Disneyland in June?

[griffin123]

I booked us a vacation for Disneyland from Sunday June 1st through Tuesday the 3rd. I'm hoping it's not going to be as busy as the middle of June will be. I looked at the grad night and there is not going to be one when we are there, they will have one the day after we leave. I am worried about that week being the last week for some AP holders before they are blocked out for the summer. Do you think those couple days will be busy and do they consider that summer time so the hours are longer and the fireworks and shows will be every night?

Last time we were at Disneyland was 6 years ago and my daughter was 2 so she is so excited to go and I've been learning a lot of what to do and how to do things to get the most out of your trip from this group!

I can't wait to try all the good food that you guys keep posting pics of on here lol!

 

[Sky07]

That Sunday will be very busy. Weekends always are, but it will still be lot's of fun. I would push one day if you can, and start the trip on Monday.

 

[momtothreedisneyfans]

We are going the same time. I'm hoping it won't be crazy busy. We are checking into the dlh on Sunday and plan on using that day to just play at the pools. Then three straight days of dl.

 

[sandysue]

We'll see you there! We're using Sunday as a non-park day too.

 

[griffin123]

That Sunday will be very busy. Weekends always are, but it will still be lot's of fun. I would push one day if you can, and start the trip on Monday.

I was thinking of doing that but Wednesday is a grad night so I thought the parks might be busier on that day than Sunday. Plus hubby wants to go to Knotts Berry farm on Wednesday then we are heading to Hollywood on Thursday then the beach for Friday and Saturday. Maybe we can go to Knotts on Sunday and start Disneyland on Monday, I'll have to rn that idea by my hubby and see what he says lol.

 

[griffin123]

We are going the same time. I'm hoping it won't be crazy busy. We are checking into the dlh on Sunday and plan on using that day to just play at the pools. Then three straight days of dl.

We'll see you there! We're using Sunday as a non-park day too.

That's exciting we are all going to be there at the same time, do you guys have everything planned out or are you guys just going with the flow and see how it goes? We are just going to go with the flow and see how things go. I am going to try and plan our fast pass strategy but that's about it!

 

[HydroGuy]

I was thinking of doing that but Wednesday is a grad night so I thought the parks might be busier on that day than Sunday. Plus hubby wants to go to Knotts Berry farm on Wednesday then we are heading to Hollywood on Thursday then the beach for Friday and Saturday. Maybe we can go to Knotts on Sunday and start Disneyland on Monday, I'll have to rn that idea by my hubby and see what he says lol.

I would expect a Sunday to be significantly more crowded than a Wednesday even if grad night is included.

 

[momtothreedisneyfans]

Not sure how our plans will be yet. I'm awaiting a disneyland book and then I'll start thinking about plans. Maybe we will all run into each other.

 

[endoux]

After all the horror stories about grad nights last year, I was really worried. But when we went mid-June, it wasn't even bad at all. If I hadn't have known it was grad night, I wouldn't have even noticed.

I would go on a grad night over a Sunday for sure.

 

[brianphill77]

I suspect not all grad nights are the same. Some are likely to attract more kids than others. Based on our experience with grad nights at the end of May last year, I felt they had a dramatic impact on DL crowds those evenings, and we're avoiding them in the future. Mid-May or mid-June grad nights may be different or more mellow. This is all just speculation on my part, but it may account for why different people have had such different experiences with them.

 

[sandysue]

That's exciting we are all going to be there at the same time, do you guys have everything planned out or are you guys just going with the flow and see how it goes? We are just going to go with the flow and see how things go. I am going to try and plan our fast pass strategy but that's about it!

I'm a planner and have been working on this for a couple months now. It's a hobby. I like the Touring Plans and the Unofficial Guide to plan out our days. It worked well for our first trip in 2011.

On 5/30 and 5/31 we are signed up for YES classes - the Art of Animation in DCA and Physics 101 in DL. The 3 hour classes are free and you can buy discounted tickets through the program too. I got 5-day park hoppers for all 6 of us (adults & children) for $241 + one $15 handling charge. Regular adult tickets are $300.

I'm looking forward to the 60-day mark to start making our Dining reservations and calling Napa Rose for a 50th b-day dinner at the Chef's Counter for DH.

We should start a thread for our visit dates .

 

[HappyGal]

I'm a planner and have been working on this for a couple months now. It's a hobby. I like the Touring Plans and the Unofficial Guide to plan out our days. It worked well for our first trip in 2011.

