DisneyManOne
Well-Known Member
Part 3!
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What If: Disney Parks Edition HYPE! Thread!!!
- Thread starter Tegan pilots a chicken
- Start date
I saw GotG3 tonight and…
WOW!!! This might be my new favorite outside of Infinity War and Endgame. It’s up there on my list with Ragnarok and Captain Marvel. Like,… MASTERPIECE!!
Honestly it felt like a Phase 3 movie in all the best ways. Definitely seeing it again this weekend!!
WOW!!! This might be my new favorite outside of Infinity War and Endgame. It’s up there on my list with Ragnarok and Captain Marvel. Like,… MASTERPIECE!!
Honestly it felt like a Phase 3 movie in all the best ways. Definitely seeing it again this weekend!!
MonorailRed
Applebees
If you ever get into rockwork for the exhibits let me know! There’s tons of resources in themed entertainment to get that information! (Types of sand, textures for animals, etc. )
The Mars base concept is brilliant! Makes so much more sense for that pavilion.
Seeing it this weekend! So hyped!
Diplomacy Dog
Active Member
Seeing it next week! Can't wait to get emotionally destroyed by a raccoon
JokersWild
Well-Known Member
While you all are watching GotG, I just platinumed Jedi Survivor. Like no hyperbole, it’s probably my favorite Star Wars game by a long shot. It’s absolutely incredible with some great characters and a pretty cool story. Really highly recommend, even if you just watch the cutscenes on YouTube.
PerGron
Well-Known Member
JokersWild
Well-Known Member
Anxiously awaiting his spinoff series.
FigmentPigments
Well-Known Member
I've been watching the play throughs almost every day; I love it.
PerGron
Well-Known Member
I just got out of it. When I say this movie hit home for me, I don’t say so lightly.
I haven’t cried at a movie since Night at the Museum 3 on account of Robin Williams, but this one got me not once, not twice, but three separate times.
It may be my absolute favorite MCU film
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Alright, gather around kids for Tiki's updated Disneyland thoughts. To keep things simple, I was VERY disillusioned with the state of the park this trip. With the sheer craziness of the crowds mixed with how phone-centric the experience has become, there were practically no moments where I could actually just sit back and enjoy the park. The place is an absolute pressure-cooker.
I don't know if we just caught it at a REALLY bad time, but for what logically SHOULD have been a slow-ish period in between the Spring Break and summer rushes ended up being by far the worst crowds I've ever seen. I've been to the parks in the dead of summer twice, I've been a couple times in the "post-Christmas" rush, and I've still NEVER seen crowds like this.
What really kills me about the crowds is not the wait times at all, it's the actual walkway traffic. For a park that absolutely prides itself in the minute by minute details and hidden areas, EVERY inch of the place was packed.
It's NOT a fun feeling trying to navigate around seas of people. It's NOT a fun feeling literally having to compete to find stuff like a quiet place to sit down and relax or a table to eat at. It's NOT a fun feeling when you check the app and see something at a 15 minute wait only for the wait to balloon up to 45 minutes because everyone else in the park rushed to take advantage of the low wait time. It's NOT a fun feeling having to be on your phone half the day micromanaging.
Lightning Lane is absolutely ESSENTIAL. You just cannot do the park without it and expect to get a reasonable amount of stuff done. The standby lines on the LL attractions have slowed to such a dramatic crawl that I simply can't imagine actually waiting in most of them. It's a really nice service when it comes to actually getting you on the top tier attractions in a timely manner, but it comes at the cost of any kind of spontaneity when it comes to these attractions actually being accessible.
Two other MAJOR factors on the trip that really bothered me were the constant breakdowns and the VERY obviously over-worked and over-stressed cast members. Obviously I don't blame any individual CMs for the latter point. There's simply too many people sardine canned into the park at any given spot that the level of guest service and friendliness the parks used to be known for are simply IMPOSSIBLE to achieve. Pretty much all the CM positions essentially come down to cattle herding.
I'm also not a fan of how they have to greet people with "hello, friends!" at every interaction. Tone is a big thing when it comes to setting off my anxiety triggers and when an obviously over-stressed twenty-something is yelling at me "hello, friend...but such and such isn't available" in a tone that suggests they're entirely over having to relay bad news...yea, it's just "passive aggression" city.
