Am I crazy? DL/DCA on a weekend! And refurbishment news?

[Westcoastwild]

All right, here's my problem:

I'm road tripping to the grand canyon with a college friend this summer. It occurred to me that on the way back, it wouldn't be too hard to kill a few birds with one stone. The birdies are: I would love a day in LA. My friend is a Disney fanatic but has never been to DL. And she would love to visit the beach. I told her about the birdies and there was much excited squealing.

But...then I did the math and I realized we would be hitting DL on a weekend in JULY. I haven't done that since I was a kid and I don't have fond memories of the crowds. I was thinking 2 days at Disney and one day at the beach. Do I need three days at Disney? Both parks!


The main issue is that I am pretty laid back as a park goer but I think she'll want to hit EVERYTHING. Budget is a concern, and too, my sanity is a concern- in the last three years, I've been to DW, DL, and DLP. Hard to believe, I know, but I'm a bit Disneyed out. 2 days is plenty for me, usually, but I was there right before the anniversary celebration last time, and in that crowd, 3 days would have been necessary, I think.

So: how many days would YOU do? 2 30- somethings, no kids, friend has been to DW but not to DL.

Also: refurb schedule is saying summer 2017 for the reopening of a bunch of stuff. Any rumors on if that is supposed to be early or late summer?

 

[PHXscuba]

No idea on the refurbs, at this point Disney may not even know!

The good thing about a weekend in July is that all of the SoCal and Deluxe APs are blocked out during that time. Which actually can make the weekend crowd better than June or August when all of the APs want to get in before/after they are blocked out. And you'll gat long park hours.

I think you could do most everything you'd want in 2 days if you were willing to be there early and stay late. Spend part of the afternoon relaxing in an air-conditioned show like Frozen or the GCH lobby.

I just did a Friday/Saturday in mid-December and did everything we wanted (2 adult women), and also a 2-day trip with the same friend and our two teen daughters during the 60th celebration in June. Both times we marveled at how much we did by getting there at opening and having a rough plan.

PHXscuba

 

[Westcoastwild]

Thanks! That's pretty much what I was thinking, although I had forgotten that the pass holders will be blocked! The after work crowd always seems to be the worst. Good news.

Have they announced their new firework show? I understand that the anniversary one ended last summer.

 

[PHXscuba]

They are re-starting the "Remember Dreams Come True" fireworks this month, no way to tell if they will still have it in the summer. Or "Magical" has run some summers. I even heard -- totally a rumor -- that they might do a Star Wars fireworks show.

RDCT is my favorite Disneyland fireworks show, so I wouldn't be disappointed if that was playing.

PHXscuba

 

[Westcoastwild]

I will definitely hope for RDCT over Star Wars, thank you!

 

[SMD]

D23 is in July. You may want to plan around that. If your friend wants to go for 3 days and you only want 2, would she be willing to do a solo day?

 

[Westcoastwild]

Stupid question...what is D23, and what are its dates?

She might. I would have to drop her off, though, and she'd be stuck there until I returned that evening. I think we'll probably play it by ear. Added an extra night, so even if we decide to do 3 days, I'll have a day to play with outside of Disney. It may just be that I'll want a 3rd day too- Disney is a really easy day in some ways, if that makes sense. No driving, easy shopping and entertainment. I love La but it's one of those cities that takes a little more effort to sightsee.

 

[AladdinRapunzelTink]

Stupid question...what is D23, and what are its dates?

D23 is the Disney fan expo at the Convention Center and always draws huge crowds (to the expo and the parks as well). It's happening the weekend of July 14 this year.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Noooo...that's our weekend. And the crowd calendar did not mention anything about it.

Is it just Saturday and Sunday? Or does it bleed into the next week too?

 

[Westcoastwild]

Every single time I've got this trip figured out, something new and ugly raises from the depths of hell

 

[SMD]

It's Fri-Sun. With the 17th being Monday, many people will stay.