June 4 grad night

[robynv]

I've never been on a grad night. I don't know what to expect but for the park closing around 9 ish. Will there be crowds of teens during the day as well?

We plan to go every other day so June 2, 4, and 6 and 7 because we leave the 8th. So it works out that June 4 is one of the days we want to hit the parks. We arrive June 1.

Our plan is 4 days in the parks alternating with relax days at the hotel. But has anyone gone on a grad night?

 

[jenjersnap]

We were there for that grad night (and week) last year. I didn't notice any more kids on Thursday - or, general sense of being much busier - than any other day during that week ... there will be TONS of teens around anyway because it's the end of the school year with lots of class trips heading to DLR.

 

[Disney Dreams]

The Grad Night itself does not do much for crowds during the day because their park admission is not good until the private party starts - after the park closes.

 

[grumpy's fan]

We're there the first week as well. We also went last year during this time and there was also a grad night. Like previous posters stated, I didn't notice any real difference in crowds that day. Main difference was the park closed early that day. This year we picked June 4 to be our newport beach day so we'll be playing at the beach instead.

Have a fantastic time!

 

[mystic_path]

Good question. I cant help you out there by knowing the teenage crowd levels, cause my family usually takes any Thursday grad night off and go to like Universal or Knotts or do something else. We dont like risking the possibility of a million teenagers skipping school during the day and bombarding us by coming to the park early. Then we also skip using a park pass on a day the park closes a little earlier. But like others have said here, their pass for grad night isnt valid until the private party starts. But this doesnt mean that the local students dont have annual passes for during the day.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Good question. I cant help you out there by knowing the teenage crowd levels, cause my family usually takes any Thursday grad night off and go to like Universal or Knotts or do something else. We dont like risking the possibility of a million teenagers skipping school during the day and bombarding us by coming to the park early. Then we also skip using a park pass on a day the park closes a little earlier. But like others have said here, their pass for grad night isnt valid until the private party starts. But this doesnt mean that the local students dont have annual passes for during the day.

However, the idea of Grad Night is that it takes place on their graduation evening. So, generally speaking, logistically, the students are at graduation / with family prior to Grad Night. Also, in order to attend Grad Night, students must arrive on a bus from their school, again, it doesn't really make sense that they would be at the Park prior to Grad Night.

 

[daisy2jae]

Doesn't sound like the teen crowds should be a problem if coming from a bus...Although we did change our trip to the next week so I wouldn't have to take any chances...Plus we needed to be sure Peter Pan Ride was up and running couldn't miss that!

 

[fairycat]

I went to Grad Night many years ago when I graduated. Even if you don't do the event on your actual Graduation Night (our new school put in our dates too late so we got our date two weeks before our graduation). As Disney Dreams said students have to be bused in to attend the event. Besides that many schools do dinners or other activities before they take you to DL, I know we went to the Wild West Show that used to be where the Pirate's Dinner show is now, and my cousins school took them to Dave and Buster's First.

Overall because their passes are not excepted until the event opens, you have to be bused and you usually have other things going on you won't see the Grad's in the park earlier in the day. Just other kid's who got out of school earlier then others.

 

[Mugglemama]

i also attended my grad nite at disneyland nearly 20 years ago, as i graduated from a school in the area. we didn't even meet at the school to get on the bus until after 10pm. the actual grad nite event was from 12-6am, although we had to leave the park before that because we had to be on the bus ready to drive away by 6am sharp.

my niece attended her grad nite the summer before last and it was the exact same type of situation. she said they got there at midnight, but didn't even get IN until 1am because they were searching everyone before they went in. she had to leave before 6am to get back to her bus.

and although grad nite doesn't always coincide with graduation dates (although mine did, and so did my niece's), it shouldn't make a difference as to the crowds because those kids are still in school and would be at school during the day.

 

[23bw]

Based on this 2009 chaperon guide for Grad Night, I don't think it's going to be a problem. The high schoolers won't be showing up until after the park closes. Then they get bussed in and start activities at 9:30pm at the very earliest.


I don't have enough post counts to add a URL but look do a search and you'll find all the details in the Grad Night chaperon guide.