understanding crowd influences in June

[asktriplets]

Hi.

I'm another WDW vet who is trying to understand the crowd patterns at DL for our first trip in June (we are looking at a 4 day, weekdays-only visit anytime in the month of June).

I've tried to perform my due diligence before posting, I promise!
I've spent the last week trying to figure out the best time to go (using HydroGuy's post and links and my touringplans DL subscription) , and I'm hoping a DL regular might be able to offer some insight...

-It sounds as though the 60th Anniversary stuff may begin at the end of May. I'm assuming that increases attendance for the very beginning of June?

-I can't figure out which may be better a time to consider. Here is what I'm considering and why:

1. the first week in June BEFORE the LA schools get out and while many other districts in the country are still in school (despite the 60th anniversary stuff just starting AND despite the fact that there may be a pre-blackout last minute rush AND grad nights) OR

2. The second week in June, after the socal select blackout begins and after the beginning of the 60th Anniversary stuff dies down a bit (despite the fact that LA schools are JUST out of school and grad nights) OR

3. the fourth week in June (week of the 22nd) during socal select blackouts and after grad nights (despite the fact that many/most schools are off for summer break by this point AND the potential for a pre-blackout last minute rush) OR

4. the last week in june (which is also 4th of july week) after the socal summer blackouts, DESPITE the fact that it's the WEEK of the FOURTH of JULY!!...I have to believe that this is a CRAZY week to consider.

If it's helpful to know, we are assuming we'll stay on-site for the Early Entry (but perhaps it's not worth it). We'll have park hoppers, and we are ALWAYS there at park opening or soon after. We're not so good at staying up late, especially with the toddler. I'm not sure if my kids will need a midday break (little one sleeps well anywhere), but I know I'll need one!

Can anyone offer some insight?

Much appreciated,

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

If it was me, I wouldn't be fussed about the weekends. For 4 park days, I would pick one of the following:
June 26-29
June 26-27 and June 29-30
June 27-30
June 27, June 29-July 1
June 28-July 1
June 29-July 2

Reasons: Grad nights are over. So-Cal blockouts have kicked in. Park hours should be at their maximum. Weather could be very nice.

Why skip June 28? In my experience, during the last few years Sundays generally feel more crowded than Saturdays. If you have the opportunity to have a skip day but would like to brave a weekend day, pick Saturday over Sunday. Weekend days are not to be entirely feared/avoided though. But maybe that's just me. Why pick June 28-July 1? You need to do four straight days and are more concerned about the beginning of July 4 crowds than Sunday crowds. Reason to possibly hang in there until July 2 - if Disney does what they have done for the last few years, that could be the first night with the July 4 fireworks before crowds hit their full holiday spikes. Then again, with the new fireworks show this year and all the excitement that is expected to generate, maybe they won't bother running the July 4 fireworks on multiple nights. Anyway, just my two cents of what to consider.

 

[ehrawn]

If it was me, I wouldn't be fussed about the weekends. For 4 park days, I would pick one of the following:
June 26-29
June 26-27 and June 29-30
June 27-30
June 27, June 29-July 1
June 28-July 1
June 29-July 2

Reasons: Grad nights are over. So-Cal blockouts have kicked in. Park hours should be at their maximum. Weather could be very nice.

Why skip June 28? In my experience, during the last few years Sundays generally feel more crowded than Saturdays. If you have the opportunity to have a skip day but would like to brave a weekend day, pick Saturday over Sunday. Weekend days are not to be entirely feared/avoided though. But maybe that's just me. Why pick June 28-July 1? You need to do four straight days and are more concerned about the beginning of July 4 crowds than Sunday crowds. Reason to possibly hang in there until July 2 - if Disney does what they have done for the last few years, that could be the first night with the July 4 fireworks before crowds hit their full holiday spikes. Then again, with the new fireworks show this year and all the excitement that is expected to generate, maybe they won't bother running the July 4 fireworks on multiple nights. Anyway, just my two cents of what to consider.

