So, Monday was crowded, but overall not a problem. We got to the gates at about 8:10am for 9am opening. Lines weren't too long yet, but by the time the gates opened at 9am the lines were more than halfway to DCA. We got a bit foiled at the gate - we were at number 20, which would open into 19 and 20. However, 21 never opened, so people that were in 22 kind of just took over gate 20, so instead of our line splitting into two, theirs did, and ours was just one. And then we had several complicated ticket issues ahead of us, so it was kind of frustrating to just stand there while every other lane was flowing through. But whatever - these are the things I refuse to get upset about. It is what it is. So we finally got through, waited at rope drop. We were only about 5 people back, but by the time we got to Peter Pan, it was already a 10-15 minute wait! It was by far the most rushed morning I had ever seen. Anyhow, after that we grabbed a FP for Space Mountain (return time was already around 11) and went ahead and rode it right then with a 30 minute wait. Went back to FL, waited in line for Alice, which broke down right before we got on. So by 10:30, we had only ridden two rides, which I was starting to get discouraged by since we usually have really productive mornings. From there, however, things went well. We collected FP, rode pretty much everything we wanted to, and had a great time. In only one day, trying to cover two parks, you obviously can't do everything. We would normally ride SM at least 3 times, but felt happy to get 2 in. We only ended up DCA about 2 hours, but had already gotten FP for RSR and Soaring, so we got to do those as well as Goofy twice (my younger son loves this one). Oh, when we returned for our RSR FP, it was a huge line. Apparently RSR had broken down a lot during the day so FP of anytime were being honored, so that line took about 20-30 minutes. It was the day of uncontrollable delays.
And we didn't realize that CA Screaming would be down for the rest of evening starting before 7pm because of the two WOC shows. Luckily my son had already ridden it when he went to get our RSR FP, so it was okay. Oh, and if you go to the 10:45pm PTN parade, you can just walk up and get great viewing, no need to wait ahead of time.
So it was crowded, but never problematically so if you know what to do. As always we had a great time. Lesson from this trip: Manage expectations, go with the flow, and actively remind yourself that you are here to have fun, and don't let things like slow ticket gates or broken rides get in the way. Two days is always better than one, but one is certainly better than none. Can't wait to go back.
