7/17/17 Will it be too crowded?

[photo_chick]

OK, I just made our reservations for a quick trip in July. I don't mind hot. I don't mind crowds. But I didn't realize when I have our first in park day on Monday, July 17 that it is the 62nd anniversary.

Is it going to be really insane that day or will a "minor" anniversary year like this be, well, minor?

And are there any opinions of how D23 just ending will affect the crowds this week?

I'm a WDW vet but haven't been to Disneyland since I was a kid. We usually go to WDW on July 4th weekend, so large crowds don't scare us. We tend to manage FPs and work the line apps pretty well. Insane crowds though, those are a different story.

Advice, opinions, etc?

 

[disneychrista]

Yes.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

OK, I just made our reservations for a quick trip in July. I don't mind hot. I don't mind crowds. But I didn't realize when I have our first in park day on Monday, July 17 that it is the 62nd anniversary.

Is it going to be really insane that day or will a "minor" anniversary year like this be, well, minor?

And are there any opinions of how D23 just ending will affect the crowds this week?

I'm a WDW vet but haven't been to Disneyland since I was a kid. We usually go to WDW on July 4th weekend, so large crowds don't scare us. We tend to manage FPs and work the line apps pretty well. Insane crowds though, those are a different story.

Advice, opinions, etc?

I've always found July to be busy, regardless if it's an anniversary, or not.

 

[amyg1975]

We were there last year on the 17th, and it was just as busy as our other 4 days that week. Hot and busy!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I wouldn't be surprised if a number of D23 Expo attendees extend their trips to include the 17th. These are Disney fans who appreciate history, and DL's 62nd anniversary won't go by unnoticed.

 

[Pintail]

Mid-July is a busy time, but you go when you can go. We are going in July too.
We just get there when it opens, reserve a good lunch spot for when it gets busy, and enjoy.
Your fast pass strategy does help for sure.
Later at night it is less busy, and you can Park-hop too.
Consider spending some time in California Adventure, that tends to be less busy.

 

[Malcon10t]

To clarify, summer is usually busy, but will the 17th be above that? Not significantly, and it usually doesn't involve the rides. The "extras" that show up on the 17th are looking for pins/special foods/the announcements that come with the 17th. D23 usually have their own special speakers and people line up for them early. Usually nothing major in the day time, maybe extra people in the evening.

 

[SMD]

To clarify, summer is usually busy, but will the 17th be above that? Not significantly, and it usually doesn't involve the rides. The "extras" that show up on the 17th are looking for pins/special foods/the announcements that come with the 17th. D23 usually have their own special speakers and people line up for them early. Usually nothing major in the day time, maybe extra people in the evening.

The last day of D23 is the 16th. The added crowds PP referred to are people attending D23 who will likely extend the extra day to be there on the 17th.

 

[photo_chick]

Thanks to all who replied. Sounds like it's not going to be a big factor for us then. As I said in my original post, we usually do WDW the week of July 4th spending the 3rd and 4th in the parks with all the madness, so crowds in general don't scare us. I was trying to decide if altering by a week before or after would make much difference. Sounds like it won't be much so we will embrace being there on the 62nd anniversary!

 

[Davidg83]

I'm attending the D23 convention and extended my trip by a day so I could be there on an anniversary. I'm sure a lot of expo attendees will be doing the same.

 

[my*gracie*girl]

We were there on the 55th, 60th, 61st and didn't find it all that crazy. No more than a regular summer day!

 

[Carrie Gruber]

We booked the week of July 12-19 and will be attending the Expo, so we'd have days before and after the Expo to do the parks and also be there on the anniversary. I'm sure this is what a lot of attendees are doing as well and I'm just going in with the expectation that it's going to be extremely crowded. From my experience using Touring Plans and the Lines app in WDW, I'm fairly confident that we'll have the same success in DL.

 

[ktlm]

We have been to DL in July the last 3 years. I was worried the first time that it would be packed, but we were pleasantly surprised. It is definitely manageable. We are WDW vets and I would say DL in July has been what I would call moderate at WDW. We've seen it more crowded at WDW in October than at DL in July. We were there 60th anniversary week, but left before the anniversary. I would think the 62nd anniversary would not be a big deal. I think you will have some D23 holdovers that might increase crowds a little, but I don't think it will be awful.

 

[Carrie Gruber]

We have been to DL in July the last 3 years. I was worried the first time that it would be packed, but we were pleasantly surprised. It is definitely manageable. We are WDW vets and I would say DL in July has been what I would call moderate at WDW. We've seen it more crowded at WDW in October than at DL in July. We were there 60th anniversary week, but left before the anniversary. I would think the 62nd anniversary would not be a big deal. I think you will have some D23 holdovers that might increase crowds a little, but I don't think it will be awful.

That's what I was thinking, too. I've been to WDW in May, June & October and found June to be the worst crowd-wise and October was great. So I figure if we survived June crowds with little ones, we should be able to deal with the crowds at DL with somewhat older children.