High Season ride waiting times?

[Panonim]

So, can I just get some opinions on what the lineup wait times would be like during high season (say, June-August)?

Long story, but we are trying to decide whether to go to DLR this summer (would have to be between late June and late August), or wait until next spring (March-May-ish).

I read through the long thread about high season vs low season, so I understand the tradeoffs. I am not too concerned about missing major rides, shorter park hours, fewer shows, etc. We have very small kids so those things aren't as important to us.

What does not appeal to me is the heat, the crowds, and the long ride wait times that I would presume would happen in the summer. To manage through that with a toddler and a preschooler is not our idea of good times

But I wanted to check with the experts before we make a final decision. So what are the ride wait times like? I'm talking about the tame rides like Peter Pan, Dumbo, Small World, etc. But also things like Jungle Cruise and Splash Mtn (I know there's FPs, but even with a FP, do you end up waiting at all?)

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Dobie]

Ok, so the heat, the crowds, and the long wait times are in the afternoon and early evening. Mornings are fantastic in August. You would have little or no wait on any of those rides first thing in the morning. With Splash Mountain, I have never waited more than 10 minutes when I had a FP.

With teeny tiny kids like yours, the hotel pool will be a huge draw...it is not always warm enough to swim in March or April. In March and April, you also have spring break crowds, which makes the park worse crowd wise than in summer.

 

[DLR29]

These are just approx. wait times that I've seen in the many trips I've made to DLR during summer:

Peter Pan-5/10 min for the first 5 min of park opening. 35-45 min the rest of the day. Peter Pan first!

Dumbo-5/10 min for the first 30min/hour of park opening. 30-45 min the rest of the day, although the line does die down a little at night.

IASW-Less than 15 min until early afternoon. Can reach up to 25-30 min during the middle of the day, but the line moves quickly.

Jungle Cruise-Usually no more than 15 min all day, unless the day is particularly crowded.

Splash-Anywhere between 60-90 min from late morning until early evening. With FP, you won't wait more than 15 min. At night, the lines drop significantly. Also Splash in the morning usually has a short line because it's in a corner and it takes people a while to get over there. But during the summer, the lines get long.

It really depends on how many people the ride can put through at a time. For example, Pirates and Haunted Mansion can hold a ton of people at a time, so lines don't get longer than 25/30 min. But Alice and Peter Pan load slowly, resulting in lines up to 45/50 min long.

 

[Panonim]

Hmmmm, food for thought....thanks to you both!

If we chose next spring, we would definitely avoid spring break times as much as possible. I think I read that late April & May should be quieter?

 

[jdb in AZ]

When students aren't on spring break, their band/orchestra/choirs, cheerleaders, debate team (you get the picture) go on tour and compete in music festivals, and of course the kids have to go to Disneyland. And while some local schools don't get out for the summer til mid or late June, other schools in neighboring states finish the third week of May.

Then you need to be aware of what's happening at the nearby Anaheim Convention center. There's always some convention or other in town, sometimes bringing in thousands of visitors. Gotta watch out for those music products people (89,000 people in January) and the dentists. While the dedicated convention goers are in mtgs, their families are playing in the parks. You can check the convention center calendar at http://www.anaheimoc.org/conventioncalendar/index.asp If the hot link doesn't work, just Google Anaheim Convention Calendar. Click on the bullet that says "select a date range" and enter the dates you're looking at, and you'll see the conflicting conventions and the expected number of attendees.

 

[DLR29]

Hmmmm, food for thought....thanks to you both!

If we chose next spring, we would definitely avoid spring break times as much as possible. I think I read that late April & May should be quieter?

In no way was my response to scare you off from high season. Instead, you have to know when to go to which ride AND use FP, and you can avoid lines. In fact, I tend to enjoy going during the summer more than most other seasons. By getting there early and having a plan, summer can be one of the best options.

Going during late April and May would be less crowded; however:
a) There will be at least a couple rides down for refurbishment. Disney (wisely) chooses to refurb rides during the low seasons as opposed to the high seasons. Some people get disappointed when they choose low-crowded times only to find out that a major ride will be closed.

b) Park hours are significantly shorter. During the summer, DL is open from 8AM-12AM daily, and DCA 10AM-10PM. During the middle of the week during low season, the parks might only be open from 10AM-8PM.

c) Following that, the entertainment schedule is severely limited during the weekdays of "low season". No fantasmic or fireworks except for on weekends. If you go during the summer, they are shown nightly.

I recommend reading these Hydroguy tips:
"What You Should Know About Off Season at DLR" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

"Getting the Most Out of a Summer Visit at DLR" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

"Choosing When To Visit DLR: Summary of High and Low Season and When Each Happens" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602

And the rest of Hydroguy's amazing rules:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

 

[frijolefrito]

I'm going in high season but with AP dates blacked out. I was at first thinking I'm crazy then blackjack was all... dude I"m going that time you'll be fine. I thought about it and was like... he's right! I mean honestly disney is a great time no matter what. Waiting in lines or not it's great fun just being with family. I went during off season and rides were closed and no fireworks!!! I was like WHAT! Plus it closed early and I took a double take! My kids will blaze trails and BAM I will too!!! Soo.. yah DON'T FEAR THE REAPER. LoL I'm sorry I'm just kinda pumped right now!

 

[Panonim]

In no way was my response to scare you off from high season. Instead, you have to know when to go to which ride AND use FP, and you can avoid lines. In fact, I tend to enjoy going during the summer more than most other seasons. By getting there early and having a plan, summer can be one of the best options.

Going during late April and May would be less crowded; however:
a) There will be at least a couple rides down for refurbishment. Disney (wisely) chooses to refurb rides during the low seasons as opposed to the high seasons. Some people get disappointed when they choose low-crowded times only to find out that a major ride will be closed.

b) Park hours are significantly shorter. During the summer, DL is open from 8AM-12AM daily, and DCA 10AM-10PM. During the middle of the week during low season, the parks might only be open from 10AM-8PM.

c) Following that, the entertainment schedule is severely limited during the weekdays of "low season". No fantasmic or fireworks except for on weekends. If you go during the summer, they are shown nightly.

I recommend reading these Hydroguy tips:
"What You Should Know About Off Season at DLR" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

"Getting the Most Out of a Summer Visit at DLR" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

"Choosing When To Visit DLR: Summary of High and Low Season and When Each Happens" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602

And the rest of Hydroguy's amazing rules:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

Yeah, see, considering our family, I still think that the "cons" of low season wouldn't bother us much. Most of the rides we would go on don't have FPs (the kiddie/tame rides). I know some rides will be closed - no biggie. There will still be tons of others that appeal to us. Short park hours are fine since our kids are wiped out by 7-8 pm anyway (and so are we ) Nightly entertainment isn't a big deal to us since, see above - the kids are ready for bed by 8 pm anyway.

Yeah, I guess I'm just convincing myself that spring would be better than summer for us! We just don't want to do 30 min or longer lineups with our little kids. I know pp said that early mornings are much lighter for crowds, which is great, we could be there early, but then we are still fighting crowds for the rest of the day.

Anyway, thanks all for your input!