I know this is a small point and I understand they use the "Friend" terminology mostly because it's gender neutral, but I think using "folks" would be a lot more fitting to the stressful "bad news" types of situations where the CMs are clearly not the guests "friends" . "Friends" just also feels cult-like and by the end of the trip I was really sick of being in that passive aggressive bubble.
Operations...man, don't get me started. I'll say this much...in order to get me to return to the park at all this element NEEDS to change. The constant breakdowns are just absolutely ridiculous. I understand that Disney lost a lot of their long time mechanics after the shutdown, but MAN they really need to put all the resources and $$ they can muster into replacing those people. The parks might be packed now, but the effect the breakdowns are having across the board on general guest satisfaction/happiness is PRICELESS. I truly think it's THE biggest issue plaguing the park right now.
I don't know if we just caught it at a REALLY bad time, but for what logically SHOULD have been a slow-ish period in between the Spring Break and summer rushes ended up being by far the worst crowds I've ever seen. I've been to the parks in the dead of summer twice, I've been a couple times in the "post-Christmas" rush, and I've still NEVER seen crowds like this.
What really kills me about the crowds is not the wait times at all, it's the actual walkway traffic. For a park that absolutely prides itself in the minute by minute details and hidden areas, EVERY inch of the place was packed.
It's NOT a fun feeling trying to navigate around seas of people. It's NOT a fun feeling literally having to compete to find stuff like a quiet place to sit down and relax or a table to eat at. It's NOT a fun feeling when you check the app and see something at a 15 minute wait only for the wait to balloon up to 45 minutes because everyone else in the park rushed to take advantage of the low wait time. It's NOT a fun feeling having to be on your phone half the day micromanaging.
Lightning Lane is absolutely ESSENTIAL. You just cannot do the park without it and expect to get a reasonable amount of stuff done. The standby lines on the LL attractions have slowed to such a dramatic crawl that I simply can't imagine actually waiting in most of them. It's a really nice service when it comes to actually getting you on the top tier attractions in a timely manner, but it comes at the cost of any kind of spontaneity when it comes to these attractions actually being accessible.
Two other MAJOR factors on the trip that really bothered me were the constant breakdowns and the VERY obviously over-worked and over-stressed cast members. Obviously I don't blame any individual CMs for the latter point. There's simply too many people sardine canned into the park at any given spot that the level of guest service and friendliness the parks used to be known for are simply IMPOSSIBLE to achieve. Pretty much all the CM positions essentially come down to cattle herding.
I'm also not a fan of how they have to greet people with "hello, friends!" at every interaction. Tone is a big thing when it comes to setting off my anxiety triggers and when an obviously over-stressed twenty-something is yelling at me "hello, friend...but such and such isn't available" in a tone that suggests they're entirely over having to relay bad news...yea, it's just "passive aggression" city.
I know this is a small point and I understand they use the "Friend" terminology mostly because it's gender neutral, but I think using "folks" would be a lot more fitting to the stressful "bad news" types of situations where the CMs are clearly not the guests "friends" . "Friends" just also feels cult-like and by the end of the trip I was really sick of being in that passive aggressive bubble.
Operations...man, don't get me started. I'll say this much...in order to get me to return to the park at all this element NEEDS to change. The constant breakdowns are just absolutely ridiculous. I understand that Disney lost a lot of their long time mechanics after the shutdown, but MAN they really need to put all the resources and $$ they can muster into replacing those people. The parks might be packed now, but the effect the breakdowns are having across the board on general guest satisfaction/happiness is PRICELESS. I truly think it's THE biggest issue plaguing the park right now.
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TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
On the positive side of things, while I still stand by Rise essentially being a glorified tech demo that can't keep up with the tech that it's demonstrating, I will say that I have grown to appreciate the attraction more. I just can't ever see myself going standby for it due to the constant anxiety that the thing is going to go down. It happened to us TWICE on the first day and that was enough to discourage my grandma from even trying to get on it again. As @ThemeParkPriest mentioned though, I do have a newfound appreciation for Disneyland's Galaxy's Edge. Even though Studios is pretty much a mirror image, the placemaking at Disneyland is just SOOO infinitely better.
