July vs. August

[maci]

Ok so I was thinking of going mid August, thinking MAYBE the parks would be calming down by then. No I am thinking NOT!

Looking at park hours for July the first couple of weeks DL is open til 11 instead of 12....which would indicate that they expect less people, right?

Plus looking at rates for hotels in Santa Cruz and by yosemite, the rates are cheaper in early July than in mid August as well!

It just bugs me to DEATH to do Disney during peak times! I usually do WDW in Oct or Nov, when it is not too crowded.


Any thoughts july vs. August?

 

[DangerMouse]

If I had to choose, I would pick mid-August. Many local schools and AZ schools are back in session the second week of August, so that should reduce some of the vacationing crowds. As always, mid-week will be better than weekends.

 

[maci]

If I do August, we would be at Disney August 14-leaving the 18th.

Will California schools be back in by then?


Thanks!

 

[DangerMouse]

Some, but definitely not all. There are so many different school calendars now, with different variations of year-round, that the calendars are really all over the place. Not to mention the community colleges and universities that have completely different calendars than the public schools. . .

I know that a couple very large school districts here in AZ go back on the 13th.

HTH.

 

[LittleWoodenHead]

Early July vs. mid-August? I think it's six of one, half dozen of the other (not counting the 4th, of course).

The dates you're considering are all SoCal Annual Pass blockout dates, which means that DL is still expecting large crowds of vacationers. And, with Nemo opening this June, I expect DL will be incredibly busy all summer long.

If it bugs you to DEATH to do Disney during peak times, neither of those time periods are going to suit you.

 

[HydroGuy]

For many years DL was open until Midnight all summer. One parameter Disney tracks which affects guest satisfaction is how many rides each visitor experiences on average. If the average is 9 rides per day, Disney knows this correlates with satisfied guests.

Disney noticed the actual average in the summer months was creeping up to 10 rides per day. In 2006 they decided they could close at 11PM and still allow the number to be at least 9 rides per day. And they could reduce operating costs. So in the summer of 2006 they started closing at 11PM on Mon-Thurs. Apparently they thought this worked, as they are doing something similar in 2007. Looking at the calendar, it appears they are going back to the weekday midnight schedule in late July.

It does not have anything to do with expecting less guests than previous years. DLR attendance is still booming.

Along a similar same line, the last couple years DLR has kept DCA open until 10PM all summer. This year the schedule shows it closing at 9PM, even on weekends.

In answer to the OP, I agree that July vs. August does not matter - except around July 4 and when the AP blackout lifts in late August (around the 20th). With Nemo opening this summer, I would expect a surge of AP holders in the parks in late August. If I had complte flexibility on choosing dates to visit this summer, I would choose the week of August 13.

 

[blackjackdelta]

If I had complte flexibility on choosing dates to visit this summer, I would choose the week of August 13.[/QUOTE]


I am glad that Trey agree's with me on this one. After doing a bit of research and having been the last two years around the 3rd week in August, the week of the 13th is our pick. I have also found a number of places already booked for this we so we are not alone..bummer.

Good luck and have a great trip.

Jack

 

[maci]

Thanks for the thoughts guys!

I am guessing you are right with the 6 of one half a dozen of the other. Just going to have to buckle down for crowds.

As my DS said, " We will just use Fast pass mom"... He has been trained SO well!

 

[blackjackdelta]

Thanks for the thoughts guys!

I am guessing you are right with the 6 of one half a dozen of the other. Just going to have to buckle down for crowds.

As my DS said, " We will just use Fast pass mom"... He has been trained SO well!

Good luck and have fun..enjoy.

Jack