After our last trip, considering cancelling our Christmas 2018...

monorailrabbit

Rabbits Rabbits Everywhere!
Joined
Jan 17, 2013
Let me start off by saying we still love Disneyland. We had lots of great experiences this trip (OMG GotG!!!!) We went last year for the 60th and loved every second of it! However, we were not prepared for the crowds this past week. It really took the fun out of it for us. We did a week at WDW, then 4 days at DLR. DLR was so packed most nights we could barely move in some spots. I know there was Gay Days on the weekend we arrived (I didn't know about this until it was too late to change dates), but we were hoping it would slow down Monday & Tuesday and it didn't. While we were able to take advantage of MaxPass for most rides (when the app was actually working, but that's another issue), the park atmosphere was more chaotic than fun for us.While World was crowded, it wasn't like this. Not sure if it's because of the park layout and bottle neck areas or what exactly. We also noticed a lot more un-friendly people this trip. Lots of line cutting, pushing and shoving, rude and inappropriate comments, really surprising to us. We tried to enjoy the party, but we were so tired and burnt out we just didn't enjoy ourselves much. We were going to plan a vacation in early December 2018, but if it's worse than this, I think we might just stick with World for our holiday fix. If we go in December is it like this? How do you guys enjoy yourselves with a park this packed?
 
I hear ya. We are now alternating Hawaii and California instead of California every December as it is harder and harder to go at a time when there are fewer crowds. It really ruins the experience for us. We will see how it is with MaxPass this year.
 
We also noticed a lot more un-friendly people this trip. Lots of line cutting, pushing and shoving, rude and inappropriate comments, really surprising to us.
We visited during Thanksgiving week a few years ago and had a similar experience. Seemed like with the parks being busier, we experienced more line cutting and general rudeness. Not sure if this is typical but early December, after Thanksgiving crowds and before Christmas crowds, has traditionally been a bit better. That was our experience but not sure if that has changed. I'm sure you'll get a lot of response & opinions. We've attended during the second week of January the past two years and, while there is always a certain rude, self-centered element, in general we've come away with pleasant memories and haven't wished we hadn't gone. A bad day at DLR is still better than a good day at work.
 
We visited during Thanksgiving week a few years ago and had a similar experience. Seemed like with the parks being busier, we experienced more line cutting and general rudeness. Not sure if this is typical but early December, after Thanksgiving crowds and before Christmas crowds, has traditionally been a bit better. That was our experience but not sure if that has changed. I'm sure you'll get a lot of response & opinions. We've attended during the second week of January the past two years and, while there is always a certain rude, self-centered element, in general we've come away with pleasant memories and haven't wished we hadn't gone. A bad day at DLR is still better than a good day at work.

Oh you bet it is! :) We still loved DLR, it just wasn't as magical as last year. I think the rudeness is what really surprised me. We were in a packed Epcot on the 35, and it was nothing like this. I am going with my BFF in January, so I'm sure it will be slower and we can get some of the magic back!
 


I have a feeling our trip next weekend is going to be BUSY with lots of crowds. We didn't realize the entire state of Utah would be there at the same time, ha ha! Trying to stay positive. And we need to figure out how the heck Max Pass works since we will need to add it day by day.
 
It was a bad combination of: Gay Days + Columbus Day Holiday+school fall break.

You can't just randomly choose weeks to visit DLR anymore. You have to know when NOT to come. The AP blackout calendar is a huge hint. Hint: go only when Southern California (and preferably Deluxe) APs are blacked out!

So, basically, middle of the summer (especially on Saturdays--lowest crowds ever).

Your early December may be okay. Certainly it will be better than the craziness of October. October is ALWAYS crazy.
 
We went early December a few years back and it was crazy crowded. And COLD. Definitely not the same as early December in WDW :/
 


My answer depends on whether or not you have an AP to either DL or DW. Or if you're just buying tickets. And if you're just buying tickets, why wouldn't you have upgraded to an AP at some point at disneyland? LOL Obviously, after the trip you had you wouldn't have done the upgrade because you were at a low point. And maybe there is your answer.

