Disneyland in July

[tokmom]

Now that our schools will be going to late June, thanks to snow, flood and wind days, I will have to bump our vacation to July.
What is the temperature like in July, and honestly, is it worth going with the long line waits and heat?

I posted previously as a mom going to DL in June with seven kids. We will be driving down. My kids really don't give a fig about DL and would be happy with Magic Mountain/ Marine World in San Fran. I'm really tempted to bag the entire DL trip. I only have two days as it is, and I have a feeling most of it will be spent being hot and standing in long lines.

 

[honeymom]

I used to live in LA, but it was over 12 years ago.

The weather in July could vary. Most of the time, I don't remember any extreme temperatures - more like lower 80's. However, we did have a few heat waves that I think were in July that got much hotter (i.e. 110). They would only last a few days and were the exception.

Marine World is in Vallejo near SF, but Magic Mountain is in Valencia near LA. Magic Mountain would be a blast for teenagers - it was always ahead of the curve on roller coasters.

I can't speak to the crowds at DL in July. We have been there in August and it was very crowded. We were also just there over the holidays when it was also very crowded (supposedly the parks had sold out signs up on most of the days we were there - we stayed on-site so we never saw them). We started our days early (I don't know if this is possible with teenagers), used FP and didn't have any huge waits. I think the longest we waited for a ride was just under 30 minutes.

 

[MrsMork]

We went July last year. It was pretty warm for us NW people but we had a ball. We gathered fast passes thru the day and used them late afternoon and early evening. Avoided the lines that way and got to ride everything. DSIL had not been to DL since he was a child and did not have really great memory of it but went to may DD happy. He is now biggest fan! He was me for the fast pass strategy. (thank you DIS friends for the advice we got!) Magic Mountain will be VERY hot in July it is in the desert at Valencia.

 

[tokmom]

Thanks about the heat heads up at six flags. No way would I have ever thought of that, since it's further north.

Ok, so basically it can be hit and miss on the crowds from what I gather.
This fast pass thing, I really don't know how they work. Don't you get a ticket or something and then come back at the time it tells you too? How can you get them for later in the evening?

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

We went in July last year, it was wayyyy too hot for us. Between the busy crowds and the heat we spent a lot of our afternoons in our hotel (until it would cool down a bit). There were some days that I just felt physically ill from the heat! We still had a lot of fun, but were staying clear of July in the future! June with it's "June Gloom" usually gives us warm weather that we can deal with!

 

[tokmom]

We were going to do June, but with all the make up days in school and kids not getting out until the 15th as it was, we are now seriously looking at July before the kids get out of school, or if not July, the verrrry tail end of June.
Figures, I finally get dh to agree to DL and I have had to cancel and reschedule the trip twice since the days keep changing.
I so wanted to get more bang for the buck, keep it in June where we could be out in the cooler days and have less crowds.
I seriously don't know what to do. It's an awful lot of money to either be in line, crowded or in the hotel from heat.

 

[tynkerbell]

I have a rule... I will not visit DL between June and September. Way too hot and the crowds are bad. But anytime school is out is pretty crowded.

 

[HydroGuy]

I have a rule... I will not visit DL between June and September. Way too hot and the crowds are bad. But anytime school is out is pretty crowded.

Different strokes for different folks. It is not quite a "rule" for me, but as an out-of-state visitor who visits once every year or two, my first choice to visit DLR would be June-August.

For us, the heat is not an issue because we get a nearby hotel and take lengthy afternoon breaks every day. Hence we are in the pool or an air conditioned room when it is hottest outside. The bulk of our hours at the park are in the morning or evening when the outside temperatures are typically in the 70's and sometimes 80's.

Further, the crowds do not bother us either as we rarely have to deal with them. We get to the gates early and experience a lot during the first few hours of the day. We collect lots of Fastpasses. And when the lines get longest we are already gone to our hotel. During our most recent multi-day trip (during early August) we averaged 17 rides per day - double the average DLR visitor. We rarely wait in a line longer than 10 minutes, and never more than 20.

Finally, during the summer we know DLR will have all the rides and shows going. So Splash Mtn will be back up (currently down until May), as will Fantasmic (to go down in a few weeks until June).

Heat and crowds are not nearly as bad as many make them out to be, and get a bum rap on these boards IMO.

If you visit DLR at least twice a year, then targeting less crowded times works better because when you miss a ride or show due to closure you will likely have it available on your next trip. If you visit once or less per year, then this is a bigger deal and you really want to experience everything when you are there.

The world would be boring if we all agreed all of the time.

 

[honeymom]

Re: heat and crowds not as bad per Hydroguy. California heat is not as bad as Florida heat, not as humid. I'd do DL in summer long before WDW in summer.

