December - Disneyland full, gates closed [merged]

[potzbie]

Just incase anyone was thinking about heading to Dland today, as of 1:00PM the main gates are CLOSED. The park is packed. Perhaps later tonight they will let people in. Of course there always DCA! :)

So, Tuesday, 1:00 it is at capacity.

Today (Wednesday) the traffic is jammed as of 9:00 a.m. in both directions at Ball Road, and MICKEY AND FRIENDS is at maximum capacity.

And the thread at the top of MousePlanet said that the University of Texas Longhorns will be at DL on Thursday (tomorrow).

All I can say is this:
It is a good thing that DCA is empty.
:rolleyes:

[TP2000]

Darkbeer, all of those parking and traffic jam pictures from this morning you just uploaded are fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing them with us. It is just so nice to sit at my computer far from that madness and watch it as a spectator. I can not believe the traffic madness in and around Disneyland, and on the freeway just getting close to Disneyland!

Why, oh why, would anyone try to drag their family to Anaheim and shell out 220 bucks for tickets for four to spend just one day at Disneyland at this time of year is beyond me! Are people really that stupid? If they just did a tiny bit of research and postponed the trip for two weeks, they could make the same visit on a Saturday and have a dramatically better experience.

[millionairegirl]

I just wanted to add that when I left Disneyland at 10:15ish people were still streaming into the park. And when I left the resort at 11:45ish the flyover and the line to get into the parking structure were completely backed up and there was insande traffic on the 5 in the exit lane and the carpool lane because of it.

[ToursbabeC3po]

Why, oh why, would anyone try to drag their family to Anaheim and shell out 220 bucks for tickets for four to spend just one day at Disneyland at this time of year is beyond me! Are people really that stupid? If they just did a tiny bit of research and postponed the trip for two weeks, they could make the same visit on a Saturday and have a dramatically better experience.A lot of people plane there trips and vacations when there kids are out of school for the Holidays. Some people don't have the privledge of just going to Disney when ever they like because they work or have kids in school. (and they don't have AP's)

[hlbtimes2]

And a lot of people dont come to board like this, and have NO idea that the park is crazy busy these days.

[Walt'sbirthdaygirl]

Next Thursday will be interesting, early closing for private parties, fireworks at 7:45, guests trying to leave and other guest herding toward the rivers of america to wait for the 9 pm start time for the event.

Looks like we will be spending the better part of the two days at DCA and heading over to Disneyland only for my company's event.

[Wesley815]

And a lot of people dont come to board like this, and have NO idea that the park is crazy busy these days.Nah, I guess common sense is thrown out the window now-in-days.

"Oh, all the kids are out of school now... will Disneyland be busy?"
A lot of people plane there trips and vacations when there kids are out of school for the Holidays. Some people don't have the privledge of just going to Disney when ever they like because they work or have kids in school. (and they don't have AP's)IMO, the whole school issue is just an excues. As long as I kept my grades up my parents would always pull me out of school for a day or two once a year (say on a Monday), then we could go to Disneyland in the off/slow season for a weekend and have a GREAT time! I loved it and remember the trips we took very clearly in my mind, I also remember some hell-ish trips during summer or Christmas time that I've been through that are horrible. We didn't have AP's, nor did my parents visit any message boards but somehow they magicaly had common sense and knew that the park would be PACKED when schools are out. Heck, we could still see all the Christmas stuff in November and enjoy it with little to no crowds since again, it was before the "on season".

Sorry but I just had to vent a little... I get so tired of hearing about everyone "not knowing" or "not expecting" so many guests at the park. I know it's hard for a lot of people to believe, but Disneyland happens to be a VERY POPULAR place. :rolleyes:

[ILovePoker]

First off Wesley, if good parents actually cared about their child's grades, they would consider taking a holiday while they are off school. A parent might be afraid that the child might miss a lot of work while they are away. It sometimes has nothing to do with grades; the parents just want their kids not to miss any work, so they choose to go over a holiday.

