First time to DL - June 11

[sewingmolly]

A few weeks ago, I came up with this great idea - Let's go to DL this summer. My sister, my niece and I went to Disneyland Paris in June 2008 and had a fabulous time. Then for spring break 2009, we went to WDW. Since I didn't have anything planned for the summer, I thought let's go see the park that started it all. However it's much more complicated than expected.

So after much comparing of schedules, we are now going between June 11 and June 20. DS, DN are spending June 5 - June 11 starting in San Francisco and then touring down the coast with DBIL. The original plan was that we would do two days in LA and two day in San Diego (zoo) and Wed - Sun (June 16-20) at DL. Then DN decided she wants to introduce Dad to Disney. So now we're thinking Fri & Sat (June 11 & 12) at DL with DBIL, then SD and LA and then back to DL. However June 20 is Father's Day, so now we need to leave early to have the kid home in time for dinner with Dad.

I'm very concerned about being there on June 11 & 12. I've gotten very scared reading these boards. I had no idea about WOC, annual pass blockout dates or grad nights, when I came up with this idea. Now I'm afraid. I'm not sure that DBIL will handle the crowds that well. DN & DS want him to have a good impression of Disney, but is that possible on those days? So after all that explanation, here are my questions -

How bad do you really think it will be?
Will both parks be really full, or just DCA?
With the annual pass block-out dates and the grad nights, do you think that we're better off seeing LA and SD on Sun-Tues and then returning to DL - or staying on Sun-Tues at DL?
Can I get fastpasses in DCA for the whole group, if they have only entered DL that day?
Why is there no fastpass for TSM?
Is there a seven day ticket?
Can we use the entrance in GCH if we're staying at DLH? Will this be better that using the main gates?

Thanks for all your help.

 

[MAH4546]

How bad do you really think it will be?

Early June before block-outs is going to be very crowded. There is no way around that. Just remember that we in California hate to wake up early. The locals really don't start showing up until the afternoon on Fridays and late morning on Saturdays, so take advantage of that.

Will both parks be really full, or just DCA?

Both.

With the annual pass block-out dates and the grad nights, do you think that we're better off seeing LA and SD on Sun-Tues and then returning to DL - or staying on Sun-Tues at DL?

Sundays are the worst and busiest day at Disneyland any time of the year. Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be the emptiest.

Can I get fastpasses in DCA for the whole group, if they have only entered DL that day?

No.

Why is there no fastpass for TSM?

There just isn't. DL does not have fastpasses as much as WDW. Line is rarely above 30 on a slow day. On a busy day it usually tops out at around 60 now.

Can we use the entrance in GCH if we're staying at DLH? Will this be better that using the main gates?

Pretty much anybody can use the GCH entrance. I have never seen the guest-only "policy" ever enforced.

Thanks for all your help.[/QUOTE]

 

[HydroGuy]

Can I get fastpasses in DCA for the whole group, if they have only entered DL that day?

No.

I have done this many times myself starting in 2005 and most recently in summer of 2009. Others around here have done it too.

When you enter DL or DCA your entrance ticket is enabled for FP collection for both parks. Doesn't matter if you have actually entered the other park that day.

Can we use the entrance in GCH if we're staying at DLH? Will this be better that using the main gates?

Pretty much anybody can use the GCH entrance. I have never seen the guest-only "policy" ever enforced.

The policy is enforced for the first few hours each morning and any DLR hotel guest can use the entrance during this time.

So after much comparing of schedules, we are now going between June 11 and June 20. DS, DN are spending June 5 - June 11 starting in San Francisco and then touring down the coast with DBIL. The original plan was that we would do two days in LA and two day in San Diego (zoo) and Wed - Sun (June 16-20) at DL. Then DN decided she wants to introduce Dad to Disney. So now we're thinking Fri & Sat (June 11 & 12) at DL with DBIL, then SD and LA and then back to DL. However June 20 is Father's Day, so now we need to leave early to have the kid home in time for dinner with Dad.

