No more saving seats for the parade

[MillauFr]

Wondering if they were having some problems with people selling spots?

 

[ashley0139]

That sounds like Heaven! I would love to be able to pop into Disneyland for a couple hours after work anytime I wanted. So jealous of you Southern Californians!

We're APs, but are a two hour flight away.

It is really nice, I admit, and I am very thankful. I just wish my friends here liked to go as much as I do!

 

[SMD]

It is really nice, I admit, and I am very thankful. I just wish my friends here liked to go as much as I do!

Ask around. About 15 years ago at work I mentioned that I had an AP, and some co-workers told me they had them too and invited me to celebrate a birthday. We've gone every year for that birthday since even though we don't work together anymore. And I've made dozens of other AP friends through that connection. Some don't even have APs anymore but we're still friends years later.

 

[Shanti]

My local library bans blankets & bedrolls to keep people from camping out. Disneyland should do the same. They should also stop selling cheap AP's on the installment plan.

 

[StageTek]

I'm not sure if you ever said. Did your entire family stay on the blanket the entire 3 hours?

Pretty much. Put down a blanket and everything that it seems really angered the other guests. As I said, this was a favorite thing for our family to do.

 

[wenrob]

Pretty much. Put down a blanket and everything that it seems really angered the other guests. As I said, this was a favorite thing for our family to do.

It's not anger, it's frustration. It's not saving a spot, it's tons of people saving spots lining up blankets with one person guarding them for HOURS or ALL DAY. Has spot saving always happened? Yes. Has it always been out of hand like it is now? No. The last couple of years it's gotten ridiculous with people being forced to go backstage to get up and down Main St. That's what I mean by ruining the ambience. I'm a big kid, I like being in the bubble, having to go backstage pops it for me. You can still save your spot, you just have to do it in the new time frame. That's all.

 

[mom2rtk]

Pretty much. Put down a blanket and everything that it seems really angered the other guests. As I said, this was a favorite thing for our family to do.

Did you ever notice all the blankets around you that weren't full of people? The ones with one person saving space for half a dozen or more other people? Blame them.

 

[Malcon10t]

It's not anger, it's frustration. It's not saving a spot, it's tons of people saving spots lining up blankets with one person guarding them for HOURS or ALL DAY. Has spot saving always happened? Yes. Has it always been out of hand like it is now? No. The last couple of years it's gotten ridiculous with people being forced to go backstage to get up and down Main St. That's what I mean by ruining the ambience. I'm a big kid, I like being in the bubble, having to go backstage pops it for me. You can still save your spot, you just have to do it in the new time frame. That's all.

Backstage South is used AFTER the parades to help get all the people down Main St. (Backstage North is used during parades.) I've been doing it long enough, we've been in crowds that prior to the back stage walkways, would take us 20-30 mins to get from the Castle to the exit. You don't HAVE to go backstage, you can still go down Main St, backstage is just faster. They will let you know, if you are heading to the exit, use the backstage route, if you want to shop, stay on Main St.

I want to add, it has gotten worse with Paint the Night. I have always be against 1 person holding spots for large groups. My rule is we always need to have at least half our party. Generally, we are all there, but it wasn't uncommon to have one or two head to the bathroom, or go to grab food for the group. That said, we usually grabbed spots for fireworks (we would do the dessert seating for Fantasmic!) and not parades.

 

[wenrob]

Backstage South is used AFTER the parades to help get all the people down Main St. (Backstage North is used during parades.) I've been doing it long enough, we've been in crowds that prior to the back stage walkways, would take us 20-30 mins to get from the Castle to the exit. You don't HAVE to go backstage, you can still go down Main St, backstage is just faster. They will let you know, if you are heading to the exit, use the backstage route, if you want to shop, stay on Main St.

I want to add, it has gotten worse with Paint the Night. I have always be against 1 person holding spots for large groups. My rule is we always need to have at least half our party. Generally, we are all there, but it wasn't uncommon to have one or two head to the bathroom, or go to grab food for the group. That said, we usually grabbed spots for fireworks (we would do the dessert seating for Fantasmic!) and not parades.

I've never been given a choice, or been aware of a choice. We learned a long time ago to make sure to come in well before the first parade and to leave halfway through the last. I have to agree that Paint the Night made it a lot worse. IMO, they should have put a time frame on it then. I don't think we'd be having this debate if they had. I know people who literally saved benches/spots from park opening.

 

[wenrob]

I wanted to say I don't begrudge people who save spots. We all do things our own way. I just think there can be reasonable happy medium.

 

[SMD]

I've never been given a choice, or been aware of a choice. We learned a long time ago to make sure to come in well before the first parade and to leave halfway through the last. I have to agree that Paint the Night made it a lot worse. IMO, they should have put a time frame on it then. I don't think we'd be having this debate if they had. I know people who literally saved benches/spots from park opening.

They built the bypasses because they knew with 3 night time shows once they added PTN they'd need them. Since F! closed and no more nightly fireworks they don't forcibly route traffic as much. I can understand wanting to walk down Main St sometimes, especially on the first day of the trip, but if I'm entering Dl right before a parade to get to use a HSM FP or something, I'll happily use the bypass if it's open. Before they had them, I probably would have just avoided entering at that time. On the way out of the park, if there's a way to use the bypass and not have to cross the parade route or wade to far into the fireworks crowd, I'd prefer to use it. I wish it was open more often. But after so many trips to the park, I like little glimpses behind the scenes. Sometimes when I ride is down I actually want to see how they fix it. And the backstage parts of Disney races are really fun. The bypasses don't look anything like the backstage areas that were there before (which were park of previous Disney races), they were built to look the way they do. Disney has even starting putting ODV carts in them.

