Disneyland in July

[Lillian Gracey]

Hey guys! I am going to Disneyland in July, but I'll only be going for a day or two. I'll be in San Diego for Comic Con and I want to extend the trip a day or two for Disneyland since it isn't far from there. The dates I will be in San Diego are July 11th - July 17th or 18th. My plan would be going to Disneyland on the 16th and if I need a second day, the 17th as well.

So my question is, what is Disneyland like in July? Is it extremely crowded? I went in early August in 2007 (my first and only time going) with my mom and sister and we got everything done in one day. I don't plan on going to California Adventure so I'm not worried about that park. Will Disneyland Park be less crowded due to everyone going to Cars Land? Depending on how busy it is, it will help me decide on whether or not I go for one or two days. Also, I will have at least one other person with me, maybe two and neither have been to Disneyland if that makes a difference.

Thanks for the help!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

The 17th is Disneylands birthday. I'd go 2 days! During the week shouldn't be too bad. Carsland will be crazy if it's open.

 

[Lillian Gracey]

The 17th is Disneylands birthday. I'd go 2 days! During the week shouldn't be too bad. Carsland will be crazy if it's open.

Really? I didn't know that! I should go two days to celebrate! I'm hoping that all the crowds will go to Cars Land and leave Disneyland Park with little crowds so I can actually ride rides. I have no intention of going to Cars Land so hopefully Disneyland Park will be less crowded because of it. Thanks for the help!

 

[HydroGuy]

Hey guys! I am going to Disneyland in July, but I'll only be going for a day or two. I'll be in San Diego for Comic Con and I want to extend the trip a day or two for Disneyland since it isn't far from there. The dates I will be in San Diego are July 11th - July 17th or 18th. My plan would be going to Disneyland on the 16th and if I need a second day, the 17th as well.

So my question is, what is Disneyland like in July? Is it extremely crowded? I went in early August in 2007 (my first and only time going) with my mom and sister and we got everything done in one day. I don't plan on going to California Adventure so I'm not worried about that park. Will Disneyland Park be less crowded due to everyone going to Cars Land? Depending on how busy it is, it will help me decide on whether or not I go for one or two days. Also, I will have at least one other person with me, maybe two and neither have been to Disneyland if that makes a difference.

Thanks for the help!

Mid-July crowds are similar to early August crowds. Most experienced folks around here would say it takes three days at minimum to get a solid DLR experience. Four days is better. Once Cars Land is open that would really be four days minimum and five days is better. I think folks who "do it all in a day" are skipping a lot. There are about 70 rides at DLR and four major shows each day plus a major parade in the summer plus a slew of minor shows.

All of that is not to say that two days is a bad choice. You can have a lot of fun in two days or even one day. But experiencing everything would be very challenging.

HTH

 

[Lillian Gracey]

Mid-July crowds are similar to early August crowds. Most experienced folks around here would say it takes three days at minimum to get a solid DLR experience. Four days is better. Once Cars Land is open that would really be four days minimum and five days is better. I think folks who "do it all in a day" are skipping a lot. There are about 70 rides at DLR and four major shows each day plus a major parade in the summer plus a slew of minor shows.

All of that is not to say that two days is a bad choice. You can have a lot of fun in two days or even one day. But experiencing everything would be very challenging.

HTH

Thank you so much! I only plan on doing what I want to do for the most part and dragging my friend and possibly DBF along with me. I will not be stepping foot in DCA. I will only be going to DLP. That is what my mom, sister and I did back in August of 2007. We did whatever we wanted to do at DLP which is usually my plan. I will probably do two days because of the crowds.

Would two days be fine for just DLP?

 

[HydroGuy]

Thank you so much! I only plan on doing what I want to do for the most part and dragging my friend and possibly DBF along with me. I will not be stepping foot in DCA. I will only be going to DLP. That is what my mom, sister and I did back in August of 2007. We did whatever we wanted to do at DLP which is usually my plan. I will probably do two days because of the crowds.

Would two days be fine for just DLP?

If you only do DL you will iss the new Cars Land at DCA and the awesome World of Color show. Most would consider those "must sees", along with Soarin, GRR, Toy Story Mania, Aladdin, etc.

If you only do two days at DL park then you would experience a lot. Probably not everything (Fantasmic, fireworks, SoundSational parade, etc.) but a lot.

Hope it all goes well!

 

[Lillian Gracey]

If you only do DL you will iss the new Cars Land at DCA and the awesome World of Color show. Most would consider those "must sees", along with Soarin, GRR, Toy Story Mania, Aladdin, etc.

If you only do two days at DL park then you would experience a lot. Probably not everything (Fantasmic, fireworks, SoundSational parade, etc.) but a lot.

