Week After Thanksgiving

I'm so glad you came over and introduced herself. It was great to meet you! I hope you have a great day and the weather holds out for both of us.
I was glad to meet you too. It sure was nice when the rain let up for awhile. I hope the rest of your day was great!
 
Did the crowds lighten up for everyone with the rain?

I think it was lighter. Certainly easier to get around. Many rides down due to the rain but we still managed 13 rides today and we took a 1 hour break for BBB and princesses and another 2 hour break for lunch and rest time. We also left the park at 7:15. Called it an early night.

BBB was amazing and worth the money. It was a special day and DD had a great time. Her fairy godmother in training was so great!

Now I’m in my Disney holiday jammies, drinking decafe coffee and eating the chocolate covered marshmallow treat DH surprised me with. Sigh of contentment.
 
Yes, today it was easier to get those Fast Passes! But actually, still more people than I thought there would be with the rain!

I keep trying to prep my hubby for the crowds tomorrow (Friday) and the weather looks great..... we’ll see!
 


We are wrapping up our trip today, and I just wanted to echo the previous comments about the crowds. We arrived Tuesday evening to Fastpasses already gone for Small world, Star Tours, etc. and 30-minute waits for rides like Buzz. Main Street was a total traffic jam at parade time, and the crowds continued Wednesday.

What the cast member explained about the last days to use passes totally makes sense. Is there a blog or crowd calendar anywhere that takes things like that into account?

So, crowds and awful morning rain yesterday aside, what bummed me out the most this week were the ride breakdowns and sudden closures:
*We never did get on Toy story because it broke down FOUR times and stayed down for hours. Twice the breakdown happened as we were in line or just approaching - once, we were next to load.
*Our monorail train broke down just as we loaded, so we all had to get back off and walk or wait 20 minutes for a new car.
*During the rain, half of Fantasyland closed down. CMs said the rides would reopen after about 30 minutes of good weather, but two hours of sunshine later, these all remained closed: teacups, Alice, Casy Jr. *Luigi’s had a breakdown that lasted hours too.

I know Disney can’t control the rain, and crowds can be unpredictable, but the ride closures (specifically the length of time rides stayed down) was really disappointing.

On the upside, our girls (just 9 months older than our last trip) enjoyed the parks and rides SO much more! Crowds did go down yesterday, and the rain only lasted a few hours during the day. The parks are just beautiful all decorated for the holidays, and we loved the holiday parade and fireworks.

I think we *might* do an adults-only trip for Star Wars next year, but otherwise, we are probably taking a Disney break for the next two years and then making our next trip WDW for their 5th birthday. Time to start planning!! :)
 
Indy is back open! We are currently in line, so I have an hour to kill!

May I vent one more time and say how much I hate that they can’t have any consistency to the single rider line for Indy? I asked and like always”Oh we’re not doing it now, it’s too busy.” Ah what??? I asked if I could wait, and when/ how do they determine when I might be able to use it.

No.. it’s random. Uh yeah no kidding.

Beautiful day though
 
Indy is back open! We are currently in line, so I have an hour to kill!

May I vent one more time and say how much I hate that they can’t have any consistency to the single rider line for Indy? I asked and like always”Oh we’re not doing it now, it’s too busy.” Ah what??? I asked if I could wait, and when/ how do they determine when I might be able to use it.

No.. it’s random. Uh yeah no kidding.

Beautiful day though
I can’t stand the single rider line for Indy. They hold you so long when it is open, that you save no time! It’s better to get a fastpass or do stand by honestly.
 


We just got back to the hotel after our last day in the parks. Yesterday and today felt much more manageable and I was able to get into a better MaxPass rhythm.

We took a three hour break for a hot tub dip and nap. When we returned we had Buzz, Space mountain, Haunted Mansion (Indy for DH at the same time), dinner at Hungry Bear for Fantasmic, then BTMR, Fantasmic! and fireworks. It worked out beautifully.

Fantasmic! was amazing as always. DD was super impressed.

We had a good trip. Some really rough patches, but enough magic to balance that out. I am surprised at just how many rides were down, and for so long. It seems something was up, or maybe the rides are just getting old and need maintenance. Whatever it is, they need to work on it.

I will not be bringing DH back, ever. He doesn’t get it. And if you don’t get it, it’s really hard to overlook the cost and issues. DD on the other hand is a pro in training. She rode GOTG three times in a row this morning.

Hope you all had some pixie dust and magic this week!!
 
We’re heading home today after Breakfast with Santa in DTD at Catal.

It’s been a great week despite the crowds and ride closures. MaxPass proved once again to be worth the money for us. We got so much done without the extra crowd battling to get to the FP machines. DD was happy to get all 6 GotG songs this trip. :)

As always I’m sad to leave but also ready to get home after a week away. @Erin M my DH doesn’t come anymore either, he can’t handle it. Trips with just my DD are so much easier and less stressful!!
 