I'm very concerned about being there on June 11 & 12.

Well, June 11 and 12 are blocked out for SoCal APs and June 12 is blocked for DAP. So for those two days the AP issue will be less. However, it is the opening of WOC and Nightastic and will be crowded with other guests. As for June 16-20, the June 16-19 days are all blocked and in fact June 16-17 will be rather light because of grad nights. The busiest day will be June 20 - that day will be really, really crowded.

What should you do? If you can handle the crowds, can get there early each morning and especially if you stay at the DLH and take afternoon breaks and have easy park access you can still have a fun trip. See "Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

 

[tholczer]

Don't be scared, just be informed However you split up that week, it will be busy. If it were me, I wouldn't go anywhere near DL from the 10th - 15th. The 16th - 20th will still be very busy, though. But you can manage it with getting there before park opening, collecting FP's as often as you are allowed, and then taking a break mid-day.

If BIL doesn't like crowds and hasn't been to DL before, just make sure he is informed as to what to expect.

Tracy

 

[cooniez]

I sympathize as I'm going June 17-22 and after reading about the crowds I was starting to get scared, too! I am still a bit worried about how crazy it will be for us, but I agree with a pp that if you are well-informed your visit will be manageable. Hope you guys have fun no matter what!

 

[Leofoenget]

A few weeks ago, I came up with this great idea - Let's go to DL this summer. My sister, my niece and I went to Disneyland Paris in June 2008 and had a fabulous time. Then for spring break 2009, we went to WDW. Since I didn't have anything planned for the summer, I thought let's go see the park that started it all. However it's much more complicated than expected.

So after much comparing of schedules, we are now going between June 11 and June 20. DS, DN are spending June 5 - June 11 starting in San Francisco and then touring down the coast with DBIL. The original plan was that we would do two days in LA and two day in San Diego (zoo) and Wed - Sun (June 16-20) at DL. Then DN decided she wants to introduce Dad to Disney. So now we're thinking Fri & Sat (June 11 & 12) at DL with DBIL, then SD and LA and then back to DL. However June 20 is Father's Day, so now we need to leave early to have the kid home in time for dinner with Dad.

I'm very concerned about being there on June 11 & 12. I've gotten very scared reading these boards. I had no idea about WOC, annual pass blockout dates or grad nights, when I came up with this idea. Now I'm afraid. I'm not sure that DBIL will handle the crowds that well. DN & DS want him to have a good impression of Disney, but is that possible on those days? So after all that explanation, here are my questions -

How bad do you really think it will be?
Will both parks be really full, or just DCA?
With the annual pass block-out dates and the grad nights, do you think that we're better off seeing LA and SD on Sun-Tues and then returning to DL - or staying on Sun-Tues at DL?
Can I get fastpasses in DCA for the whole group, if they have only entered DL that day?
Why is there no fastpass for TSM?
Is there a seven day ticket?
Can we use the entrance in GCH if we're staying at DLH? Will this be better that using the main gates?

Thanks for all your help.

Seriously it's going to be bad. Could you move your trip to the last week in June? The only thing that might make it less awful would be if all the AP'ers stick to DCA because of WOC. Sorry June is a difficult time to plan because of AP's

 

[Raindown]

Here is my run down. The park is only going to get busier the later in June you go, its summer.

There is another way to look at blockout days. Disney opens up passes when park attendance is expected to be down on those days (they fill in the gap sorta speak). Last Friday 4/23 all but SoCal Select was unblocked and it was great, way better than earlier in April when all blockable passes were blocked. Blockout days don't save you from the high crowd times.

