We arrived at Caseys for food 30 min prior to start time and I was shocked at the amount of people. It's understandable I just wasnt ready for it. Id love to head over to Poly to watch them. I need to make a list of notes of where to see and do things that aren't in the parks so when Im there I can reference it. Sometimes I know things and then I forget all of it once Im there.So far they’ve been very good with the skyliner refurbs, finishing early the last 2 years so it’s a decent bet it’ll be done by when they say.
No no you’re doing it wrong my friend! Don’t get me wrong, my favorite place in the world is watching HEA from the poly beach and we do it every trip no matter where we’re staying so I highly recommend that as a fantastic viewing alternative. BUT, HEA in park is a must! You just have to stay past the crowds. Just hang out in your spot, let the other folks trickle out for 10-15 mins so you can actually walk around and then enjoy the park/shops for another 45mins-hour and then leave. The biggest exodus always happens after fireworks so it’s a zoo. Hold out a bit and it’s much easier.
Unfortunately I am trying to never take a bus/rideshare not use them for every resort. (I kid, I realize you posted in the wrong thread)Check out dvcforless.com new listing SSR is tumbling (sorry if not allowed, i would offer on the $70s for that
I sure didUnfortunately I am trying to never take a bus/rideshare not use them for every resort. (I kid, I realize you posted in the wrong thread)
I’ve not seen any of the evening shows/fireworks at Disneyland yet but I can imagine it’s a very different experience than WDW, especially at MK. We watched the July4th fireworks (on the 3rd) at Poly last year and I went to check out the crowds 3hrs before the show and it was already pretty busy on the beach, definitely couldn’t get a lounger even then Ana a lot of prime spots were taken. I was surprised but WDW does fireworks very well so I guess I get it.We arrived at Caseys for food 30 min prior to start time and I was shocked at the amount of people. It's understandable I just wasnt ready for it. Id love to head over to Poly to watch them. I need to make a list of notes of where to see and do things that aren't in the parks so when Im there I can reference it. Sometimes I know things and then I forget all of it once Im there.
Love this. It's good to know DS busses are less crowded. I have yet to ever go to Disney Springs. Maybe next tripI'm a no-rideshare person, and also tend to prefer any other type of transportation over busses. If I can take a monorail, skyliner, boat, or walk, I'll take that option. That said, if you want a 100% avoidance of any bus, ever...there will be some difficulty depending on which resort you're staying at, and which park you are trying to get to. Most solutions I think have been mentioned - Walking access to Epcot from Swan, Dolphin, Beach, Yacht, and Boardwalk. Boat access to Epcot and DHS from those same. Skyliner and walking access to DHS from those same, as well as Caribbean Beach, Pop, and Riviera. Walking, boat and monorail access to MK from Poly, Contemporary, Grand Floridian. Boat access to MK from Wilderness Lodge. Walking access to Disney Springs from OKW and Saratoga. Boat access to Disney Springs from those same, as well as Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter.
Now, I do have some tolerance of busses as sometimes they're just necessary - like getting to Animal Kingdom. What I will usually try to do is avoid crowded busses. For example, leaving a park at closing time, when the park bus stops are packed, I prefer to walk to a nearby resort, and hop a Disney Springs bus, then take my resort bus home from there. a big advantage to staying at Saratoga Springs is that the Disney Springs bus stop can essentially be your resort bus stop - I can take any resort bus to Disney Springs, and just walk back to Saratoga. So leaving MK after fireworks, I'll walk over to Contemporary, grab the DS bus which is MUCH less crowded than the MK-Saratoga bus, and walk back to Saratoga. Ditto Epcot - walk out the International Gateway over to Beach, hop the DS bus.
I often enter parks the same way - take a less crowded bus to Disney Springs and then bus to a resort that has walking or boat access to the theme park I'm headed to (that won't work for rope drop though, as the DS busses don't start until later). Staying at Boardwalk, I've actually walked over to DHS in the morning, and hopped a bus to Poly/Contemporary or Wilderness Lodge - which is empty headed back to the resorts in the morning - and then boated or walked over to Magic Kingdom...a much more peaceful way to arrive than the crowded morning Boardwalk bus to MK.
My solutions are often not shortcuts - they can take LONGER to get to my destination. But doing so in a more relaxed, less crowded manner is well worth it for me.
I’ve not seen any of the evening shows/fireworks at Disneyland yet but I can imagine it’s a very different experience than WDW, especially at MK. We watched the July4th fireworks (on the 3rd) at Poly last year and I went to check out the crowds 3hrs before the show and it was already pretty busy on the beach, definitely couldn’t get a lounger even then Ana a lot of prime spots were taken. I was surprised but WDW does fireworks very well so I guess I get it.