Help me decide: June or Oct?

[VandVsmama]

I now officially have Disneyland fever. Am planning way in advance, but kind of have to for budgetary reasons, since the $$ cup does not runneth over.

Ok, yes, I'm totally giving excuses here for planning way in advance, but I'm sure that many of you understand! LOL.

So I'm trying to decide between June or October. Not this year, but 2012. DH's, ODD's, and YDD's birthdays are all in June. From the weather info that hydroguy listed in 1 of his posts, it looks like the June & October weather in Anaheim is similar in terms of average temps.

If we did go in June, it would be early in the month. For example, YDD's birthday is 6/2, which falls on a Saturday in 2012. If we went out there for 6/2, we'd probably be driving out to Anaheim on 6/2, and would be at the parks Sun 6/3-Tues 6/5. I am thinking that we'd nix the birthday party that year in replacement of the Disneyland trip.

On the other hand, we could also go 2nd week of October, which would be fall break for ODD's school. Crowds might be a bit lower. On the other hand, maybe not given Annual Pass visitors.

My sister is going to come w/us since she wants to experience her nieces' 1st Disneyland visit.

I'm open to ideas here. For those of you who have been to D-land in both June and October, what were the pros and cons of each time you went for each of those months?

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

June
Pros: Nice weather. Dates you are suggesting might be before most of the schools are out so lower crowds.
Cons: Dates you are suggesting might be before schools are out so shorter hours, less entertainment. CarsLand might not be done yet. CarsLand might be just opening and massive crowds will descend on DCA.

October
Pros: HalloweenTime will be in full swing, so you can see the Halloween decorations, the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay of Haunted Mansion, and the Ghost Galaxy overlay of Space Mountain. Most rides are likely to be up and running. Current DCA construction projects should be complete.
Cons: Weather is more volatile. Could rain. Could be really hot. Area wildfires could blanket the region in smoke. (Weather could, of course, also be fine.) You won't see the park with its "normal" decor. You won't be able to ride the traditional HM and SM. Second week of October has Columbus Day weekend. You could see heavy crowds.

 

[Sherry E]

I agree with longtimedisneylurker about all the pros and cons.

To be honest, October in SoCal can often be much, much hotter than June. June is often downright pleasant, while October can be a scorcher! Then again, October is a weird month in that it can also be cool and rainy. Then it can be hot, dry and blustery too. You never know which direction October will take! It's a sneaky month!

We have a whole thread devoted to all things DLR at HalloweenTime. The first 2 posts of the thread on Page 1 will guide you to all kinds of info and photos that can help you decide if a Halloween trip is in the cards for you!

Here is the link: Halloween at DLR Superthread Part 2

 

[DisneylandForever]

October.

Won't be as hot. Won't be as crowded. Both flights and hotels will be cheaper. I am not a local but I live in SF and go fairly often. If I could only go once in the year I'd pick October.


Editing to add: SF is like that too, Sherry E. Our hottest days are in Sep and Oct! Indian summer I guess. But I remember it being pretty hot in DL last June, and not as hot last Oct, so I was just going off recent memory.

 

[VandVsmama]

I went to college at UC Santa Barbara. June in Goleta and Santa Barbara was often referred to as the "June gloom" because it would be cloudy all day until the marine layer burned off late afternoon. October at the coast was always awesome weather.

The poster's notation of potential wildfires is a good one. My SIL got married in San Diego in October the year of ALL of those massive San Diego & southern CA wildfires a few years ago. It was a mess.

Reading the pro's and con's, I think that I'm leaning more towards June at this point.

 

[Sherry E]

I went to college at UC Santa Barbara. June in Goleta and Santa Barbara was often referred to as the "June gloom" because it would be cloudy all day until the marine layer burned off late afternoon. October at the coast was always awesome weather.

The poster's notation of potential wildfires is a good one. My SIL got married in San Diego in October the year of ALL of those massive San Diego & southern CA wildfires a few years ago. It was a mess.

Reading the pro's and con's, I think that I'm leaning more towards June at this point.

Yep - it's still called June Gloom. Some Junes are 'gloomier' than others. But generally, for the last couple of years, June has been more pleasant (in my opinion) than October because October has leaned towards being way too hot (it was even in the upper 80's in November and December last year!), whereas June has been mildly warm but not oppressively so.

On one particular trip I made to DLR in October, it had been in the low 100's early in the week, dropping down to a frosty 98 degrees or some crazy business! Even though, as a lifelong SoCal resident, I know that sometimes October can be cold and blustery, in more recent years it seemed like it was more Summer-like than Fall. And when it is dry + hot + windy, that's when the wildfires start.