First off, I'm sure many would know that the parks will be crowded since many visitors are locals. Unfortunately, the holidays may be the only time adults can get days off to visit. It's completely nasty of you to just claim that the school issue is an excuse. Some may visit the resort from thousands of miles away and would have to miss more than 1 day of school. Do you honestly think that Disneyland only receives guests from California? Think again. For a person like myself, I live around 3,000 miles away from the resort. For a full vacation, I would miss way more than a day or two of school. I'm sure many other families who visit the resort from a far would not visit California for three days.

So before you go sounding off next time, get your facts straight and stop assuming that just because people visit the resort during holidays doesn't mean they have no common sense. Some people actually have to work and cannot take days off whenever they please. These same people care about their childrens' education and should care about them missing school. Some people go to the resort because it's the only time they can go and they risk the crowds not because they lack common sense; they risk the crowds to give their kids and themselves a rare and memorable vacation.:D

[The Mouse Is Back]

People don't just base their vacations on whether kids are in or out of school. No matter how many paid days they have, the time frame still has to be cleared with employers. The holidays are the slow time at just about every business except retail; consequently employers are more willing to allow folks to take vacation at that time. And many businesses actually close down during the holiday season.

If there are other family members coming in from out of town (or even out of the country), trips to DL would coincide with that.

Anyone with common sense would be able to figure that out.


-Allegra-

[The Lovely Mrs. tod]

There are tons of people who get their vacation when their employers clear it and NOT when Disneyland is in a quiet time. Yeah, I can just see myself..."hey boss, I know this is the busiest time of year for us what with the fiscal year closing this month and three people already on vacation and two out sick but I hear Disneyland won't be very crowded next Monday so I'm taking my vacation..."

There are millions of parents who value their children's education and their school schedule and don't just, on a whim, say "oh gee, your progress report was good, the hell with that Calculus quiz and the English test you're scheduled to take today, Disneyland isn't busy..."

Why is it that if I post here "Disneyland was so busy Christmas Day that we ended up sharing parking with the security department (which was true) some people jump up and whine "get over it, come on another day, you're just babies..."

Sounds to me like they're the ones that need to "get over it".

-TLMt

[SandraVB79]

Why, oh why, would anyone try to drag their family to Anaheim and shell out 220 bucks for tickets for four to spend just one day at Disneyland at this time of year is beyond me! Are people really that stupid? If they just did a tiny bit of research and postponed the trip for two weeks, they could make the same visit on a Saturday and have a dramatically better experience.
In case I would have been there, I would have dragged myself to DL and paid the money to be there. Why? Because I have half of the world between me and DL, so if I'm there, it's not to eat a sundae at Denny's, it's to see Mickey.


Sorry but I just had to vent a little... I get so tired of hearing about everyone "not knowing" or "not expecting" so many guests at the park. I know it's hard for a lot of people to believe, but Disneyland happens to be a VERY POPULAR place.
I love going to Disney during the Christmas season, because of the decorations. That's why I go next week to DLP, to enjoy the decorations during the 3 last days they are up. That's why I went to DLP last year the weekend before Christmas, although I had 40°C fever. Yes, I still dragged myself to DLP, because it was all been paid for.

I didn't know Disney-parks were that popular that they had to close every day. All we hear here in teh news is that Disney isn't doing too well. If it weren't for thee groups, I wouldn't know anything more about DL, and I would think the crowds are about the same as DLP. Heck, I have always been to DL in July, and never found the crowds were that bad.