Pretty spot on. I will add, you're probably more worried about it than you need to be. Other than specific events/holidays (like NYE, July 4, and THE 60th), the park staff is pretty good about predicting and managing crowds. The June refurb calendar indicates that they are expecting large attendance and that everything will be operating at max capacity. What is also important to understand is that time of day is probably a more important factor than date, since many tourists like to sleep in and most locals will time their visits for the evening shows/parades/fireworks.

 

[Butterfly123]

We are going the last week of June. I am thinking that it will be a little busier than if we could've gone earlier in June. That wasn't an option for us. We know it will be busy that week, so we will just expect crowds and be there with a smile on our faces anyway. Summer is just a busy time, and I think there's really no great way to predict which week will be the best.

 

[HydroGuy]

If it was me, I wouldn't be fussed about the weekends. For 4 park days, I would pick one of the following:
June 26-29
June 26-27 and June 29-30
June 27-30
June 27, June 29-July 1
June 28-July 1
June 29-July 2

Reasons: Grad nights are over. So-Cal blockouts have kicked in. Park hours should be at their maximum. Weather could be very nice.

Why skip June 28? In my experience, during the last few years Sundays generally feel more crowded than Saturdays. If you have the opportunity to have a skip day but would like to brave a weekend day, pick Saturday over Sunday. Weekend days are not to be entirely feared/avoided though. But maybe that's just me. Why pick June 28-July 1? You need to do four straight days and are more concerned about the beginning of July 4 crowds than Sunday crowds. Reason to possibly hang in there until July 2 - if Disney does what they have done for the last few years, that could be the first night with the July 4 fireworks before crowds hit their full holiday spikes. Then again, with the new fireworks show this year and all the excitement that is expected to generate, maybe they won't bother running the July 4 fireworks on multiple nights. Anyway, just my two cents of what to consider.

I agree with lurker here.

 

[HydroGuy]

Pretty spot on. I will add, you're probably more worried about it than you need to be. Other than specific events/holidays (like NYE, July 4, and THE 60th), the park staff is pretty good about predicting and managing crowds. The June refurb calendar indicates that they are expecting large attendance and that everything will be operating at max capacity. What is also important to understand is that time of day is probably a more important factor than date, since many tourists like to sleep in and most locals will time their visits for the evening shows/parades/fireworks.

I agree with this too.

OP, don't sweat it. It is not like you are going to get heavy duty one week and light the next. All of the weeks of June have pros and cons. I think we are talking about a margin of 5% here on your experience. 95% will be the same no matter what you choose.

 

[GatorChris]

I agree with this too.

OP, don't sweat it. It is not like you are going to get heavy duty one week and light the next. All of the weeks of June have pros and cons. I think we are talking about a margin of 5% here on your experience. 95% will be the same no matter what you choose.

I like reading this. Brings me comfort. Very probable that the May dates I had just turned into the second weekend and following few days of June. I'm imagining large crowds no matter when I show up that month. But at least everything will be on line and the new fireworks show will be going for sure. Unless the Santa Ana's pick up

 

[asktriplets]

Thanks for all of your helpful thoughts!

So, what I'm reading is that June is going to be crowded whenever we go, but if given a choice, you would choose to go AFTER the summer blockout and Grad Nights.
I'm surprised that the beginning of the week of July 4th would be recommended over the prior weeks, but it reinforces the idea that the impact of local AP holders at DL is huge!

We have over a dozen trips to WDW under our belts, and we were quite proficient with the Fastpasses (I SO miss the fastpass system...not a fan of FP+), so I know that getting to the parks early and maximizing FPs will be critical to avoiding lines.

I'm open to any other suggestions!!

Thanks again!!

 

[asktriplets]

I agree with this too.

