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Karin
12-31-2006, 06:51 PM
Just curious, has anyone heard if DL closed today, and if so, at what time? Did it ever reopen and perhaps close again due to huge crowds?

hbquikcomjamesl
01-01-2007, 01:01 AM
Ye VISH! By the time I arrived (sometime between 6 and 7 P.M.), DL was already in the highest-level lockdown I've ever personally seen it in: no ticket sales other than 1-day DCA-only, no new entry to DL for passholders, probably no new entry to DL for hotel guests, and practically no re-entry! And they were warning DCA guests at the exit gate, that there was a distinct possibility that DCA could also go into the same level of lockdown.

Since DCA hasn't had a decent place to eat since the Soap Opera Bistro closed, I went out into DTD anyway, to see if I could get into Ralph Brennan's. No such luck: they'd stopped taking walk-ins, and were booked solid for the rest of the night. I ended up going back into DCA (which took about 20 minutes), and trying the chicken pasta at the pizza joint (so-so, and definitely not worth standing in line for half an hour on an almost-empty stomach, at 10:30).

The DCA fireworks were sufficiently underwhelming (and the music sufficiently abominable -- doesn't anybody know that disco has been dead for decades?) that I probably would have been better off watching the DL fireworks from the top of the parking structure, and getting a head start on the way home.

Loomis
01-01-2007, 01:02 AM
So for next year, one should probably get into the park sometime in early December and just stay in there until sometime in the New Year to secure a spot? :)

Sheila
01-01-2007, 01:26 AM
Just got back from the park. They stopped selling Disneyland one-day tickets at 11:30 a.m. As for the rest, I wouldn't know. I spent my time navigating the park on the backways as to avoid the crowds -- I imagine it was pretty busy but I stayed out of the Hub all day! :)

chrisaustx
01-01-2007, 04:19 AM
I arrived at Disneyland at 430pm and was told that I could not enter the park with my premium a/p that the only thing available to me was DCA. I stayed at DCA until 7pm, when I noticed the park was nearly full. People were buying block out passes for their So Cal A/P's and being diverted into DCA. Some people who had purchased park hopper tickets earlier in the day on Sunday, were denied entrance into Disneyland in the evening, because "Disneyland was full," this happened to people who had entered DCA earlier in the day and who did not enter Disneyland before 5pm. Well DCA looked like the So Cal A/P lounge, complete with a 30 min. line at Burger Invasion and the pizza place next door. Around 7pm there was a fight by the DCA stage which was located by the Golden Dreams Theater. After the fight broke out, I knew it was time to leave DCA and go home. So I left Disneyland at 730pm and watched the fireworks from down Ball Rd. There were many angry people at Disneyland last night, people who paid cash for park hopper tickets who could not get into Disneyland, so it wasn't a pretty scene at the front entry gates. When I saw the Disney owned Spanish language radio station and the 70's station doing their big New Years Eve broadcast from DCA, I knew this was a party I did not wish to join. Sunday evening was the craziest I had ever seen Disneyland, and I am sorry that I attempted to go there with my premium pass.

averagedork
01-01-2007, 06:41 AM
I will join with Chris- it was nuts! Like no one told us as we were leaving Disneyland that we needed our handstamped, so we left at like 6 to see what was going on at DCA (not much), left to go back to Disneyland, the lines were... you couldn't see which lines were for Disneyland or DCA! There were a lot of rude people trying to get into the park, just screaming and such. Then the actual lines... I felt so bad for the cast members! So many people were cursing at them. And like they even told us "you don't have the Tigger handstamp" so we stood there waiting for the manager because all we wanted to see was the Small World activities.

A lot of people ended up leaving. From what I saw a lot of people went to Marri's because they were overwhelmed. I felt like they did poor planning because their activities weren't really "let's see." Everyone was at the HUB, and no one wanted to be at the other activities.

olegc
01-01-2007, 07:24 AM
well, the only way to remedy the situation is to make the night a hard ticket and sell it in advance. don't know how they would clear out DL but either this or not sell park hoppers for the day. only the diversion ticket - which it seems from the above descriptions were not even honored either.

3894
01-01-2007, 08:01 AM
well, the only way to remedy the situation is to make the night a hard ticket and sell it in advance.

There ya go.

I Heart Disneyland!
01-01-2007, 08:26 AM
So for next year, one should probably get into the park sometime in early December and just stay in there until sometime in the New Year to secure a spot? :)

Just park a stroller in the spot you want to secure, per another thread, that seems to work. haha! :p ;)

adriennek
01-01-2007, 09:25 AM
People were buying block out passes for their So Cal A/P's and being diverted into DCA. Some people who had purchased park hopper tickets earlier in the day on Sunday, were denied entrance into Disneyland in the evening, because "Disneyland was full," this happened to people who had entered DCA earlier in the day and who did not enter Disneyland before 5pm. Well DCA looked like the So Cal A/P lounge, complete with a 30 min. line at Burger Invasion and the pizza place next door.