Everything from the way the rock work blends into the natural landscape of the rest of the park to the perfect transitioning points between Frontier and Fantasy, and the way the rest of the park is invisible once you're in the area. It's just far, FAR superior to the "let's copy and paste these blueprints in between Muppets and Toy Story" afterthought that is Hollywood Studios placemaking. And yes...front facing AT AT lift on Rise is THE superior version. It almost isn't fair. You get the cannons physically lowering right in front of you AND the awesome view that really makes you appreciate the sheer scale of the room in a way the side-facing lift simply can't. If there's one positive to my Disneyland experience, it's in giving Galaxy's Edge a re-evaluation. For parks where the placemaking doesn't feel as natural it just doesn't hit in the same way, but for Disneyland park in particular they've done an amazing job of making it feel like the area's just always been here.
I also had a SUPER positive experience at Super Nintendo World and freaking lucked out when it came to the crowds. Still had to wait about 80 minutes for Mario Kart, but I was never overwhelmed with a chokehold of people in the land's actual walkways and was able to fully experience the interactive stuff in a pretty timely manner. I actually got done with the interactive stuff so quickly that it kind of fowled us up since at that point the "Half Day Park" vibes of USH really started to show. Still, I think the land is a home run for me personally.
The gameplay on Mario Kart definitely takes a while to get used to, but thanks to @JokersWild I was able to get enough tips and tricks from their experiences with it that I fully grasped what I was doing and got the Universal Cup on my first try. The "form factor" of the steering wheel and item button feel like a classic Nintendo controller in the best of ways, and I was very pleased with just how great the gameplay actually felt. It really has that Nintendo "Seal of Quality". I'll also say the queue is up there with some of the all time best in the theme park industry.
I'll round things out with this...Knott's Berry Farm ABSOLUTELY has that "spontaneous, go with the flow" magic that Disney used to have. The attraction roster isn't nearly as diverse of course, but I think most areas of the park (with the notable exception of the Boardwalk) are just as well landscaped and immersive as Disney's classic lands. You can also clearly tell the cast members actually WANT to be there and are enjoying themselves and getting into character with the "wild west" vibes. It's a lot more immersive than the under-paid 20 something being forced to say "Bright Suns" every time they greet you at Galaxy's Edge. I've never even done the Boysenberry Festival and only did Ghost Town Alive during my first visit where I was more preoccupied with the attractions. I'll say this right now though...I enjoy Scary Farm INFINITELY more than Horror Nights. Right now Knott's is pretty much the cream of the crop when it comes to how I personally like to engage with theme parks. If they could get a solid replacement theater show for Mystery Lodge it would be perfect.
Everything from the way the rock work blends into the natural landscape of the rest of the park to the perfect transitioning points between Frontier and Fantasy, and the way the rest of the park is invisible once you're in the area. It's just far, FAR superior to the "let's copy and paste these blueprints in between Muppets and Toy Story" afterthought that is Hollywood Studios placemaking. And yes...front facing AT AT lift on Rise is THE superior version. It almost isn't fair. You get the cannons physically lowering right in front of you AND the awesome view that really makes you appreciate the sheer scale of the room in a way the side-facing lift simply can't. If there's one positive to my Disneyland experience, it's in giving Galaxy's Edge a re-evaluation. For parks where the placemaking doesn't feel as natural it just doesn't hit in the same way, but for Disneyland park in particular they've done an amazing job of making it feel like the area's just always been here.
I also had a SUPER positive experience at Super Nintendo World and freaking lucked out when it came to the crowds. Still had to wait about 80 minutes for Mario Kart, but I was never overwhelmed with a chokehold of people in the land's actual walkways and was able to fully experience the interactive stuff in a pretty timely manner. I actually got done with the interactive stuff so quickly that it kind of fowled us up since at that point the "Half Day Park" vibes of USH really started to show. Still, I think the land is a home run for me personally.
The gameplay on Mario Kart definitely takes a while to get used to, but thanks to @JokersWild I was able to get enough tips and tricks from their experiences with it that I fully grasped what I was doing and got the Universal Cup on my first try. The "form factor" of the steering wheel and item button feel like a classic Nintendo controller in the best of ways, and I was very pleased with just how great the gameplay actually felt. It really has that Nintendo "Seal of Quality". I'll also say the queue is up there with some of the all time best in the theme park industry.