OP, don't sweat it. It is not like you are going to get heavy duty one week and light the next. All of the weeks of June have pros and cons. I think we are talking about a margin of 5% here on your experience. 95% will be the same no matter what you choose.

Thanks for this! That helps to keep it in perspective.
I think my general apprehension is that everything I'm reading makes me think that for how we like to tour, we shouldn't really be going in the summer at all! With 3 kids in middle school, though, we are limited in our availability. We're in the midwest and have only ever driven to WDW, so we're trying to justify the cost of airfare by making DL part of a larger CA sightseeing vacation...this further limits our availability.

 

[AngiTN]

Gosh could I have written this exact post. I'm toying with the same general weeks, same general touring plans. Trying to avoid the same things. Only difference is we are doing 5 days. After some input from HydroGuy (by the way, do you do Dam work?) I think I was still underestimating the impact of Grad Nights. All this just reinforces my conclusion, the last week in June is a good target time. It's a month later than I had wanted to go but because we have a commitment in town we had to move to June.

Being used to Eastern time we won't have issues hitting the parks early. We are going to struggle to keep awake for night time entertainment though. I see naps in our plans

 

[asktriplets]

Pretty spot on. I will add, you're probably more worried about it than you need to be. Other than specific events/holidays (like NYE, July 4, and THE 60th), the park staff is pretty good about predicting and managing crowds. The June refurb calendar indicates that they are expecting large attendance and that everything will be operating at max capacity. What is also important to understand is that time of day is probably a more important factor than date, since many tourists like to sleep in and most locals will time their visits for the evening shows/parades/fireworks.

(bolding is mine)--thanks for this info! That's really helpful to know for planning purposes because we're NOT really interested in fireworks and shows!

 

[HydroGuy]

Thanks for all of your helpful thoughts!

So, what I'm reading is that June is going to be crowded whenever we go, but if given a choice, you would choose to go AFTER the summer blockout and Grad Nights.
I'm surprised that the beginning of the week of July 4th would be recommended over the prior weeks, but it reinforces the idea that the impact of local AP holders at DL is huge!

We have over a dozen trips to WDW under our belts, and we were quite proficient with the Fastpasses (I SO miss the fastpass system...not a fan of FP+), so I know that getting to the parks early and maximizing FPs will be critical to avoiding lines.

I'm open to any other suggestions!!

Thanks again!!

I think the AP holder effect has been more muted the last couple summers but with the 60th anniversary kicking into gear in May it will be amplified this summer in June pre-blockout and August post-blockout.

I am not sure I would call it "huge", but it might be huge. At best it will be "significant".

 

[HydroGuy]

Gosh could I have written this exact post. I'm toying with the same general weeks, same general touring plans. Trying to avoid the same things. Only difference is we are doing 5 days. After some input from HydroGuy (by the way, do you do Dam work?) I think I was still underestimating the impact of Grad Nights. All this just reinforces my conclusion, the last week in June is a good target time. It's a month later than I had wanted to go but because we have a commitment in town we had to move to June.

Being used to Eastern time we won't have issues hitting the parks early. We are going to struggle to keep awake for night time entertainment though. I see naps in our plans

Close! I am a fluid systems engineer. And some of my work crosses into hydroelectric power (e.g., dams).

I chose my name on a whim before I knew I would become so...well, obsessed with Disney forums LOL. Now I have international reputation as a Disneyland specialist as well as an engineer!

 

[AngiTN]

Close! I am a fluid systems engineer. And some of my work crosses into hydroelectric power (e.g., dams). I chose my name on a whim before I knew I would become so...well, obsessed with Disney forums LOL. Now I have international reputation as a Disneyland specialist as well as an engineer!

cool. I had a feeling. I am married to an engineer and have a lot of friends in the profession too. Some in hydro. Which means dams in these parts (TVA)

I do appreciate all your input. DL trip planning is so very different from a trip to WDW. I feel so lost. I showed this thread to DH tonight and his input.... Just go back to WDW. I told him to late, I bought our DL tickets already. That is where we are going this year.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I chose my name on a whim before I knew I would become so...well, obsessed with Disney forums LOL. Now I have international reputation as a Disneyland specialist as well as an engineer!

