Easter or summer?

[Yvonneb]

Hi Everyone,
We are trying to plan a DLR vacation and need some help with timing. I am a teacher and I have a 10 year old so we are doomed to the school schedule for vacations. We were looking at spending April 22nd-May 3rd in CA, but Easter falls in the middle. Does DLR tend to clear out after the holiday or will the week of the 25th- 29th be just as crazy? I checked the AP holder days and they are mostly blocked off for that time. If it is too busy then, we were thinking of the week after 4th of July. Any thoughts on that week as well? This is our 1st trip to DLR, and I have read the threads of some of the veterans. Just wanted to know if anyone had any experience with those particular weeks since they are around a holiday. Thanks!

 

[DLR29]

Summer. Especially this upcoming year.

First, Splash will be down from Jan-May on an extended refurb. Second, a whole bunch of rides/attractions will be opening in May that you probably won't want to miss: Little Mermaid, Goofy's Sky School/Paradise Garden area, Star Tours II, and the new DL parade. If you go during April, you will probably miss out on most, if not all, of these.

That's the main reason. In both cases the crowds will be similar (although Spring Break may be slightly more crowded), park hours will be at their maximum (8AM-12AM) and the entertainment schedule should be running every night (Fantasmic, WoC, and fireworks). Plus, usually the weather is slightly better in the summer, although this past summer was a weird weather summer.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I'd do summer over Easter every time.

 

[Yvonneb]

Is 4th of July week really bad, like at WDW? I've got a crowd-disliking hubby. I'm flexible during summer, I just need to find low priced airfare from NH.

 

[sonnyjane]

Is 4th of July week really bad, like at WDW? I've got a crowd-disliking hubby. I'm flexible during summer, I just need to find low priced airfare from NH.

I haven't been to WDW during the 4th, so I can't compare, but I will say that the 4th itself is a very, very busy day. It looks like this coming year it will fall on a Monday, so I'd expect the weekend before to be very crowded, as lots of people will be taking a long weekend.