DL in March 2020 - is this a bad idea?

[DisneyWishes14]

We are WDW vets and my DS11 has requested to go to DL (we haven't been since 2013). His spring break is in March, so I thought I would take him from March 22 - March 27. Then I subscribed to Touring Plans, looked at the crowd calendar and saw they are predicting crowds at level 10 almost that entire week. Ugh. We've been to WDW during Christmas week, so I know what a WDW level 10 crowd looks like. Is DL in March just a really bad idea? We will have MaxPass and park hoppers and were planning on staying at GCH.

These are our tentative plans:

March 22 - arrive at GCH around 4:30 pm, perhaps go to DCA to do a few attractions (there are not a ton of attractions we are interested in here - mainly Cars Land which we've never seen)
March 23 - DCA, lunch at Carthay Circle, WoC dessert party
March 24 - DL (we have a pretty substantial list of things we want to do here. We can eliminate SWGE as we will have done both rides at WDW by this time)
March 25 - more DL, Blue Bayou Fantasmic dining package
March 26 - finish up anything we haven't done yet, possibly do Walt's Footsteps tour (though I really only want to see Walt's apartment and don't know if we should spend 3 hours of a tour just for that short visit), Napa Rose for dinner

If late March is just a terrible idea, I may just scrap the whole thing and try to find another time to go. I appreciate your insight!

 

[Skyegirl1999]

If you’re staying at the GCH and can take advantage of EMH, plus you have Maxpass, plus multiple days with some scheduled experiences like you have planned, I think you can have a great trip in spite of crowds. Maxpass at DL is really a game-changer in terms of FP efficiency, so you are in for a treat as far as that’s concerned, especially if you can book during EMH!

Crowd calendars are notoriously awful for DL, so I wouldn’t trust TP. Having said that, those probably will be decently crowded days... I wouldn’t expect Christmas-level crowds since Spring Breaks are more spread out, though. Could the parks be packed? Yes. Could you still have a great trip? Yup!

All of that to say, I don’t think it will be that bad, but if big crowds are truly deal-breaker for you, Spring Break is probably not the time to visit. I’d do it, though.

 

[EmJ]

We are WDW vets and my DS11 has requested to go to DL (we haven't been since 2013). His spring break is in March, so I thought I would take him from March 22 - March 27. Then I subscribed to Touring Plans, looked at the crowd calendar and saw they are predicting crowds at level 10 almost that entire week. Ugh. We've been to WDW during Christmas week, so I know what a WDW level 10 crowd looks like. Is DL in March just a really bad idea? We will have MaxPass and park hoppers and were planning on staying at GCH.

These are our tentative plans:

March 22 - arrive at GCH around 4:30 pm, perhaps go to DCA to do a few attractions (there are not a ton of attractions we are interested in here - mainly Cars Land which we've never seen)
March 23 - DCA, lunch at Carthay Circle, WoC dessert party
March 24 - DL (we have a pretty substantial list of things we want to do here. We can eliminate SWGE as we will have done both rides at WDW by this time)
March 25 - more DL, Blue Bayou Fantasmic dining package
March 26 - finish up anything we haven't done yet, possibly do Walt's Footsteps tour (though I really only want to see Walt's apartment and don't know if we should spend 3 hours of a tour just for that short visit), Napa Rose for dinner

If late March is just a terrible idea, I may just scrap the whole thing and try to find another time to go. I appreciate your insight!

From what I understand hanging around here awhile, the crowd predictor calendars for DL are inherently unreliable. FWIW, the Undercover Tourist calendar has that week listed as an 8/10, not a 10/10. It's spring break though, so I think it is realistic to expect that you will encounter high crowds.

We will be right on your heals, visiting March 30-April 3. We are taking 4 days for Disneyland (one is a dedicated SWGE day) and 1 is for DCA. We will expect high crowds, plan accordingly, and be pleasantly surprised if it turns out lighter than expected. One thing I've learned here is that while off-season touring times theoretically have lighter crowds, the lower number of visitors also means fewer staff, fewer special events, and more ride closures. So I'm happy to be going during a peak time, and hopefully be able to experience better service offerings.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We are WDW vets and my DS11 has requested to go to DL (we haven't been since 2013). His spring break is in March, so I thought I would take him from March 22 - March 27. Then I subscribed to Touring Plans, looked at the crowd calendar and saw they are predicting crowds at level 10 almost that entire week. Ugh. We've been to WDW during Christmas week, so I know what a WDW level 10 crowd looks like. Is DL in March just a really bad idea? We will have MaxPass and park hoppers and were planning on staying at GCH.

These are our tentative plans:

March 22 - arrive at GCH around 4:30 pm, perhaps go to DCA to do a few attractions (there are not a ton of attractions we are interested in here - mainly Cars Land which we've never seen)
March 23 - DCA, lunch at Carthay Circle, WoC dessert party
March 24 - DL (we have a pretty substantial list of things we want to do here. We can eliminate SWGE as we will have done both rides at WDW by this time)
March 25 - more DL, Blue Bayou Fantasmic dining package
March 26 - finish up anything we haven't done yet, possibly do Walt's Footsteps tour (though I really only want to see Walt's apartment and don't know if we should spend 3 hours of a tour just for that short visit), Napa Rose for dinner

If late March is just a terrible idea, I may just scrap the whole thing and try to find another time to go. I appreciate your insight!

