October turns from treat to trick for savvy traveler trying to avoid the crowds
Between Oct. 10 and Oct. 14, Disneyland experienced larger than anticipated crowds. Lines for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters quickly became 45 minutes long, Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy 90 minutes… While Peter Pan’s Flight retained its typical 45 to 50 minute wait time, other Fantasyland dark rides had longer than expected waits.
Among experienced Disneyland devotees, October has long been a time to visit a park that, while it was open fewer hours and had some favorites closed for refurbishment, offered smaller crowds and more opportunities to ride those favorite attractions that were open.
Across the way, Disney California Adventure (DCA) offered little relief. FastPasses for Radiator Springs Racers and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ran out in the early mornings. Both rides and the newly imagined Soarin’ over the World had waits in excess of 1 hour with the Tower of Terror looking at 100 minutes for most of the day. While DCA has often had smaller crowds during the summer, it appears that the newer park has caught up to its predecessor in terms of popularity.
If the crowd trends hold, and both Cast Members and Guests were surprised at the number of people in the parks, October can no longer be considered a slow time. The seeming increase in people may mean that the Halloween activities are doing their job in attracting guests to the park. It may mean that Disney’s new, and highly panned, demand pricing system is working. Or it may simply reflect how much the closed attractions, most notably Critter Country and the Big Thunder Ranch mean to dispersing and absorbing guests.
Among experienced Disneyland devotees, October has long been a time to visit a park that, while it was open fewer hours and had some favorites closed for refurbishment, offered smaller crowds and more opportunities to ride those favorite attractions that were open.
Across the way, Disney California Adventure (DCA) offered little relief. FastPasses for Radiator Springs Racers and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ran out in the early mornings. Both rides and the newly imagined Soarin’ over the World had waits in excess of 1 hour with the Tower of Terror looking at 100 minutes for most of the day. While DCA has often had smaller crowds during the summer, it appears that the newer park has caught up to its predecessor in terms of popularity.
If the crowd trends hold, and both Cast Members and Guests were surprised at the number of people in the parks, October can no longer be considered a slow time. The seeming increase in people may mean that the Halloween activities are doing their job in attracting guests to the park. It may mean that Disney’s new, and highly panned, demand pricing system is working. Or it may simply reflect how much the closed attractions, most notably Critter Country and the Big Thunder Ranch mean to dispersing and absorbing guests.