I'll round things out with this...Knott's Berry Farm ABSOLUTELY has that "spontaneous, go with the flow" magic that Disney used to have. The attraction roster isn't nearly as diverse of course, but I think most areas of the park (with the notable exception of the Boardwalk) are just as well landscaped and immersive as Disney's classic lands. You can also clearly tell the cast members actually WANT to be there and are enjoying themselves and getting into character with the "wild west" vibes. It's a lot more immersive than the under-paid 20 something being forced to say "Bright Suns" every time they greet you at Galaxy's Edge. I've never even done the Boysenberry Festival and only did Ghost Town Alive during my first visit where I was more preoccupied with the attractions. I'll say this right now though...I enjoy Scary Farm INFINITELY more than Horror Nights. Right now Knott's is pretty much the cream of the crop when it comes to how I personally like to engage with theme parks. If they could get a solid replacement theater show for Mystery Lodge it would be perfect.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Spoilercast
Tiki, Dragon, and Jacob fly away together into the forever and beautiful sky and give our thoughts on the Guardians' swan song, as well as James Gunn's final...
www.youtube.com
D Hulk
Well-Known Member
In defense of Disneyland, since I happened to be there yesterday and my experience was the polar opposite of Tiki’s…
I had a fabultastic time!
Firstly, I should note that I’ve been a Disneyland local since childhood, so I’m super familiar with using & navigating the park. This was my first time back since Covidtimes, since WDW. Went with a friend using the Southern California Resident Deal, meaning our no-frills price-per-day was around a “mere” $75. Cheap for the Disney stateside parks nowadays. So a low-cost, casual visit, meaning inherently little stress and little pressure. Chill, casual, it’s the Anaheim locals’ way. A good starting point for a good visit.
Our day went from rope drop until an hour before closing…we were already on Main Street by then, tired and enjoying Mr. Lincoln, so it was an easy choice to exit slightly early. The precious first two hours were spent in commando mode, but everything after that downshifted into relaxation mode, with lengthy rest & snack pauses mixed in with attractions. No Lightning Lane? No problem! (I ain’t never used it.) With familiarity and a flexible spine of a plan, we still accomplished all the headliners we wanted, and then some.
As for that flexibility…Since Early Entry put the hotel guests ahead of us, Peter Pan was already swamped by the 8 AM starting gun (d’oh!). So we pivoted to Alice instead, using that as a catapult into Toontown to knock out all three rides - including brand new Runaway Railway - just as the brief post-rope drop lull kicked in up there. That same lull struck Galaxy’s Edge soon afterwards, so we made our way there (by way of Mr. Toad) and managed Rise of the Resistance standby in under 40 minutes. A surprisingly easy get. And our longest wait of the day, by far. My friend, who hadn’t been to Disneyland in a decade, was gobsmacked by Rise. Utterly loved it! Sang its praises all day long! By now, 10 AM was rolling around, with so much already accomplished.
I’d already made some mobile ordering plans whilst queueing, so - following a brief Critter Country detour for Splash ‘n’ Pooh - we settled into relaxation mode with an hourlong nosh through Galaxy’s Edge with varied pauses for Ronto Roasters, Blue Milk, and Oga’s Cantina. I’ve quickly become adept at using the Disneyland app, so - far from finding it a “nose in the phone all day” nuisance - it plussed an already-casual day.
Much of the day’s remainder was spent on the park’s west side enjoying the various slow, long, easy-to-do attractions over there - Pirates, Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room, Mark Twain - all with waits maxing out at just under 20 minutes (meanwhile Lightning Lane draws elsewhere were averaging 90 minutes by mid-afternoon). We then successfully took advantage of ride closures to snag both Big Thunder and Indy as walk-ons when they both reopened from breakdowns. A combination of luck and savvy, perhaps? Tropical Hideaway early dinner, train ride around the park, and a little epilogue on Main Street to close things out. If we’d felt more gung-ho - if my out-of-shape friend hadn’t slightly dehydrated herself by forgetting to drink water - we’d’ve done Space Mountain via Single Rider and truly shown up those Lightning Lane big spenders. (Matterhorn’s under refurb, BTW.) But we have another day in Disneyland next week - the nature of the Resident Deal - so there was no pressure to do more than we wished.
As an aside, recently it’s actually been Knott’s that’s become the stressful, hectic, chaotic park in my experience. They’re currently the local passholder dumping ground / babysitter now that Disneyland requires reservations. Like, their chaperone situation has made the local news. Wait times at Knott’s have ballooned within the year, and cleanliness has suffered. Here’s hoping that Cedar Fair can right that ship; I’ve seen ‘em go through similar boom & bust cycles before.
