Help needed picking August dates

Helene_C

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 2, 2017
Messages
176
I am arriving at DLR on August 14 with my kids (2 and 7), then DH arrives on Friday, August 18, and we have another seven days planned in the LA area before flying home. I'd like to have two park days with DH, and I'm not sure when would be best in terms of crowds. Some sites I've seen advise that the weekend (August 19-20) will be less crowded than the following weekdays (August 21-25) because the SoCal passes will still be blacked out. Other sites indicate the weekdays will be better.
What say the Dis experts? The kids and I will already have had 3 park days, so it's not like we need to cram everything into those two days with DH, but I'd like DH to see the highlights of both parks, and especially the stuff that is different from WDW. He particularly wants to do Star Wars things, including seeing the 7 yo participate in Jedi training.
Go with DH on Saturday/Sunday August 19-20? Or go on Wednesday/Thursday August 23-24?
 
Hard to say. In my experience weekends are ALWAYS worse and I am a SoCal passholder so the only time I can go is when it's not blacked out. However, since the weekend in question will not allow locals, there is a possibility it will be less crowded, especially considering all the passholders will be ending their Disney-fast the day the blackout ends or the day after.

Even so, the end of August is a typically lower crowd time of the year since some schools are going back across the nation. That being said, we haven't really seen a non-crowded time of the year lately.

Personally, I always avoid the weekends plus Friday/Monday (if I can). Our typical day to go up is Thursday or Wednesday as they have been the least crowded for us.
 
How important is seeing the Haunted Mansion for your husband? They have not yet announced the dates for HalloweenTime or any of the associated closures to have the overlays installed, but historically, Haunted Mansion closes in mid-to-late August to have the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay installed. So, if seeing HM is important, I would go earlier in the month opposed to latter. For the last few years, the information about the start of HalloweenTime has been announced in mid-summer (e.g., July). So if you can wait to make a decision until they've announced when HalloweenTime will start, I would do that.

It's also hard to say this year how things will be when the SoCal and SoCal Select AP blockout (and the Deluxe Saturday blockout) ends. My inclination is to say that the daylight hours will probably be better on the weekdays than the weekends (because of school, work, etc.), but it's quite possible that there will be very large crowds in evenings especially if the new F! is up and running (the end of August is usually when the entertainment calendar begins to switch from summer to fall scheduling, so it's not known what will be presented nightly versus weekends only). Depending on when that debuts (and if it's being presented nightly), that week might be the first chance the SoCal and SoCal Select AP holders have to see the show and I wouldn't be surprised if they all try to go as soon as possible.
 
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If you went on the 23rd and 24th would you leave Anaheim and have to go back for those 2 days? I don't think that the differences between those dates and the 19th and 20th are going to be so significantly different that it's worth commuting back 2 days in a row or moving hotels again.
 
If you went on the 23rd and 24th would you leave Anaheim and have to go back for those 2 days? I don't think that the differences between those dates and the 19th and 20th are going to be so significantly different that it's worth commuting back 2 days in a row or moving hotels again.

Our non-Disney plans aren't finalized, but most likely the kids and I would meet DH in LA on Friday and we'd stay in LA Friday-Tuesday, then go back to DL, and depart from DL on Friday to go to LAX. (There are absolutely no nonstops from our area airports to anything closer to DLR than LAX - I decided that making a connection while traveling crosscountry with kids was worse than the inconvenience of LAX for going to DLR.)

You make a good point about minimizing hotel moves, although I was considering splurging on the Disneyland Hotel when DH is there, so that would mean a hotel move either way.

I think the additional driving time is more of a concern for me than the hotel switch, but I can deal with that for a more pleasant park experience. I was also thinking that a few days away from DL would make returning for the last two days more fun.
 
It was August 22nd this past year after a quick google search. So this is very relevant for @Helene_C because it will likely happen while she is there.

I'd like to see HM before it shuts, but missing it isn't killer for DH. Are locals going to flock the park for one last HM ride before it shuts for the overlay?
 
Our non-Disney plans aren't finalized, but most likely the kids and I would meet DH in LA on Friday and we'd stay in LA Friday-Tuesday, then go back to DL, and depart from DL on Friday to go to LAX. (There are absolutely no nonstops from our area airports to anything closer to DLR than LAX - I decided that making a connection while traveling crosscountry with kids was worse than the inconvenience of LAX for going to DLR.)

