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View Full Version : How often does DL reach capacity?



Mommy2NicknMax
02-17-2005, 11:53 AM
Since I just recently found out I'm going to DL May 5th and 6th I began to think about this. I have read (from Darkbeer I believe) that May 5th shouldn't be to much of a problem but July 17th will.

So this has me wondering, how often does DL reach capacity?

When I was there in December I heard an announcement asking people who were leaving to go ahead and exit the park b/c Main Street was at capacity (or something to that effect, I was in the Emporium at the time). This was right before the fireworks on Saturday, December 11th.

Anyone here been in the park when it's happened? Do they make any annoucements? Just curious.

bradk
02-17-2005, 03:25 PM
can't really answer your capacity question, but i'm not sure if it's safe to say may 5 will not be extremely busy. quite the contrary.

july 17th will be a madhouse for sure, but the first week of may (or traditionally the 2 weeks after easter, which, although is early this year, the time line may still stand, that's sort of a big question mark) is usually very busy already, but couple that with the launch of all things 50th and you've got a super crowd on your hands.

the people you'll be dealing with mostly are the SoCal crowd who make up the vast majority of the parks' visitors. many of them will think of nothing to take the day off of work just to experience the magic.

july 17 is when you can expect all the diehard tourists to come in, in addition to the typical summer crowd and diehard locals (where DL will be running at capacity for sure).

it should still be fairly manageable. there probably won't be a best time to hang out in the kingdom (as opposed to the usual early & late hours), but i'd advise spending the 5th in DCA (which will most likely see its surge on the 4th when DL is closed) and the 6th in DL. and if making it to certain rides is important to you, consider ridemax. altho i'm not sure what sort of concessions they'll be making in their crowd algorithms in anticipation of the celebration kickoff.

Mommy2NicknMax
02-17-2005, 03:48 PM
Thanks for the advice. I will be in DL on the 5th. Crowds don't bother me at all. I was also wondering how would someone "in" the park know if the park is at capacity? So they don't make the mistake of leaving and not being able to get back in.

Oh and when I said May 5th shouldn't be a problem, I didn't mean it wouldn't be crowded ;) , I know better.

bradk
02-17-2005, 04:10 PM
yeah, that's a good question. however i imagine that if the park is operating at capacity, it will be SO overcrowded that you might be doing yourself a favor by leaving :)

sediment
02-17-2005, 04:29 PM
1. Since I just recently found out I'm going to DL May 5th and 6th I began to think about this. I have read (from Darkbeer I believe) that May 5th shouldn't be to much of a problem but July 17th will.

2. So this has me wondering, how often does DL reach capacity?

3. When I was there in December I heard an announcement asking people who were leaving to go ahead and exit the park b/c Main Street was at capacity (or something to that effect, I was in the Emporium at the time). This was right before the fireworks on Saturday, December 11th.

4. Anyone here been in the park when it's happened? Do they make any annoucements? Just curious.

My guesses as answers:
1. It will be crowded on May 5. Not as bad as July 17
2. About 15 days per year. In May, it will typically be very crowded on Memorial Day weekend and Mother's Day, but not enough to close the entrances. 4-July, Christmas-NewYear's week, Thanksgiving weekend, in that order. In the past there has been an August day, but I don't know what happened on that particular day.
3. I think you're told when you leave that it might not be possible to return right away. If it's anywhere near busy (takes you an hour to get to the entrance from wherever you were), you can always ask a smiling and helpful CM.
4. I haven't. That's why these are my guesses. I would dare go on a busy day. It's not worth the time and effort (it's a two-hour trip each way, including picking up and dropping off "the ticket"). 1.5 hours away. Last busy day I went was when MSEP was in its first glowing away, and we couldn't get in.

AnotherPixie
02-17-2005, 08:32 PM
Anyone here been in the park when it's happened? Do they make any annoucements? Just curious.

