Best Time To Go - Late July thru end August?

[TiggerCat]

Hi gang! I am looking at using my frequent flyer points for a trip next year and I was wondering you can provide some tips on when the best time to go would be from end-July thur end August 2011. My gut tells me that the last two weeks of August would likely be best insofar as crowds are concerned but there are so many factors involved.

Thoughts?

TC.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

The end of August is when the Southern California AP holders blockouts are lifted after most of the summer of not being able to go to the parks. This can definitely affect the crowds! See Hydroguy's thread on this topic: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2365983
Hydroguy has a bunch of other tips you may want to look at too:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

We usually go sometime during the first week of August and have enjoyed that experience. It tends to be a pretty hot time of year but crowds did not seem particularly worse than other times in the summer. We have also been during June and July. Our trips in June have been before the southern CA AP holders were blocked out for summer but just after many schools have let out. We found the crowds much heavier during those trips than during the July and August ones.

 

[DizNee Luver]

We went July 26 thru Aug 2 & found the crowds very doable. We got there at opening & was able to get on lots of rides & pick up FP's to use later in the day or evenings. I was expecting the crowds to be really bad, being it was summer.....but we really didn't have any problems. I've seen worse crowds during Spring Break!!

 

[mrswh]

We have been the past two years in August and had very different experiences. In 2009 we were there the third week (the 16-21 I believe) which happened to be the week that APs were unlocked. While the weather was gorgeous, the crowds were awful. Much worse than spring break. This year we braved DLR in August again, but were there the week before the APs were unblocked (the 15th - 20th). It was a much better experience! The weather was great - a little hot (90 two days) but nothing to complain about, and the crowds were MUCH lighter than last year. If we go in August again we will go the week just before APs are unblocked. I think this year that week coincided with a lot of kids back to school in SoCal so it worked our very well! (Don't get me wrong, it was still crowded, but really manageable.)

 

[tholczer]

The second week after blockouts lift (so not the week of the lift, but the week after) is also a really good time. We've done that week for years until this year and have been amazed at how light the crowds were. Probably because most of the locals are back in school. You do have to be careful about theme park hours, though, as they can close a bit earlier. But not much.

Tracy

 

[blackjackdelta]

We were there last we and virtually every ride was walkon-5minutes for the first two hours and then the parked started to get busier around 1030 and stayed that way through the afternoon but less than last year.

Jack