If you could pick between a week in April or summer time

[kniquy]

We are planning ahead as we really know nothing about DL. We are well versed with WDW but gather DL is a different animal.

Here is what we have so far: Want to go for 7 days and do 5 days of parks.
Our options right now (planning for 2021) will be going during our kids April school vacation - usually the 3rd week of April (I'm guessing it would be around 4/19/21) or to go sometime in July or early August.

Going in April we would be limited to 7 days, but summer time we could make the trip a little longer. I see Food and Wine might be going on if we chose April - is this worth adding as a pro for April? We are not drinkers but are definitely foodies.

Tell me any pro/cons for each time frame.

 

[dieumeye]

Go during whatever dates will allow you to spend the most time at the park.

Weather is likely to be cooler in April (mid 50s - mid 70s) than in July/August (mid 60s - mid 80s), but honestly there's no guarantee it'll be one way or the other.

If you're worried about crowds, April is spring break, and summer is summer break, so not necessarily much difference there, but it's hard to say this far out. SW:GE will have been open about 2 years by then. Superhero Land will have been open a year. Who knows what they'll be opening or building in 2021, but with 5 days at the parks you should be able to do a lot at either time of year.

Food & Wine Festival is fun at DCA, but it's probably more of a bonus if you happen to catch it, than something you should plan your entire trip around. No need to hit the festival to get some good food - you can book a table at Napa Rose (look into the Chef's Counter).

Also, look around the boards because there are some threads for WDW people who are going to DL for the first time. Lots of great info there on the differences in approach to each park.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

This thread has good information for your trip planning (keep in mind this thread is pre-SWGE): A DLR Guide for WDW Vets.

 

[Michele King]

I agree with the above poster, Food and Wine is fun, but not something to plan your trip around. If summer allows more days, I might choose summer. April is spring break time, but most spring breaks occur in the 1st and 2nd weeks of April. So coming the 3rd week will be better. Summer crowds are likely to be more heavy than the 3rd week of April. Another thing to note is weather. It's definitely cooler in April, but you also risk cloudy and possibly rainy days. We've had a lot of those this year. At the end of July and August, you are looking at mainly highs in the 80s, but again, you risk some 90s days. It's not Florida summer hot, but it can get hot here too.
I personally prefer the summer, but I grew up in Florida and I enjoy the warmer weather that summer offers. In the summer I love to take a break in the heat of the day and go to the pool.
I grew up in Florida and moved to California when I was 29. I have been WDW more times than I can count growing up and went there again over this last Christmas. I have lived in California now for the last 20 years, and I can easily say that I much prefer DLR over WDW. I think you will love it.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

When our kids were younger, we preferred the summer for longer trips. When we do family trips now, we prefer summer to take longer trips to have some down days between park days. We have been pretty fortunate, I only remember a handful of days over dozens of trips that were super hot. Summer has longer hours and most if not all the entertainment going. We hit the parks hard early then take decent afternoon breaks to beat some heat. Maxpass has made the art of the afternoon break so much easier now.

With 5 park days, I would make sure I had at least one day off from the parks half way through no matter what time of year you go. In summer, this an easy pool or beach day. There is also a lot to see in the surrounding areas not theme park or beach oriented to meet just about anyones needs/wants.

 

[nkereina]

Does the April break depend on Easter? Where we live, April break can vary depending on how Easter falls, which will be April 4th in 2021. If your break is usually the third week regardless of how Easter falls, that may at least help you miss any Easter break crowds. But it will still coincide with other spring breakers. Also, keep in mind that flight prices from your home city may be higher in April than in the summer as well. Where we live in NY, everyone flocks to Orlando during winter break and spring break and flight prices can be almost double what they are during a "regular" week.

 

[midnight star]

Like someone above said. Go when it works best for you.
If I had to pick between April or Summer, I'd pick summer. Less closures, more entertainment to choose from, and I prefer it to be warm. April the weather can vary.

 

[Indiana Scott]

We go during the time of year you stipulated. After lots of research, we go around the second week of May each time. While there will be some attractions that are down, it is generally slower and with Max Pass, we don't ever have to stand in line more than 30 minutes and often much less.
Restaurants inside and outside of the resort are much easier to get into during that time as well.

If we were going this year, we would leave on the 4th or 5th of May and come home that following Friday.

 

[tarheelalum]

The last 7 days of April is usually very nice crowd wise and for weather. Summer is nice as well especially during those times most of the annual passes are blocked out but it can get very hot at times during the summer months. More likely to have all of the shows and parades running during the summer months. Longer operating hours as well.

 

[ChrissyLou]

There are some perks to April, but with Spring Break and Easter crowds (I didn't look to see where it falls in 2021), I'd vote for summer. Honestly our August trip (although it was late August) was one of the least crowded of any of our trips, but that was several years ago. It was HOT, but if you're used to WDW humidity you can probably handle Orange County summer temps. just fine. The longer trip allows you to do and see some other things in the area besides Disneyland as well.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

I would vote for April every time. I've vowed never to go to DLR during summer again. Way too crowded and way too hot. I've lived in CA all my life and am used to the heat, but it feels so much worse when you're trying to find your way though the throng of sweaty people on very narrow paths to the one square foot of shade available. There was one particularly humid summer where I almost passed out, and CMs had to provide me with a fan and cold water. Never again. I can do crowded, or I can do hot, but I can't do both.

April is actually one of my favorite times to go. I have been in the first and third weeks of April before, and the weather and crowds were optimal. I just went again this year, a week ago, and there was a bit of a hot spell - the temps had been in the 60s and rainy and then all of a sudden for the three days that we were there the temps shot up to the 90s. However, since the crowds weren't bad and the humidity wasn't terrible, I didn't really mind. It's true that the weather can be more variable in April, but I would take an unpredictable spring shower over the risk of 110+ degrees with high humidity any day.

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

If it matters, Easter 2021 is April 4. Does that affect your kids Spring Break?
I like early June better than April or August. It is usually overcast in the morning and nice afternoons. But to keep on subject, I would take August as I really like the hot days.