3-day Parkhopper--Please help me choose best dates in June/July!

[rae1026]

Hello! I am a total Disneyland newbie in need of some planning help. My husband, 3 kids (ages 10, 7, and 2) and I will be spending 3 weeks in southern California this summer. We will arrive late on Saturday, June 14 and leave early in the morning on Saturday, July 5.

My plan is to buy the Southern California Citypass, which includes a 3-day parkhopper ticket. I realize that the entire summer is extremely crowded, but I assume that a Disneyland vet could help me decide which days could be better and which should be avoided. My kids have never been to a Disney park, and I doubt we will be able to return anytime soon, so I want them to have the best experience possible. The two older kids love rides but would never be able to wait hours to ride one. From what I've been reading on various Disney forums and blogs, it is entirely possible in the summer to get on a bunch of rides per day, without waiting terribly long, if you use Fastpass and you know what you're doing.

Here are some things I have picked up while doing research:

Grad nights: June 14, 18, and 19
I've been advised to avoid these days--do you agree?

Tues, Wed, and Thurs are the least crowded days, correct? That would be June 14, 18, 19, 24, 25, and 26 (but three of those are grad nights and the other 3 are the last days before summer AP blockout, which I've read can get very crowded).

Blockout days: some people say absolutely go on blockout days, since the locals won't be there. Other people say the parks will actually be MORE crowded on blockout days. I'm very confused. Blockout days during my stay are June 18, 19, 20, 21, and June 27-July 5.

Is July ALWAYS more crowded than June? I assumed I should get my Disney days in before July, since 4th of July week crowds are super-high, correct? I also assumed that June crowds would get worse as the month went on (due to schools letting out for the summer).


With all of that in mind...
Should I forget about Tues, Wed, and Thurs as my optimal days and choose from any day of the week (in order to avoid things like grad nights and the days leading up to the summer blockout)? Should I keep to my weekday plan and not worry about the grads or AP holders? I have been trying to weigh all of these variables, but without ever seeing the place and experiencing what Disney's version of "crowded" really means, I feel lost.


If anyone actually made it through all of that, and can be of any help, I really appreciate it!!!

 

[Girimama33]

Hello! I am a total Disneyland newbie in need of some planning help. My husband, 3 kids (ages 10, 7, and 2) and I will be spending 3 weeks in southern California this summer. We will arrive late on Saturday, June 14 and leave early in the morning on Saturday, July 5.

My plan is to buy the Southern California Citypass, which includes a 3-day parkhopper ticket. I realize that the entire summer is extremely crowded, but I assume that a Disneyland vet could help me decide which days could be better and which should be avoided. My kids have never been to a Disney park, and I doubt we will be able to return anytime soon, so I want them to have the best experience possible. The two older kids love rides but would never be able to wait hours to ride one. From what I've been reading on various Disney forums and blogs, it is entirely possible in the summer to get on a bunch of rides per day, without waiting terribly long, if you use Fastpass and you know what you're doing. The summer will be busy...period. You will have some waits. Using FP and knowing what you are doing does help with not waiting as long for some rides...but not all.

Here are some things I have picked up while doing research:

Grad nights: June 14, 18, and 19
I've been advised to avoid these days--do you agree? Yes

Tues, Wed, and Thurs are the least crowded days, correct? That would be June 14, 18, 19, 24, 25, and 26 (but three of those are grad nights and the other 3 are the last days before summer AP blockout, which I've read can get very crowded). Tue-Thurs CAN be the least crowded days, bu that depends on the week and whatelse is going on. It is never a guaranteed tip.

Blockout days: some people say absolutely go on blockout days, since the locals won't be there. Other people say the parks will actually be MORE crowded on blockout days. I'm very confused. Blockout days during my stay are June 18, 19, 20, 21, and June 27-July 5. If you can avoid them, that would be wise.

Is July ALWAYS more crowded than June? I assumed I should get my Disney days in before July, since 4th of July week crowds are super-high, correct? I also assumed that June crowds would get worse as the month went on (due to schools letting out for the summer). I don't think you can say that it is ALWAYS more crowded. I imagine they are similar as far as crowds go. I went to DLR last year on July 1-3. and I was pleasantly surprised with the crowds...sure they were there as the day went on, but it was not as bad as I had anticipated.


With all of that in mind...
Should I forget about Tues, Wed, and Thurs as my optimal days and choose from any day of the week (in order to avoid things like grad nights and the days leading up to the summer blockout)? Should I keep to my weekday plan and not worry about the grads or AP holders? I have been trying to weigh all of these variables, but without ever seeing the place and experiencing what Disney's version of "crowded" really means, I feel lost.