So glad you are such a Disneyland specialist! We haven't even made our first trip to DLR yet, and I try to read all of your posts.

This is another great thread - I am hoping our first trip will be June 2016.

 

[asktriplets]

I do appreciate all your input. DL trip planning is so very different from a trip to WDW. I feel so lost. I showed this thread to DH tonight and his input.... Just go back to WDW. I told him to late, I bought our DL tickets already. That is where we are going this year.

Angi, my DH and I have the exact same conversation!! We haven't bought our airline tickets yet, and we keep saying to one another, "well, it's SO much easier to go to WDW, should we just go there?".

I'm looking forward to going to CA, though, and DL will be new to all of us, which I am REALLY excited about! We're just about ready to commit (now that we've gotten some help with our dates!!), so I'll feel a lot better once we make our final decision.
How incredibly fortunate I am that THIS is what I have to be stressed about this week!

Take care, and have a great trip!

 

[AngiTN]

Angi, my DH and I have the exact same conversation!! We haven't bought our airline tickets yet, and we keep saying to one another, "well, it's SO much easier to go to WDW, should we just go there?".

I'm looking forward to going to CA, though, and DL will be new to all of us, which I am REALLY excited about! We're just about ready to commit (now that we've gotten some help with our dates!!), so I'll feel a lot better once we make our final decision.
How incredibly fortunate I am that THIS is what I have to be stressed about this week!

Take care, and have a great trip!

Same here! I'm still undecided on when to go. I'd love to not have to deal with grad nights but thus far, going the last week in June instead of the first week in June costs us nearly $1000 more (all totaled). I keep thinking (wishfully) that surely with 5 park hopper days we can still get everything done even if we have grad nights during the first week.

Planning a WDW trip is easier not only because I know the parks better but I know we'll be back and if we find too big a crowd or miss something, it's not as big a deal. This is likely a 1 time only trip to DL. I can't get past the idea of making it perfect, or at least as stress-free as possible.

 

[HydroGuy]

Same here! I'm still undecided on when to go. I'd love to not have to deal with grad nights but thus far, going the last week in June instead of the first week in June costs us nearly $1000 more (all totaled). I keep thinking (wishfully) that surely with 5 park hopper days we can still get everything done even if we have grad nights during the first week.

Five full days with park hoppers at DLR will work any time in June. You will be fine no matter which you choose.

Planning a WDW trip is easier not only because I know the parks better but I know we'll be back and if we find too big a crowd or miss something, it's not as big a deal. This is likely a 1 time only trip to DL. I can't get past the idea of making it perfect, or at least as stress-free as possible.

WDW Planning is easier because, as you said, you know it better. For someone who knows neither DLR or WDW, WDW is 10 times harder to plan.

You are going to bump into some crowds at DLR no matter what you choose - similar to what you would see at WDW in June. You can reduce your stress by using good touring strategies. Many are similar to WDW but in some cases even more important:

- Arrive early
- Take mid-day breaks (trade this off on days with grad nights)
- Maximize FPs
- Don't wear yourself out - get lots of rest
- Once you are there, relax about all the pre-trip decisions you made and enjoy yourself!

 

[californiamomof4grls]

So we chose the 16-21st as the 17,18,19 and 20th are blocked dates for SoCal AP's. Just curious why these dates weren't on anyones "advice" lists. Is something happening that I don't know about? LOL!

 

[loveysbydesign]

Following along. We were originally planning to go for our 1st time the week after Thanksgiving, but am now thinking of June once my kids get out of school. I find DLR overwhelming to plan for! We live in PA and have been to WDW a bunch of times, plus we drive so we don't have to deal with flying and such!