Here now…DL was a Disaster Today!!

[kikismom]

Oof. That sucks. I vowed never to go over Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples day (the week around it ever again after 21. The crowds were just terrible. I personally feel it's the most crowded time to visit, besides what I've heard about Christmas week of course.

 

[SpaceMan5]

Didn’t realize that a simple comment about signage would get people all in a huff!!

Hey The Mayor, I know the feeling. I had an opinion about the use of the Single Rider Line and was told otherwise. It's all good.
There are a lot of great ppl here on the boards such as @DizMe, @NVDISFamily, @Lisa24jks. Some are just more direct than others. Regarding ride closures, @joseph821 is your guy. He knows but is not in the know

Don't take it personal especially since your are a fan of The Duke aka Rooster aka Big Jake McCandles

"A man (Disneyland) deserves a second chance, but keep an eye on him." - John Wayne

.

 

[TinkAgainU]

So sorry to hear about all the "broken" rides/pool today! Mondays can be tough - and I can't even say Rope Drop is the answer, since it sounds like you did that, and a lot of rides were down anyway. Tomorrow should be better. FWIW I really Love the Halloween Decor, but prefer to see it in late September after kids are in school, but before Oggie Boogie and the Halloween crowds start. Hoping the rest of your trip is awesome! (P.S. Good catch on the signs, maybe they are in storage with all the missing benches lol)

 

[ButterflyKisses77]

Yesterday (Sunday 8/8) we cruised through DCA and with the help of Genie+ we got on every ride and most of them twice. We were back at the DL Villas by 2:00.

Today (Monday 9/9) at DL was the complete opposite. It was the theme park nightmare you never wish to experience. We were prepared for it to be crowded but not for Indiana Jones, Matterhorn and MMRR to be closed at opening and for most of the morning. Matterhorn and MMRR opened around 10:30 but Indy is still down. Various other rides also went down during the morning and early afternoon which just contributed to the chaos. We ended up going on 5 rides (paid the $20 to go in MMRR) and headed back to the villas to relax at the pool. Onlyyyyyyy the villa pool was closed!!! Theme of the day apparently!! So now sitting by the main pool having a beer and hoping for a better DL experience tomorrow. It certainly can’t be worse than today.

Probably won’t be a popular opinion here but give me WDW any day over DL. We’ve been to WDW about 30 times and never experienced a day like this today at DL.

I was there today too. It was horrible :/

 

[chezcurrie]

I am so sorry so many things went wrong for you today. I had similar experiences on both coasts last October and will say that it made be vow not to go to either in October. Now that I’m local I will brave DL on a Saturday only in October, as most MK are blocked but I avoid holiday weekends and Mondays in particular like the plague. Here’s hoping tomorrow is filled with pixie dust.

Edited for clarity

 

[starkweatherink]

Didn’t realize that a simple comment about signage would get people all in a huff!!

I think it just gets frustrating for those that go all the time. Why it would affect me as a person, what another thinks...is beyond me so snarky comments can definitely be off-putting. Honestly, though.....who in this group, other than newbies need signage? Its easy to look up or even into an entryway of a land and know exactly what it is.

 

[Aspencreek]

Yeah, October at DL can get crazy busy. We had almost the exact same experience as the OP on a trip last year in late October. First few days were just manageable with Genie+ but the last day at DL (a Wednesday) was so bad with crowds and down rides that we left early and vowed to never again visit in October.

 

[ktlm]

Oof. That sucks. I vowed never to go over Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples day (the week around it ever again after 21. The crowds were just terrible. I personally feel it's the most crowded time to visit, besides what I've heard about Christmas week of course.

2021? Us too. We had a hard time going back at all after that trip and we used to go about every summer.

Haven't done the week between Christmas and New Years at DLR-- but we did it at WDW once-- and that October 2021 trip felt WAY more crowded than Christmas week at WDW (and that was plenty crowded- but we had a great time). Although, I do think a big part of what made that 2021 DLR trip miserable (outside of Oogie Boogie which was fantastic and what saved the trip) was the fact that in October 2021 there was no fast pass of any kind as Genie+ had not started yet. I think if there was some type of fast pass/maxpass/Genie + that we would have had a better trip. DH said he was never going back without some type of fast pass in place. We only went this year over Labor Day weekend because DD had to be in the area for a day-- I was so glad we spent a few days at DLR because it was definitely once again the magical place of all our trips except for Oct. 2021.

 

[ClaraOswald]

We noticed more rides down the past couple trips (June 2022/February 2023) compared to pre-covid days. It's a bummer but it's unpredictable. And I'm sure it happens at WDW too.

