Comparing Crowds - DL vs WDW

[Scarlet_J]

I'm familiar with WDW and haven't been to DL since I was a kid. I've been trying to figure out the best time of year for us to go to DL, but I'd like a better understanding of how busy it will be.

For example, I know what it will be like in WDW on Christmas Day. I know DL will be packed too, but will it feel the same or be the same level of packed as at WDW?

The times I'm looking at are Christmas Break, Summer, or Spring break time.

 

[sherilaine]

Just from what I have read on these boards, as we avoid holiday times, the busiest would be Christmas Break (when the park can actually reached capacity and turn away guests), then Spring Break and then Summer.

Of course summer is a long period of time - so days like July 4th of course would be crazy but I have read that end of August, when local schools return to school is not that bad. I would consider visiting DLR during the summer, but I would not consider doing it over spring break or Christmas.

I think it all depends on your tolerance for crowds though. We have been there on weekends during the off season when it feels very busy and other people think is't comfortable, so I can't imagine would it would be like with wall to wall people over the holidays!

 

[sheetz]

It'll feel every bit as crowded, maybe even more so. But standby wait times may not be as long for certain attractions. For instance, Toy Story Mania or Soarin at DCA never get the 3 hour waits like they do at WDW.

 

[Hojoanaheim]

3 hours at WDW?!!! That's a long wait! The times you are looking at are peak times, so crowds will be pretty heavy, but not 3 hours. Longest I have seen during peak season is 1.5 to 2 hours wait, for RSR and now HyperSpace Mtn. If you are set on going during one of these time, then I would choose summer. Yes schools are out, but people have all summer to visit, so crowds are a little more spread out than the one or two weeks during Christmas and Spring break. I would also take advantage of FastPasses and early mornings if you can. During peak times, FastPasses may run out around lunch time.

HTH,
Kriss

 

[ktlm]

We are WDW vets too, but we also have been going to DL every year for the last 5 or 6 years. Last year we went in July on the first half of the 60th anniversary week because it was the only time we could go with my daughter's activity schedule. We thought it would be awful, but it was totally manageable. We have been to WDW between Christmas and New Years, and it was nothing like that- not even close. I wouldn't hesitate to go in July again. Most other years we have been in June and it was fine- we have hit a day that felt really busy here or there, but also some great days. Typically, a lot of annual passes are blocked out during summer dates. You can find the block schedule online. In our experience the days the lower end passes were blocked were fine- even though it was the weekend. We have been there the week which is the last week before some of the passes get blocked during the week for the summer and those weekdays were crowded with people trying to get that last day in before being blocked- those days in June were more crowded than it was last year on anniversary week, but even then they were totally manageable! I would absolutely pick any time in the summer over spring break or Christmas week.

 

[Scarlet_J]

This has been helpful. How is the summer weather compared to FL? Better?

 

[MillauFr]

This has been helpful. How is the summer weather compared to FL? Better?

The weather in CA is far better than FL in july

 

[SMD]

This has been helpful. How is the summer weather compared to FL? Better?

I'd suggest reading weather reports from the past few years for the month you're planning to go. There can be a 30 or more degree difference in highs and lows on any given day and 20-30 degree differences in the high temp on consecutive days. It's usually not as humid in CA as FL, but it has been very humid the past few years, so it's impossible to say what future summers will be like. Past El Nino years have been humid. I've been to Chicago and NOLA in the summer recently, and when you're standing in DL and it's 92 degrees and 70% humidity you're not thinking, "Oh well, I've experienced worse." You're thinking how miserable the weather feels at that moment.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

You're getting good advice. In my opinion the worse weather would be the month of September and 1st week or two in October. It's hot and humid (relatively new development in So Cal weather).

 

[OneThree]

In regards to crowds, I always felt Disneyland could feel more crowded because its more compact. I do remember as a kid visiting WDW in the summer and there was these large bands of roving tour groups, usually with a "leader" out front holding a flag. Never seen that at DL!

 

[Eosphotog]

In regards to crowds, I always felt Disneyland could feel more crowded because its more compact. I do remember as a kid visiting WDW in the summer and there was these large bands of roving tour groups, usually with a "leader" out front holding a flag. Never seen that at DL!

Oh I saw a couple of roving groups with flags this trip. But the country of origin was different than what I've seen in WDW.

 

[gottalovepluto]

First off: Are you specifically trying to compare Christmas vs Christmas or is your calendar open? It sounds open but FYI Christmas to New Years crowds are their own beast at DL so to speak so if you want info on that time of year specifically you can search the thread or ask about it specifically in a new thread. All other times of the year you should be fine.

FWIW I'm a DL vet of summer time at the parks and this is what stuck out to me at WDW last fall: huge school groups- shockingly huge and some of the school kids had these big bags they were wearing over their shoulders (no idea why) that also served as push bumpers against me when I got too close. That was VERY upsetting, never happened to me at DL. In MK I needed to cross somewhere right after the parade went by and it was PACKED. DL gets packed, but it's a smaller area so you can physically only fit so many people. MK was packed with a much bigger amount of people at that moment and that was a bit overwhelming.

You'll be fine out here, don't worry about crowds but do watch the refurbishment calendar. Lots of closures right now.

 

[tarheelalum]

Christmas at Disneyland is beautiful but honestly, not very fun. It will be at capacity and the fire Marshal will close the gates for a few hours in the late morning/ early afternoon. The bathrooms later in the day will have 20 minute waits (men's room) and you will be shoulder to shoulder throughout the majority of the day. It will take a very long time to do much anything. Walking around the park can become quite difficult.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I've been to disneyworld about 15 times in my life throughout different time periods and let me say today, my first time in Disneyland, for a Saturday in February it was JAM PACKED I've never seen a park so crowded....