You make a good point about minimizing hotel moves, although I was considering splurging on the Disneyland Hotel when DH is there, so that would mean a hotel move either way.

I think the additional driving time is more of a concern for me than the hotel switch, but I can deal with that for a more pleasant park experience. I was also thinking that a few days away from DL would make returning for the last two days more fun.
That's true, bookending the trip with DLR can be fun. You should work on your LA plans and see if the extra time to go back to DLR takes too much away from what you want to do there.
 
I'd like to see HM before it shuts, but missing it isn't killer for DH. Are locals going to flock the park for one last HM ride before it shuts for the overlay?
Personally, I don't think the local are as likely to "make one last trip" to see the original version before the overlay is installed because they know it's coming back after the holiday season ends and they've had since the start of the year to see the original version. There are usually pretty good sized crowds once it re-open because folks want to see if there is anything new and they haven't seen the HMH version since mid-January. That being said, both versions are popular, so there will be crowds regardless of which version is being presented.
 
Whoa.

...Whoa.
Lol, I think it is anyway. The crowd levels say it is, too. DL only used to use FP on Haunted Mansion when it was decked out for the holidays (now I think it's around all the time, but it didn't used to). The holiday version is the only time I've waited 40 minutes for Haunted Mansion at DL as well. I know 40 minutes is fairly normal for WDW, but not DL.
 
I don't know that you can use wait times alone to say whether HM is better in its HMH or original form. Recall that HMH is only around for about four months of the year, while the original version is around for about seven month (assuming one month for installation and removal). It means guests have more opportunities to see the original version. I personally like both versions and am glad that guests of DLR have the opportunity to see both during the course of the year.

To the OP, regarding HM. It's not identical to the one in MK, but it does have a lot of similarities. It is shorter and from about where the endless hallway appears until the end of the graveyard sequence, the two are pretty close. If you like HM in MK, then DL's version may feel a bit short, but it's fun to see the differences.
 
Lol, I think it is anyway. The crowd levels say it is, too. DL only used to use FP on Haunted Mansion when it was decked out for the holidays (now I think it's around all the time, but it didn't used to). The holiday version is the only time I've waited 40 minutes for Haunted Mansion at DL as well. I know 40 minutes is fairly normal for WDW, but not DL.
Looking at wait times lately, I'm worried that those 40 minute waits are becoming more normal. It's Spring Break time, of course, so hopefully that's all it is.

Honestly, I don't think that HMH is more popular, I think it's the limited time aspect of it. If the roles were reversed, and regular HM was the limited time engagement, the wait times would probably be reversed as well.
 
Looking at wait times lately, I'm worried that those 40 minute waits are becoming more normal. It's Spring Break time, of course, so hopefully that's all it is.

Honestly, I don't think that HMH is more popular, I think it's the limited time aspect of it. If the roles were reversed, and regular HM was the limited time engagement, the wait times would probably be reversed as well.

Really it makes no difference to me. We ride it every time we go regardless of whether it's original or holiday. I just like the holiday one better, but I actually like the retheming of classic rides. Hyperspace Mountain and Ghost Galaxy are better than the original Space Mountain imo.

I even have no problem with the retheming of ToT to GotG: Mission Breakout at DCA. So long as WDW maintains the original ride, I like that DLR can have it's own version of the ride. I actually wish they'd have left Soarin' alone at DCA, considering it was Soarin' Over California. It didn't make sense at WDW, so switching to Soarin' Over the Horizon there is great.
 
Really it makes no difference to me. We ride it every time we go regardless of whether it's original or holiday. I just like the holiday one better, but I actually like the retheming of classic rides. Hyperspace Mountain and Ghost Galaxy are better than the original Space Mountain imo.

I even have no problem with the retheming of ToT to GotG: Mission Breakout at DCA. So long as WDW maintains the original ride, I like that DLR can have it's own version of the ride. I actually wish they'd have left Soarin' alone at DCA, considering it was Soarin' Over California. It didn't make sense at WDW, so switching to Soarin' Over the Horizon there is great.

I haven't been on either of the Space Mountain rethemes, but I'll be doing Hyperspace 7 weeks from today, so I'm excited for that. I agree with you on all of the other points (wellllll... besides HMH being better :) ).
 








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