Generally, Disneyland looked to be in fairly tip top shape…comparing most favorably to how I found WDW in 2021. It’s true that Disneyland’s one fatal flaw is the congestion. Its walkways are always, always packed, even on underattended days like yesterday. But the old stroller corals are better situated now, and we glided through the masses with ease. Maybe I’m just used to Disneyland’s crowding? I actually felt agoraphobic in places like Epcot, so in contrast Disneyland felt like a warm hug, like a packed family dinner at home with the cousins, where the convivial vibe makes up for the sparse seating. And make no mistake, we struck up easy conversations with fellow locals all throughout the day.
Toontown’s recent refresh meant is hasn’t looked this good since it first opened. Everyplace else felt nearly as fresh and vibrant. There’s a density of tiny details here unmatched by any other park, Disney or otherwise; I recall queuing for Storybook Land Canal Boats yesterday (oh right, we did those too) and marveling at length over a wholly unnecessary pelican statue over in a planter, because only in Anaheim would Imagineering add such eclectic bric-a-brac everywhere. Sadly, it was poor, doomed Splash Mountain which stood apart for its shoddy condition. The thing feels like it’s already been 30% decommissioned. We had to give it one last ride, even so. The old lady will be missed.
Cast member interactions…zero issues there! Though my standards on this topic are quite different from Tiki’s. I guess the cast members can sense “fellow local” energy? They constantly treated us to humorously sarcastic off-the-cuff asides on topics ranging from the feral cats to the many aggressive ducks to the weird merch to the sheer dumbassery of the Storm Trooper walkaround characters. (A cast member’s comment to me regarding the latter: “It’s like herding cats.”) Galaxy’s Edge cast members constantly compared me to a Wookie (Chewbacca fist bumped me), surely due to my appearance; beyond Disney property, people compare me to the Dude.
So, that’s Disneyland as I recently experienced it. Imperfect, but loveable all the same. This visit reconfirmed my passion for my local resort. I fondly anticipate my return next week. One day in Disney California Adventure. One day in DisneySky. Can hardly wait!
I had a fabultastic time!
Firstly, I should note that I’ve been a Disneyland local since childhood, so I’m super familiar with using & navigating the park. This was my first time back since Covidtimes, since WDW. Went with a friend using the Southern California Resident Deal, meaning our no-frills price-per-day was around a “mere” $75. Cheap for the Disney stateside parks nowadays. So a low-cost, casual visit, meaning inherently little stress and little pressure. Chill, casual, it’s the Anaheim locals’ way. A good starting point for a good visit.
Our day went from rope drop until an hour before closing…we were already on Main Street by then, tired and enjoying Mr. Lincoln, so it was an easy choice to exit slightly early. The precious first two hours were spent in commando mode, but everything after that downshifted into relaxation mode, with lengthy rest & snack pauses mixed in with attractions. No Lightning Lane? No problem! (I ain’t never used it.) With familiarity and a flexible spine of a plan, we still accomplished all the headliners we wanted, and then some.
As for that flexibility…Since Early Entry put the hotel guests ahead of us, Peter Pan was already swamped by the 8 AM starting gun (d’oh!). So we pivoted to Alice instead, using that as a catapult into Toontown to knock out all three rides - including brand new Runaway Railway - just as the brief post-rope drop lull kicked in up there. That same lull struck Galaxy’s Edge soon afterwards, so we made our way there (by way of Mr. Toad) and managed Rise of the Resistance standby in under 40 minutes. A surprisingly easy get. And our longest wait of the day, by far. My friend, who hadn’t been to Disneyland in a decade, was gobsmacked by Rise. Utterly loved it! Sang its praises all day long! By now, 10 AM was rolling around, with so much already accomplished.
I’d already made some mobile ordering plans whilst queueing, so - following a brief Critter Country detour for Splash ‘n’ Pooh - we settled into relaxation mode with an hourlong nosh through Galaxy’s Edge with varied pauses for Ronto Roasters, Blue Milk, and Oga’s Cantina. I’ve quickly become adept at using the Disneyland app, so - far from finding it a “nose in the phone all day” nuisance - it plussed an already-casual day.