On 5/30 and 5/31 we are signed up for YES classes - the Art of Animation in DCA and Physics 101 in DL. The 3 hour classes are free and you can buy discounted tickets through the program too. I got 5-day park hoppers for all 6 of us (adults & children) for $241 + one $15 handling charge. Regular adult tickets are $300.

I'm looking forward to the 60-day mark to start making our Dining reservations and calling Napa Rose for a 50th b-day dinner at the Chef's Counter for DH.

We should start a thread for our visit dates .

Great information! Thanks to you I just registered my daughters for the YES program! How quickly did you hear back from them?

 

[HydroGuy]

After all the horror stories about grad nights last year, I was really worried. But when we went mid-June, it wasn't even bad at all. If I hadn't have known it was grad night, I wouldn't have even noticed.

I would go on a grad night over a Sunday for sure.

Not sure if you are exaggerating about "horror stories", but if you are referring to this forum I remember many folks saying "it was fine" during grad nights. I do not remember horror stories - just some folks reporting that some of the grads were loud and used profanity. As for being exceedingly crowded (if that is what you meant by horror stories), I do not remember reports of that. Most folks did notice an uptick in crowds during the evening much as one would expect.

I am saying all of this in case some other non-regulars start wondering what the horror stories were about. In any case thanks for your input on your experience!

 

[sandysue]

Happygal - regarding the YES program they were very responsive. I heard back the same day or next day for my various emails and questions.

 

[sandysue]

Forgot to give credit... I learned about the YES classes from the dis unplugged podcast. I should do a report when we get back....

 

[griffin123]

Ok what are YES classes and how do I find more info about them? My children love art so the art of animation sounds interesting.

 

[All American]

After all the horror stories about grad nights last year, I was really worried. But when we went mid-June, it wasn't even bad at all. If I hadn't have known it was grad night, I wouldn't have even noticed.

I would go on a grad night over a Sunday for sure.

Ugh! I forgot all about grad nights when we picked our dates to go (June 11-14). I'm not too keen on crowded parks, but until I get to a point in my life that I can rent the park for a night, I'll just have to roll with it.

Thanks for including your experience with the event. I need to stay away from horror stories and focus more on ones like yours.

 

[arichau]

Not sure if you are exaggerating about "horror stories", but if you are referring to this forum I remember many folks saying "it was fine" during grad nights. I do not remember horror stories - just some folks reporting that some of the grads were loud and used profanity. As for being exceedingly crowded (if that is what you meant by horror stories), I do not remember reports of that. Most folks did notice an uptick in crowds during the evening much as one would expect.

I am saying all of this in case some other non-regulars start wondering what the horror stories were about. In any case thanks for your input on your experience!

I definitely remember some people having really bad experiences last year with Grad Night but for us they were ALMOST a non-issue. But I would recommend a few things to anyone going during Grad Night.
#1 - have a park hopper - during Grad Nights we would just switch parks when it got really busy at the other park - and sometimes it did seem like a million grads appeared out of nowhere
#2 - think like a grad and do the things they want to do (thrill rides mostly) before they get there

This worked for us - and hopefully it will work this summer as well!

 

[Gisele]

Ok what are YES classes and how do I find more info about them? My children love art so the art of animation sounds interesting.

http://www.disneyyouth.com/our-programs/education/sp/youth-education-series/

 

[HydroGuy]

I definitely remember some people having really bad experiences last year with Grad Night but for us they were ALMOST a non-issue. But I would recommend a few things to anyone going during Grad Night.
#1 - have a park hopper - during Grad Nights we would just switch parks when it got really busy at the other park - and sometimes it did seem like a million grads appeared out of nowhere
#2 - think like a grad and do the things they want to do (thrill rides mostly) before they get there

This worked for us - and hopefully it will work this summer as well!

When you say "really bad" what do you mean. Physical altercations?

I am trying to put "horror stories" in context here. If horror stories just means occasional loudness and profanity, well that is a stretch. Not desirable when you have young kids but not really a horror. I see loudness and (sometimes) profanity on regular days at the parks without grads.

If horror stories means severe crowding, well I do not remember folks reporting that. Yes I saw reports of increased crowding but no one seemed to say it was ridiculous. Just noticeable.

Again, I am not trying to argue against anyone here. I am trying to add a dose of context so others are not scared for no particularly good reason. These boards are read by many thousands of people and and archived forever. I like to leave the discussions in a state that it provides balanced info for others trying to make a decision - like the OP.

And I do appreciate your input!