 

[wenrob]

They built the bypasses because they knew with 3 night time shows once they added PTN they'd need them. Since F! closed and no more nightly fireworks they don't forcibly route traffic as much. I can understand wanting to walk down Main St sometimes, especially on the first day of the trip, but if I'm entering Dl right before a parade to get to use a HSM FP or something, I'll happily use the bypass if it's open. Before they had them, I probably would have just avoided entering at that time. On the way out of the park, if there's a way to use the bypass and not have to cross the parade route or wade to far into the fireworks crowd, I'd prefer to use it. I wish it was open more often. But after so many trips to the park, I like little glimpses behind the scenes. Sometimes when I ride is down I actually want to see how they fix it. And the backstage parts of Disney races are really fun. The bypasses don't look anything like the backstage areas that were there before (which were park of previous Disney races), they were built to look the way they do. Disney has even starting putting ODV carts in them.

I always fear the "lights will come up" or I'll have to be rescued from a ride. I don't want to know! Like I said, big kid. The bypasses must not have been fully polished the last time I was there.

 

[Malcon10t]

They built the bypasses because they knew with 3 night time shows once they added PTN they'd need them. Since F! closed and no more nightly fireworks they don't forcibly route traffic as much. I can understand wanting to walk down Main St sometimes, especially on the first day of the trip, but if I'm entering Dl right before a parade to get to use a HSM FP or something, I'll happily use the bypass if it's open. Before they had them, I probably would have just avoided entering at that time. On the way out of the park, if there's a way to use the bypass and not have to cross the parade route or wade to far into the fireworks crowd, I'd prefer to use it. I wish it was open more often. But after so many trips to the park, I like little glimpses behind the scenes. Sometimes when I ride is down I actually want to see how they fix it. And the backstage parts of Disney races are really fun. The bypasses don't look anything like the backstage areas that were there before (which were park of previous Disney races), they were built to look the way they do. Disney has even starting putting ODV carts in them.

Right. I know we avoided leaving after Fantasmic! would let out. We look at the time, and either start hurrying to exit the park, or decide to take our time and wait out the crowds. I was surprised seeing the ODV carts at Christmas, but hey, it works! I enjoy looking at the Jungle Cruise stuff as we exit, or the area up to walt's Apartment. And you are right, it really doesn't look like it did when they first used the south bound bypass. I remember when they opened it as an "emergency exit". Now days, we are straining from the hub area to look and see if the exit is open so we can get there to use it after fireworks.

And we too like to be walked off. Well, except maybe Casey Jr. That wasn't fun....

 

[wongck]

People who comes to DLR regularly and camping out holding a spot for parade sucks.

Disney have leveled the playing field by banning it for non-regulars.
Much like doing away with paper FP in WDW, using FP+.
Regulars will feel the pain when Disney roll out the digital FP for DLR.

Non-regulars like me will have a better experience.
So 20% of the regulars suffers while 80% of the non-regulars (or the other way round??) get a better experience.

 

[mom2rtk]

People who comes to DLR regularly and camping out holding a spot for parade sucks.

Disney have leveled the playing field by banning it for non-regulars.
Much like doing away with paper FP in WDW, using FP+.
Regulars will feel the pain when Disney roll out the digital FP for DLR.

Non-regulars like me will have a better experience.
So 20% of the regulars suffers while 80% of the non-regulars (or the other way round??) get a better experience.

You'll find opinions very split on that. Nobody knows yet what the digital system will look like or if it will be a big advantage for any particular group.

 

[Malcon10t]

People who comes to DLR regularly and camping out holding a spot for parade sucks.

Disney have leveled the playing field by banning it for non-regulars.
Much like doing away with paper FP in WDW, using FP+.
Regulars will feel the pain when Disney roll out the digital FP for DLR.

Non-regulars like me will have a better experience.
So 20% of the regulars suffers while 80% of the non-regulars (or the other way round??) get a better experience.

I think it will actually give everyone a better experience. I am unsure what the costs will be to be allowed to use the digital FP, but I can see APs paying to add it for the year. (Add to it, higher level passes are said to be including it.) It will be interesting to see what the fee will be for park tickets.

 

[ashley0139]

I think it will actually give everyone a better experience. I am unsure what the costs will be to be allowed to use the digital FP, but I can see APs paying to add it for the year. (Add to it, higher level passes are said to be including it.) It will be interesting to see what the fee will be for park tickets.

I hope it is true that it will be included in higher level passes!

 

[Malcon10t]

I hope it is true that it will be included in higher level passes!

The rumor (and repeat, RUMOR) I've heard is Signature Plus and Premier will have it included.

 

[StageTek]

Did you ever notice all the blankets around you that weren't full of people? The ones with one person saving space for half a dozen or more other people? Blame them.

I'm not blaming anyone. I was just surprised by the sarcasm, anger and intolerance expressed by some people here on the boards.

 

[Epek]

Every time a thread like this pops up, I'm amazed at the assumptions that all the people causing the problems are regulars and AP holders. I've personally been an AP holder for 3 years, go at least once a month, and have never once been guilty of any of the accusations that are thrown around. Neither have any other AP holders I know. It's super pointless the assign blame to any "group" anyway, because it's just a generalization. It's sad that even at Disneyland or Disney World we have to break people into an us vs them.