Unless the summer shows (F! etc) and WoC pull in large crowds I think I'll find lower attendance earlier in June than on your June 20th day.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

You can make any days work with the right attitude. Our very first trip to Disneyland was spring break with 3-day hoppers. Our last day was Good Friday! Sheer insanity. We'd read a guide book so didn't go in clueless, but we did go in with this attitude of we've got to do everything because who knows when and if we'll ever be back. We didn't even take a break on the last day, went from waiting outside the gates at 7:30 AM to trudging out the gates at 10 PM (with a 3 yr old and 5 yr old who were conditioned to go to bed at 7 PM every night). We were exhausted and frustrated by the end because we tried to do too much and were overwhelmed by the newness of the experiences, the crowds, the heat, the tiredness, the lack of proper eating, and so on. After that trip, I told DH it didn't matter to me if we ever went back to Disneyland.

Somehow that feeling wore off sometime over the next year, and I found myself planning another trip. We went in with a much more positive attitude of let's enjoy things as much as we can and not worry about if we don't ride this one ride or see that one show. Let's try to value the family time and not let ourselves get bothered by outside factors that we can't control like heat and crowds and long lines because getting irritated by those things inevitably leads to the bad feelings spilling over into our interactions with each other and our experiences as a whole. Don't sweat the small stuff. Huge concept for someone with my type of personality.

This is not to say that we didn't make every effort to cram as much as possible into that trip too. We just didn't stress about it as much. Probably because we were so much better prepared as a result of reading all the great tips from boards like these and investing in RideMax. I never became a big RideMax fan, haven't used it in ages, but it did help give a sense of crowd patterns for the park. I made multiple itineraries for everyday and used them as "suggestions" until I got the hang of it all myself. Being able to still be flexible about things was far better for us than sticking to an absolute schedule. Other things that helped us were mastering the use of fastpass (send a runner and, yes, you can get DCA fastpasses for your whole party even if the rest of your group is still in Disneyland). Don't be afraid to parkhop multiple times throughout the day; the parks are CLOSE to each other. Get at least 5-day hopper tickets so you can spread your activities out and have multiple chances to catch that much coveted show or ride that much desired ride in case something goes awry. Try for the things you most want to do in the first couple of days in case, for example, a ride suffers a multi-day breakdown or the fireworks get canceled repeatedly due to wind during the final days of your trip. Always take a break in the afternoon, and stay somewhere nearby, close enough to walk. Carry lots of snacks and water and eat at restaurants at times other than traditional meal times. Enjoy your time together and don't worry about missing a few things here and there. You'll just have a good reason to go back someday!

 

[DisneyFairytale]

Early June before block-outs is going to be very crowded. There is no way around that. Just remember that we in California hate to wake up early. The locals really don't start showing up until the afternoon on Fridays and late morning on Saturdays, so take advantage of that.



Both.



Sundays are the worst and busiest day at Disneyland any time of the year. Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be the emptiest.



No.



There just isn't. DL does not have fastpasses as much as WDW. Line is rarely above 30 on a slow day. On a busy day it usually tops out at around 60 now.



Pretty much anybody can use the GCH entrance. I have never seen the guest-only "policy" ever enforced.

Thanks for all your help.

[/QUOTE]


All well written out. Listen to the advice given above. That's the problem with Disneyland-its way to busy during the summer. If you organize things well you can still make your trip really enjoyable and have a good time.

 

[tholczer]

There is another way to look at blockout days. Disney opens up passes when park attendance is expected to be down on those days (they fill in the gap sorta speak). Last Friday 4/23 all but SoCal Select was unblocked and it was great, way better than earlier in April when all blockable passes were blocked. Blockout days don't save you from the high crowd times.

Unless the summer shows (F! etc) and WoC pull in large crowds I think I'll find lower attendance earlier in June than on your June 20th day.

As an AP holder, I've gone at all times of the year, and I find this to be completely true for the most part. However, those last couple of weeks before the southern california passes are blocked are insane with AP holders. That is the only time of year (pre and post blockout days) that I would recommend staying away from the parks when the AP's are not blocked.

Tracy