Much of the day’s remainder was spent on the park’s west side enjoying the various slow, long, easy-to-do attractions over there - Pirates, Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room, Mark Twain - all with waits maxing out at just under 20 minutes (meanwhile Lightning Lane draws elsewhere were averaging 90 minutes by mid-afternoon). We then successfully took advantage of ride closures to snag both Big Thunder and Indy as walk-ons when they both reopened from breakdowns. A combination of luck and savvy, perhaps? Tropical Hideaway early dinner, train ride around the park, and a little epilogue on Main Street to close things out. If we’d felt more gung-ho - if my out-of-shape friend hadn’t slightly dehydrated herself by forgetting to drink water - we’d’ve done Space Mountain via Single Rider and truly shown up those Lightning Lane big spenders. (Matterhorn’s under refurb, BTW.) But we have another day in Disneyland next week - the nature of the Resident Deal - so there was no pressure to do more than we wished.
As an aside, recently it’s actually been Knott’s that’s become the stressful, hectic, chaotic park in my experience. They’re currently the local passholder dumping ground / babysitter now that Disneyland requires reservations. Like, their chaperone situation has made the local news. Wait times at Knott’s have ballooned within the year, and cleanliness has suffered. Here’s hoping that Cedar Fair can right that ship; I’ve seen ‘em go through similar boom & bust cycles before.
Generally, Disneyland looked to be in fairly tip top shape…comparing most favorably to how I found WDW in 2021. It’s true that Disneyland’s one fatal flaw is the congestion. Its walkways are always, always packed, even on underattended days like yesterday. But the old stroller corals are better situated now, and we glided through the masses with ease. Maybe I’m just used to Disneyland’s crowding? I actually felt agoraphobic in places like Epcot, so in contrast Disneyland felt like a warm hug, like a packed family dinner at home with the cousins, where the convivial vibe makes up for the sparse seating. And make no mistake, we struck up easy conversations with fellow locals all throughout the day.
Toontown’s recent refresh meant is hasn’t looked this good since it first opened. Everyplace else felt nearly as fresh and vibrant. There’s a density of tiny details here unmatched by any other park, Disney or otherwise; I recall queuing for Storybook Land Canal Boats yesterday (oh right, we did those too) and marveling at length over a wholly unnecessary pelican statue over in a planter, because only in Anaheim would Imagineering add such eclectic bric-a-brac everywhere. Sadly, it was poor, doomed Splash Mountain which stood apart for its shoddy condition. The thing feels like it’s already been 30% decommissioned. We had to give it one last ride, even so. The old lady will be missed.
Cast member interactions…zero issues there! Though my standards on this topic are quite different from Tiki’s. I guess the cast members can sense “fellow local” energy? They constantly treated us to humorously sarcastic off-the-cuff asides on topics ranging from the feral cats to the many aggressive ducks to the weird merch to the sheer dumbassery of the Storm Trooper walkaround characters. (A cast member’s comment to me regarding the latter: “It’s like herding cats.”) Galaxy’s Edge cast members constantly compared me to a Wookie (Chewbacca fist bumped me), surely due to my appearance; beyond Disney property, people compare me to the Dude.
So, that’s Disneyland as I recently experienced it. Imperfect, but loveable all the same. This visit reconfirmed my passion for my local resort. I fondly anticipate my return next week. One day in Disney California Adventure. One day in DisneySky. Can hardly wait!
MickeyWaffleCo.
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
This happened with my two most recent trips too. Just keeping an eye on the app and seeing when things reopen is an incredibly easy way to snag some walk-ons. Last month I was able to quite literally walk on without even stopping to board on Pirates and BTM.
The main thing I noticed was the lighting has gone to heck. The majority of the How Do You Do scenes are almost pitch black and you can barely make out the animatronics.
However, it’s nothing to how bad WDW Splash was right before closing. Almost every main animatronic was broken in some way, the final lift hill audio was out of sync, the showboat wasn’t rocking or turning, multiple speakers were blown out, none of the projections were working, and again, a lot of the lights were out.
You’re in luck! The park is literally empty! Not a line in sight!
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TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
I feel like it's probably a disability thing for me then. My anxiety has gotten worse over the years and I found myself just constantly getting in people's way. I'm a tall, super awkward, intimidating looking guy. To be honest, I don't even really think I deserve to be there with how much anxiety I have and how freaking stupid I am when it comes to getting in the way of people. I can't tell you how many times I tried to move out of the way of someone only to cut someone else off. On top of that I have major issues with standing in place for a long period of time, and the Lightning Lanes cause "standby" waits to become very literal to their name.
