Credit: Patrick Nguyen on UnsplashDisneyland Resort guests reported massive crowds outside the Southern California theme park resort last night, with some claiming that police were also on the scene.
Crowds are inescapable at Disney. While the theme parks have tried to mitigate long lines in recent years through measures such as Genie+ (RIP) and its successor, Lightning Lane Multi Pass, the truth is that Disney is always going to be busy.
These lines can start to form before you even enter the park. For the sake of everyone’s safety, all guests must pass through security before entering Disneyland Resort (and Walt Disney World Resort and every other Disney resort worldwide).
Last night, however, the crowd trying to do so was reportedly overwhelming.
According to multiple Reddit users, crowds reached their peak at the Disney resort at approximately 6 p.m. This isn’t unusual for a Friday night, with plenty of Disneyland locals dropping by Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, and Downtown Disney at the end of the working day. What is unusual is the reported police presence.
As per one Reddit user, “They shut the security checkpoint down around 5:30 p.m. for an incident. Dozens of [Anaheim] PD were called in.”
Another corroborated this, adding, “I saw a post in a FB group (I know, not necessarily reliable) that there was some sort of security thing happening with local PD also involved around that time, causing the line to be super long.”
The line was still reportedly pretty chaotic an hour later, with one user saying, “I got there at 7.20 p.m. tonight (DTD reservation) and it took 23 minutes (from the structure). It was crazy, backed up to the white tent. I went at 9.30 a.m. today and walked right through, no waiting.”
For now, there is no confirmation of what may or may not have happened outside the resort’s security. However, we’ll keep you updated with any news.
In May, Disneyland Resort added a new security checkpoint near the Simba Parking Lot. This entrance replaced the previous one across from the Disneyland Hotel.
We’ve seen lines grow out of control at Disney on multiple occasions. Earlier this year, security was called into Shanghai Disneyland after a line for new Duffy and Friends merchandise reached a whopping eight hours. Some guests reportedly fainted in the chaos.
In recent years, both Disneyland and Disney World have increasingly relied on virtual queues to mitigate standby queues when possible.
These are used for new rides (such as TRON Lightcycle / Run, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, with the latter two still using them) and for occasional merchandise drops, such as on May 4 (AKA Star Wars Day).
Disneyland Park will presumably also use a virtual queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure when it debuts in November. At present, guests must also secure a virtual queue boarding group to ride the Halloween and Christmas overlay of Haunted Mansion, known as Haunted Mansion Holiday.
What’s the longest line you’ve ever waited in at Disney?