3rd week in April or 3rd week in August for DL?

[Fall1]

We were set and booking a 3rd week in August trip for our first DL trip ever, but the heat is scaring me! Which would you pick between the 3rd week in April or 3rd week in August? If April we'll wait til 2018.

Thanks!

 

[Butterfly123]

We are braving the heat in August this year! We used to always go to Disneyland in April when my kids were in elementary school, but over the years spring break time just got busier and busier. These days it's just crazy busy at spring break time. So I'd sooner deal with the heat...start early, take a mid day break, and go back later afternoon. But only you know how miserable the heat makes you versus crowds. Not that it won't be busy in August of course! It's always busy at Disneyland these days. Also a little note, you never really know what weather you're going to have in April. One year rained on us, one year was really hot. Usually it was very pleasant, though.

 

[cruisehopeful]

If you are scared of heat,choose April. If you are scared of crowds, choose August. I believe the third week in April is blocked out for the special southern California tickets, which to me means that they expect the parks to be extra busy.

EDIT: Just noticed you would wait til 2018 for April. With that in mind, I suggest August. Just ride Grizzly Rapids to get soaked whenever you get too hot.

 

[figment_jii]

Of the two weeks you have mentioned, my guess is that April 2018 will have the lower crowds (although to be fair, there really doesn't seem to be low crowd/no crowd days anymore, unless it's pouring rain). Easter is April 1, 2018, so by the third week of April the majority of the "Spring Breaks" will be over. The biggest drawback is that the parks will likely have gone back to their non-peak season schedule, meaning shorter hours and less entertainment (e.g., fireworks on weekends only).

The latter half of August is a transition period. The parks are moving away from their peak summer operating schedule towards the fall operating schedule (again, with shorter hours and less entertainment). They have not announced when HalloweenTime will start, but the Haunted Mansion usually closes in the latter half of August to have the Nightmare overlay installed. The SoCal and SoCal Select AP blockouts end that Sunday (Aug 20 is the last day), so the weekends thereafter will probably be quite busy as AP holders return to the parks for the first time since summer. There are also some school districts that are still on break.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

I would choose April, no question. I have actually been at both times before, the third week in April and the third week in August, and it was a world of difference. When I went in April it was in a year where Easter was early in April, as it will be in 2018, and by the time we were there Spring Break crowds were gone. The weather was perfect and the crowds manageable. It was one of the best trips. The August trip swore me off of going to DLR in the summer ever again. It was more crowded and definitely more hot, and the combination of those two was just too much for me. DCA is better because it has more space and seems shadier, but at DL I felt like we were packed like sardines onto radiating pavement that never ended.

But that's me. It's all about personal preference, and it's always possible that there could be a heat wave in April some year.