Newbie here...is Easter week too crowded?

[Katems]

Hello, I'm a Disney World vet, but have never been to Disneyland. Easter next year is Sunday, April 8th and I'm thinking of going Tuesday, April 10th through Saturday, April 14th.

Is that crazy?? I have no clue!!

Thanks!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

This one's tough since crowds are so subjective. The week before and week after Easter are usually the two busiest weeks of spring break season since so many public schools are out. I don't like to take my kids out of school though, so we have been often at these times. Our experience is that the parks are very busy, but if you follow all the usual Disney tips, i.e. get there early, use fastpass, make some PS's and/or eat off-peak, and have a good attitude, you'll be fine. I will say that the week after Easter historically has felt a bit less crowded to us than our week before Easter trips.

 

[Katems]

Thank you. We are definitely rope drop people and utilize FP all day long. This would probably be our only trip out there though so I'd hate for it to be too crowded to enjoy it. We are used to late August crowds at Disney World and those are very easily managed as most schools have just started back up again. Spring break is a time frame we have always avoided but I didn't know if it was quite so bad out in Land as opposed to World which has notorious crowds that time of year.

 

[Katems]

I had a new thought....how is it during February break?? Up here in the northeast we always get a week off in February...this coming year it will be February 18-26. Would we be better off going then??

Thanks!

 

[HydroGuy]

Hello, I'm a Disney World vet, but have never been to Disneyland. Easter next year is Sunday, April 8th and I'm thinking of going Tuesday, April 10th through Saturday, April 14th.

Is that crazy?? I have no clue!!

Thanks!

I had a new thought....how is it during February break?? Up here in the northeast we always get a week off in February...this coming year it will be February 18-26. Would we be better off going then??

Thanks!

February will be less crowded than Spring Break/April. But be careful trying too hard to avoid crowds at DLR. Off-season works differently than at WDW.

See

"Choosing When To Visit DLR: Summary of High and Low Season and When Each Happens" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602

"What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I had a new thought....how is it during February break?? Up here in the northeast we always get a week off in February...this coming year it will be February 18-26. Would we be better off going then??

Thanks!

February break will be less crowded than spring break near Easter time. There are some drawbacks however. For one thing, it may be more crowded than you expect since more schools these days are getting a February break, and since that's the week with the President's Day holiday that may be the week many schools select. Our school district did furloughs last year so gave that whole week off, but they're not doing that this year. Anyway, when we were there at that time last year, other people I knew who went expressed surprise over how busy the parks were since they were expecting off-season crowds. Whether or not the rest of the week is busy, the weekend is still likely to be fairly busy, AP blockouts or not, since it's a holiday weekend. It was definitely busy when we went just for the weekend a few years ago.

The other problem with February is that hours and entertainment offerings will be reduced. If you go during spring break near Easter, there's a good chance DL will be open 8 AM to midnight each day and be offering all the entertainment including fireworks and Fantasmic everyday. DCA should also have long hours. Last February, during the week you are considering, DL closed at 9 I think and DCA might have closed as early as 8 on the weekdays after President's Day, and some of the entertainment was only during the weekend.