It was awful I did everything I wanted to do but man the crowds never let up it kept getting worse and even after the canceled fireworks WDW usually pretty much dies down...nope Disneyland was still booming.

Just know it's not gonna be easy breasy...

 

[Scarlet_J]

First off: Are you specifically trying to compare Christmas vs Christmas or is your calendar open? It sounds open but FYI Christmas to New Years crowds are their own beast at DL so to speak so if you want info on that time of year specifically you can search the thread or ask about it specifically in a new thread. All other times of the year you should be fine.

I'm trying to compare Christmas vs. Christmas; Spring break vs. Spring break; and Summer vs. Summer. I understand what the crowds are like at those times in WDW, so are they better, worse, or different in DL. I know those are all more busy times so if I can compare it to what I know in WDW, I can best plan for our family. Since we are on the east coast, I have to plan the trip over a school break, so we don't have to take the kids out of school for long or at all.

 

[Eosphotog]

Yeah today as we were leaving we saw hoards of people pouring into the parks. Made us really happy to get a Wedbesday and Thursday in before the Friday and weekend crowds came in. If we only had a weekend option I would say nope - even in February.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I'm trying to compare Christmas vs. Christmas; Spring break vs. Spring break; and Summer vs. Summer. I understand what the crowds are like at those times in WDW, so are they better, worse, or different in DL. I know those are all more busy times so if I can compare it to what I know in WDW, I can best plan for our family. Since we are on the east coast, I have to plan the trip over a school break, so we don't have to take the kids out of school for long or at all.

Ahh, ok! Sorry I can't help in direct comparison there then, only been to WDW in off season. My perspective on Disneyland for each season FWIW:

Christmas to New Years: you can run into capacity closures at Disneyland in the week of Christmas to New Years. That means CRAZY crowded. It is by far the busiest time of year in DL. Personally I couldn't do it. It's also some of the worst weather wise, certain outdoor rides will close down if it rains and parades won't run. If it's windy at all fireworks won't run. All that said the parks are BEAUTIFUL this time of year. I saw MK during a xmas party this year and DL the week before xmas and I found DL had more of a "holiday magic" feel, the decor seemed more intricate and it felt like there was more than at WDW (possibly just because it was the same amount of decorations in a smaller place). Also Small World and Haunted Mansion have wonderful overlays that WDW doesn't do.

Summer: It doesn't rain over summer, maybe the rare drizzle. It can run anywhere from 70-90 degrees and it is a dry heat as stated above, NOTHING like FL. When I was in FL in Nov I thought I was going to melt- CA girl here! The parks are crowded but not ruin your vacation crowded. If you go in May or June watch out for "Grad Nites". These evenings will see a large amount of HS Seniors in DL so it's a good idea to go to DCA that night. All in all we've found summer crowds fine to deal with, they're most definitely there but not overwhelming. We take afternoons off and relax at our hotel pool at the heat of the day. Best way to avoid the crowds is to be at the park by rope drop- if you have Early Entry available use it. (I found that perk almost useless in WDW but love it in DL.) The parks are always at their quietist in the first couple hours.

Spring Break: no experience in DL during Spring. Weather will be warmer than xmas though rain is still possible.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Yesterday, Saturday, we got into DL at around 7:45 am (we are onsite at VGC, EE was at 7 AM). It was deserted on the left side of the park, I mean over by HM, Pirates, Splash Mt. We were almost alone on these attractions. It was awesome. Of course by 11 am, it was another story. Tomorrowland is very crowded because of all the awesome SW stuff going on (and makes me think that SW land at the Studios may be a better overall experience in a few years than SW land at DL).

In the evenings, on the weekends, we have been going into DCA for a better experience.

PS have the fireworks gone off lately? It seems like they are being cancelled for wind this week each night?

 

[Diszona]

Summer: It doesn't rain over summer, maybe the rare drizzle. It can run anywhere from 70-90 degrees and it is a dry heat as stated above, NOTHING like FL. When I was in FL in Nov I thought I was going to melt- CA girl here! The parks are crowded but not ruin your vacation crowded. If you go in May or June watch out for "Grad Nites". These evenings will see a large amount of HS Seniors in DL so it's a good idea to go to DCA that night. All in all we've found summer crowds fine to deal with, they're most definitely there but not overwhelming. We take afternoons off and relax at our hotel pool at the heat of the day. Best way to avoid the crowds is to be at the park by rope drop- if you have Early Entry available use it. (I found that perk almost useless in WDW but love it in DL.) The parks are always at their quietist in the first couple hours.

Spring Break: no experience in DL during Spring. Weather will be warmer than xmas though rain is still possible.

One thing about Grad Night, this year it is at DCA, though the kids can go to both parks during the day.

For spring break, early in March isn't bad at all, when most of the CA schools are still in session. I would definitely check the calendar of events thread to see when the different school districts are going on break. http://www.disboards.com/threads/2016-calendar-of-events-school-breaks-and-dlr.3434866/

 

[ktlm]

This has been helpful. How is the summer weather compared to FL? Better?

The weather is beautiful. It is very nice in the mornings and evenings (if you go the first part of June you might even need a jacket). In the afternoons it can get hot for a few hours, but not Florida hot. We are from Oklahoma and we have also been to WDW several times in June- we have been to DL when all the locals are complaining about how hot it is and how they are sweltering, and we have to try not to laugh. CA's version of hot and the lower mid-west/south's version of hot, are two totally different things!