First of all, regarding crowd calendars at DLR: Most accurate crowd calendars?. It is not really possible to predict crowds far in advance with any consistent accuracy at DLR when so much of the demographic is local. The veterans around here don't put any faith in crowd calendars -- why should you?
Next, plan your trip for the dates that work best for you and your family. That's what really matters, isn't it? If the dates with the lowest crowds happen to be the worst possible dates for you, what difference would it make? Just choose the best dates for you, come back here to double check that nothing insane will be going on at the same time, do your best planning here, have a back up plan (!), then go have a great time!
There are advantages to Spring Break at DLR: longer hours, more staffing, more entertainment, etc. When the parks are prepared to handle the crowds, things run pretty smoothly. With MP, park hoppers, and a good plan, you'll be fine! By staying on site, you'll get one hour early entry to one park or the other on alternating days -- morning hours are golden at DLR -- you can get so much done!
Don't worry and start planning! And, to answer your question, why would any time at DLR be a bad idea?

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Wow! You guys are AWESOME! I feel so much better about this now! Thank you SO much! I'm actually going to see if I can add one more day just to give us a little more wiggle room to spread out our touring. Back to planning! I really appreciate your responses!!

 

[HydroGuy]

See "Why I Am Skeptical of the Touring Plans Website DLR Crowd Calendar"

https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...ing-plans-website-dlr-crowd-calendar.3196851/
Looks like you already got that memo. But just for good measure.

DLR crowd calendars are worthless.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Wow! You guys are AWESOME! I feel so much better about this now! Thank you SO much! I'm actually going to see if I can add one more day just to give us a little more wiggle room to spread out our touring. Back to planning! I really appreciate your responses!!

An extra day is a great idea -- it will give you the luxury to plan a more relaxed trip with more time to re-do favorite rides, do character meals, shows, dining packages, parades, shopping, pool time, etc. And it doesn't cost much to add extra days (up to 5) at DLR.

 

[PixieT78]

I’m looking at going the week before and assume it is going to be just as busy. We’re typically lighter crowd people (we tend to book WDW with that in mind) but we’re going to be staying with my parents in Palm Springs so I want to take advantage of being that close.

That said, our original thought was one night but I’m starting to think 2 nights (and therefore 3 park days as we’ll leave PS early and stay late) might be worth it so we can allow for extra waiting time. And Maxpass will happen for sure!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... That said, our original thought was one night but I’m starting to think 2 nights (and therefore 3 park days as we’ll leave PS early and stay late) might be worth it so we can allow for extra waiting time. And Maxpass will happen for sure!

With a 3+ day ticket purchased in advance (i.e. not at the ticket booths and not a military discount ticket), you should get a Magic Morning (one hour early entry to DL -- FL and TL only -- on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday). With a good plan, you can get a lot done with that one extra hour, especially since most of the FL rides aren't on the FP/MP system.

 

[Funtimeswithteenagers]

I’m going the same week. We’ve only been 2 times before. I researched the least crowded times and took kids out of school so we could go during a “ghost town”. Both times it was very crowded, a lot of rides closed, long lines and short hours. Now that I have high schoolers they can’t just miss a week of school so we are just going on spring break and making the best of it. If I can survive standing in line for 3 hours with an 8 year old to see Anna and Elsa I can do anything

 

[tarheelalum]

Its always crowded, except this past summer, so go whenever you have the time. But a great thing about March/spring break is the park will be fully staffed, have long operating hours and all the shows/entertainment going. All of the crowd predictors are a joke at Disneyland so go and have a great time.

 

[PixieT78]

With a 3+ day ticket purchased in advance (i.e. not at the ticket booths and not a military discount ticket), you should get a Magic Morning (one hour early entry to DL -- FL and TL only -- on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday). With a good plan, you can get a lot done with that one extra hour, especially since most of the FL rides aren't on the FP/MP system.

Oh awesome thanks for the heads up! I think we’re looking at Mon - Wed so the Tuesday morning could totally work.

 

[tankgirl!]

I usually end up at DL during spring break due to a work conference, and we've just learned to deal with the crowds. I really think the trip is what you make it, and as long as you have a good attitude, it's always a good time to visit. As others have said, if you are staying at the GCH, you should get early entry, and we've found that to be a huge help, along with MaxPass. We can usually do everything we want ride-wise before lunch, and enjoy the atmosphere and do a few more MaxPass rides in the afternoon. I say go and enjoy.

 

[limace]

I want to add just a couple things-one is that you’re already planning 5 park days it looks like so you won’t be able to just add a couple more without buying a separate 2 day ticket or an AP as 5 days is max ticket length. I’d also be open to enjoying more of DCA-there is so much there now that is fabulous, including guardians, great food, grizzly river. I highly recommend park hoppers at DL and suggest being open for going where you want rather than scheduling tightly. It’s so easy, and it’s a great way to cope if it gets crowded.