But...after the heat died down last year in October, then we had some rain...which the people who attended Mickey's Halloween Party were not expecting or hoping for at all!.

I think, unless you have a real desire to be at DLR for HalloweenTime, a June 2012 trip will be good.

 

[HydroGuy]

I went to college at UC Santa Barbara. June in Goleta and Santa Barbara was often referred to as the "June gloom" because it would be cloudy all day until the marine layer burned off late afternoon. October at the coast was always awesome weather.

The poster's notation of potential wildfires is a good one. My SIL got married in San Diego in October the year of ALL of those massive San Diego & southern CA wildfires a few years ago. It was a mess.

Reading the pro's and con's, I think that I'm leaning more towards June at this point.

Go Gauchos! Class of 1985!

 

[DisneyFairytale]

June would be WAY to busy, wait for October and the halloween games and decorations! October hands down.

 

[VandVsmama]

Being an information junkie, I paid the small annual $$ for a subscription to the crowd calendar info at touringplans.com for Disneyland. Using this June & Oct as an example, here were the predicted crowds for certain June & October dates at DL and DCA:

Wed 6/1
Disneyland - crowds 2.7/10.
DCA - crowds 2.9/10.

Thurs 6/2
Disneyland - crowds 1.5/10.
DCA - crowds 0.6/10.

Fri 6/3
Disneyland - crowds 3.4/10.
DCA - crowds 5.5/10.

Sat 6/4
Disneyland - crowds 5.8/10.
DCA - crowds 5.7/10.

Sun, June 5
Disneyland - crowds 3.5/10.
DCA - crowds 5.9/10.

Mon, June 6
Disneyland - crowds 4.7/10.
DCA - crowds 3.8/10.

Tues, June 6
Disneyland - crowds 4.0/10.
DCA - crowds 4.7/10.

Sun 10/16
Disneyland - crowds 3.1/10.
DCA - crowds 6.2/10.

Mon 10/17
Disneyland - crowds 1.0/10.
DCA - crowds 3.7/10.

Tues 10/18
Disneyland - crowds 0.3/10.
DCA - crowds 3.8/10.

*****************
Based on this and assuming that 2012 predicted crowds would be similar in 2012, here's what I'm thinking:
1. if we go in June, it would make the most sense to be AT the parks the Wed-Fri right after Memorial Day. But do NOT go ** ON ** Memorial Day or the day after.
2. Crowds are definitely low the middle of October, so that's a big plus. But weather is a factor for us. I'm going to go do some historical Anaheim weather research on Google now. :-D

 

[Sherry E]

Being an information junkie, I paid the small annual $$ for a subscription to the crowd calendar info at touringplans.com for Disneyland. Using this June & Oct as an example, here were the predicted crowds for certain June & October dates at DL and DCA:

Wed 6/1
Disneyland - crowds 2.7/10.
DCA - crowds 2.9/10.

Thurs 6/2
Disneyland - crowds 1.5/10.
DCA - crowds 0.6/10.

Fri 6/3
Disneyland - crowds 3.4/10.
DCA - crowds 5.5/10.

Sat 6/4
Disneyland - crowds 5.8/10.
DCA - crowds 5.7/10.

Sun, June 5
Disneyland - crowds 3.5/10.
DCA - crowds 5.9/10.

Mon, June 6
Disneyland - crowds 4.7/10.
DCA - crowds 3.8/10.

Tues, June 6
Disneyland - crowds 4.0/10.
DCA - crowds 4.7/10.

Sun 10/16
Disneyland - crowds 3.1/10.
DCA - crowds 6.2/10.

Mon 10/17
Disneyland - crowds 1.0/10.
DCA - crowds 3.7/10.

Tues 10/18
Disneyland - crowds 0.3/10.
DCA - crowds 3.8/10.

*****************
Based on this and assuming that 2012 predicted crowds would be similar in 2012, here's what I'm thinking:
1. if we go in June, it would make the most sense to be AT the parks the Wed-Fri right after Memorial Day. But do NOT go ** ON ** Memorial Day or the day after.
2. Crowds are definitely low the middle of October, so that's a big plus. But weather is a factor for us. I'm going to go do some historical Anaheim weather research on Google now. :-D

October no longer has low crowds at any time - Halloween Time is extremely popular and the crowds have increased tremendously in the last 3 years (Cast Members will confirm this). After Columbus Day it kind of slows down just a little bit until the week of Halloween, when it gets really, really crowded again. But it's rarely considered low crowds anymore. There were some folks who went last year and said it had gotten so crowded in October that they would not go during that time anymore. (Keep in mind, World of Color debuted last year, so that increased crowds all over the Resort.)

