Yikes! The parks look packed (on the app)!

[StarlitNight05]

Is there a thread that lists what school districts have which weeks for spring break?

I know a ton of local districts that have Apr 1-5 off, but none that have Apr 8-12. Our district is the 15-18, which aligns with the blockout calendar.

If you scroll down to the second post it has the school breaks.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/2019-calendar-of-events-school-breaks-and-dlr.3708938/

Looks like Redondo Beach (and possibly others?) is missing from the list -- thanks PP for that info!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

It’s definitely busy at DL. My friend said DCA is much worse. I’m glad we are in DL only today! I think it’s still totally manageable if you don’t mind some crowds, come early and stack FPs via MaxPass throughout the day. We are here with an infant and two preschoolers so we’re mostly doing very chill things (Storytelling at the Royal Theater, DL Railroad, Tiki Room) and eating, but my friend is here with her teenagers. They are park hopping and hitting all the headliners with MaxPass and having a good time despite the crowds). Also, I just saw Busy Phillips in Adventureland. She was just hanging off to the side of the walkway with a few friends and no plaids. No one seemed to realize it was her (luckily for her!).

 

[dina444444]

Is there a thread that lists what school districts have which weeks for spring break?

I know a ton of local districts that have Apr 1-5 off, but none that have Apr 8-12. Our district is the 15-18, which aligns with the blockout calendar.

The blockout calendar aligns with LAUSD’s spring break.

 

[Whistlebee]

It’s definitely busy at DL. My friend said DCA is much worse. I’m glad we are in DL only today! I think it’s still totally manageable if you don’t mind some crowds, come early and stack FPs via MaxPass throughout the day. We are here with an infant and two preschoolers so we’re mostly doing very chill things (Storytelling at the Royal Theater, DL Railroad, Tiki Room) and eating, but my friend is here with her teenagers. They are park hopping and hitting all the headliners with MaxPass and having a good time despite the crowds). Also, I just saw Busy Phillips in Adventureland. She was just hanging off to the side of the walkway with a few friends and no plaids. No one seemed to realize it was her (luckily for her!).

Thanks for the update! DCA looks insane but I guess it is what it is! Glad you guys are making the best of it! I know the parks very well so I guess we will naturally be at at least some advantage but I’ve never ever been there when it’s this crazy!
Are you walking in thick crowds in DL or is there some breathing room? I just want to be mentally prepared!

 

[Whistlebee]

It’s definitely busy at DL. My friend said DCA is much worse. I’m glad we are in DL only today! I think it’s still totally manageable if you don’t mind some crowds, come early and stack FPs via MaxPass throughout the day. We are here with an infant and two preschoolers so we’re mostly doing very chill things (Storytelling at the Royal Theater, DL Railroad, Tiki Room) and eating, but my friend is here with her teenagers. They are park hopping and hitting all the headliners with MaxPass and having a good time despite the crowds). Also, I just saw Busy Phillips in Adventureland. She was just hanging off to the side of the walkway with a few friends and no plaids. No one seemed to realize it was her (luckily for her!).

How was the Royal Storytelling? We haven’t done it in forever (my kids are 9 & 12), but I’ve been wanting to do it again. How early do you recommend arriving before the show?

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

How was the Royal Storytelling? We haven’t done it in forever (my kids are 9 & 12), but I’ve been wanting to do it again. How early do you recommend arriving before the show?

I love it! It’s really cute. We usually go over about 15-20 minutes ahead.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Thanks for the update! DCA looks insane but I guess it is what it is! Glad you guys are making the best of it! I know the parks very well so I guess we will naturally be at at least some advantage but I’ve never ever been there when it’s this crazy!
Are you walking in thick crowds in DL or is there some breathing room? I just want to be mentally prepared!

Morning wasn’t too bad but afternoon crowds are pretty thick. It’s still fine as long as you’re mentally prepared for it.

 

[Whistlebee]

I love it! It’s really cute. We usually go over about 15-20 minutes ahead.

Thanks!

 

[midnight star]

Lol, DCA looks crazy to me but I agree DL doesn’t look too bad.

lol granted I had posted that before noon, so I’m sure it picked up. But that just goes to show that early hours are the best. Use maxpass and stack so you can have rides to do later in the day. Just go mentally prepared. If people can survive during Christmas week when the park is at capacity, you can survive through spring break. Just have the right expectations

 

[Meriweather]

Hey, can you describe “horrible” a little more? How long after rope drop are things still “manageable “? Thank you!

We arrive for rope drop.....which is 8.
By 11 it is getting hard to walk around.
Some rides have fast passes still.....others are gone or much later in the day.
It's doable, just not as pleasant as other trips we have taken

We've been leaving the parks by 1 and sometimes going back in the evening

 

[briggscreek]

We ended up having a great day yesterday, barely even noticed the extra crowds just using our regular strategy. We rope dropped Disneyland and left after lunch. I started collecting FP at California Adventure for the evening and we rested and did the Wreck It Ralph vr thing before going back. CA was definitely busy but we did Guardians, Incredicoaster, RSR, and Soarin before heading back to Disneyland for a few more FP. We were able to get a lot done despite the crowds.

