This was originally posted on Disneyland Inside Out
We have been enjoying summer at the parks! Well, not the heat so much – but the crowds! Summer crowds are definitely not what they used to be. In general, more families are planning their trips during the Fall Halloween season, Holidays, or Spring Break, avoiding both the rainy “off season” and now the heat of summer. The huge heat wave that swept So Cal definitely kept the crowds away late last week and over the weekend, showing photos of empty streets and light queues in both parks. Fortunately for AP Holders, this has meant a few bonus days inside the parks and time to enjoy Pixar Pier and other favorite attractions.
Love clear Disneyland summer days!
We see her very often with a 4yo daughter, but love the a/c in summer!
We enjoyed our visit to Pixar Pier recently, and got a kick out of the Incredicoaster makeover. While it still did seem like more could have been done (budget perhaps?) to an already existing ride, the intro movie and light theming was very cute. It especially helps to have seen Incredibles 2! We loved chasing Jack Jack and it definitely made the whole coaster feel a lot more “Disney” than the Screamin’ versison did before the makeover. The Pier neighborhoods are cute with re-themed carnival games and prizes, and the Pixar Pal A Round is the same fun attraction though with a Pixar paint job flair. We are excited to see the Inside Out attraction come next year and the reopening of the carousel, maintaining both the King Triton’s Carousel and Flik’s Flyers with the closure of bug’s land. We also look forward to dining at Lamplight Lounge, which from our initial impressions seems to be one of the key highlights of the Pixar Pier area!
The Pixar Pier ball is a centerpiece of the newly designed area
Buzz sells churros!
The Incredicoaster!
Newly themed attraction!
On one of our recent visits, we noticed that the prevalence of Fast Pass and perhaps Max Pass is making for some very immediate return times even when the Stand By Line is long. Today, twice in a row we were able to hop on attractions that had posted (and apparent by look) 25 minute waits, but immediate return times for the Fast Pass window, allowing us to breeze on to the rides and then go on to get another Fast Pass. We’re not sure if people are holding FP for later and bigger attractions across both parks and unable to get one for the “B list” rides, or if they’re not clear on how the system works with the Max Pass changes, but it was sure strange to us and is something to look at before you hop into a Standby Line these days! Apparently when the FP system went down this weekend, it made for very short Standby Lines like the “good old days” across the parks, so it’s interesting how this system plays into the whole queue dynamic at Disneyland!
Taken at 1035AM…
What do you think of Pixar Pier? How is your Disneyland summer going?
Originally posted on Disneyland Inside Out
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