Have you thought of coming a different time when the park isn't as busy? There is a great post don't know if it's here on DIS or on "the other" disney geek site that lists out all of the school breaks and holiday's that are known. As well as the unofficial events like gay days.
 
Early December used to be great. But the last 2 or maybe 3 years it has been MUCH busier. I believe it was on Wednesday in early December last year when we arrived around 1- Pirates was like a 90 minute wait. We then knew we were in for a busy week again. The days of early December being quiet are over, I think.
 
Yeah, DL has become waaaaayyy too crowded in the last 2 years. The off-season times seem just as busy as summer, but with shorter hours.

But you made a point that I want to build on. When I hit a Disney park, the main part of being there is the ambiance. Sure, I could have steak at Sizzler for cheap, but the ambiance of the same previously frozen steak at Blue Bayou is so much better. So when I want to hit a theme park, I go to Disney for the ambiance. SixFlags have more thrill in their rided, but zero ambiance....thus we go to Disney. BUT at DL, it's so crowded, it's really hard to enjoy that ambiance. You really can't take in the magic when you're should to shoulder walking through Tomorrowland, AdventureLand, or FantasyLand. All you can think about is "how do we stay together while we shuffle from one attraction to the next". It's an absolute ambiance/magic killer. When you're at WDW, you really don't have that problem. The only time it's shoulder to shoulder is after fireworks finish. This is exactly why I'm always talking about DLR opening a third gate. That would do wonders for relieving some pressure on the crowds at DL. But it will never happen.

Feeling your pain.
 
It was a bad combination of: Gay Days + Columbus Day Holiday+school fall break.

You can't just randomly choose weeks to visit DLR anymore. You have to know when NOT to come. The AP blackout calendar is a huge hint. Hint: go only when Southern California (and preferably Deluxe) APs are blacked out!

So, basically, middle of the summer (especially on Saturdays--lowest crowds ever).

Your early December may be okay. Certainly it will be better than the craziness of October. October is ALWAYS crazy.

I totally agree with this BUT I've never been on board with going when APs are blacked out - because, isn't it blacked out b/c it's a holiday and they expect big crowds? We have the advantage of only little kids, so we can pull out of school, flexible work schedules - we have always found september/early november/february not around a holiday to be pretty quiet (so basically, right after big school breaks.) I'm afraid to go in the summer/around holidays when APs are blocked. haha.
 
We we're also at the Parks Sat, Sun, Mon, Tues. We bought MaxPass. It comes down to who you come across, and timing. We go all the time so we are pretty good at avoiding jerks and nailing the timing. So every day my kids kept saying that I said it was going to be a madhouse and it "isn't busy at all!" Their perception, as well as mine, my husband's, and my parents': it looks busy, but it can't be that bad because all we've been doing is riding one ride after another, and walking less than normal!

If you come across shovers, you can react or let it go, they're not going to magically turn polite so better to brush it off. I did have one man run over me in his scooter and start to blame me, but I asked him to relax and he did. My 11-yr-old daughter got hit with strollers several times, she says ow, and moves on.

The longest lines we encountered were for free face painting at Dia de Los Muertos area, and my son waited for 30 min for Oogie popcorn because he didn't want to ride Soarin, which we walked on to thanks to MaxPass. I hate the shakedown for $300 on top of APs but if it was super busy that weekend, it didn't bother us. MaxPass is the way to go, and I'm sure they'll work out the bugs by your next trip!
 
I totally agree with this BUT I've never been on board with going when APs are blacked out - because, isn't it blacked out b/c it's a holiday and they expect big crowds? We have the advantage of only little kids, so we can pull out of school, flexible work schedules - we have always found september/early november/february not around a holiday to be pretty quiet (so basically, right after big school breaks.) I'm afraid to go in the summer/around holidays when APs are blocked. haha.