I'm sorry I'm an idiot who loves Disney, and who doesn't get the Anaheim news in her mailbox every day (you think they would deliver it in Belgium?) and who didn't really found out about these boards until AFTER booking her trip of October (thank God it was October and not now) and paying a couple of 1000s for air plane, hotels, train tickets etc etc etc

[DianeM]

I think that sometmes people assume that everybody knows what they know. I only knew that Disneyland was busy at Christmas because I was given an after-Christmas gift by my mother some years back and had the worst Disney experience of my life. Otherwise, I never knew how crowded it could get and never imagined Disney would let so many people into the park that you coudln't walk from one end of New Orleans Square to the other in the daytime. Until recently, I'd never heard of MousePlanet or any of the other DL groups, and don't know anybody who lives in LA. The internet has opened a whole new world of information up to people, but you have to have some idea of what you're looking for and if you have never experienced a truly horrendous Disney crowding experience it's hard to know that it is even possible. I stopped a co-worker from going to Disneyland this Christmas. She was planning on a trip with her young son, and I told her it was a horrible time to visit because of the crowds. She didn't believe me at first, but when she started trying to find a hotel room she said that most of the hotels were booked. She found a room to reserve, but decided that if all those hotels were booked, the park was probably going to be crowded.




I'm sorry I'm an idiot who loves Disney, and who doesn't get the Anaheim news in her mailbox every day (you think they would deliver it in Belgium?) and who didn't really found out about these boards until AFTER booking her trip of October (thank God it was October and not now) and paying a couple of 1000s for air plane, hotels, train tickets etc etc etc

[jdee]

Can't we all get along. I used to think Christmas day would be the perfect day to go to DL because everyone would be home with their family. I was surprised to learn a few years ago that it is a really busy time when I mention this to people they are also surprised. Looking forward to being there next week!

[pisces]

Darkbeer, all of those parking and traffic jam pictures from this morning you just uploaded are fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing them with us. It is just so nice to sit at my computer far from that madness and watch it as a spectator. I can not believe the traffic madness in and around Disneyland, and on the freeway just getting close to Disneyland!

Why, oh why, would anyone try to drag their family to Anaheim and shell out 220 bucks for tickets for four to spend just one day at Disneyland at this time of year is beyond me! Are people really that stupid? If they just did a tiny bit of research and postponed the trip for two weeks, they could make the same visit on a Saturday and have a dramatically better experience.

It's not that bad. It looks a lot scarier than it really is.

EXAMPLE: Yesterday at 8:00 am, they had every entrance line open and the lines themselves, all of 'em, were backed up to the DCA candy canes.....and this was at 7:55 am. (Shoulda taken the monorail in, as it turned out).

However, however however.....by 8:30 am the entrance lines were reasonable. Where did all that crush of humanity go to? I hate to ask.

So, just because lines are long doesn't mean they don't move.

Also, cast members are doing a really good job of directing heavy traffic. I am really impressed that they can bring so much order to this large of crowds. Somehow they are doing it, even with record breaking crowds. I'm in ill health, and a lack of energy, and yet I'm managing to get things done and sprint/dart in and out of crowds.

Then again, I'm here for 7 days, and all by myself....so it might be easier for me to get places and do all that I want.

But still, I can tell you, being here, when you are in the thick of it.....things move and you can still get a lot done.

It just looks a lot scarier from the outset, or if you just go by the news reports.

The reality is, it's do-able.

[pisces]

I just wanted to add that when I left Disneyland at 10:15ish people were still streaming into the park. And when I left the resort at 11:45ish the flyover and the line to get into the parking structure were completely backed up and there was insande traffic on the 5 in the exit lane and the carpool lane because of it.

They believe from now till New Years, the Park will be shut down at 9:00 am. YIKES !!!

What's happening now (and this is the latest straight from the GC concierge)...is that if you have a hand stamp, or are a hotel guest.....you're good no matter what......

Unless the fire department gets involved. If the fire department gets involved, we're all toast. The fire department will cut off even hotel guests and hand stamps. But, that hasn't happened yet. Right now they are cutting it off at new arrivals and first time ticket buyers at about 9, or 10ish in the morning from now till New Years day. Again, hand stamps and hotel guests are ok to enter whenever.