If anyone actually made it through all of that, and can be of any help, I really appreciate it!!!

If you want the days consecutive...I would go June 30 - July 2. You need to go in expecting crowds...it's Disneyland, it's summer...the parks get crazy crowds during non-peak times. Get to the parks early at opening in order to enjoy the parks for a few hours with fewer people there. I think having to stand in lines can be a good experience for kids in regards to patience, etc.
Breathe and enjoy yourself.
and BTW.....

 

[rae1026]

Thanks, Girimama! I appreciate your input. I just have a few questions. If I'm understanding your response about blockout days, you are of the opinion that they're actually MORE crowded than when the annual passholders are in the parks? But despite that fact, you think my best dates are actually on days the AP are blocked? Do I have that correct?

If it makes a difference, I should have specified that I don't need the days to be consecutive. In fact, I was kind of worried that, especially for our 2 year old, three marathon Disney days in a row could possibly be too much. With our Citypass, we are also planning to do Sea World, the SD Zoo, Legoland and (possibly) Universal, all within a two week span! So I guess we're going to be tired no matter how we schedule things. Thanks again!

 

[Cali Girl At Heart]

Even though my family hasn't been to Disneyland in almost 4 years, and we do have a trip coming up July 23-25, I grew up in LA and have been to DLR quite a bit. I can't be of any help with the AP blockout issue, because it has been a while since we were there last, and I'm unfamiliar with current crowd trends. The one thing I highly recommend is using Ridemax! We used it on our last two trips and it is amazing how it really cuts down your time in long lines. A 90-day subscription to the software is only $14.95 and so worth every penny. All you have to do is put in your dates in the park, and choose which rides you want to see on that specific day. You also need to put in your start time and end time at the parks. Get to the parks EARLY! You can get so much done early in the morning. The software will create an itinerary of which rides to see. The main goal is to have you in line no more than 20 minutes for any given ride. You can build in break times for meals, and it also guides you to the perfect time to get Fastpasses. It makes the whole process of touring the parks a no-brainer.

 

[Girimama33]

Sorry, I meant to refer to avoiding the days prior to the blockouts...like 6/17 and 6/26. Days I would opt for DLR days would be June 20 - 21 or June 27-28 June 30 - July 3.

 

[rtfelt]

I've had an AP for over 12 years, and the crowd calendar has changed dramatically in that time. There are 4 times as many AP's as they used to have. That's mostly been brought about by the option of locals to pay for AP monthly.

My experience is avoid days right before or after a major block out period. They have become VERY busy. I find Saturdays to not be terribly busy in comparison to their week day counterparts. I presented this question a couple years ago when CarsLand opened. The link to the thread is below:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2960325&highlight=saturday+new+tuesday

You will get every opinion out there, but imo I would go after June 26. Go at RD and stay until close. Go with a plan and a busy day is so very workable. The good thing about days that start at 8am is most locals don't show up until 10 or 11, and you can get a ton done in those first 2-3 hours.

As far as Grad nights go, DL is busier during the day, since the grads get hoppers for the whole day, so they go to DL during the day because they know they'll spend the night at DCA. They also don't show up until after 10 or 11, so you can work those days. I think having a plan is much more important than the crowd level. Someone who doesn't know what they're doing will spend a lot more time in line even on a low crowd day than someone with a plan on a high crowd day.

 

[Kristina4109]

When my daughter started school we turned into "peak season people." It is 100% possible to have a fabulous time during busy times of the year. If it wasn't, nobody would go and the times wouldn't be so darn busy!

I want to echo the idea of doing as much as possible in the early morning. At 8:00 am the parks are nearly deserted. At 7:00 am, we owned the place. We were good and ready for a nice break by 11:00 am. Usually we'd sit down and have a nice, air conditioned lunch either in the parks, in DTD or at one of the three hotels. (And it's so compact that it is EASY to do this without wasting a lot of time.)

BTW, if you're flying into LAX maybe we'll bump into each other. June 14th is the day we fly back from WDW!

 

[lk2500]

I would think any of the days 6/27-7/3 would be your best bet due to SoCal AP's being blacked out. (Not sure about that Sunday)

When we were there 4 years ago right before 7/4 and we were able to see both the regular fireworks show and then the one they switch to just before 7/4. Not sure if they still have a different show but it was pretty cool to get to see both.

 

[rae1026]

Wow, thanks for all of the great info! I am so surprised that the consensus seems to be that late June is our best bet. My husband thought for sure that going as soon as we got to Anaheim, before all of the OC schools were out for the summer, would be better.