There are over a million AP holders. On any given day, I would guess at least 50% of the crowd is AP holders. Taking away a huge chunk of AP holders brings down the overall crowd level. There simply aren't that many "day guests" or multi day vacationers at any given time.

I have a Signature Pass and go frequently. It is definitely less crowded when more AP blackouts are in effect. Saturdays when AP SoCal and Deluxe AP holders are blocked out are practically empty compared to days where there are NO blackouts.

To illustrate this point, between Christmas and New Years last year (first year of the more strict blackouts), the parks NEVER reached capacity. The DAY the blackouts were lifted and the following 3 days, the parks hit capacity every day. I believe this was Jan 2-5, 2017. It seems counterintuitive, but the numbers don't lie.
 
When I went a few weeks ago, there was NO doubt that local APers were what made the majority of the insane crowd. The parking lots even got shut down....on a weekday in the middle of September! Supposedly one of the "slowest" times at Disneyland. The summer block-out days were so much less crowded! Our best day was Saturday when half of the APs were blocked. Way slower. I know, I know. For years and every book out there will tell you the opposite, BUT CROWDS HAVE CHANGED. Go when the hours are long and the entertainment schedule is full...and most important, when at least 1/2 APs are blocked.
 
Going February 11-14th week before Presidents day...any thoughts?
My answer depends on whether or not you have an AP to either DL or DW. Or if you're just buying tickets. And if you're just buying tickets, why wouldn't you have upgraded to an AP at some point at disneyland? LOL Obviously, after the trip you had you wouldn't have done the upgrade because you were at a low point. And maybe there is your answer.

Have you thought of coming a different time when the park isn't as busy? There is a great post don't know if it's here on DIS or on "the other" disney geek site that lists out all of the school breaks and holiday's that are known. As well as the unofficial events like gay days.

This list has been going for several years now, thanks to figment_jii.
2017 - https://www.disboards.com/threads/2017-calendar-of-events-school-breaks-and-dlr.3528760/
2018 - https://www.disboards.com/threads/2018-calendar-of-events-school-breaks-and-dlr.3635162/

If anyone knows of a slow time now a days, they are keeping it to themselves.
I go at least three times a year with the various grandkids, plus a solo trip here or there.
I can't remember the last time we were there when we felt it was not busy.

I say pick the dates that work best for you and plan of it being crowded.
figment_jii's thread is helpful as a guideline.

One thing to consider....
The opening of StarWars Land and the massive crowds that are predicted to attend.

Geemo
 
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To illustrate this point, between Christmas and New Years last year (first year of the more strict blackouts), the parks NEVER reached capacity. The DAY the blackouts were lifted and the following 3 days, the parks hit capacity every day. I believe this was Jan 2-5, 2017. It seems counterintuitive, but the numbers don't lie.

Yeah, reached capacity on January 4, 2017. It was quite crowded starting the 2nd, more so on the 3rd, and was a capacity closure on the 4th. I don't recall capacity on the 5th, but I was only there for the morning before heading home.

12/31/2016 and 1/1/2017? They were downright pleasant compared to previous years.
 
Yeah, reached capacity on January 4, 2017. It was quite crowded starting the 2nd, more so on the 3rd, and was a capacity closure on the 4th. I don't recall capacity on the 5th, but I was only there for the morning before heading home.

12/31/2016 and 1/1/2017? They were downright pleasant compared to previous years.

I may be thinking of parking lot capacity. I recall seeing that on Twitter multiple days that week...
 
I think this year even the early part of December might be tough. We're going Dec 9 -12th, staying at the Grand, and we're both AP's. HOWEVER, now that they blocked the two weeks at Christmas time all those individuals who have below the signature plus pass will be scrambling to get in as much time as possible - I currently hold a signature and know that is exactly why I'm going. We'll see. I was there two weekends ago for Halloween and the mess that is created near Haunted Mansion and trickles to pirates (especially when they're setting up Fantasmic) is enough to drive anyone bonkers, you just don't move - people are rude.... But I can't say that I would ever not get my AP nor stop going.
 

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