 

[want2bsnowwhite]

I 2 dont mind DL in July. We just work around the crowds, Fast passes and a quick walk back to the hotel if it gets to busy. One of the many wonderful things about DL is that most of the hotels are within walking distance. And the heat I love it. Coming from the PNW it is very welcoming.

 

[tokmom]

That's where we are from is the PNW . I can deal with some heat, but will have small children, ages 2 and 4 to haul along plus middle kids and teens. I will let the teens loose on their own to do their thing and dh and I will take the middle and younger kids with us.
This is the thing though. Only having 2 days and skipping out mid day, I feel like I'm wasting precious time. We will have a hotel room across the street for that particular reason to escape the heat if need be and get some rest for the little ones. You guys are starting to talk me back into it again.

 

[want2bsnowwhite]

2 Days is hard, But I think doable. If you can do DL on a weekday is far less crowded then on a weekend when the locals come out

Are you as sick of this weather in the PNW as I am .

My poor children will be going to school untill early July

 

[HydroGuy]

That's where we are from is the PNW . I can deal with some heat, but will have small children, ages 2 and 4 to haul along plus middle kids and teens. I will let the teens loose on their own to do their thing and dh and I will take the middle and younger kids with us.
This is the thing though. Only having 2 days and skipping out mid day, I feel like I'm wasting precious time. We will have a hotel room across the street for that particular reason to escape the heat if need be and get some rest for the little ones. You guys are starting to talk me back into it again.

I would encourage you to think about this differently. In the summer DLR opens at 8AM and stays open until at least 11PM (it used to be open until midnight all summer, but last summer it was only open until midnight on weekends). Using the 11PM closing, that is 15 hours the park is open each day, and 16 hours on weekends.

Unless you think you need to spend 15 hours there to "get your money's worth", you will cut back on these hours somewhere - either by arriving late or leaving early, or both. My kids are in the age range of 10-15, and we can easily spend 10 hours inside the parks each day, and sometimes 12-13. With younger ones like yours, I would guess 10 hours would be a maximum amount of hours inside the parks. So let's go with that. When should you spend those 10 hours at DLR? From 10AM until 8PM? If you did that, you will be there during the most crowded and hottest time of the day. How about 8AM-1PM, leave for a swim and nap, and then 5PM-10PM? If you do choice #2, you will not only have more energy because you are avoiding the longest lines and hottest hours, but you will increase the number of rides you can experience by at least 25% and maybe 50% because a bigger chunk of your park hours are when the lines are smaller.

In the end, taking a break does not limit your hours at the parks unless you truly have the stamina to stay from opening until closing. And even if you do have that much stamina, taking a break keeps you fresher and able to enjoy things more.

One more thing about hotels. I used to try take a shortcut on hotel days. If we went for three days, I would get a hotel for three days. When one does that, with check-in and check-outs it means you only have the hotel for two afternoons (unless you can get an early check-in on day 1). In any case, I decided after spending as much money as we do at DLR, it is not worth cutting the corner here. If we want to visit DLR for three days, I get a hotel for four days. Then we can be nearby on the night before day #1, get a good nights sleep and have a short walk to the park in the morning. On the final day we have a place for a swim and nap, and can stay late at the parks on that night without having to drive anywhere that night after we are tired.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I really agree with Hydroguy. And I used to not be that way! I used to work very hard to plan trips off season. My kids had year round schooling and I also didn't hesitate to pull them out if I needed to to get a non crowded, non hot time. Then I discovered that I missed having all the rides up, I didn't like touring the parks in the cold and rain and I cannot stand to end my day at DL with no fireworks (which don't run all the time on the off season). Also, my kids are older now, my son doesn't have year round schooling and they can't be pulled anymore. So I had to start going in the summer like everyone else and found that with getting to the parks early, taking a midday break and then coming back in the evening, the crowds didn't seem as much of a factor as I thought they would. I don't find Disneyland to be that hot during the summer, at least its a dry heat. There are lots of indoor attractons and shows which helps you to cool off. I also agree with the idea of having a hotel for one day more than your park days. That helps a lot. We have always done that and are never checking in or out on days we consider park days. If we get there early enough to go to the parks after we check in thats great. But that day is mostly just to go in a do a few things before we start touring the parks in earnest the next day. Then we check out and leave the same day.