Add in the fact that this year we have the new Little Mermaid ride and the new version of Star Tours opening, and the crowds will be pretty healthy all year. But next year in June, if it's between Memorial Day and when CarsLand opens, you might catch a lower crowd period because some folks will not be out of school just yet.

Weather-wise, HydroGuy has a dedicated weather thread with average temperatures. But the last couple of years have not been "the average" in October, by any means. (I live 40-45 minutes from Disneyland, in L.A., and my weather is always lumped in with the Anaheim forecast on the news, so it's virtually the same.)

 

[Sherry E]

Detailed Weather Data for DLR (by HydroGuy)

 

[HydroGuy]

Being an information junkie, I paid the small annual $$ for a subscription to the crowd calendar info at touringplans.com for Disneyland. Using this June & Oct as an example, here were the predicted crowds for certain June & October dates at DL and DCA:

Wed 6/1
Disneyland - crowds 2.7/10.
DCA - crowds 2.9/10.

Thurs 6/2
Disneyland - crowds 1.5/10.
DCA - crowds 0.6/10.

Fri 6/3
Disneyland - crowds 3.4/10.
DCA - crowds 5.5/10.

Sat 6/4
Disneyland - crowds 5.8/10.
DCA - crowds 5.7/10.

Sun, June 5
Disneyland - crowds 3.5/10.
DCA - crowds 5.9/10.

Mon, June 6
Disneyland - crowds 4.7/10.
DCA - crowds 3.8/10.

Tues, June 6
Disneyland - crowds 4.0/10.
DCA - crowds 4.7/10.

Sun 10/16
Disneyland - crowds 3.1/10.
DCA - crowds 6.2/10.

Mon 10/17
Disneyland - crowds 1.0/10.
DCA - crowds 3.7/10.

Tues 10/18
Disneyland - crowds 0.3/10.
DCA - crowds 3.8/10.

*****************
Based on this and assuming that 2012 predicted crowds would be similar in 2012, here's what I'm thinking:
1. if we go in June, it would make the most sense to be AT the parks the Wed-Fri right after Memorial Day. But do NOT go ** ON ** Memorial Day or the day after.
2. Crowds are definitely low the middle of October, so that's a big plus. But weather is a factor for us. I'm going to go do some historical Anaheim weather research on Google now. :-D

I too subscribed to this service for WDW and DLR. I used WDW data last week. I looked at their historical data for DLR from last July when we were there.

All I can say is that I have no idea what the park crowd ratings mean. I know what TP says on their website but I cannot relate it to what I have personally experienced. They reported the week in July 2010 we were at DLR as having "10" crowds and those were some of the lowest crowds I have seen in summer.

I do like other parts of the TP website and actually would recommend it to others. I just do not know what to make of their park crowd ratings.

 

[Brady's Mom]

I now officially have Disneyland fever. Am planning way in advance, but kind of have to for budgetary reasons, since the $$ cup does not runneth over.

On the other hand, we could also go 2nd week of October, which would be fall break for ODD's school. Crowds might be a bit lower. On the other hand, maybe not given Annual Pass visitors.

Don't plan on the second week of October being less crowded - especially with Fall Break. We went during our kid's fall break one year and it was very crowded. You could expect to see your neighbor's and your DD's friends from school - it can be that crowded. My kid's fall break is the 3rd week of October this year - but other school districts in AZ and NV and CA have fall break at different times. Also, I'm pretty sure that a lot of Aussies have a big school break around that time of year - that could affect crowds as well.

 

[VandVsmama]

Thanks, Brady's Mom. That's something that a friend of mine had mentioned...that if we go in October, to be prepared for everybody from Arizona being there along with us.

the more I think about it, the more an early June trip might be better. And if we went during the week, crowds might be less than weekends. I could arrange for our 1st day to be a Tuesday so we could do Magic Morning on our 1st day.

 

[lori123]

Hmmmm - we are planning to go this October - the first week, but you all are making me think that is a bad choice?? I hate going when it is crowded.....

 

[Sherry E]

Hmmmm - we are planning to go this October - the first week, but you all are making me think that is a bad choice?? I hate going when it is crowded.....

lori123 - In the case of the OP of this thread (VandVsmama), I thought that June might be a better choice. But personally I'm a big advocate of going during the Halloween Time season and enjoying the various treats, decorations, the Halloween party, the ride overlays, etc. So if you are a Halloween fan, then most likely you will enjoy Halloween Time at DLR. If you want to find a time to go to DLR when it won't be crowded, I don't think early October is a good bet.

