[Question] Why aren't Disneyland wait times dipping down because of DCA's success?

[DCAfanatic]

I was at DL today and was at the alice and wonderland ride with my daughter and I would of thought that Disneyland wait times would be reasonable but they remain the same as ever if not more, even with DCA being a hit they remain the same, anyone else notice that!

[Seawolf]

Re: Why aren't Disneyland wait times dipping down because of DCA's success?

Disneyland's wait times are not lower because it still gets the same number of people it always does. The latest statistics only show you which park people enter first, it does not provide in an indication of guest patterns. My suspicion is that people head over to Carsland and end up going back over to DL. If you notice, wait times for other DCA attractions have gone down and there are reports of guests bypassing Buena Vista Street.

[Chuuster]

Re: Why aren't Disneyland wait times dipping down because of DCA's success?

^ that's very true

also Disneyland is still the staple theme park at DLR, so people who could only afford 1 park would probably still prefer it. The renovations at DCA only brought more people into the entire resort rather than split some away from Disneyland. On top of that it is Summer time.

[skoolpsyk]

Re: Why aren't Disneyland wait times dipping down because of DCA's success?

yeah I thought it strange that with all the talk about "low crowds" that touringplans still has every day at a "10" for crowd level...

[brenden]

Re: Why aren't Disneyland wait times dipping down because of DCA's success?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest something a little far fetched.

Considering the year on year increase of 5-9k visitors a day to the resort, is it possible - just possible - that both parks just have healthy attendance for the summer season? I know it's impossible to accept that DCA could appeal to people, but I think Disney is throwing us a curveball here.

[PirateLover]

Re: Why aren't Disneyland wait times dipping down because of DCA's success?

The E-ticket rides seem like they are having a shorter wait time, but Alice, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad and a few others will always have long lines because of the low ride capacity.

[Mac Daddy]

Re: Why aren't Disneyland wait times dipping down because of DCA's success?

Actually, I've noticed quite the opposite. On Saturdays especially, the crowd levels are no where near a 10, as Andy Castro reported a couple of weeks ago:

Disneyland News Update: Radiator Springs Racers Flaw

The Friday wait times posted in the shot of the wait times board in his update are really quite manageable and not what I think most of us would call a "10" in terms of crowd level. Many of us have SEEN a 10...when the park is so full you can barely make your way up Main Street. Has 6 or 7 become the new 10? When I think of a 10, I think of the week after Christmas before DCA opened. THAT was a 10. Or New Year's Eve. I really think Touring Plans should save their 10 designation for those days where the park could close at any moment due to capacity issues.


Add to that Al's article this week on how Disneyland is actually averaging 5000-8000 less guests each day compared to last year:


A Tale of Two Parks. Al Lutz's Disneyland Update, MiceAge.com


I think it really depends on what day you are at the park. If you have the good fortune of going on a Saturday, the deluxe aps are blocked out for Summer and most of the out of town guests are heading straight to DCA to see Buena Vista Street and Carsland.


There were two incidents which I found unnerving this Summer. First, showing up on the Fourth Of July and finding an EMPTY section of Mickey and Friends when I showed up around 6:30 PM when I was expecting to have to park in Toy Story, and second - walking over to Disneyland just as the Soundsational Parade was ending and finding only two people in line at the Jolly Holiday with one side of the line completely shut down. This place just opened a few months ago and it was nearly EMPTY whereas it used to be PACKED during the parade before Carsland opened.

I would also suggest that Touring Plans adjust their crowd predictions asap as their calendar has been WAY off on more than one occasion. I visited last May on a Tuesday or Thursday that was forecasted to be a 1, and it turned out to be more like a 6 or a 7 due to the number of AP holders and out of town guests who may have already been out for the Summer. On the opposite end, there have been MULTIPLE days this Summer when Disneyland has been no where NEAR a 10, especially now that Carsland has opened. Fourth of July was more like a 6, and most Saturdays have been as well. When you are reading those crowd level predictions, I think you are looking at data that is now already 2 or more years old. Most of it has not been accurate this Summer other than a predicted 10 at DCA.

[sleepyjeff]

Re: Why aren't Disneyland wait times dipping down because of DCA's success?

^ +1

[bummerkit]

Re: Why aren't Disneyland wait times dipping down because of DCA's success?

**snip**

There were two incidents which I found unnerving this Summer. First, showing up on the Fourth Of July and finding an EMPTY section of Mickey and Friends when I showed up around 6:30 PM when I was expecting to have to park in Toy Story, and second - walking over to Disneyland just as the Soundsational Parade was ending and finding only two people in line at the Jolly Holiday with one side of the line completely shut down. This place just opened a few months ago and it was nearly EMPTY whereas it used to be PACKED during the parade before Carsland opened.

**snip**

I was there on the 4th as well, and was very surprised at how manageable the crowds were. Trying to walk around the hub just before the fireworks is a different story though. lol.

[christianAdam]

Re: Why aren't Disneyland wait times dipping down because of DCA's success?

I was there on the 4th as well, and was very surprised at how manageable the crowds were. Trying to walk around the hub just before the fireworks is a different story though. lol.

I was there with the family on the 5th and was also VERY surprised on how manageable Disneyland was, it was a little odd to say the least...almost eerie

[JMazz]

Re: Why aren't Disneyland wait times dipping down because of DCA's success?

Actually, I've noticed quite the opposite. On Saturdays especially, the crowd levels are no where near a 10, as Andy Castro reported a couple of weeks ago:

Disneyland News Update: Radiator Springs Racers Flaw

The Friday wait times posted in the shot of the wait times board in his update are really quite manageable and not what I think most of us would call a "10" in terms of crowd level. Many of us have SEEN a 10...when the park is so full you can barely make your way up Main Street. Has 6 or 7 become the new 10? When I think of a 10, I think of the week after Christmas before DCA opened. THAT was a 10. Or New Year's Eve. I really think Touring Plans should save their 10 designation for those days where the park could close at any moment due to capacity issues.

Bolded: Good question, I was wondering this myself.

I think touring plans is off this year (on some days, not all) due to the new patternes and their staticians haven't found the flow. If they rely too heavily on historical numbers, they will have some unhappy customers. I really think they need to jump into the parks and dig deep and do whatever it is they do inside the parks to get better numbers.

However, I *still* recommend them to others b/c all these paid apps are in the same boat and if they are all off, at least TP has the better product (their website is pretty great and customer service is very good). In the end it is frustrating to figure out if they will be correct or not. I simply use it to help determine a time frame and don't solely base my trip on their numbers... kind of like I do w/ my fave weather app!

[JerrodDRagon]

Re: Why aren't Disneyland wait times dipping down because of DCA's success?

Yeah kids rides are about the same...but E ticket rides for the most parts lines are down everytime I've gone