What do you consider "crowded"?

[Sherwin]

It's occurred to me that everyone here seems to have a different perception of what crowded means. Me, personally, I can tolerate crowds, since in the past, I would always end up going during the peak season (two of the last 3 were during Christmas, other was during Spring Break). That means, I would consider a 30-45 minute wait on popular wides very short!

 

[Dis-Ted]

For me as someone who is often 15 minutes from the park there are degrees of crowded...

Empty means walk on or under 10 minute wait for top rides (Tower, Space, Indy, Splash, etc...)

Not bad means 10-15 minute waits for top rides.

Kinda Crowded is some short lines, some 20-25 minute waits.

Crowded is waits of over 30 minutes for everything and long for top rides.

Busy Crowded is 50+ minutes for top rides

Packed is when the lines can't hold the wait times anymore

In all seriousness though the meaning of crowded changes by the visit. If I'm going mid-week, off season and find myself waiting in 15 minute lines for pirates its crowded. On the other hand in the middle of summer on a friday evening that's empty. It's all relative to what you're expecting.

 

[Whitty]

For me as someone who is often 15 minutes from the park there are degrees of crowded...

Empty means walk on or under 10 minute wait for top rides (Tower, Space, Indy, Splash, etc...)

Not bad means 10-15 minute waits for top rides.

Kinda Crowded is some short lines, some 20-25 minute waits.

Crowded is waits of over 30 minutes for everything and long for top rides.

Busy Crowded is 50+ minutes for top rides

Packed is when the lines can't hold the wait times anymore

In all seriousness though the meaning of crowded changes by the visit. If I'm going mid-week, off season and find myself waiting in 15 minute lines for pirates its crowded. On the other hand in the middle of summer on a friday evening that's empty. It's all relative to what you're expecting.

Very well said.......

 

[Krissy Marissy]

I agree with the pp. It depends on when you go. Anything under 15 mins for the top rides means the park is dead empty. 15-30 mins means kinda crowded. Half hour to an hour wait means crowded but only moderately. Anything longer than an hour wait consistently means busy! Also if FP's are out by lunch time then its busy!!

 

[mechurchlady]

Crowded is when you wait in line for the bathroom and meals take half an hour or more to get food. It is when it takes more than 15 minutes to get across Main Street. When it takes 30 to 90 minutes to get into M & F parking lot. Crowded is when I am not having fun any more. When I cannot get food, snacks or in a line without waiting forever.

Crowded is when you wish you had a cow catcher on your stroller or ECV.

 

[DReynolds86]

I guess even a thirty-minute wait isn't bad. I've waited longer than that to ride The Exterminator at Kennywood.

 

[Disneyland Princess]

I agree with the pp. It depends on when you go. Anything under 15 mins for the top rides means the park is dead empty. 15-30 mins means kinda crowded. Half hour to an hour wait means crowded but only moderately. Anything longer than an hour wait consistently means busy! Also if FP's are out by lunch time then its busy!!

Yep I consider that the park is crowded when the lines for major attractions reach about an hour+ wait.
I remember laughing when someone on another disney board said they skiped the line for splash mountain because the line was a whole 15min wait.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Crowded is when you can't see the ground because of all the people.

Crowded is when you have to take baby steps to walk because normal steps would kick the person in front of you.

Crowded is when all the lines are over 90 minutes long.

Crowded is when there is even a long line to see the preview room at DCA.

Crowded is when you can't tell where a line ends and the crowd begins.

If I can see the ground and there is space between people, I'm happy.

 

[yngsj]

I've gone all different times of year and I consider it crowded when I have to wait 45 mins. or more for a ride. However,even when I consider the crowds light Peter Pan and Dumbo seem to be about that long. I also consider it crowded when we can't find a seat at counter service restaurants.

 

[amyamya]

From our October trip:

Crowded is when you can't find the door to Riverbelle Terrace because the walkway by Indy and the SFR treehouse is so clogged with people.

Crowded is when you exit the HM, take a couple steps, and join the line for Splash.

