How bad is June?

[bramble4]

We're thinking about hitting Disney for a few days while we're in California this June. We visited two years ago at the end of May and didn't notice the crowds being bad at all. We're used to WDW where June-August is swamped. Will the end of June be bad crowd wise for DL and DCA as well? Any specific dates or days of the week that are worse than others? Thanks in advance!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

We went the middle of June this past year (21st-25th) and found the crowds really light! I was actually surprised.

 

[SMD]

If the summer promotion for the 60th anniversary, which hasn't been announced, is popular, yes, it can be very crowded. As a starting point, check the AP blockout dates, and plan to not be there the week leading up to the last day the So Cal passes are valid. This year there was also a So Cal ticket deal that ended the same week before the summer blockouts, which probably added to the crowds. I'd expect some similar promotion this year, though it won't be announced for a few months.

 

[bramble4]

We went the middle of June this past year (21st-25th) and found the crowds really light! I was actually surprised.

Great to know! Thank you.

 

[bramble4]

If the summer promotion for the 60th anniversary, which hasn't been announced, is popular, yes, it can be very crowded. As a starting point, check the AP blockout dates, and plan to not be there the week leading up to the last day the So Cal passes are valid. This year there was also a So Cal ticket deal that ended the same week before the summer blockouts, which probably added to the crowds. I'd expect some similar promotion this year, though it won't be announced for a few months.

This is exactly what I was looking for. Any ideas of when the anniversary celebration is possible? I'm looking at AP block out dates but kind of confused since there are so many different versions. We were looking at going one of the weeks after June 13th. Thank you for the informative answer!

 

[marsh0013]

I'm wondering the same thing. I'm seeing that SoCal APs are blocked Wed June 17-Sat June 20, before the big blockout begins at the end of the month. Will this Wed-Sat be significantly different than Wed June 10-Sat June 13? Out of June 10-13, the 12 and 13 are also blocked out.

Reason I ask is that my bday is June 13 and I'd like to be at Disneyland if possible. Our LA/Anaheim area trip will span a Friday to the following Sunday, so if the 17-20 will be better for the blockout, we could do 1 day June 13 then hang out with our friends who live in LA, then back to Disneyland.

Just not sure how much of a difference it will make. And I'm also constrained by what is available through DVC at GCV, so that will be a factor.

 

[gortman65]

OP, thanks for starting this thread. I'm also interested in this information, and I can always count on the Dis to give me the scoop!

 

[Patrick in Oregon]

We make a trip around June 19th almost yearly and it has been generally pretty pleasant. Surprisingly so given that it's pretty much summer. We tend to fly out on Mondays and that always seems to be the busiest day.

 

[jkbaker]

We went July 1-5 and were surprised that it was not crazy busy. We went early but it was never as crowded as WDW is during the summer. There was even a gentle breeze and did not seem as hot!

 

[nene0182]

Thanks for asking this question. We are thinking of heading there the 2nd week of June.

 

[bramble4]

Thank you all for the info! It's nice to hear about past experiences.

 

[bramble4]

Hi everyone! We're trying to pick dates for this now and wondered if there has been any updated info? Any suggestions on when to plan for three days at the parks?

 

[Sun Lover]

Whatever you do, try to avoid going in June when they have grad nights. We were there in 2013 in mid-June and it was just a horrible experience. I can't believe Disney even continues this. We finally complained to a CM about it and they said they receive numerous complaints every year. We were there visiting for 3 days and the grad nights were on two of them.

 

[gottalovepluto]

FYI, mice chat rumor mill says 60th anniversary activities will kick off Memorial weekend.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Whatever you do, try to avoid going in June when they have grad nights. We were there in 2013 in mid-June and it was just a horrible experience. I can't believe Disney even continues this. We finally complained to a CM about it and they said they receive numerous complaints every year. We were there visiting for 3 days and the grad nights were on two of them.

We were there end of May 2013 & ran into a couple grad nites. There are methods on the DIS for working around them. Some people hate them like above, some say they are fine. For us, it ruined our late nights in DL. Adventureland was even more claustrophobic than usual & we retreated back to our hotel. Kids aren't around in the morning, but late evenings they flood DL to ride all they can before their party starts in DCA.

 

[Butterfly123]

Our last trip in June 2013 we had grad nights three out of four days. We were fortunate and had no problems with them. That being said, others have had issues with them. I say if possible, avoid them. If it's not possible, just go in with a plan and it may work out just fine. It did for us.

 

[poohboysmom]

So, are the grad night crowds really only an issue late afternoon/evening? We're going May 29th - June 1st so we have a couple of grad nights. However, DS (5) goes to bed at 6 pm CT so I doubt we have many late afternoons at the park. Am I right in thinking then, that it won't have a big impact for us?

 

[gottalovepluto]

So, are the grad night crowds really only an issue late afternoon/evening? We're going May 29th - June 1st so we have a couple of grad nights. However, DS (5) goes to bed at 6 pm CT so I doubt we have many late afternoons at the park. Am I right in thinking then, that it won't have a big impact for us?

I wouldn't be too worried. We noticed Seniors popping up starting at lunchtime, but they weren't heavy crowds until we returned to DL at dinner and they didn't get rowdy until 10pm. (We did Indy at 10pm on a grad nite- great fun if you're a senior in high school, bad for the rest of us.) If you feel they are too much in DL hop over to DCA, that's where their party is that night after park closing so they aren't really there during the day. You'll be ok!

 

[Butterfly123]

I wouldn't be too worried. We noticed Seniors popping up starting at lunchtime, but they weren't heavy crowds until we returned to DL at dinner and they didn't get rowdy until 10pm. (We did Indy at 10pm on a grad nite- great fun if you're a senior in high school, bad for the rest of us.) If you feel they are too much in DL hop over to DCA, that's where their party is that night after park closing so they aren't really there during the day. You'll be ok!

This was our experience as well, kids starting to show up at noon, slowly building as the day went on. Later in the evening we either did a show or hopped over to DCA, so we really had no issues. We made sure to do the bigger roller coaster/thrill type rides (the ones that appeal to the teens) early in the day. The rest of the rides didn't feel much more crowded later in the day.

 

[KellaCat]

We are going the first week in June. I assume we'll have one or two grad nights to deal with, but hoping it won't be too crowded otherwise since LAUSD is technically still in session that week.