 

[GeneralTso]

You should be scared! You are absolutely correct--the parks are PACKED!
It's Spring Break. It's insanity.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

My sister was at DCA yesterday (they have the 3-day local ticket special, no hoppers) and said that the morning was nice, then they did Jr Chef and Frozen, but then by mid-afternoon it was getting too crowded for them so they took off. They’d have stayed through dinner on a less crowded day, but they were happy with what they did overall.

They’ve been passholders before, so they know the parks well.

 

[Whistlebee]

We ended up having a great day yesterday, barely even noticed the extra crowds just using our regular strategy. We rope dropped Disneyland and left after lunch. I started collecting FP at California Adventure for the evening and we rested and did the Wreck It Ralph vr thing before going back. CA was definitely busy but we did Guardians, Incredicoaster, RSR, and Soarin before heading back to Disneyland for a few more FP. We were able to get a lot done despite the crowds.

Wow, sounds like you guys did pretty good considering the crazy crowds! In the evening were you in a mass crowd as you’re walking around (shoulder to shoulder), in both parks? Your post gives me a bit of hope at least!

 

[Whistlebee]

You should be scared! You are absolutely correct--the parks are PACKED!
It's Spring Break. It's insanity.

Yeah, I’m definitely scared! I’ve seriously considered canceling and just doing something completely different but I would love to take my nieces to Disneyland and these are the only dates we have for that. Are you in the parks now or are you like me and looking at the crazy wait times on the app?

 

[Whistlebee]

My sister was at DCA yesterday (they have the 3-day local ticket special, no hoppers) and said that the morning was nice, then they did Jr Chef and Frozen, but then by mid-afternoon it was getting too crowded for them so they took off. They’d have stayed through dinner on a less crowded day, but they were happy with what they did overall.

They’ve been passholders before, so they know the parks well.

Well, I’m glad they had a good day! Thanks for the update!

 

[Disney Dudette]

You should be scared! You are absolutely correct--the parks are PACKED!
It's Spring Break. It's insanity.

Lol that's not very encouraging for the OP! On the contrary, I've had friends going to DL throughout spring break so far and I've heard quite the opposite. That it's very manageable and having Easter late this yr with schools on break at various times has spread out the crowds. DL is pretty much always "crowded" these days so you take your chances whenever you go. Hope the OP has a fantastic trip!

 

[dieumeye]

How crowded the park feels depends a lot more on perception than actual number of people in the park, I think.

Things like: what time you are in the park, what you are trying to accomplish, and what your expectations are really make a big difference.

When I'm in the park early, it often feels like I'm "ahead of the crowd" not just for the first couple hours, but even later in the day. That is, I find that often I'm moving the opposite direction of most people - while that can be a little annoying to navigate, it means that "the crowd" is going somewhere else!

Even when the park is crowded it's usually very manageable. I can see how someone who is stuck with the crowd all day could get discouraged, but there's never a situation when every square foot of the park is packed shoulder to shoulder with people.

There's no reason to stress, but it's kind of good in a way to expect the worst, that way you're more likely to end up pleasantly surprised, than disappointed.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Yeah, I’m definitely scared! I’ve seriously considered canceling and just doing something completely different but I would love to take my nieces to Disneyland and these are the only dates we have for that. Are you in the parks now or are you like me and looking at the crazy wait times on the app?

I mean, I wouldn't cancel, and I've been to DL in crazy crowds quite a bit. The "shoulder to shoulder" thing you keep bringing up is really situational and depends where you are in the park, when, so I don't know if anyone's responses will be helpful for you.

An example to illustrate what I mean: One day I was over by the Alice in Wonderland bathrooms and saw on Instagram that a friend of mine was in the park. I texted her about it and she responded, "OMG, can you believe these crowds?" I looked around, surprised - didn't look crazy where I was; hadn't been crazy in the hour I'd been in the park. So I texted back, "???" and she sent me her view, over by Pirates - looked slammed! Nuts. Wall-to-wall people. Later on that day, I walked over by Pirates - looked fine! Not at all like her picture from a couple of hours earlier.

So we're both in DL at the exact same time, on the exact same day, but we'd have told you something very different about the crowd levels. All sorts of things affect how the crowds feel.

Anyway, if you're a seasoned park-goer who can rope drop and use Maxpass efficiently, you can still accomplish a ton, and you'll also know where to go to escape if things get too congested.

 

[Whistlebee]

Lol that's not very encouraging for the OP! On the contrary, I've had friends going to DL throughout spring break so far and I've heard quite the opposite. That it's very manageable and having Easter late this yr with schools on break at various times has spread out the crowds. DL is pretty much always "crowded" these days so you take your chances whenever you go. Hope the OP has a fantastic trip!

Thanks, for the optimism! Didn’t really mind General Tso’s post as I can see by the app that the parks are slammed. RSR was 3.5 hours the other day when I checked the app. I think as long as I know what I’m getting into we can handle it better. I just want to avoid walking in a mass of people as much as possible. Wait times looked quite a bit better last week and Disneyland has slightly shorter hours next week so maybe Disney is expecting slightly less people next week. A girl can hope, right?!?