We were at DLR from June 3 through June 7. DL was OK at opening but very busy by 10 a.m. Ride lines were tolerable but getting there was not. Sometimes I felt like I was in gridlock. We often had to wait in a line to use the rest room.
Longest wait was 1 hr. 20 min. in standby line for RSR on Tuesday.
MM on Thursday was a bust; would not do it again. We got held up in the entrance line by a family entering for the first time and having to sign their tickets. They need a separate line for those folks. We walked straight to PP but still waited 35 min. Waited 35 minutes for Mattherhorn. Regular mornings were much better.
After doing the essentials in DL, we hopped over to DCA and walked onto Soarin. Also got FP for Soarin for 9-10. Got into the FP line for RSR and got FP for 10:20 to 11:20. DCA was practically empty and much more enjoyable. In our 5 days, we spent more time there than in DL. On Friday we spent the entire day in DCA until 7 pm, then went over to DL for the fireworks, which were cancelled due to wind. Having a slow dinner and then a slow dessert at the Plaza Inn (we started at around 7 pm) is a good way to have a good view of the fireworks.
Our character breakfast at Goofys Kitchen was fantastic. The buffet was enormous and delicious. In addition to a full breakfast buffet (eggs, bacon sausage, etc.), they had an omelet bar, biscuits and gravy, waffles, pancakes, French toast; a fruit bar, a sandwich bar, mac & cheese, cheese pizza, regular pizza, hot dogs, pastas, vegetables, potatoes, bagels, pastries, desserts, fish, chicken nuggets, salads, rice dishes, etc. We saw Alice, Chip, Dale, Goofy, the Mad Hatter, Baloo, and Pluto. We would definitely do this again; much nicer than Ariels.
My husband declared that Disney has indeed improved on their burgers. He had one at Hungry Bear and enjoyed it. However, my daughter said the chicken sandwich was blah.
My daughter took my granddaughter to see Anna & Elsa. Although the wait was shown as between 3 and 3.5 hours, they waited for only 2 hrs. They did not feel rushed by the characters, but did feel that the photographers were rushing them through.
On Saturday morning, we got to eat at Carnation Cafe at 8:30 with no wait. The food was very good, except for the OJ which tasted a bit odd.
Waited 45 for Roger Rabbit (not worth it). The audience for Disney Jr was the largest I have ever experienced. The people were sitting all the way to the back of the theater.
I encountered no nasty people. We were pushing two strollers. I bumped into people a couple of times, and people bumped into me. We all said Sorry and all was well.
On the negative side:
Something just felt different -- not magical. We spent some time pondering it and came to the conclusion that it was the crowds. We constantly felt like we were going the wrong way. We wonder if DLR is overwhelmed. But there are things they could do. For example, one of the most congested areas is the one between the Tiki Room and Pirates. If they would make it a two-way passage, folks could move through much easier. But I have to wonder if Disney even cares to ease the congestion. If they did, they would be doing something about it.
I have been going to DLR for decades and this was the first time I found it dirty -- trash laying around, dirty diapers on the bathroom floor and bathrooms needing attention, dusty window dressings, half-eaten food boxes and empty drink cups sitting around, etc. We stopped a custodian and asked him if they had cut back on workers. He said they had not. He also told us that DLR is raising the prices in hopes that fewer people will come.
Just a thought, and I do not want to offend anyone, but wouldnt some of the crowd problem be solved if Disney stopped selling passes or put more restrictions on the passes?
I enjoyed my visit, but am not looking forward to my next trip like I usually do; just too many people.
Longest wait was 1 hr. 20 min. in standby line for RSR on Tuesday.
MM on Thursday was a bust; would not do it again. We got held up in the entrance line by a family entering for the first time and having to sign their tickets. They need a separate line for those folks. We walked straight to PP but still waited 35 min. Waited 35 minutes for Mattherhorn. Regular mornings were much better.
After doing the essentials in DL, we hopped over to DCA and walked onto Soarin. Also got FP for Soarin for 9-10. Got into the FP line for RSR and got FP for 10:20 to 11:20. DCA was practically empty and much more enjoyable. In our 5 days, we spent more time there than in DL. On Friday we spent the entire day in DCA until 7 pm, then went over to DL for the fireworks, which were cancelled due to wind. Having a slow dinner and then a slow dessert at the Plaza Inn (we started at around 7 pm) is a good way to have a good view of the fireworks.
Our character breakfast at Goofys Kitchen was fantastic. The buffet was enormous and delicious. In addition to a full breakfast buffet (eggs, bacon sausage, etc.), they had an omelet bar, biscuits and gravy, waffles, pancakes, French toast; a fruit bar, a sandwich bar, mac & cheese, cheese pizza, regular pizza, hot dogs, pastas, vegetables, potatoes, bagels, pastries, desserts, fish, chicken nuggets, salads, rice dishes, etc. We saw Alice, Chip, Dale, Goofy, the Mad Hatter, Baloo, and Pluto. We would definitely do this again; much nicer than Ariels.
My husband declared that Disney has indeed improved on their burgers. He had one at Hungry Bear and enjoyed it. However, my daughter said the chicken sandwich was blah.
My daughter took my granddaughter to see Anna & Elsa. Although the wait was shown as between 3 and 3.5 hours, they waited for only 2 hrs. They did not feel rushed by the characters, but did feel that the photographers were rushing them through.
On Saturday morning, we got to eat at Carnation Cafe at 8:30 with no wait. The food was very good, except for the OJ which tasted a bit odd.
Waited 45 for Roger Rabbit (not worth it). The audience for Disney Jr was the largest I have ever experienced. The people were sitting all the way to the back of the theater.
I encountered no nasty people. We were pushing two strollers. I bumped into people a couple of times, and people bumped into me. We all said Sorry and all was well.
On the negative side:
Something just felt different -- not magical. We spent some time pondering it and came to the conclusion that it was the crowds. We constantly felt like we were going the wrong way. We wonder if DLR is overwhelmed. But there are things they could do. For example, one of the most congested areas is the one between the Tiki Room and Pirates. If they would make it a two-way passage, folks could move through much easier. But I have to wonder if Disney even cares to ease the congestion. If they did, they would be doing something about it.
I have been going to DLR for decades and this was the first time I found it dirty -- trash laying around, dirty diapers on the bathroom floor and bathrooms needing attention, dusty window dressings, half-eaten food boxes and empty drink cups sitting around, etc. We stopped a custodian and asked him if they had cut back on workers. He said they had not. He also told us that DLR is raising the prices in hopes that fewer people will come.
Just a thought, and I do not want to offend anyone, but wouldnt some of the crowd problem be solved if Disney stopped selling passes or put more restrictions on the passes?
I enjoyed my visit, but am not looking forward to my next trip like I usually do; just too many people.
Thank you to those who chose to refrain from commenting.