Believe me, I thought I was a seasoned veteran when it came to knowing the routine. Wait times aren't even really the issue. The sheer number of people on the walkways are. Forget about trying to find a table or a bench at a busy time of day. That was just not going to happen. You had to be lucky and you had to be assertive. As soon as somebody sat up from a bench, another person would QUICKLY swoop in. Is someone like me who has social anxiety issues just supposed to be deprived of a bench because there's not enough room and I'm not assertive enough?
I don't know, hearing @D Hulk's experience just makes my own experience all the more frustrating. Maybe the parks are just a bad spot for Autistic people to be at?? For the record with the CM issue I never had a negative experience with any of them directly, I could just very blatantly tell that a lot of them were over-worked and stressed out. I certainly had some good experiences, but it's Universal that I feel like is really going above and beyond in the guest service department on my recent trips to both their Hollywood and Florida parks.
Also that's a shame about Knott's and I guess I got lucky. The place was a (no pun intended) ghost town the day I was there. The longest wait was about 30 minutes for GhostRider about an hour after opening but by the time the park was in its last hour GhostRider's wait had gone down to maybe 10 mintues at the most. Everything else was a complete and total walk on. Side note: GhostRider really felt sluggish this trip with very little airtime, meanwhile Silver Bullet was HAULING. I was shocked how much more I enjoyed the latter when it's never really done much for me outside of the final helix.
Believe me, I thought I was a seasoned veteran when it came to knowing the routine. Wait times aren't even really the issue. The sheer number of people on the walkways are. Forget about trying to find a table or a bench at a busy time of day. That was just not going to happen. You had to be lucky and you had to be assertive. As soon as somebody sat up from a bench, another person would QUICKLY swoop in. Is someone like me who has social anxiety issues just supposed to be deprived of a bench because there's not enough room and I'm not assertive enough?
I don't know, hearing @D Hulk's experience just makes my own experience all the more frustrating. Maybe the parks are just a bad spot for Autistic people to be at?? For the record with the CM issue I never had a negative experience with any of them directly, I could just very blatantly tell that a lot of them were over-worked and stressed out. I certainly had some good experiences, but it's Universal that I feel like is really going above and beyond in the guest service department on my recent trips to both their Hollywood and Florida parks.
Also that's a shame about Knott's and I guess I got lucky. The place was a (no pun intended) ghost town the day I was there. The longest wait was about 30 minutes for GhostRider about an hour after opening but by the time the park was in its last hour GhostRider's wait had gone down to maybe 10 mintues at the most. Everything else was a complete and total walk on. Side note: GhostRider really felt sluggish this trip with very little airtime, meanwhile Silver Bullet was HAULING. I was shocked how much more I enjoyed the latter when it's never really done much for me outside of the final helix.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
Even something as simple as hoping on the Railroad felt like a MAJOR hassle because each station was jam packed throughout the day and you basically had to get lucky with how many people were getting off of any given train if you didn't want to just sit there waiting for multiple trains to cycle through. I'm used to this being the case in the peak times of the day for sure. I guess an element of the trip that threw me off is that it really didn't feel like there were points in the day where the crowds let up at all. The last hour or so for a bit sure, but any time before that headed into the evening it just felt like the parks just kept surging and surging with more bodies as the day went on. Thank god we had a hotel right across the street because I just physically wouldn't have been able handle an opening to closing day anymore.
Really though, I think it's my worsening anxiety that's the problem. It just made EVERYTHING a lot harder
Really though, I think it's my worsening anxiety that's the problem. It just made EVERYTHING a lot harder
spacemt354
Chili's
So we are to say that the Sorcerer's Apprentice Disneyland bench project was actually ahead of it's time?
spacemt354
Chili's
It's definitely tough to predict crowd levels and that's a frustrating situation to everyone, not just people with autism. For instance at WDW, I actively try to avoid fireworks exits because I can't stand being herded out of the park only to wait for transportation for an hour in the heat. But places like Universal and Knott's you said you enjoyed.
So overall I don't think you need to avoid parks but rather focus on the positives and use it as a learning experience and expectation barometer for a future visit.
TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
I'm guessing all the Star Wars stuff happening last week was most of the cause of why the parks felt SOOO busy?? It's not like I wasn't expecting crowds, but I also wasn't expecting to have to compete for a space to sit down...
spacemt354
Chili's
Oh it was May the 4th...that could definitely explain it. I was also gonna say maybe there was an influx for a special event or something.