Hope it all goes well!

Thanks! I don't care to see Cars Land because I really disliked that movie. I have already ridden Soarin when I was at WDW in May and the line was too long for TSM which I would assume it would be the same way at DL. I do want to see WoC and Aladdin, but I couldn't justify getting a PH just for those two. Though it is only $15 more for a PH. My main focus is just DL and not DCA. I suppose I could upgrade when I get there if I really wanted to, but I don't think I would, but we shall see.

I am glad that it shouldn't be too hard to get a lot done in two days at DL in the middle of July. I really appreciate your help. This is the start of my yearly trip to Cali since I plan on going to Comic Con every year starting this year (Luckily my best friend lives in San Diego so I can stay with him and I get a free pass) and I really want to make it a start to a yearly DL trip.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

You'll be fine w/two days at Disneyland Park. Just note your MUST-DOs so you can make sure not to miss them, and do the usual - get to the park when it opens, get fast passes, eat at off times or make priority seating arrangements to minimize wait time.

 

[Lillian Gracey]

You'll be fine w/two days at Disneyland Park. Just note your MUST-DOs so you can make sure not to miss them, and do the usual - get to the park when it opens, get fast passes, eat at off times or make priority seating arrangements to minimize wait time.

Thanks! I plan on doing the LM ride last or toward closing time depending on what I get done since they will let people still ride if they are in line before closing because it's a super popular ride. That's what my mom, sister and I did for the Finding Nemo ride. We saw that the line was way too long when we got there at opening so we did everything we wanted to do and stood in line for Nemo at the end of the day.

I'll definitely make a plan and look at maps to prepare myself. I'm good about eating whenever, but I don't know about my best friend and DBF since they have never been to any Disney Park.

Do fastpasses work the same at DL as they do at WDW? I want to be prepared when we go so we can prioritize fastpasses.

I sincerely appreciate everyone's help! Are the Unofficial Guide or Birnbaum's Guide useful for helping a new person? I bought the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2011 because I was supposed to go to DL for my birthday, but ended up going to WDW instead so I couldn't use it. I want all the help I can get to plan a great two day trip for me and some newbies even though I usually just wing it.

 

[sonnyjane]

and the line was too long for TSM which I would assume it would be the same way at DL...

I plan on doing the LM ride last or toward closing time depending on what I get done since they will let people still ride if they are in line before closing because it's a super popular ride. That's what my mom, sister and I did for the Finding Nemo ride. We saw that the line was way too long when we got there at opening so we did everything we wanted to do and stood in line for Nemo at the end of the day.


Do fastpasses work the same at DL as they do at WDW? I want to be prepared when we go so we can prioritize fastpasses.

You're making a lot of assumptions about rides at Disneyland Resort based on your experiences at WDW, and you couldn't be more wrong!

First of all, Little Mermaid is hardly a "super popular ride". It rarely has a line exceeding 15 minutes, and even in August of last year, just months after it opened, the ride was a walk-on. There's absolutely no reason to wait to get on at closing time or anything like that. You can easily hop on anytime throughout the day.

Secondly, Toy Story at DCA is not nearly as bad line-wise as TSMM in WDW. True, they don't have fastpass, but they don't need it. Even in the busiest, busiest times, the line is about 40 minutes, but more commonly it is around 30 minutes at any given time of day, and again, those are the summer numbers. I've seen it much less. It is nothing like the two hours waits in Florida.

Yes, FP works the same. Read this to brush up: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132

 

[Lillian Gracey]

You're making a lot of assumptions about rides at Disneyland Resort based on your experiences at WDW, and you couldn't be more wrong!

First of all, Little Mermaid is hardly a "super popular ride". It rarely has a line exceeding 15 minutes, and even in August of last year, just months after it opened, the ride was a walk-on. There's absolutely no reason to wait to get on at closing time or anything like that. You can easily hop on anytime throughout the day.

Secondly, Toy Story at DCA is not nearly as bad line-wise as TSMM in WDW. True, they don't have fastpass, but they don't need it. Even in the busiest, busiest times, the line is about 40 minutes, but more commonly it is around 30 minutes at any given time of day, and again, those are the summer numbers. I've seen it much less. It is nothing like the two hours waits in Florida.

Yes, FP works the same. Read this to brush up: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132

Sorry for making those assumptions. No need to be so rude.

 

[sonnyjane]

Sorry for making those assumptions. No need to be so rude.

Rude? My apologies if you took it that way. I meant it in a "If that's what you're expecting, you'll be pleasantly surprised when you show up" type way. I was simply trying to point of that you shouldn't write things off because of your experiences at an entirely different park.