How do you know (1) that people were buying clock out passes for SoCal APs? (2) that all the people in line for food had SoCal APs?

Adrienne

Malcon10t
01-01-2007, 10:58 AM
How do you know (1) that people were buying clock out passes for SoCal APs? (2) that all the people in line for food had SoCal APs?

AdrienneIt was the stamp on their foreheads...

We were there yesterday. And as was posted and recommended by everyone who has ever been to DL on NYE, we entered the park by 10am, and didn't leave. On NYE, doesn't matter the pass level, you have to be in early. It was crowded, but fun. Only reentery was being allowed by 2pm. I know they were still allowing hotel guests reentry at 530pm, but it stopped with a hard close by 630. What amazed me was at 10pm none of the gates were open, yet every gate had a line out past the monorail track. When we left at 1am, they were allowing reentry then. Most lines were 60-75 minutes for the big lines and Fantasyland. Pirates and HM were running about 25 minutes. Big Thunder went down a couple times. We rode most of the big rides and many of the smaller ones (avoided Fantasyland.) Rode the train for a power nap. Had lunch with Billy Hill and dinner at Cafe Orleans. Did the midnight showing of Fantasmic! with a bunch of friends. Overall, it was a great day.

pkcdust
01-01-2007, 11:09 AM
It was the stamp on their foreheads...
Only reentery was being allowed by 2pm. I know they were still allowing hotel guests reentry at 530pm, but it stopped with a hard close by 630.

Oh the rumors that flew but were wrong. We got into DL at 10am, went to DCA around 3ish, went to our dinner reservations at Storyteller's at 6:30 and leisurely went back into the park around 8:15pm. Sure there was a long slow line (10-15 min) to get back in, but there were TONS of people exiting the park as well. We have premium passes, but knew the rules and asked long before we left the park so we got our handstamps. :)

I never saw Space Mtn or any other line get over 85 minutes. Getting out after the fireworks was a super breeze... we got on a tram immediately and were driving out of the parking lot at 12:30.

Honestly, the worst I've seen was NYE 2000 (turning to 2001) - the park was insane and it took 2 hours to leave the parking structure, along with having to WALK to your car on the tram route!

Malcon10t
01-01-2007, 11:17 AM
Oh the rumors that flew but were wrong. We got into DL at 10am, went to DCA around 3ish, went to our dinner reservations at Storyteller's at 6:30 and leisurely went back into the park around 8:15pm. Sure there was a long slow line (10-15 min) to get back in, but there were TONS of people exiting the park as well. We have premium passes, but knew the rules and asked long before we left the park so we got our handstamps. :)
Cool. We had friends who reentered at 515p without issue. We were told by a friend CM when we were asking about check in for Fantasmic! and we didn't know if they were back in the park, that the front gates had just hard closed at 630, so perhaps they reopened. I know they were hard closed at 930p-11pm as we were on the train and circling and saw the gates closed with no entry being allowed, and the long lines waiting.

olegc
01-01-2007, 11:19 AM
so, the above two posters show that no one is wrong - but have had different experiences at different times of the day and/or evening... SURPRISE! ;)

CamCay
01-01-2007, 11:31 AM
Cool. We had friends who reentered at 515p without issue. We were told by a friend CM when we were asking about check in for Fantasmic! and we didn't know if they were back in the park, that the front gates had just hard closed at 630, so perhaps they reopened. I know they were hard closed at 930p-11pm as we were on the train and circling and saw the gates closed with no entry being allowed, and the long lines waiting.

Malcon10t-I always appreciate how politely you respond to people who aren't always the same. You are an asset. Hope your trip is going great!

Malcon10t
01-01-2007, 11:43 AM
Malcon10t-I always appreciate how politely you respond to people who aren't always the same. You are an asset. Hope your trip is going great!
We are having a GREAT trip. It is Disneyland. The other night, by chance, we met the head of DCA. We had no clue who he was when my son stopped to PIN TRADE with him. Yes, he was out with a trash pick up thing and a lanyard on. My son stopped him to look at his pins. He asked where we were from and how long we were down for. When we said 12 days, he asked where else we were visiting and laughed when we said "Just Disney!" Then my son asked about his position, and thats when we found out who he was. Its pretty much the same way we met Matt a year or so ago.