What is somewhat predictable....crowds during a holiday weekend. We avoid 3-day weekends and these days...we avoid October completely. Plus, Sundays and Mondays seem like the most crowded. I actually prefer Friday/Saturday.

 

[EEva]

. Honestly, though.....who in this group, other than newbies need signage? Its easy to look up or even into an entryway of a land and know exactly what it is.

I don't know, the walkways in the back of the park seem to get me, especially at night. Like when I'm heading to WtP and end up at the edge of the galaxy instead.

 

[kikismom]

2021? Us too. We had a hard time going back at all after that trip and we used to go about every summer.

Haven't done the week between Christmas and New Years at DLR-- but we did it at WDW once-- and that October 2021 trip felt WAY more crowded than Christmas week at WDW (and that was plenty crowded- but we had a great time). Although, I do think a big part of what made that 2021 DLR trip miserable (outside of Oogie Boogie which was fantastic and what saved the trip) was the fact that in October 2021 there was no fast pass of any kind as Genie+ had not started yet. I think if there was some type of fast pass/maxpass/Genie + that we would have had a better trip. DH said he was never going back without some type of fast pass in place. We only went this year over Labor Day weekend because DD had to be in the area for a day-- I was so glad we spent a few days at DLR because it was definitely once again the magical place of all our trips except for Oct. 2021.

Yep 2021. I took a year off after that trip. I didn't want to book that week anyway based on research but our friends wanted that one. The boards here have always mentioned that is a terrible weekend, luckily for us we go a lot so the trip is a memory now. As much as I love Halloween I wont go back unless it's mid week and not around that holiday.

 

[DizMe]

I don't know, the walkways in the back of the park seem to get me, especially at night. Like when I'm heading to WtP and end up at the edge of the galaxy instead.

Same!!

 

[irlandaise]

I don't know, the walkways in the back of the park seem to get me, especially at night. Like when I'm heading to WtP and end up at the edge of the galaxy instead.

"WtP"?

 

[Genie+]

"WtP"?

Winnie the Pirate. We haven’t been to DL yet but I think that’s what it is

 

[Lisa24jks]

"WtP"?

It took me way too long of thinking about it, but i think they mean Winnie The Pooh.

 

[pineapplepalms]

Probably won’t be a popular opinion here but give me WDW any day over DL. We’ve been to WDW about 30 times and never experienced a day like this today at DL.

A lot of it is just luck. Our friends just got back from WDW and had a really bad day with wasted time due to ride closures. Unfortunately a bad day can happen anywhere at any time. October at DLR is definitely crowded compared to other times of the year. I still feel bad for friends we went to DLR with on their first trip ever, and they had a series of bad luck related to their kids and sickness/injuries that basically ruined their whole trip. Sadly I don’t know if they’ll ever return even though we’ve never experienced what they did, and we’ve gone many times.

 

[EEva]

It took me way too long of thinking about it, but i think they mean Winnie The Pooh.

Yes, Winnie the Pooh. Thanks for the translation!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

One other thing that got to us at DL was the lack of signage. I had to constantly look at the park map to know which direction to go.

It's been since 2019 since we've been to DLR but that was actually the main thing I took away in terms of navigation in DL. You are absolutely not alone there. DLR is such a locals park it was just something we chalked up to the fact that locals (and we met some) might take for granted OR people who had been or do go often enough to DLR.

***And if anyone thinks that ain't the truth I def. spoke about the lack of signage at least several times here on the DIS.

 

[LKing]

I don't know, the walkways in the back of the park seem to get me, especially at night. Like when I'm heading to WtP and end up at the edge of the galaxy instead.

Yes, that one is particularly difficult right now with the construction around Splash Mountain. Hopefully when Tiana's Adventure opens, the walk way will be wider and it will be more obvious how to get to Pooh Corner and how to get to Galaxy Edge.

I wish Toontown, had more than one exit/entrance. It feels like it was just tacked onto the back of the park. The entrance/exit is so congested, especially with all of the strollers.

 

[Lisa24jks]

I wish Toontown, had more than one exit/entrance. It feels like it was just tacked onto the back of the park. The entrance/exit is so congested, especially with all of the strollers.

I definitely find myself wishing Toontown had a path to Galaxy's Edge. I realize that Galaxy's Edge already has three entrances, but both it and Toontown were later additions to the park so anything to ease the traffic. (Plus, not having to walk through Fantasyland during peak Fantasyland hours would be A DREAM.)