We were there Monday. It was quite busy, but my sister and I knocked out 25 attractions (park hoppers - many of them were multiples) while we were there from 7:45 AM to 12:15 AM. :) We were Disneyland warriors! MaxPass is amazing. The multiple experience passes when Big Thunder and Splash and Incredicoaster went down were awesome (since we did get to ride those 3 other times during the day). The longest we waited was for Pirates (about 40 min, but the line was pleasant) I'm sorry the rest of the week was so busy too! Working on my trip report now.
 
We just got back to the hotel after our last day in the parks. Yesterday and today felt much more manageable and I was able to get into a better MaxPass rhythm.

We took a three hour break for a hot tub dip and nap. When we returned we had Buzz, Space mountain, Haunted Mansion (Indy for DH at the same time), dinner at Hungry Bear for Fantasmic, then BTMR, Fantasmic! and fireworks. It worked out beautifully.

Fantasmic! was amazing as always. DD was super impressed.

We had a good trip. Some really rough patches, but enough magic to balance that out. I am surprised at just how many rides were down, and for so long. It seems something was up, or maybe the rides are just getting old and need maintenance. Whatever it is, they need to work on it.

I will not be bringing DH back, ever. He doesn’t get it. And if you don’t get it, it’s really hard to overlook the cost and issues. DD on the other hand is a pro in training. She rode GOTG three times in a row this morning.

Hope you all had some pixie dust and magic this week!!
I’m glad you had a great last day! DH isn’t allowed to go with us anymore either, ha ha. He also just doesn’t get the Disney Magic. DS and I have so much fun together, I’d much rather go alone with him! Baby brother will be joining us soon and we will teach him the Disney way ha ha.
 
Oh so sad it’s over!! I feel like a kid on the day after Christmas.

It’s been fun to anticipate our trip with fellow Disneyland enthusiasts, thanks!

I have to laugh about the husband comment Erin! It’s a lot of pressure to hope the hubby enjoys it enough to make it worth it. I felt that way with our Fantasmic BB package. When the announcement of the show being delayed.. I thought they were canceling it... a scary moment after fighting for a place and sitting on the ground for 45 minutes! I will write a separate review... but the summary would be the show was great, but the rest and the price not so much.

Having gone the same week 2 years ago, I was surprised at the crowds. Time for me to finally admit that weekends might actually be better- such a difficult mindset shift!!

Bottom line, still such a magical time! I love the Christmas decorations, and my hubby and I have the time of our lives!
 
I feel super fortunate that, after dragging my husband to Disneyland the first time, that he was hooked, also!
 
I can echo most of the observations here. We were there for the thursday downpour. Security is absolutely not equipped for the rain. Also I don’t mind security in general, but I dont find the system very secure.

After our 9:30 breakfast with Pooh we headed to Star Wars launch bay at 10:15 to do something inside. We were greeted by a cast member who told us it didn’t open until 11. C’mon Disney. Your inside stuff needs to be open when it’s raining. I’m sure you can figure it out.

I’ve never seen rain at Disney like they had on Thursday.

Overall a fun trip. Max pass definitely worth it, tho we only got it one day this time. (Skipped it for our two short days and the rain day). I had more passes than we could use as we couldn’t last until 10:40 pm Indy passes Friday night.

There were many strange ride closures. Indy was up and down after being closed for refurb

Overall Cast members were less friendly than usual but still nicer than most businesses. Lol

With a teen boy, early starts were almost impossible this time. The one day we got there early we did so many rides before the park got swamped. Early arrival really is key.

Major earthquake in Alaska while we were there, so dad left a day early. Things are ok at home but it was still hard to 100% enjoy Disney while worried about the pets. Everything is fine, though. Home safely.

Every time I go I say I’m planning a rest day next time, but I never do. Sigh.

We had 3.5 days in the parks. I definitely could have used our usual 5 to take my time and enjoy everything.

New to me this time was the Incredicoaster and Animation Academy. Both were great, as were breakfast and lunch options at the Red Rose in Fantasyland. But the big winner for me this time was mobile food ordering. Probably saved 2 hours total over 4 days not standing in line for quick service.

My kids did Splash 7 times in a row Friday night during Fantasmic. The last 3 times they didn’t even get out of the log.

The Grand Legacy Hotel was clean and ok. Customer service was lacking from the front office and maintenance (bathroom light went out on day 2 and never did get fixed despite calling) but housekeeping was polite and thorough. I will always stay at BWPPI or Desert Inn if available. Those extra steps at the end of the day are the worst.

More purchases at the Mickey and Me Outlet in the park vue Inn. I always buy stuff there. They have cute shirts and stuff at decent prices.

Denny’s has great hot chocolate and they will make it to go.

I still think this week is a good week to go, but I wouldn’t say it is “dead” crowd wise.

Hope everyone had fun.

P.
 
