Trying to plan next year's DL trip and I have a question

Diszona · Nov 24, 2015

Normally we go in October or in March, but we did WDW in October and my wife's new job will prevent us from going in March. We are considering early June but we have never been to DL in the summer. I figured this would be the best place to get opinions on how early June crowds compare to early October and March? Our options are either June or July or wait until next October but I really don't want to wait that long. Thanks in advance!

msr709 · Nov 24, 2015

Chris9ty · Nov 24, 2015

Do you like Halloween? DL has down unique offerings- Haunted Mansion Holiday, Jack Skellington hosts the Halloween Screams fireworks show at the Halloween parties, Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, plus decorations and characters dressed in costumes. Of course it could be different each year, but it's something to think about if you like Halloween.

JadeDarkstar · Nov 24, 2015

id chose Halloween over summer anytime.

ParkHopper1 · Nov 24, 2015

Early June is not to bad as most of the schools get out mid June and fewer people are taking vacations right at the end of the school year. By mid June...summer season is in full swing.

sharksfinatic17 · Nov 24, 2015

My daughter went in late June two years ago, and it wasn't very crowded. I think the week before the 4th of July isn't as crowded for some reason.

Butterfly123 · Nov 25, 2015

I've gone in later June twice, and July once. We love that everything is in full swing, extended hours are great, and I love warm summer evenings. Just take breaks during the day during the hottest, and most crowded time.

The one thing to be careful about when scheduling a trip in early June is that there will be grad nights that you may want to work around.

guynhawaii · Nov 25, 2015

Aloha,

My family and I have done both October and June. It depends upon how you like to enjoy the park. We do Rope Drop and enjoy the park until it starts getting crowded by lunch. Enjoy lunch and head back to the Resort. Come back at night to watch the FW and the atmosphere. June is great...HydroGuy is correct once again...because RD with early entry is at 7 AM. In October, RD is around 9 or 10 AM M-F. We enjoy Fantasyland with zero crowds...which occurs with a 7 AM RD. Also, in June, generally all of the rides are up (not in 2016 with SWL construction underway). Per HydroGuy, recommend to review the blackout dates for the various annual passes. Of course, that may be all changed by now with the new annual passes. Historically late June early July was great because of the black out dates for the various annual passes.

If you like to sleep in and hit the parks around 9 or 10 then I recommend October.

figment_jii · Nov 25, 2015

It's worth pointing out that no one really knows what the crowds will be like next year. The crowds have been markedly higher than what had been historically seen this year since the start of the 60th Anniversary Celebration in May. With the Celebration lasting until Labor Day of 2016, it's not known if the elevated crowd levels will continue through next year or will the closures along the Rivers of America decrease crowds.

I think both June and October are good times to go to DLR, but it does depend on what you want to do and see. Early June is probably among the best times to go if you want long operating hours and a fairly full entertainment schedule (note that F! is dark next year). You may have to contend with a couple of grad nights (they run from early-May through mid-June). Local and regional schools begin to get out in late-May through June. October is great if you like Halloween because you'll get to see the parks with their Halloween decoration (limited amount) and the overlays should be up and running (e.g., Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy). There should also be Mickey's Halloween Party (assuming no changes from last year). October is still considered part of the non-peak season, so the hours (weekdays especially) tend to be shorter and there is less entertainment (e.g., fireworks are usually only presented on weekends). Historically, October weekdays (Mon-Thu) have low-to-moderate crowds (except on holidays), but weekends (Fri evening to Sun) have moderate-to-high crowds. Also depending on when you go in October, IaSW might be closed to have the holiday overlay installed (usually around mid-October).

WebmasterMaryJo · Nov 25, 2015

Personally, I'd choose June. June 21, is the longest day in the year, so you'll have more daylight to enjoy the attractions. It typically cools down in the evenings, so you don't get that sweltering heat we have in September/early October. Usually, the park is geared up for the large summer crowds, so more attractions are up, and you get nightly shows instead of just the weekends.

Diszona · Nov 25, 2015

Chris9ty said:
Do you like Halloween? DL has down unique offerings- Haunted Mansion Holiday, Jack Skellington hosts the Halloween Screams fireworks show at the Halloween parties, Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, plus decorations and characters dressed in costumes. Of course it could be different each year, but it's something to think about if you like Halloween.

Thanks! We go almost every October and will probably go again next October as well. I just don't want to wait that long so I am just trying to get a feel for how early June would compare to October and March (times that we are familiar with).

Thanks everyone for your responses!

Girimama33 · Nov 25, 2015

I would avoid early June due to Grad nights. I would go in July...October is too busy in the earlier part of the month, and could have limited hours/entertainment.

alvernon90 · Nov 25, 2015

Mary Jo said:
June 21, is the longest day in the year, so you'll have more daylight to enjoy the attractions.

Funny you say that, because it is the exact opposite of my view -- I like winter trips because the parks are much more beautiful at night than in the daytime. Also, crowds are much more bearable when the weather is not hot.

WebmasterMaryJo · Nov 25, 2015

June is decent, but not really hot weather. We start getting hot towards the end of August to the beginning of October. I agree that the parks are beautiful at night, but for visitors from out of town, that daylight time comes in handy when "seeing" the park. My favorite time of the day is dusk at the parks, though, so for me I love this time of year - autumn/winter.

June 2015 temps for the month: http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/anaheim-ca/92805/month/327150?monyr=6/01/2015
October 2015 temps for the month: http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/anaheim-ca/92805/month/327150?monyr=10/01/2015

tlovesdis · Nov 25, 2015

We went this year in June, Sept and Nov. June was by far the least crowded and coolest! It was the beginning of June and it was lovely in comparison to September! So crowded and hot. October was about the same according to these boards and friends.

