What are the crowds and lines like?

[Monzie C.]

Hi, I am new to this forum and I thought it would be a good idea to get some helpful tips before my trip to DL. My friend and I are leaving June 20-26th (staying at the Candy Cane Inn), and are wondering from anyone who has been recently this month what the crowds and line-ups are like. We are a little worried that the large crowds may hinder our experience. Any information would be useful. Thank you very much.
Monica and Jana.

 

[lntsmom]

but it was still a great time! The crowds Monday were a bit more tame...and Tuesday and Wednesday were completely do-able! I'd say, based on the lines, the crowds during the week were about half of what we saw on the weekend.

I'd say plan on seeing the shows on the weekend, if you'll be there over a weekend, and leave the serious riding for the week. Oh, and be sure to be there early and late, even if it means taking a break in the middle of the day. The first 90 minutes the park is open is heaven!

 

[Monzie C.]

Thank you so much for the great information! Does the park still offer early admission? I've heard conflicting reports on this. From your experience what times are the busiest in the park?

Monica

 

[Snow Brite]

We were there May 26, 27 and 28 a Thursday, Friday and Saturday and Memorial Day Weekend. I wanted to second the thought to do rides on weekdays and shows and parades on weekends. Also, get to the park when it opens and ride lots of rides in a row. We could do more rides in the first hour than we could all the rest of the day. We usually go from opening until about 11:30am when the lines start to get longer and then go back to the room for lunch and a little lay down. If you dont want to go back to your room take a ride a few times around on the railroad, go watch a show, or do a little shopping. Then it usually slows down around 1pm or so as people take lunch breaks and start getting spots for the parade at 4pm (if there is one).

The most important thing I learned from these boards for using my time wisely was to get another Fast Pass as soon as the first one comes due. Go get another FP BEFORE you go use the one you already have.

Saturday was crazy with people, and huge groups of them too. I was amazed at the larger families (many of them hispanic) that were all there together, that must have cost a small fortune! But they would have grandma wait in line and then go do other stuff until she got close to the front and then all show up, which was frustrating for the rest of us (kinda their own little fast pass!) You might also consider doing DCA on the weekend day as it does not generally get near as crowded as DL.

Also watch the parades, fireworks, and Fantasmic once and unless you love it and HAVE to see it again, consider using that time to hit rides as the lines will
be much, much smaller. The time leading up to these big events will also be very short lines as everyone else will be sitting on a curb waiting for them to start. However, pick a part of the park and stay there, do NOT try to cross over the hub during this time as you will be swallowed alive...lol. And remember that Toon Town closes for the fireworks and does not reopen, and Fantasyland closes an hour before the fireworks and then reopens afterwards. So Tomorrowland is a great place to hang out during the parade and fireworks, or choose Frontierland/Adventureland/Critter Country during the parade (but avoid during Fantasmic times).

Get there early ready to ride the popular rides and use FP's well and you will do fine, no matter how many people are in the park.

 

[Monzie C.]

Hi and thank you Snow Brite for the awesome info. That is good advice to hit the rides during the week and shows on the weekends when the line ups will be quite large. If DL were to open at 8am for instance, what time should I line up at to ensure that I will be able to ride freely?... Also is early admission offered for the 5 day park hopper pass? As well, what time does the park become noticeably busy?

thanks,
Monica.

 

[Snow Brite]

Unless it is a big weekend, I wouldnt worry too much about getting there before 7:30am. When we were there it was hard to tell when they really opened because they kept opening earlier. They process people through very quickly, so even if you get there and the lines seem really long, it only takes about 10-15 minutes for them to get all those people inside. And then go straight to the rides, do not be lured by characters on Main Street, store windows or other things you could do when the lines are long.

I believe that if you have a 3 day (or more) hopper you get one early entry day. We did this on Thursday and it was great! We could have done it on Saturday too, but since it was our last day we wanted to be there when it closed, and 7am to midnight, even with a nap was too much.

I had a general guideline that we would not wait in any line that was more than 20 minutes. If the sign said it was longer than that, we either got a FP or came back when it was less crowded. And we stuck to that with one or two exceptions. If you have 5 day hoppers there is NO reason to wait in a long line for a ride as you will have plenty of time to go back another time when the lines are short.

Have fun!

Jennifer