Oh so sad it’s over!! I feel like a kid on the day after Christmas.
Time for me to finally admit that weekends might actually be better- such a difficult mindset shift!!
Yeah, yesterday (Sunday) had very light crowds - I don't know if Candlelight scared people away or what, but it was WAY less busy than last Wednesday.

I think that part of what happens is that times start to get "advertised" as low crowd and then that brings crowds - people hear, "Oh, the week after Thanksgiving is good," and then everyone flocks to those times...
 
I was glad to meet you too. It sure was nice when the rain let up for awhile. I hope the rest of your day was great!

Sorry I missed you both! We were the family in the matching red shirts that read “I don’t do matching shirts!” Lol
 
We just got back last night. We arrived late Tuesday so had 4.5 days in the parks.

I expected Wednesday and Thursday to be our best days, with the lowest crowds. Wednesday was packed. As mentioned earlier it might have had something to do with Wednesday being the last day to use certain CM passes. I wish I had some idea of that going into it. Definitely not what I expected, and not something I could have anticipated reading the blackout calendar in advance.

We stayed for fireworks Tuesday night. Maybe 10 minutes prior to the show they announced that Believe might not happen (I guess because of high winds?). Then the show started right on time, so just a few minutes after the announcement. But it wasn't the full show. It was a dumbed down version. I sort of felt like that had been planned all along. Very odd. And not worth the time we had waited.

The rain Thursday wasn't fun. I expected an empty park after trudging through the rain. No such luck. Not regular busy, but far busier than expected for the conditions. After taking a few photos, Peter Pan was already at 30 minutes. Rain stopped late morning, but they still only did the rainy day cavalcade. Also characters on Main Street were in regular attire that day. I was told that was because of rain. Not sure why. Maybe they just don't have enough copies of the Christmas outfits to risk getting wet.

Rainy Day in Disneyland by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Friday morning EMH at DCA was 7 AM. We were up and at the gates by 7 with the intention of riding Incredicoaster and Toy Story as many times as possible. So much for that. The CM's at the entrance to the pier said it wasn't open. We checked back later and still not open. So irritating when that's the entire reason we were up early. EMH really loses value fast when that sort of thing happens. We ended up on Soarin, where only 1 concourse was operating, so very slow moving. Once again, a poor use of EMH. Checked back again later and Incredicoaster still down. Tried to meet the Cabelleros and came back when they expected them, only to be told it was only Donald. Never did meet them. Tried to meet Elena, only to sit and sit and wait while she was 20 minutes past her expected time.

Very disappointing not to have evening entertainment in DCA. Makes it hard to fill a day there. Frozen was awesome as always. So glad we stopped to see it again.

Saturday in DL was busy as expected. I had not seen the parade at night yet and hoped to catch it on Saturday, only to realize mid day that the schedule was changed because of CP. No night parade for me this trip.

We used part of our EMH Saturday in DL for photos. They had 3 photo spots set up by the castle. Ours were fine. But the photographer on one end was apparently shooting at an angle where she was getting the other photopass group in her shot. The people mentioned it to her and all she said was "It's Disneyland, that happens". Well, yeah that happens. But during EMH with lower crowds you don't expect one Photopass group to be shooting where they include the other photopass group.

Everyone is commenting on low crowds on Sunday. We were in DL at rope drop until noon and I thought crowds were pretty high. Not peak, but definitely not light.

At one point on Sunday we scanned our FP for Space, only to immediately see people coming down the FP entrance back out, because the line was down. Just a few steps into the line, I turned and asked the attendant if he could put our FP back or give us a re-entry pass so we could come back (we only had 90 minutes until we had to leave to catch our flight). He flat out said no. But we were welcome to wait. Really? That's nice of him. Even though he knew it was down and let us scan in anyway. I ended up asking the DAS attendant out front if there was anything she could do and she happily agreed to give us a new time (in spite of the fact that we are not DAS users).

In spite of the hiccups, we still had a great time. EMH makes all the difference in the world to me during higher crowd times (in spite of the one off day at DCA). And MaxPass continues to rock. We rode headliner after headliner. We scheduled FPs, cancelled them, picked up new ones, and lined up some great days. We would never be able to have this sort of headliner access at WDW. No contest. I loved being able to watch for Small World FP times right after sunset. The system rocks. You know, until they raise the price enough to make me question buying it. May they never move to prescheduling like WDW!
 
We stayed for fireworks Tuesday night. Maybe 10 minutes prior to the show they announced that Believe might not happen (I guess because of high winds?). Then the show started right on time, so just a few minutes after the announcement. But it wasn't the full show. It was a dumbed down version. I sort of felt like that had been planned all along. Very odd. And not worth the time we had waited.
I know that we also saw two different shows last week, but I thought Tuesday night had the full show and Wednesday was the first time I saw the abbreviated show (and then again on Friday). I looked through my photos and Tuesday night had the Mickey head effect, the smiling faces for the Two Front Teeth sequence, and big red and green bursts. Wednesday's show did not have those elements.
 

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