I'd pick June!

az4boys · Nov 25, 2015

This thread is helpful because we are in the same situation. We have taken the kids in October and January. We couldn't go this October so June is our next opportunity. Can anyone help me decide between early June and late June? Late June fits our schedule better. The first (partial) week of June is out for us, so we have the weeks starting June 5, 12, 19, and 26. I'm leaning towards the 19th. I know grad nights will be in the first couple weeks of June and some schools don't get out until mid June, but more A/P's are blocked the second half of June.

Questions on A/P's: since Southern California and Deluxe A/P's are blocked on Saturday, is that a better day to go than Sunday?
Any idea why June 22-23 is blocked for the Southern California A/P? I see some conventions on the calendar and Garden Grove has their last day of school on the 22nd but I don't know if that means anything.

Diszona · Nov 25, 2015

guynhawaii said:
Aloha,

My family and I have done both October and June. It depends upon how you like to enjoy the park. We do Rope Drop and enjoy the park until it starts getting crowded by lunch. Enjoy lunch and head back to the Resort. Come back at night to watch the FW and the atmosphere. June is great...HydroGuy is correct once again...because RD with early entry is at 7 AM. In October, RD is around 9 or 10 AM M-F. We enjoy Fantasyland with zero crowds...which occurs with a 7 AM RD. Also, in June, generally all of the rides are up (not in 2016 with SWL construction underway). Per HydroGuy, recommend to review the blackout dates for the various annual passes. Of course, that may be all changed by now with the new annual passes. Historically late June early July was great because of the black out dates for the various annual passes.

If you like to sleep in and hit the parks around 9 or 10 then I recommend October.

Thanks, I was about to ask the AP blackout question. It looks like the SoCal passes are blocked out after June 9th so I wonder if it is better to go sometime between then and July 4th.
We are not Rope Drop people but are stay-until-park-close people, so the longer summer hours might work out well for us.

figment_jii · Nov 25, 2015

The SoCal Select AP blockout starts on June 10 and the SoCal AP blockout starts on July 1. While there probably are a decreasing number of SoCal AP holders, there are still some. I would avoid the July 4th weekend just because that is historically a busy period. My family is more of the "stay until close" type too, but if you really want to maximize the number of attractions, being there at rope drop is usually the better option. The crowds do lessen towards closing time on late nights, but the lines at the most popular attractions can still be pretty long (it was not uncommon to see waits of over 45 minutes for things like RSR and Space even at closing).

VandVsmama · Nov 25, 2015

Diszona said:
Normally we go in October or in March, but we did WDW in October and my wife's new job will prevent us from going in March. We are considering early June but we have never been to DL in the summer. I figured this would be the best place to get opinions on how early June crowds compare to early October and March? Our options are either June or July or wait until next October but I really don't want to wait that long. Thanks in advance!

We have been to Disneyland in early June and in early October. Here are my thoughts on both in no particular order:

early June had better weather than early October. June was very temperate and wonderful. October was HOT!
October is Halloween time at Disneyland. This means hard ticket Halloween party nights a couple of days a week. Disneyland shuts down to regular park guests at 6pm on Halloween party nights. I wish that we had sprung for the party tickets because everyone's costumes were so amazing and creative and it looked like a lot of fun.
crowd-wise - early June was better than October. Our October trip felt way more crowded. But we still has lots of fun!
June has Grad Nights on certain nights of the week. Grad Nights are for high school grads or sometimes also for kids graduating from middle school. Sometimes they can travel in big packs, 6 abreast across walkways and they start showing up around 3pm. The Grad Night celebrants have to be over at DCA by a certain time of night (10 pm, I want to say).
Some people stay away from June just because of Grad Nights. We haven't had any bad experiences. But, then again, we purposely went on big headliner rides earlier in the day so we could go on "not as popular to teenager" rides in the evening.
We were at Disneyland this October during part of Gay Days weekend. The Gay Days celebrants were more polite & well behaved than Grad Night people. However, the Gay Days folks were older and more mature than 17-18 yr old high school seniors. For example, if one has a concern about foul language or rude displays of affection, one is more likely to encounter that during a Grad Night at Disneyland than during the Gay Days weekend (which tends to be 1 of the 1st weekends in October). Also, the Gay Days promoters strongly emphasize against wearing provocative or suggestive clothing and they strongly encourage behavior that goes along with a family theme park. We met up with my old boss on that trip. He and his partner have been together for 30 years, so it was nice to hang out with them at the Happiest Place On Earth. Gay Days felt like a regular day at Disneyland with some people wearing red shirts. Grad Night was a lot more obvious. Many packs of loud teenagers.
On our June trips, we've encountered lots of vacationing families from Arizona and Utah. Schools in those states tend to end their school year just before Memorial Day.
Starting the 3rd week in June, crowds & prices on hotels tend to go up because by this point, all California schools are out for the summer.
If I had to choose, I'd go again in June.

Diszona · Jan 9, 2016

So it seems like some opinions are to avoid Grad Nights because of the teenage crowds or that Grad Nights are not too bad. It looks like, from the school calendars, the week of June 6 is before a good number of schools let out (particularly LAUSD) but it has several Grad Nights during that week. The week of June 12 only have a couple of Grad Nights but there are more schools, including LAUSD, that are out for the summer. Which is worse, crowd wise, the Grad Night crowds or crowds after the schools get out? It would seem that even with Grad Nights the crowds would be less during the earlier week but I don't really know. Are the teenagers really that unruly? Anyone have any experience/opinions on this? Right now I have our hotel booked for the week of June 12 to avoid the Grad Nights but I am thinking of changing it.

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