Crowded is being in TT and losing your stroller because there are 100 strollers lined up along the fence in front of Gadget's Go coaster.

Crowded is getting stuck on a side part of Main Street and not being able to take one step for an hour after the parade...oh, and having a huge panic attack because people start pushing and there is literally *no* place to go...

 

[Leofoenget]

To me Crowded means you walk up to ANY ride, even those that you can usually walk on, and there is a wait. If there is a wait for Star Tours, or the train station is packed and you have to wait for the second train to get on, then it's crowded.

 

[DLR29]

Crowded is not being able to go down Main Street during a parade on the sidewalk OR through the shops

Crowded is Winnie-the-Pooh or Snow White has a line

Crowded is the line for churros is just as long as the attraction lines

 

[avalon451]

Crowded: Rivers of America area, at 8 p.m. on a Fantasmic night during Spring break.

Seriously, takes you 20 minutes to cross the waterfront (which usually takes 2 minutes), shuffling like a huge crowd of penguins.

Same thing for Adventureland about 2 p.m. on a busy day. Can't move faster than a shuffle-- there are CMs out directing traffic just like before the fireworks, trying to keep you to the right, even while you explain that if you don't get across the stream of traffic to the bathrooms, your DD is going to have an accident on the CMs shoes.

Crowded: (just before rope drop on Main Street)

Not crowded: 11 a.m. on a Wednesday:

 

[jtl2411]

For me as someone who is often 15 minutes from the park there are degrees of crowded...

Empty means walk on or under 10 minute wait for top rides (Tower, Space, Indy, Splash, etc...)

Not bad means 10-15 minute waits for top rides.

Kinda Crowded is some short lines, some 20-25 minute waits.

Crowded is waits of over 30 minutes for everything and long for top rides.

Busy Crowded is 50+ minutes for top rides

Packed is when the lines can't hold the wait times anymore

I couldn't agree with your more. Its crowded when you have to wait an hour to get on Pirates (like it was this past weekend)

 

[Grumpy'sWife4Ever]

We were in DL in July of '06 and it was CROWDED. Long lines, lots of "personal space" issues, needing to hang on to our children for dear life for fear they would be swept away in the tide of people. We had hour-long waits for the Jungle Cruise - it wrapped up to the second story (who knew it HAD a second story??) and for Pirates and I don't even want to talk about how long we had to wait to ride Splash - even at 10pm at night!

The trip we just returned from was NOT crowded. Short lines, plenty of room to move about, and we noted that tempers were better as well. When we were bumped into this time around we got a polite "Oh, I am so sorry!" every time. Last time, not so much. Now, Friday 13th got pretty crowded since it was close to the weekend and there was Fantasmic, etc. But it still wasn't close to being like at the height of summer. I don't think we waited more than 20 minutes to ride anything. And the only time I had to wait for a bathroom was at the McDonald's on Harbor....and I gotta tell you, the atmosphere just isn't the same!

 

[lntsmom]

I learned last time: as soon as you see a CM with a white rope it's time to head somewhere else in the park!

 

[LavenderPeach]

I learned last time: as soon as you see a CM with a white rope it's time to head somewhere else in the park!

That's exactly how I feel!

 

[Mugglemama]

after living nearby and having AP's for a couple of years, getting to go whenever we wanted, i think our family got really spoiled on the crowded-not crowded issue. during that period, we had probably 75+ trips where we barely had to wait in any lines at all. the other days we were there, the lines were only moderate (maybe 10-15 minutes).

so now, any line over 30 minutes long feels VERY unreasonable to us, lol. so for us, lines that long means the park is crowded.

we live out of state now and can only travel when school is out, so we have no choice but to visit disneyland at busy times of the year. it often feels very crowded to us, but we use FP's and RideMax to keep our ride wait times under half an hour, and that keeps it tolerable.

 

[Teki]

If I have to wait more then an hour for anything not new I consider it pretty crowded, or another good determinate if I have to fast pass a lot.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

Crowded is when you wish you had a cow catcher on your stroller or ECV.

Or wishing that you were friends with Moses so you could use him to part the sea of people.