Grad Night Question

[perrinej]

My daughter and I are starting to plan our next trip to Disneyland for 2016. Looking at the grad night dates, can you please inform me how this works? We thought we would arrive June 4th and spend one entire week but after seeing that this week has numerous grad night dates, not for sure this would be a good week for us to come. Is this for Disneyland and DCA or only one park? Do the parks close early and only allow grads to enter? Thanks for any info that can be shared with us!

 

[SMD]

The way it's worked the last few years is the grads get a 1 day hopper good for the whole day and then a party in DCA starting around 10pm. DCA closes for the party, it shouldn't affect DL hours, other than more people will go there after DCA closes. DCA typically closes an hour or 2 before DL on most nights during the summer anyway.

The other factors that week in past years have been impending AP Summer block outs for the lower level passes and Disney has run a So Cal ticket deal and it is sometimes the last week to use those tickets.

 

[perrinej]

Thanks for the info. If anyone else can share any more thoughts, I would greatly appreciate them!

 

[Butterfly123]

One summer trip we took for 4 days had 3 grad nights! I was very concerned, not because of crowds, but because I had heard several stories on this board about rowdy, line jumping, out of control teens. We were so fortunate, and really didn't experience any problems. We went on the rides that would appeal to teens, like the roller coasters, early in the day, and started at DL. Then when the teens came in the early afternoon we hopped over to DCA, since most of them started in DL. We did the entertainment in the evening, and everything worked out. That said, because it was a worry beforehand, and something to work around when we were in the parks, I'd avoid them if possible.

 

[tarheelalum]

Avoid them if you can.

 

[Mividadisney]

We were there for grad week and from what we saw everyone was very respectful and it was like any other week at Disneyland. Just a lot more teens without parents but if we didn't get told it was grad we we would have not noticed the difference. Lines were long but nothing to out of the ordinary.

 

[taniahappy]

I don't think its a negative. Of course you have a chance of running into some excited/loud teens but as long as they are respectful I don't mind the extra enthusiasm they have.

 

[Dinohood]

can't say i guess every school is different when i did grad night in 2007 we had the park to for us from 10pm to 6am with three other schools but we did not go during the day it was just one night and that was it.

 

[AZMermaid]

We are going the same time, arriving June 5 for 5 nights. We plan to spend one Grad night day in DCA. I have read since they get access to DCA at night, they tend to go to DL during the day. We plan to see World of Color that night, also going on the assumption that the grads get their own private viewing later, so they won't be at the general one. The second Grad night, we plan to have as our "off" day. We might go into a park until lunchtime, but mostly it will be a pool/ DTD day. I am going to request to NOT be overlooking Paradise Pier for our room at Grand Cal Villas.

 

[SMD]

can't say i guess every school is different when i did grad night in 2007 we had the park to for us from 10pm to 6am with three other schools but we did not go during the day it was just one night and that was it.

That changed in 2011 or 2012 and now it includes a park hopper. They've also shifted between the after party at DL or DCA depending on construction. It's been DCA for the last 3 years and should be next year too.