July Hours?

[gmi3804]

I know they're not officially announced until the month before, but am I safe in assuming they'll be pretty close to last year's hours, even with the 60th festivities?

In general, how does the AP blackout period affect crowd levels compared to non-AP blackout periods in the summer season? I'm visiting for the 60th weekend, 15-19 July; will the special weekend pretty much negate any lower crowd advantage triggered by an AP blackout?

 

[figment_jii]

I know they're not officially announced until the month before, but am I safe in assuming they'll be pretty close to last year's hours, even with the 60th festivities?

I doubt the 60th anniversary will have much effects on the overall hours in July. I would go with last year's schedule as being a pretty good rule of thumb for this year, expect perhaps on the 17th itself.

In general, how does the AP blackout period affect crowd levels compared to non-AP blackout periods in the summer season? I'm visiting for the 60th weekend, 15-19 July; will the special weekend pretty much negate any lower crowd advantage triggered by an AP blackout?

July 17th is likely to be one the busiest days of the years. I would expect that crowds will be at or near capacity at some point during that day. In general, the AP blockouts happen when DLR estimates that they can fill the park with non-AP holders (i.e., peak season crowds). So, the summer is generally one of the busiest periods of the year (along with Spring Break and Christmas). I don't think there is really a "lower crowd advantage" due to AP blockouts in the peak of summer.

 

[SMD]

There's a good chance DL will close earlier on the 16th. There could also be some kind of media event on the 15th or 16th. For the 50th the park was completely closed the day before. Now they do many more media events than they used to. For the 50th kick off the lined the hub with radio stations during regular park operations. Now they do red carpets and social media events that aren't open to the public. Expect the 18th and 19th to be more like regular July park days.