for the helpful advice! We are so excited for this trip! Hopefully staying close to the parks helps us get there early enough to get a lot done in the morning. We have Park Vue Inn booked, but now BWPPPI has a cheaper rate....decisions..decisions lol!