July visit help

[yolie3025]

Hi! I’m needing some help with our July trip. We will be in California July 15-20 and I’m having a really hard time determining what days would be best to go. I will admit I just assumed weekdays would be best but it appears I might have been wrong. We are planning for two days at Disney and the rest visiting California. Are there any other events going on that might affect crowd levels? TYIA

Travel party
DD-10, DS-5 (early b-day present, turns 6 the week after our trip) DH and myself

 

[jlp879]

Start by checking the online crowd calendar predictors. Undercover Tourist and Touring Plans come to mind.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Crowd calendars are rather unreliable for DLR, especially since the 60th anniversary. July is a good month in general because the lower APs are blocked, hours are longer, there is more staffing, you'll have a full entertainment schedule, etc. Sundays and Mondays are now crowded days. Wednesdays are pretty good in general. The 17th is Disneyland's birthday. It's the 63rd, so not a big one, but there will be some kind of announcement in Town Square if you want to see it. Will this be a first time visit or have you been to DLR before (and recently)? Will you be park hopping? With 3 day tickets purchased in advance, you'll get a Magic Morning (one hour early entry to DL on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday) in FL or TL). That extra hour can really help you get a lot done with the FL rides (most of which don't have FP). Were you planning on doing any dining packages for shows, like Fantasmic!? You are within your 60 day window for making reservations, so that is something to think about. Just some thoughts and ideas to get you started...

 

[DizneyMommy]

Touring Plans’ crowd calendar is a great resource. It shows you blackout dates, hours, special events, and what level ticket price is in effect so you can get a full picture. Don’t base your dates solely off of AP dates as they can change and there can be other factors that have more of an impact.

Also be sure to check the refurbishment schedule in case something you want to ride is down

 

[DizneyMommy]

I don’t personally see a whole lot of difference in the dates you are looking at. I would just pick what works best for your trip. The park crowds should be fairly even the whole time.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

How many days are you going?

My usual recommendation is to go on Saturday, but I see that's the one day of the week you're not there! I'm assuming you don't have parkhoppers since you mention doing the parks on different days? I'd definitely do Wednesday at Disneyland. I'd probably avoid Tuesday the 17th, unless maybe you're doing DCA-only. Tuesday mornings at DL are bad because of MM, and with the birthday, you'll have people who show up for that (probably not a ton, but enough for a bump). Basically, I'd probably do Tuesday-Friday or Wednesday-Friday, depending on how many total days you'll be there - but as mentioned above, you're probably not going to see drastically different crowds on those days unless something unforeseen comes up like a special event or a unique weather situation or something.

 

[yolie3025]

Thank you all for your recommendations! We were torn between doing 2 days or 3. We weren’t planning on adding PH but I’m starting to think this might be the best way to go. @Skyegirl1999 I saw Saturdays are better and since we are driving I was considering moving our dates up because of that. @theluckyrabbit this is our second trip to Disneyland. However, our first time(2 years ago) we only visited DCA as it was a quick last minute trip and the kids really wanted to visit Carsland. I haven’t been to Disneyland since I was a kid myself. For Fantasmic, do you recommend the dining packages? And what show do you recommend, first or second?

Thank you once again! These boards were a lifesaver for our visits to WDW and I knew they would be once again

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... I haven’t been to Disneyland since I was a kid myself. For Fantasmic, do you recommend the dining packages? And what show do you recommend, first or second?..

Start reading through the threads here for recent info and updates on DL and DCA. You will want the latest info on ride refurbs, hours, any changes to the schedule, construction in DTD, etc. For F!, I do recommend doing a dining package for the easiest and best viewing. The second show will have the least crowded viewing, but with kids, the first show might be easiest for your schedule. Also, after the first show, you will be invited to stay in your reserved viewing area to watch the fireworks from the ROA. The digital projections will be shown on the water screens and the music will be piped in. It is a different experience from the view on Main Street (our current favorite spot for fireworks), so if you will see fireworks on more than one night, it could be fun to have two different views.