DL in June or August - does it matter?

[lou7401]

I'm thinking of taking the family down to DL again next year and I'd be limited to the kids' summer vacation. They get out June 9. This year we went right around then and except for a rainy day when it wasn't at all crowded, it was a mad-house! Would end of August be any better or should I just expect huge crowds all summer?

 

[HydroGuy]

I went early August last summer and have some opinions that might help.

1. In general, August is more likely to be crowded than June

2. DLR has different Annual Pass (AP) programs, and the AP programs with blackout dates allowed people in 2005 up until June 26, I believe. This means there was a surge of AP people in June trying to hit DLR before the blackout kicked in.

3. Similarly in August, the blackout lifted on Aug 22, I believe. So many AP people with pent up demand came back to DLR.

4. Some people like me care a lot about what rides are operating. FYI, Pirates of the Caribbean (POTC) will be down for refurb until June 22 (http://www.riderefurbs.com ). If it were me, I would schedule for after June 22, as POTC is a family favorite.

5. June is a month for "grad nights", where high school seniors go to DLR from midnight to 6AM, or something like that. This goes until about mid-June. DLR is open essentially 24 hours during this time, wtih shorts breaks. DLR has to cut back on or reschedule Early Entry programs during this time.

6. Weather is usually cooler in June.

7. Park hours are usually shorter in June. This past summer DLR maxed out park hours starting July 1 and kept them at max until Aug 21. If you have the stamina, the long park hours are nice.

If it were me, I might go in June if it was after June 22. Otherwise, I would go in August if those were my two choices. But in both cases, I would schedule my DLR days to miss the weekends. If I had to be there on a weekend day, I would plan that day for DCA.

 

[DaveO]

If you were to go late June ... do they have daily fireworks at that time or still only on weekends?

Thanks

Dave O.

 

[Zoemakes5]

Summer is busy. No matter when. But, in the past (now this is years ago when I lived there) it was lighter crowds in Aug. than in June. None of the grad nights, none of the "lets celebrate, we're just out of school", and many of the schools are back in session.

 

[lou7401]

Thanks for all this info!! I really appreciate it.

I THINK there is going to be a law in place in 2006 that all Michigan schools must start after Labor Day, which is a change since we are used to going back around the 20th. So perhaps end of August would be ideal if this is the case. Crowded or not I'll enjoy it

 

[HydroGuy]

If you were to go late June ... do they have daily fireworks at that time or still only on weekends?

I don't think DLR went to "maximum" until July 1 this past summer. So I think they were still skipping some shows until then. I am not sure about the fireworks, but I suspect they only had them on weekends.