 

[HydroGuy]

Thanks! I don't care to see Cars Land because I really disliked that movie. I have already ridden Soarin when I was at WDW in May and the line was too long for TSM which I would assume it would be the same way at DL. I do want to see WoC and Aladdin, but I couldn't justify getting a PH just for those two. Though it is only $15 more for a PH. My main focus is just DL and not DCA. I suppose I could upgrade when I get there if I really wanted to, but I don't think I would, but we shall see.

I am glad that it shouldn't be too hard to get a lot done in two days at DL in the middle of July. I really appreciate your help. This is the start of my yearly trip to Cali since I plan on going to Comic Con every year starting this year (Luckily my best friend lives in San Diego so I can stay with him and I get a free pass) and I really want to make it a start to a yearly DL trip.

Thanks! I don't care to see Cars Land because I really disliked that movie. I have already ridden Soarin when I was at WDW in May and the line was too long for TSM which I would assume it would be the same way at DL. I do want to see WoC and Aladdin, but I couldn't justify getting a PH just for those two. Though it is only $15 more for a PH. My main focus is just DL and not DCA. I suppose I could upgrade when I get there if I really wanted to, but I don't think I would, but we shall see.

I am glad that it shouldn't be too hard to get a lot done in two days at DL in the middle of July. I really appreciate your help. This is the start of my yearly trip to Cali since I plan on going to Comic Con every year starting this year (Luckily my best friend lives in San Diego so I can stay with him and I get a free pass) and I really want to make it a start to a yearly DL trip.

SJ is right and you mistook her post for rudeness. You are making some misassumptions about DLR based on WDW or what you have heard. TSMM at DCA is the same ride as at WDW but the line is altogether different. LMAUA is not super popular. It is modestly popular and generally has a line that is very reasonable (5-15 minutes).

But LMAUA and TSMM are at DCA which you said you are planning to skip. So you will not be able to ride those.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Little Mermaid ~ we walked on at least 5 times this past Thanksgiving weekend. *Here's how we spent 1 day in DLR mid July - we did a lot; me, a 9 year old and a barely 6 year old *she had a stroller.

 

[poohnpigletCA]

We love Disneyland in off season. Last year we ended up taking a last minute trip to Disneyland in July. I was happily surprised. We have always avoided Disneyland in the summer thinking it would be miserably hot and crowded and it was not.

We went in October to Halloween party at Disneyland~my daughter had a Lillian Gracey costume. Anyway, we all commented that viewing the fireworks at Halloween party was much more crowded than viewing the fireworks in July.

 

[HydroGuy]

We love Disneyland in off season. Last year we ended up taking a last minute trip to Disneyland in July. I was happily surprised. We have always avoided Disneyland in the summer thinking it would be miserably hot and crowded and it was not.

We went in October to Halloween party at Disneyland~my daughter had a Lillian Gracey costume. Anyway, we all commented that viewing the fireworks at Halloween party was much more crowded than viewing the fireworks in July.

While summer heat and crowds at DLR definitely bother some people, I find the fear factor many folks embrace is greatly exaggerated.

 

[carnival kid]

We ahve been in July twice. Both times crowds were very reasonable. We used lots of fastpasses and waited until night to rides some more popular rides.

It is very hot. We stay somewhere in close walking distance and usually go back for a "nap" or swim in the afternoon before returning at night.

There are long/late hours and most of the families with smaller children have left for the day.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

While summer heat and crowds at DLR definitely bother some people, I find the fear factor many folks embrace is greatly exaggerated.

When DD & I visited DLR over the 4th of July weekend 2009 I figured it'd be plenty warm *it certainly is here in UT then* I packed no cool weather clothes for us, our 2nd day in I broke down and bought DD a $20 Mickey sweatshirt; the mornings and evenings were cool. The crowds were extremely tolerable - I worry this is a thing of the past with the monthly payment plan being available to all Californians....

 

[ArchOwl]

I visited in July this year, midweek. It was busy, but not as busy as this week when I was there. The crowds seem more predictable as well since the SoCal APs are blocked.

However, this year may be different with Disney doing a huge marketing push for Carsland and Buena Vista Street. I imagine the parks will be busier than summer 2011 because of it.

I would also strongly urge you to consider getting a parkhopper. There are very good rides and experiences in DCA that are not to be missed, including California Screamin', Toy Story, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, World of Color, the Animation Building, the new nighttime entertainment of the Mad T Party, and not to mention a whole new experience of Buena Vista Street. Having a parkhopper gives you a lot more options based on crowd levels and more places to eat.

Have fun!

 

[WannaseePooh]

Just to be clear, LM is in DCA not DL, I just mention this because you say you don't want a parkhopper. You will need one to see LM