And I believe it! I had early entry today, and the early entry lines were backed up to the DCA gates !!!!! Peter Pan was a 30 minute wait......and that was at 7:30 am !!!!! I'm not kidding.

Every single cast member is on duty. And, every hotel, including all those along Harbor Blvd are completely sold out.

Wow!!!!

[cstephens]

IMO, the whole school issue is just an excues. As long as I kept my grades up my parents would always pull me out of school for a day or two once a year (say on a Monday)

I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with a kid being pulled out of school for a day to go to Disneyland, but I also respect that some parents might not want to do that because they don't want their kids to miss even a day of school for that reason. I was pulled out of school for a day here and there for various reasons, and there were times when it ended up being a small problem, and I'd have much rathered be in school, though it wasn't for Disneyland.

Just because your parents felt it was ok, that doesn't mean every other parent has to feel it's ok, and it might very well be an "excuse", but it's a darned good one.

[mypupmickey]

I don't post very often, but visit this site about once a week. I'm still getting used to all of the abbreviations & lingo, and when I read millionairegirl's post about getting a "PAP" well, as a woman, I had a whole other thought in mind! HA HA! :D
Enjoyed your report, though. Sounds like maybe you went alone. I love to do that, especially when it's crowded. No (well less) hassle.

[nursemelis374]

You all keep saying that they are stopping selling tickets at 9 am. I would just go somewhere else and get my ticket. I also am wondering, are they stopping for the ENTIRE day? Meaning they stop selling tickets at 9 and sell no more the rest of the day?

[raych30]

Last May, right before school was out for the summer, I woke my kids up early in the morning, told them to get dressed, we're going to Disneyland! I knew they wouldn't be missing much at school (they don't do much on the last week of school) and my son still instists to this day, "Mom, that was the best day of my life!" I've only done it once, but I don't see any harm in it.

Crowd wise, we're going to shoot for Jan 4th and hope for the best.

Rachel :)

[mareed]

Any tips for getting from LAX to Disneyland Hotel on Jan 1 in early afternoon? I have directions using the carpool lanes (I think from Darkbeer), but I wonder if they should be modified given the bad traffic situation. Our flight arrives at 1:00 p.m. and I'm expecting to arrive in the Disneyland area around 3:00. I really don't want to wait in a traffic jam for an hour, but we may have no choice. Any suggestions? Thanks! :)

[ameryth74]

You all keep saying that they are stopping selling tickets at 9 am. I would just go somewhere else and get my ticket. I also am wondering, are they stopping for the ENTIRE day? Meaning they stop selling tickets at 9 and sell no more the rest of the day?


Just because you have a ticket, (from wherever) doesn't mean they have to let you into the park... tickets are not dated... they will just tell you they are at capacity and to return another day... or go to DCA... :)

[nursemelis374]

I think you are misunderstanding my question, I am wondering if I have a PAP and get there and DL is closed and I go to DCA, will I be able to go to DL later? Sometime they close for a while and reopen.

Bottom Line: When DL has been closing recently, has it been for the ENTIRE day?

[AVP]

Part of the reason it seems to be taking SOOOOOO long to get into the parking structure is because the toll booth attendants are having to explain to EVERY SINGLE CAR that Disneyland is not selling any more tickets, but they can go to DCA if they want, yadda yadda yadda, and it can take several minutes to process a car.

AVP

[cstephens]

You all keep saying that they are stopping selling tickets at 9 am. I would just go somewhere else and get my ticket.

Where are you going to go? To a Disney Store? A travel agent? That would take a while, and even with ticket in hand, there's no guarantee you'd get in.

[K & S]

I think you are misunderstanding my question, I am wondering if I have a PAP and get there and DL is closed and I go to DCA, will I be able to go to DL later? Sometime they close for a while and reopen.

Bottom Line: When DL has been closing recently, has it been for the ENTIRE day?

I have a PAP, and I have been allowed into the park even though they had stopped selling tickets. :)