I have been at Disneyland a few times when it reached full capacity. Generally, it is on New Years Eve, but there was December, the 25th in 1998 that was a nightmare. I think that was the worst trip for us in all my years going to Disneyland. Cast Members informed us that they stopped selling tickets at 11:30am and they were at full capacity by the afternoon. As crowded as it was, I didn't question the validity of this. The crowds didn't bother me, it was the guest behavior. They had to cancel Fantasmic and Holiday Believe because the winds grew strong in the last 20 minutes leading up to the performance. Guests got angry, booing while some threw their collected trash/food into the Rivers of America, I even saw a guest toss a tray in the water. :confused: That was just one of the bad things I witnessed that day, I decided I would never again go on the 25th of December again, and I haven't yet! :D

Darkbeer
02-17-2005, 08:36 PM
[quote=Mommy2NicknMax}

1. Since I just recently found out I'm going to DL May 5th and 6th I began to think about this. I have read (from Darkbeer I believe) that May 5th shouldn't be to much of a problem but July 17th will.

2. So this has me wondering, how often does DL reach capacity?

3. When I was there in December I heard an announcement asking people who were leaving to go ahead and exit the park b/c Main Street was at capacity (or something to that effect, I was in the Emporium at the time). This was right before the fireworks on Saturday, December 11th.

4. Anyone here been in the park when it's happened? Do they make any annoucements? Just curious.

[/quote]

1. Let's see, May 5th, a off-season weekday that normally gets about 10 to 20 thousand folks, and add the special media event... a busy day, my guess, around 40 to 50 thousand.. busy, yes, about the same as a summer weekday... but nothing like capacity...

2. Based on my knowledge, 3 times, all in December, basically busy days that many folks had off school and work. No special events, except the parade and fireworks they have been offering the last two months. New Year's Eve might had been the 4th, but bad weather kept many folks away.

3. There is no reason for announcement in the park, it might just cause MORE problems... No, you might have a CM or two warn you that if you leave the exit turnstyles, you will have to wait to get back in, maybe a long wait.

Now, let's compare..

May 5th, no blockout days on any AP, a off-season weekday with the vast majority of kids in school. Will the park get busy... YES! Will it sell out, IMHO no, and will not even be close...

Now July 17th, a Sunday during peak season...

Usually about 50,000 prior to any special event, add the fact that all the Disney owned hotels are sold out already, DIsney has decided to blockout the Deluxe AP's (but of course, any other AP than a Premium can buy a $30 pass to get in). Between the regular crowd, the birthday, and all the AP's that have been sold in the last few years... make sure you get to the park early in the day, because it will reach capacity....

marktips
02-17-2005, 08:48 PM
WDW will take the brunt of madness on May 5th. It is "Grand Opening" three seperate attractions that day and has scheduled media events to the max around it.

Almost nothing is available anywhere on property that week and that includes more basic stuff like dining/tours. (They usually don't book out to their max this far out.)

For July 17, Disney itself shifted its focus to DLR, that's when the majority of its media events will take place.

adriennek
02-17-2005, 08:56 PM
Just a reminder, this is the Disneyland Forum.

Adrienne

marktips
02-17-2005, 08:58 PM
I know, just illustrating how Disney planned their celebration so that the focus on May 5th was at WDW (in their own words, the "Kickoff Party") and that DLR's big day was July 17th.

bradk
02-18-2005, 05:50 AM
Regardless, the majority of DL visitors any day of the year are SoCal residents who will be excited and able to show up the weekday that kicks off the celebration. If I lived in the area, I'd call in sick for it. I've called in sick for much less. I'd be surprised if the park doesn't hit capacity on May 5 with everyone wanting to be the first around the water cooler to see what they closed the park the day before for.

sdfilmcritic
02-18-2005, 06:22 AM
We've talked about this subject before, haven't we? It sounds awfully familiar.

Mommy2NicknMax
02-18-2005, 07:33 AM
We've talked about this subject before, haven't we? It sounds awfully familiar.

I'm sorry. I didn't realize it's been discussed before.

