We were there Sat., Dec. 13, and I agree it was crowded! We ate brunch at Golden Corral and then got to the park by 12:30, I believe. We decided parking in preferred would be the way to go to exit later, so we did that. Traffic was already being routed to Notch when we arrived. We saw Rudolf and looked in shops when we first got there. We waited too long to get in line for the 2:45 Dickens, and we couldn't get in. We decided to take our five-year old to the Frosty show instead. As soon as that was over, we headed over to Dickens and arrived an hour before the 4:45 showing and were among the first seated.
After Dickens, it was dark and very busy. My five-year-old suddenly wanted nothing to do with the train even though she has ridden it almost every visit, including Christmastime visits. So, we skipped the train this year. We decided to head to the Expo area to find a spot for the parade. It was pretty crazy getting to the Expo, especially because people arriving were entering at Brown's Candy and merging with us. Oh well, just keep swimming, right?
We did find some rocky ledge to sit on just at the entrance of the Expo where it curves towards the flying swings. It was a perfect time for snacks. We got our kettle corn and Goldfish out. We probably waited 45 minutes on the ledge, but it flew by with snacks and people watching.
The parade was cute. I didn't like it more or less than the old one, I guess. My girl liked the Rudolf characters. We also saw a high school band before the parade, so that was a fun touch.
After the parade, we sat on the rocky ledge for awhile, letting the crowds go by. When it had thinned out, we headed out of the area. We did take a turn at the barn to avoid the masses heading straight out of the park. We strolled looking at lights through the uncrowded riverfront area. We finally decided to venture up to the square. We did go up hill street, but it wasn't crowded. There were people on the square, but it was manageable. We even found a place to sit to watch the tree awhile. After bathroom breaks behind the taffy place, we decided it may be okay to try to exit the park.
Traffic through the hospitality house was moving, so that was a good sign. We also stopped for cinnamon rolls at the bakery with short lines there. The marketplace building was packed, even with routing stops 1-4 through the turnstiles. We finally made it to the walkway, but it was pretty crowded. We were certainly glad our car was a short walk away!
