Studios parking lot reaching capacity (Dec 2015)

Seanual757

Seanual757

Well-Known Member
Went last night we arrived around 3:30 we were told the lots were full @ DHS yet you could see plenty of open parking spots and I mean allot of open spots it did not make any sense. So we headed to Epcot to catch the charter bus to DHS. We finally arrived at DHS around 4:45ish headed to Pizza Planet to eat, then over to Muppets 3D once we finished that we started to follow the crowds to see the lights.


I will say in all of the years we have been going (9-10 years) this is by far the worst I have ever seen crowds and the lack of cast members directing crowds and getting them to move. It did not matter we had our 18 month old in the stroller and people were walking into it and a few times I had to push folks off because they were squishing our child, it was a mess and once you entered the crowd you had no place to go. It was sad people would not even watch out for folks in wheel chairs.


For this Disney should be ashamed for not doing more on crowd control it was an absolute mess and cast members were just standing and chatting with each other on the outside of the Streets of America.


We planned to go back after Christmas to see the lights one more time but I think we will pass.
 
shipley731

shipley731

Well-Known Member
We went on Saturday. Started our day at Epcot around 11:30am, then took the boat over to DHS about 4pm. Bag line was about 15-20 minutes to get through. Once we got into the park, it seemed busy, but not that bad. Walked through the Launch Bay (the highlight of this visit), did some shopping, then got an adult beverage & headed over to the lights area. It was about 5:15 at that point. There seemed to be lots of folks around & a bunch of people lined up in the middle of the SOA not moving. We were at the end of the SOA near the dessert party area. By the time the lights had come on I had had my feet run over by a stroller the size of a small car & I was surrounded by people all taller than me. (I'm short - just 5 feet tall) After the first set of dancing lights, I had had enough & just wanted to leave. The crowd didn't move at all. It took me 40 minutes to make it from one end of the street to another. I saw some CM's trying to do crowd control, but it wasn't working. It was a miserable experience. We left & walked over to the Crew's Cup for a beverage, then called for an Uber to take us back to the Hilton. I'm glad I can say I did the lights one last time, but it's not something I would repeat.
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
We were there on Saturday 12/12/2015 and experienced a lot of the same things others have reported.

We arrived at exactly 4:00 PM via exit 64 and signs on the highway already indicated that the parking lots were closed and we should go to Animal Kingdom to park. Since the cones blocking the entrance were not yet out, we decided to try our luck. We were allowed to park since we had a dining reservation.

We parked at the lot at the right rear. The parking lot at the left rear was completely empty. When I say completely empty I mean not a single car in that lot at all. When we left the park at closing that lot was still completely empty.

No idea why they were not using that lot and turning car after car away.

My middle daughter arrived at 5 was turned away even with an AP and a Dining reservation, but was able to valet at the Boardwalk.

My oldest daughter arrived at 5:30....same deal and daughter number 2, but valet at the Boardwalk was now full. They had to park at AK and take the buss over. They did not make it inside DHS until 7:45. For a little comparison, It took them as much time to park and get into DHS as it did for them to drive from Jacksonville to WDW.

Disney seriously needs to get a handle on this, before Star Wars Land opens.

The crowds at the Osborne Lights inside were what we expected and have experienced before. The place was jam packed for the beginning, but it thinned out greatly by around 8:00-8:30.
 
Rider

Rider

Well-Known Member
mm121 said:
rather than having to deploy the temporary message boards they really should build a network of these around property
View attachment 122932
Click to expand...

Maybe they don't because of the image you posted? Any networked permanent electronic display has to show Amber Alerts when they happen. By using the temporary signs Disney can avoid reminding people of kidnapping while on their magical vacation.
 
mm121

mm121

Well-Known Member
Rider said:
Maybe they don't because of the image you posted? Any networked permanent electronic display has to show Amber Alerts when they happen. By using the temporary signs Disney can avoid reminding people of kidnapping while on their magical vacation.
Click to expand...
i doubt they'd be required to show those as they'd be on private property not public property

though i dont see how seeing an amber alert would hurt someones vacation, in cases that require them the more people that see the message the better.
 
TimeTrip

TimeTrip

Well-Known Member
wdwmagic said:
It is that time of day again. Studios parking lot is now closed, redirect to Epcot underway.
Click to expand...
Unreal.. I guess our plan last night was worth it (park at MK and spend day.. bus to Studios at 6.. bug back to Poly and walk to car), even though it looked like the lot was open. I guess they were probably turning people away even then.
 
Dubman

Dubman

Well-Known Member
shipley731 said:
There seemed to be lots of folks around & a bunch of people lined up in the middle of the SOA not moving. The crowd didn't move at all. It took me 40 minutes to make it from one end of the street to another. I saw some CM's trying to do crowd control, but it wasn't working.
Click to expand...

Exactly our experience that night, except we made our way to the top of the SOA before they turned on the lights... It was less crowded at that end, but making our way there was a joke.. No crowd control by CM's. The worst part was right in the middle by the Christmas Tree where Goofy flips the switch.. Nobody wanted to move.. Lost my wife and son a couple times and like someone else said, if someone yelled bomb or god forbid something bad actually happened it would not have been good.. If someone lost their balance and fell it would have started a domino effect.. Crowds usually don't bother me, but this one gave me an uneasy feeling. We were there the first week of the month on a weeknight and it was much less crowded. Stayed for a few dancing lights songs and left after my favorite by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy...
 
KeeKee

KeeKee

Well-Known Member
Why, why, why is Disney allowing the shear number of humans to enter the parks like this? They used to close the gate far sooner to maintain a positive guest experience. WTH, Disney?
 
Biff215

Biff215

Well-Known Member
So why was there talk of having CM's park elsewhere and get bussed in if they are leaving a lot open? Did this ever materialize?

We were also there this past Saturday. We had a car but fortunately saw the warnings so we left our car at Yacht Club all day after our breakfast. This allowed us to enjoy Epcot before heading over to HS. Planned on taking the boat but line was crazy so ended up walking both ways.

The lights are my absolute favorite and the sole reason for this trip, but the crowds caught me by surprise even though we've done it before. I couldn't enjoy myself until we made it just past the newsstand where there was some space on the sidewalk to stop. It was scary trying to keep our family together while trying to enjoy the lights. I've never felt that way in Disney, and we've done Christmas week before. Still sorry to see the lights go.
 
Y

YodaMan

Well-Known Member
Bolt said:
For the record, it reopened 45 minutes later.
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^this. As many have said, they seem to be keeping a lot open until right around dusk. So when everyone comes just for the lights, they don't have to redirect and back up the busses that are trying to come in. So if you come in the morning or right when the lights are starting, you're fine to park at Studios. But if you come in the afternoon when the first three lots are full and it's not deemed late enough to open the last lot, away to Epcot you go.
 
Dubman

Dubman

Well-Known Member



Shot this with my iPhone the evening of 12/1.. As you can make out from the video, the crowd was very manageable this night..
 
rucifee

rucifee

Well-Known Member
KeeKee said:
That really is kind of disheartening...
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TWDC might go broke if they don't let as many people through the turnstiles, imagine a world in which their profit margins were actually reasonable and they limited capacity so people could have fun at WDW! The humanity! Will somebody think about the children? WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN! :)
 
KeeKee

KeeKee

Well-Known Member
rucifee said:
TWDC might go broke if they don't let as many people through the turnstiles, imagine a world in which their profit margins were actually reasonable and they limited capacity so people could have fun at WDW! The humanity! Will somebody think about the children? WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN! :)
Click to expand...
Arrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhh! It always comes down to the children!
 

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