What we have noticed this trip is there is a lot more management out on the front lines. From day one we have seen suits unloading Space Mountain and running registers. Been an interesting observation.

cstephens
01-01-2007, 11:43 AM
Wow, I'm so glad we went on NYE last year. With the couple of hours of rain in the afternoon, we had the run of Fantasyland right before and right after midnight! Hope everyone had a good time even with the crowds and those forehead-stamped-people.

hbquikcomjamesl
01-01-2007, 11:52 AM
I had seriously considered running over to DL right after church yesterday morning, still in my suit, just long enough to get an entertainment schedule and a handstamp. I really wish I had.

When I first entered DCA yesterday evening, the lines of people waiting just to reenter DL were so long that they started to get mixed up with the lines to get into DCA (which were well past the CALIFORNIA letters, and ran close to 15 minutes. Shortly before the Electrical Parade, I glanced out through the side fence, and the DL reentry crowd had clearly dissipated, and so the reentry lockdown was clearly not a continuous thing. But both when I first entered DCA, and when I returned following my abortive attempt to find dinner in DTD, the DL reentry line was most definitely NOT moving, and the DCA line was a good 10-15 minutes.

As busy as the pizzeria in Paradise Pier was, they should have kept it fully staffed all evening. They should have known from past experience (as should I) that when New Year's Eve falls on a weekend, the whole place turns into a zoo. If I'd realized how long the wait was, I'd have gone for the chicken strips at that fast food establishment in Bountful Valley, instead.

Anybody know what movies were playing at the DTD AMC? I seriously considered going over there (and it wouldn't have been the first time I spent New Year's Eve in a movie house: many, many years ago, The Right Stuff was playing at [I think] the old Lido, right on the edge of the Balboa Peninsula). Or was that as overcrowded as the rest of the DLR?

disneyrox
01-01-2007, 12:08 PM
It's interesting to hear the different accounts from different people in the parks yesterday. Here is our experience...

My family and I arrived at M&F at 7:17 am and got in line with lots of other cars. DH was tempted to go off to the left and I said no, it's probably not open. He considered switching lanes in the section we were in, but decided against it. It ended up being a great choice - when our lane got inside the structure, it went to the right, into its own lane, while all the other lanes had to merge.

We got our best parking spot ever (Daisy 10 E) and headed down to the tram lines. We caught the 2nd tram that pulled up and were on our way. The bag check ended up being the most frustrating part of our day. We got in the line of CM Don - the world's most thorough bag checker. He even made my boys (12 and 9) unzip their sweatshirts to make sure they weren't hiding anything. :rolleyes: A girl in front of us was actually made to throw away her food that she was trying to bring in (it was in one of those soft sided silver cooler bags like you can buy at the grocery store). I wouldn't have minded Don being so thorough, except no other CM was being that way, so other lines were flying by, while we inched. Anyway.

We got into DL about 8:10 and started tackling our list of rides. Over the course of the morning, we found Matterhorn broken down, as well as Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. They all came back up and we were able to ride them. The longest lines we waited in yesterday were Matterhorn (about 35 minutes - both lines wrapped completely around the mountain and even doubled back for a ways) and Pirates (the line looked horrible...but was only about 35 minutes, even though it started down by the river, went up the stairs, doubled back towards the beginning then back the other way, past the Pirate band, up over the bridge, back down the bridge then into the usual queue).

Malcon10t, was your puppy wearing a yellow "blanket" yesterday? If so, I think I saw you in the area in front of Space around 10:30.

We went to the park knowing it would be busy and had a great time. Ys, it was crowded, but not unbearable. I think June 26th was much worse.

We had lunch at Pizza Port, waiting maybe 10 minutes in line to get in (around 11:30 am) and had dinner at Plaza Inn (got in line around 5:30, waited maybe 10-15 minutes?). All the inside tables at Plaza Inn were taken but a man dining alone asked if we wanted to share his table, which was very nice.

After dinner, we decided we were all too tired to stay another 3 hours for fireworks, so we hit the Main Street shops, then headed out of the park around 7:00 pm.

Overall, though crowded, the people seemed very pleasant. Our only problem was a family in the Tiki Room waiting area, who managed to pull my hair and hit me with their camera bag (adults, not kids!) and then stand with the wife's purse (and rear end) about 2 inches from DH's face. :rolleyes:

All the CMs we dealt with were pleasant and a lot were very friendly. I made sure I wished them all Happy New Year and some seemed a bit surprised, but it made them smile. :cool: I would definitely go on NYE again, but next time, I would make sure to get enough sleep the night before so I could stay later than 7:00 pm! :D

ETA: It was mentioned on the tram ride into the park in the morning, that even APers would need a handstamp to leave and re-enter the park. DH was surprised, but I wasn't since I'd read it here on MP.

Malcon10t
01-01-2007, 12:42 PM
Malcon10t, was your puppy wearing a yellow "blanket" yesterday? If so, I think I saw you in the area in front of Space around 10:30.
That was probably us. We were headed to Space about that time.