July is only one of two months (the other being March) that I have never been to Disneyland. However, I went to Disneyland in late June last year with a crowd of 9 people that ranged in age from 5 to 70. Great time, the crowds were there but we had a ball. Even with the park being in a funky mode due to the POTC movie premier that was happening causing parts of New Orleans Square to be closed off, making a human traffic nightmare in Adventureland. It was overall more crowded than I thought it would be but it was also such a great trip. Being able to enjoy the Electrical Parade which only runs in peak times or Remember, every night we were there was awesome. We hadn't seen the Electrical Parade in two years because the other trip we took were off season. It was one of those things that just enforced to me that crowds come with a price but so does the off season, non crowded times. Also Fantasmic was running twice, every night we were there which was also a bonus. And since we are going that same time this year, those crowds obviously didn't put me off too much! I have also been in August with great results. In fact, August didn't feel any different as far as crowds and weather than our late June trips. And speaking of June, you cannot always count on June Gloom to keep things temperate. It was hot and sunny all day, every day we were there last year. My daughtr asked me what happend to the fog?!

The bottom line is that you cannot have it all with a Disney vacation. If you want to go when the rides and shows are running then you will have crowds. I am okay with that. I want to see fireworks and Fantasmic every night, I don't want rides down for refurb and I don't like it when the park closes at 8:00 p.m. (after opening at 10:00 a.m.). So I have learned to deal with the crowds and heat, knowing that I will in essence be getting the most bang for my buck since the park will be running at full steam. Its a trade off but worth it for me. And I never wait in long lines. I didn't at WDW either when I went the week between Christmas and New Year's last year because I know to go the park in intervals, cash in on early mornings and late evenings and how to use, and stockpile fastpasses

Another point I want to make is that its getting harder and harder to predict crowds. Sometimes those off season trips can be a big disappointment as the crowds are still there even though hours are shorter and refurbs are happening. At lesat if you go in the summer you know exactly what you are getting as far as crowds go! We went in early December two years ago with my parents, thinking it would be slow. Wrong! The crowds were huge, about like our summer trips and granted it was cooler but it was really disappointing. I guess my point is that regardless of when you plan to go, be prepared for crowds because they can show up when you think they won't!

 

[blackjackdelta]

Different strokes for different folks. It is not quite a "rule" for me, but as an out-of-state visitor who visits once every year or two, my first choice to visit DLR would be June-August.

For us, the heat is not an issue because we get a nearby hotel and take lengthy afternoon breaks every day. Hence we are in the pool or an air conditioned room when it is hottest outside. The bulk of our hours at the park are in the morning or evening when the outside temperatures are typically in the 70's and sometimes 80's.

Further, the crowds do not bother us either as we rarely have to deal with them. We get to the gates early and experience a lot during the first few hours of the day. We collect lots of Fastpasses. And when the lines get longest we are already gone to our hotel. During our most recent multi-day trip (during early August) we averaged 17 rides per day - double the average DLR visitor. We rarely wait in a line longer than 10 minutes, and never more than 20.

Finally, during the summer we know DLR will have all the rides and shows going. So Splash Mtn will be back up (currently down until May), as will Fantasmic (to go down in a few weeks until June).

Heat and crowds are not nearly as bad as many make them out to be, and get a bum rap on these boards IMO.

If you visit DLR at least twice a year, then targeting less crowded times works better because when you miss a ride or show due to closure you will likely have it available on your next trip. If you visit once or less per year, then this is a bigger deal and you really want to experience everything when you are there.

The world would be boring if we all agreed all of the time.

Again, I have to agree with Hydroguy. We have been to DLR mid Agust for the last two years and have had a wonderful time. If you take the time to formulate a plan and follow the advice of members of this board you will have a great time. This year we are going to stay at GC this year thanks to my boss. We did spend a bit of time moving from RI Maingate to and from the park but we bought into this. This time we are going to relax, enjoy and still ride the rides as much as we want. DON'T GIVE UP! Right now I am glad to be living in Eastern Washington, just watching the news Portland and Seattle areas are really getting hammered.

Jack

 

[tokmom]

2 Days is hard, But I think doable. If you can do DL on a weekday is far less crowded then on a weekend when the locals come out

Are you as sick of this weather in the PNW as I am .

My poor children will be going to school untill early July

Yes, I'am sick of it. My kids are home again today. What trip I have planned now is toast. That means canceling more reservations and hoping I can rebook when I finally know the days.

Thanks everyone for the ideas on the times to go. I will do the break then. You all made some good points.
As for the hotels, I did make reservations for us to arrive the day before. I thought we would do DTD the day of arrival and then 2 full days at DL and then leave the next day for the Redwoods.

You guys are so good at this planning stuff. I'm impressed.

 

[Hambletfamily]

We too were planning a trip in March but cancelled due to snow days or make up days. Now we are planning for June 29th thru July 7th. We always go in Feb during mid winter break crowds seem lighter but it has rained and we want the sun. Why else do you go to California. DD will be turning 16 on July 1st what a great way to celebrate. We are going to spend atleast 5 days at DL/DCA and the other 2 other theme parks or the zoo or just maybe I can talk my DH and DKids going south of the border. Which is a full days trip. Has anyone taken a Mexico excursion? Thanks