Fourth of July weekend...how bad is it going to be?

[dreadpiraterose]

If all goes according to plan, my husband and I will be doing a 3 day stop over in California on our way to Hong Kong, and we'd like to hit up Disneyland and California Adventure. But...it's going to be July 4th weekend (Saturday and Sunday, July 1/2). It's going to be crowded, I'm sure. Do we need to worry about the park hitting capacity crowded? Any idea what the weather will be like?

Any other tips for someone who has been to WDW 100+ times but never Disneyland? Anything I should de-prioritize because it's basically identical to a ride at WDW?

Thanks!

 

[AladdinRapunzelTink]

I don't have an answer for you, just wanted to say hi to a fellow r/disneyland user!

 

[figment_jii]

I don't know if it'll reach capacity, but it'll be busy because it is a weekend and some folks will opt to make a long-weekend out of it and travel. In terms of weather...it is summer, so I would go expecting heat. Southern California doesn't get as humid as Florida (usually), but it does get plenty hot in the summer (>90 degrees).

In terms of a comparison with WDW, I recommend checking out HydroGuy's A DLR Guide for WDW Vets. Personally, I think there are very few attractions that absolutely identical between WDW and DLR. There are attractions that are very similar, but parts of the attraction or the queue may be considerably different. These are the ones that I would consider bypassing if you're limited for time:

• Soarin' Around the World - the queue areas are different and the movie ends in DL instead of Epcot, but otherwise the movie is the same (I'd go just to see the different ending if time permits).
• Toy Story Midway Mania - different queue areas, but the attraction is pretty similar (I think one of two of the games might be different)
• Little Mermaid - very different queue area, but largely the same attraction (some minor differences)
• It's Tough To Be A Bug - different queue area, same show (or at least, I didn't notice any major differences)
• Astro Orbiter - similar concept, but lower to the ground at DL
• Star Tours - very different queue area, but same show (I think)
• Launch Bay & Path of the Jedi - unless you're a huge Star Wars fan, I'd probably forgo these just because they're pretty similiar to the DHS version (maybe some different props, but the concept is similar)
• Dumbo - similar concept, only one set of elephants

 

[chickapin parterre]

for a first time visitor, it will be unmanageable crowded, it is the perfect storm, four day weekend, use only one vacation day, Saturday and Sunday will be more crowded than the 4th. Lots of folks visiting Disneyland drive 4-7 hours, so folks leaving 7:00 friday night to travel to Disneyland, can still make a 3 three day weekend, then leave very early on the 4th a.m. to be back home. The upside to the weekend, is that most of the visitors will be veteran visitors that will only focus on specific events.

 

[Mcky36]

Most of the annual passes are blocked out the whole weekend (only Signature and Signature + are valid Sat-Sun) so while it will be busy with true vacationers, the AP's are mostly blocked out. Hopefully that will help. I went memorial weekend this year and even though that is a long weekend, it was much busier during the week leading up to the weekend then the weekend itself when most of the AP's were blocked out.

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

July 1st and 2nd are blocked out for AP holders so it shouldn't be too bad at all.

We did 4th of July weekend 2 times and when the AP passholders were blocked out we pretty much walk on rides or very minimal wait times

 

[farmfresh]

We were there for 4 July last year and it was not bad at all. The OP is right about AP blockouts. These seem to make an enormous difference to the crowds in the park. So I would expect it to be busy (it is summer after all) but manageable.
Anyway, you'll need some crowd training for Hong Kong...

 

[HydroGuy]

Sorry, but I have to say this...

1. My boyfriend just proposed to me and we are getting married! How bad is it going to be?

2. My wife just told me she is pregnant with our first child! How bad is it going to be?

3. We just bought our first house! How bad is it going to be?

You are going to Disneyland! It is not going to be bad. Unless you somehow orient your thinking that it is somehow going to bad.

Now if you asked this question:

"Fourth of July weekend...any special challenges we should be aware of?"

that is something oriented towards a positive outcome. And to that you have received good answers. Hopefully it works out for you.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Be aware that Disney blocks the lower passes because they expect higher day guest crowds, not to lower crowds overall. The lower passes were blocked the last two weeks of December last year, and DL still had gate closures a few times during that period. Given, Christmas week is one of the busiest times of the DLR year, but it shows that not all crowds are made up of passholders. The crowds preceding Memorial Day Weekend were mainly due to the expiration date on the special Southern California 3 day ticket. Once that offer expired, the crowds calmed down noticeably. Back to the 4th of July, it will be summer at DLR, so that means crowded. But definitely manageable with good planning, FP/MaxPass (if available by then) use, single rider, PS reservations, etc.

 

[Malcon10t]

We are there most 4th of Julys. The 4th hasn't been really bad the last few years, but the weekend prior has been fairly busy because they generally show the 4th fireworks so people spread their visit out. The weekend will be blocked, so expect it to be busy.

And in addition to The Lucky Rabbit's post, there is a good possibility that the ROA will be open, and that will draw larger crowds.