As for the security, my son also had to unzip his jacket and open it for the CM.

ETA - We were told when we entered at the turnstiles that we would need a handstamp if we left the park to get back in, even though we had APs.

chrisaustx
01-01-2007, 12:52 PM
How do you know (1) that people were buying clock out passes for SoCal APs? (2) that all the people in line for food had SoCal APs?

Adrienne
The line to buy block out passes was HUGE, all those people who were buying block out tickets last night were being told DCA was the only thing available, these people were locals and were complaing that Disney was discriminating against their So Cal passes and forcing them into DCA. You should do a story about the number of So Cal A/P's that have been sold over the past 12 months, I am taking a guess the number of So Cal A/P's is now close to 400,000. People were expecting to buy a block out pass last night for $30 and enter Disneyland with it for New Years, I am sure Al Lutz will do a big article on the disorganization which occurred last night.

Malcon10t
01-01-2007, 01:04 PM
The line to buy block out passes was HUGE, all those people who were buying block out tickets last night were being told DCA was the only thing available, these people were locals and were complaing that Disney was discriminating against their So Cal passes and forcing them into DCA. You should do a story about the number of So Cal A/P's that have been sold over the past 12 months, I am taking a guess the number of So Cal A/P's is now close to 400,000. People were expecting to buy a block out pass last night for $30 and enter Disneyland with it for New Years, I am sure Al Lutz will do a big article on the disorganization which occurred last night.
The line to buy a DCA ticket, an AP, and a block out ticket are the same line. I am unable to look at the line and determine the number that were buying block out tickets.

olegc
01-01-2007, 01:07 PM
in know its for another thread - but the amount of push to buy APers each year is amazing - yet the bulk of them is SoCal but the blame is put on a lot of premiums since they have ready access to multiple days. As can be seen by crowded conditions like NYE - it doesn't matter what kind of pass you have. Everyone wants to go.

I just hope they don't go through another massive price hike. 349.00 for a premium is quite high especially since the only time to enjoy is non-peak, when everyone else can get in too.

cstephens
01-01-2007, 01:53 PM
The line to buy block out passes was HUGE, all those people who were buying block out tickets last night were being told DCA was the only thing available, these people were locals and were complaing that Disney was discriminating against their So Cal passes and forcing them into DCA.

I wasn't aware that there was a separate line to buy block out passes. When did that start?

Did you stand next to that line for hours listening to what the CMs were telling people and what people were saying in response? Because otherwise, you're just making stuff up.

chrisaustx
01-01-2007, 02:04 PM
At 4pm, the signs on Habror Blvd and the parking garage said: "Disneyland Tickets Sold Out, DCA Available." On the tram from the parking structure, the CM kept saying "Disneyland sold out, DCA available." When I got to the entry plaza, the line to buy tickets was backed up to the bag check/tent area. I waited 30 min. in line to try to enter Disneyland, and talked to many people in line who had So Cal A/P's and had bought blackout tickets for DCA, hoping to get into Disneyland. When I got to the front of the line at Disneyland, all the signs were flipped to "Re Entry Only." I pleaded the case that I was in line before the signs were flipped, but they refused me entry. The huge line of people who had bought $30 block out tickets then was diverted to DCA, it took me 20 min. to get inside of DCA. Again I talked to people in line, everyone had a So Cal A/P and had bought a block out ticket trying to get into Disneyland. Cast Members were telling people in the DCA line that if they wanted to get into Disneyland, and had been there already today, to get in line for Disneyland now, because the opportunity may not be available later. When I left at 7pm, the line to buy block out tickets for DCA was longer than before, and mobs of people were taking the tram into the entry plaza from the parking garage. When I entered the Mickey level of the parking garage, cars were doubled parked in the fire lines, and along the exit lanes, if one had a truck or large SUV, you probably could not navigate around the double parked cars. I love it how people on here who did not see the mess are able to comment on what occurred. For New Years 2008, Disneyland needs to sell tickets for Disneyland, then when those sell out, issue tickets at a lesser price for DCA. There are way too many pass holders to have everyone converge on the park for New Years. I feel sorry for the cast members who had to fight with guests after denying them entry last night, I thought this one young man was going to slap the lady at the gate at Disneyland, when she told him he could not enter with his So Cal A/P block out ticket, he kept saying that he had paid $30 and should enter the park. One man I talked to said he flew in from Chicago this afternoon to attend Disneyland and had ordered his tickets by mail, and he was denied entry into Disneyland and was refusing to go into DCA, he also fought with the lady who was at the entry gate. I should have taken videos of that line last night in the entry plaza, it was something I have never seen there.