Cali Girl, I've read a little bit about Ridemax and I wondered if it was worth the price. Does Touring Plans do something similar as well? I'll have to check it out.

Girimama, thanks for the clarification. I will definitely avoid the days leading up to the blockout.

rtfelt, thank you so much for that link! Very interesting thread. I couldn't believe what I was reading. All of the research I've done lately indicated that Saturdays were a bad choice, but now I'm not so sure.

Kristina, we are definitely planning to get to the parks early. I'm mostly concerned with how long it could take us to park, depending on which lot we choose. But I'll do my best to get everyone out the door. We are flying into LAX, by the way.

lk, I didn't even think about fireworks. I'm sure the kids would love to see two different shows.

Thanks again, everyone. This board has been so helpful throughout the planning process.

 

[Blue32]

Wow, thanks for all of the great info! I am so surprised that the consensus seems to be that late June is our best bet. My husband thought for sure that going as soon as we got to Anaheim, before all of the OC schools were out for the summer, would be better.

Cali Girl, I've read a little bit about Ridemax and I wondered if it was worth the price. Does Touring Plans do something similar as well? I'll have to check it out.

Girimama, thanks for the clarification. I will definitely avoid the days leading up to the blockout.

rtfelt, thank you so much for that link! Very interesting thread. I couldn't believe what I was reading. All of the research I've done lately indicated that Saturdays were a bad choice, but now I'm not so sure.

Kristina, we are definitely planning to get to the parks early. I'm mostly concerned with how long it could take us to park, depending on which lot we choose. But I'll do my best to get everyone out the door. We are flying into LAX, by the way.

lk, I didn't even think about fireworks. I'm sure the kids would love to see two different shows.

Thanks again, everyone. This board has been so helpful throughout the planning process.

FWIW, I have TouringPlans and Ridemax right now and I like Ridemax better. I can't totally explain why but their plans seem to make more sense and their wait times are at times on the conservative side so you are sure to get your plan accomplished if you follow it. It's a great tool even if you don't follow a 'plan' for an entire day. Have a great trip!

 

[rtfelt]

I have both Ridemax and TouringPlans and used both to plan a trip for my nephew's family. I really wanted to compare them both based on my experience. The Ridemax plan was much more conservative and in my opinion a little out-dated as to wait times and order. Things are always changing at DLR. TouringPlans lacks the ability to have a FP runner willing to skip a ride to get a FP, which is a real disadvantage, but TP allows you to customize your schedule by switching around the order and evaluating how that would affect your touring. That helped because one doesn't necessarily want to start with Star Tours first thing in the morning when you have small children. Ridemax doesn't allow you to change it to start with Dumbo first and get a FP for ST instead. Because of my experience in the parks I liked being able to make changes with TP, but if I was a Newbie like OP, I would probably go with Ridemax. They're both good though. The important thing is use something to give you a plan.

 

[chttyangel]

Wow, thanks for all of the great info! I am so surprised that the consensus seems to be that late June is our best bet. My husband thought for sure that going as soon as we got to Anaheim, before all of the OC schools were out for the summer, would be better.

Most CA schools are out for summer LONG before you will get there. We don't have to make up snow days so most of us are out by the first week of June.

I have had to go during peak hours for years now as well since I don't like to have the kids miss school. The biggest thing I think I have learned, as many here have mentioned, GO EARLY and GO LATE as your kids can handle. We get there when the Park opens every day. We go back to the hotel for lunch, swimming, naps (for mom) when the crowds get out of control. Then we come back by dinner. We have so much fun and can ride more rides between 8AM-Noon and 9PM-Midnight then all the rest of the day. In fact I think late at night is my fav time in the parks. The closer you get to close; the lines become shorter and the place is beautiful at night. If we did'nt take that mid-day timeout; there is no way with the crowds/HEAT we would make it til midnight!

Have fun!

 

[rae1026]

Thanks, everyone! It sounds like I really need to take a look at Ridemax or Touring Plans. I like the idea of being able to change things around, the way it sounds like TP allows, but I've heard great things about RM as well. Guess I have some more research to do before I purchase.

I am still so nervous at the thought of going in July and also of possibly going on a Saturday. Both of those things go against every instinct I have! However, it sounds like everyone agrees that getting to the park early makes all the difference. But I guess I still don't quite understand how early we're talking about. I plan to start another thread at some point with some parking questions, but generally speaking, what time should I plan to arrive at the parking garage/lot of my choice? What time exactly should I be at bag check (that's before you get to the entrance gate, right)?