October - especially the first couple of weeks of October and that last week leading up to Halloween - is very busy. Not New Year's Eve busy. Not scary busy. Probably not 'filled-to-capacity' busy. But there are very long lines for rides and there are pretty big crowds. It's not the same ol' off-peak season that it used to be. I could detect a definite, palpable increase in crowds just between 2008 and 2009. Some folks said that the 2010 Halloween season was the busiest one so far.

When DLR starts to add new attractions and events, more people show up to see them. This year will see 2 new rides opening (well, Star Tours will pretty much be new).

You can still have a great time even if it is really crowded. Also, I am finding more and more that people perceive crowds differently - what one group says is way too crowded for them, another group will say is completely tolerable and manageable. So if you have your heart set on October, you should give it a try!

 

[HydroGuy]

You can still have a great time even if it is really crowded. Also, I am finding more and more that people perceive crowds differently - what one group says is way too crowded for them, another group will say is completely tolerable and manageable. So if you have your heart set on October, you should give it a try!

Along these lines, and as you well know, it is not only a matter of perception but a matter of strategy. a

Take two people who go to DLR the same day during high season or over a weekend. One arrives for MM, does MM and stays at the the parks til noon. Then has a nice lunch somewhere and goes back to their hotel to rest. They come back at 5PM, use their FP, maybe have dinner and stay out until late. They see some crowds during the evening but are using FPs or maybe going to see Fantasmic or WOC anyways. They easily ride on 20+ rides.

The second person arrives at 11AM, makes little effort to collect FPs, and stays thru the busy mid-day time and, if it is May-October, the heat. They leave at 7PM exhausted. They ride 8 rides.

Person 1 says crowds were "manageable" and really not too bad. Person 2 says crowds were "insane". Two people. Same day. Same crowds. Different strategies. Different conclusions.

 

[brocklesnar69]

We usually arrive at the parks around 9:30am-10:30am and stay until closing every day of our trip and we're fine. We hit the rides hard, gather fastpasses, eat, shop, etc. The busy time of the day, mid-day, is a pain, but it's managable. 6-10 days out of your year for a hardcore commando-style Disney adventure is not going to kill you. It's what we like to do. (Thank God that we are in good health and can do it)

I would choose October in SoCal. I like Halloween at Disneyland and Universal.

 

[summer0407]

Being an information junkie, I paid the small annual $$ for a subscription to the crowd calendar info at touringplans.com for Disneyland. Using this June & Oct as an example, here were the predicted crowds for certain June & October dates at DL and DCA:

Wed 6/1
Disneyland - crowds 2.7/10.
DCA - crowds 2.9/10.

Thurs 6/2
Disneyland - crowds 1.5/10.
DCA - crowds 0.6/10.

Fri 6/3
Disneyland - crowds 3.4/10.
DCA - crowds 5.5/10.

Sat 6/4
Disneyland - crowds 5.8/10.
DCA - crowds 5.7/10.

Sun, June 5
Disneyland - crowds 3.5/10.
DCA - crowds 5.9/10.

Mon, June 6
Disneyland - crowds 4.7/10.
DCA - crowds 3.8/10.

Tues, June 6
Disneyland - crowds 4.0/10.
DCA - crowds 4.7/10.

Sun 10/16
Disneyland - crowds 3.1/10.
DCA - crowds 6.2/10.

Mon 10/17
Disneyland - crowds 1.0/10.
DCA - crowds 3.7/10.

Tues 10/18
Disneyland - crowds 0.3/10.
DCA - crowds 3.8/10.

*****************
Based on this and assuming that 2012 predicted crowds would be similar in 2012, here's what I'm thinking:
1. if we go in June, it would make the most sense to be AT the parks the Wed-Fri right after Memorial Day. But do NOT go ** ON ** Memorial Day or the day after.
2. Crowds are definitely low the middle of October, so that's a big plus. But weather is a factor for us. I'm going to go do some historical Anaheim weather research on Google now. :-D

Would you mind posting the crowd index for 6/22-6/25 just curious. I am guessing very busy.

To OP I have never been in June this will be my first time but a few years ago we went the second week of October and it was great. It was warm but not hot and crowds were not bad at all it was a great fun trip. If you go during a Fri-Sun you won't miss out on the entertainment.

 

[HydroGuy]

Would you mind posting the crowd index for 6/22-6/25 just curious. I am guessing very busy.

To OP I have never been in June this will be my first time but a few years ago we went the second week of October and it was great. It was warm but not hot and crowds were not bad at all it was a great fun trip. If you go during a Fri-Sun you won't miss out on the entertainment.

It only cost a few dollars to sign up for the TP crowd calendars. Posters need to be careful about posting data from other paid sites.