Thank you to those folks that took the time to post their thoughts on this. I've only been to DL 4 times (August and December) and was curious what happens when it hits capacity (anytime of the year, not just May 5th or July 17th).

justlittleoldme
02-18-2005, 07:40 AM
Regardless, the majority of DL visitors any day of the year are SoCal residents who will be excited and able to show up the weekday that kicks off the celebration. If I lived in the area, I'd call in sick for it. I've called in sick for much less. I'd be surprised if the park doesn't hit capacity on May 5 with everyone wanting to be the first around the water cooler to see what they closed the park the day before for.


I already put in my vacation time for that day. My boss has noticed that I seem to be sick a lot. (Sick of work I think it is).

brerbear77
02-18-2005, 08:41 AM
As far as your capactity question, I was there two years ago in December (not on X-mas or even X-mas Eve) and it was at capacity. There was no announcement that I heard but my boyfriend went back to the hotel for a nap in the afternoon and had a horrible time getting back into the park. He said it was like a one person out, one person in kind of thing. Then it took him an hour to get from the Main Gate to Small World where we were suppose to meet. I remember asking a few CM about it and they said they didn't know what all the crowds were about and that they weren't expecting them at all. It was very chaotic and confusing, even a little frustarating, I only got on 3 rides the whole day. I am sure they are ready for big crowds starting in May and lasting all year so hopefully some of what I saw will not happen.

Disneyfreak
02-18-2005, 06:04 PM
July 17th will definately hit capacity just like it did when it officially opened. :)

The reason I know this is because all the hotels were booked about 6 months in advance. There will be a lot of tourists.

kbanmen
02-18-2005, 06:40 PM
I do know that capacity is 85,000 people..I bet it may be close on the 17th

pisces
02-19-2005, 12:08 PM
This is one of the things that I didn't experience in my week there.

I heard that the Park was closed on Dec. 25 in the Afternoon, in 2004 for capacity......but I was not there, so it would be interesting to talk to someone who was there this past Christmas.

I arrived on Dec. 27....and from that point up until Jan 2, 2005......the park was never closed once for capacity. Strange, considering the holiday week, but true.

Yes, it rained, somewhat heavily all that week, but still, over and over again throughout 2004, everyone on this site insisted, that week, no matter what, rain or not, the Park would be closed for capacity........and it never was.

Talk about trying to scare someone !!!

I did talk to a cast member at the GCH: and asked, what I would do, if it ever did happen, which it didn't that week.

They said if it ever happens, to just enter through the monorail, at Tomorrowland......and show your hotel card. I was told Hotel Guests have priority, even when the Park is shut down, as long as you let them swipe your Room Key.....and as long as you go to the Tomorrowland entrance.

But definitely, nobody gets through the Main Gate when the Park is closed for capacity, which was what I was told by a Cast Member.

Of course I never had to try that out, as, ahem, at no time throughout this past New Years was the Park ever shutdown.

bradk
02-19-2005, 12:10 PM
not sure what you mean by all that. if it rains, of course it's going to keep the crowds down. most of the DL crowds are locals to some extent, so they're not going to go spend all day in the rain when they can just go another day. if it hadn't been raining, it's not necessarily true that they would have reached capacity, but it would have been extremely busy.

pisces
02-19-2005, 12:17 PM
.....yes, but for New Years eve.....all bets are off.

Supposedly, and this is what I was told, Rain never stops people on New Years Eve. And, in fact, if you rememeber NYE 2003, the Park was jammed, it was in all the papers......and it was raining then. Rain didn't stop anyone for NYE 2003.

But, this year, for some reason.........even for NYE ---2004, they were not filled to overflow.

I'm not saying it didn't get busy, towards 8:00 or 9:00 ish this past December 31. But, I know for a fact, the park was not shutdown, the way it was in 2003, with the same rain.

I'm sorry if I'm not making sense:

2003: NYE and rain (Park gets jammed and shutdown)
2004: NYE and rain (Park is busy but not at the level of shutdown)

Why the difference?