Please Help Me With Our Itinerary

[Bubblegum1286]

Hey everyone!

We are not APs. We live in TX and try to make a Disney trip every two or three yrs. This year, the only time we can go is June. Bad time to go, I know. But it is what it is.

We will arrive in Anaheim on the night of June 19th. We are planning 3 days in the parks, one day at Santa Monica beach/pier, and one day sight seeing in Hollywood.

So... What are the least crowded, wisest days to be in the parks from Saturday June 20th to Wednesday the 25th? We like the idea of breaking up our park days as well. We have five days total in Southern CA, 3 Disney days, 2 sight-seeing days. Any suggestions on how you would spread it out are welcome. Thanks in advance!

 

[figment_jii]

By the time you go in June, the parks will be in full summer operating mode, which means long hours, full entertainment, and high crowds. I don't really know if there are going to be any days that are markedly better than others at that point. A lot of schools are already out for summer vacation, so I would expect pretty full crowds all days of the week. I would just go with whichever days work best for the rest of your schedule.

 

[MouseEXP]

I don't think the dates you are going will be to bad. Sure it isn't "off season", but if you get to the parks 15 minutes before it opens you can get a lot done before lunch with low crowds.

Also, the Deluxe and Southern California Annual Passholders will be blocked out on the 20th so it shouldn't be to bad on that date.

Not sure you have access to Early Magic Hour so dates and such could be determined by that.

 

[agamble]

June isn't that bad. We've been a few times and the weather is nice and the parks are busy, but not yet slammed. Get to the gates about 20 minutes before opening, use FPs, and use a wait time app or call ask Otto to check times. Try to go on days when there are no grad nights (if they're still happening that week). Think about what park you want to start in. You'll have MM at DL 1 day, I'd go Tuesday if that day works for your schedule. Choose a day to go to DCA that is not an EMH day for hotel guests (unless you're staying at a Disney hotel). Thursday could be a good day. Enjoy your trip.

 

[enrai]

I'd say weekdays will be slightly less busy. We'll be going in July and will use the "weekdays" strategy. My family usually go before Memorial Day weekend, but starting from this year we'll have to go in the summer since our son's in school now...

Have fun!

 

[aceskyjump]

Weekdays are definitely the only hope you have of getting light crowds. But with the 60th anniversary having just kicked off a month earlier... it's going to be crazy! Try to get to the park as early as possible and manage your expectations. This is going to be the busiest summer yet!

 

[ParkHopper1]

Weekdays are definitely the only hope you have of getting light crowds.

Not necessarily true during summer peak season when schools are out any more. I have found over the past two summers the weekends to be the lighter of the days due to everyone thinking the same and AP's being blacked out. Some of our lightest summer days were Saturdays and Sundays and busiest were mid week.

 

[Bubblegum1286]

You guys are really helping me feel better. I was getting pretty discouraged looking at the estimated crowd levels from various travel sites. None of the days we're going are marked as a 10 out of 10, but that Sunday (the 21st) is a 9 out of 10 in California Adventure. I certainly don't want to save up for so long for such a special trip and not get to do half of what we wanted to do because of crowds.

 

[VandVsmama]

I think that the trick to making busy summer days at DL work is to follow Hydroguy's tips:

1. Get to DL/DCA before the park opens, preferably 30 min before official opening. So on summer days when regular park opening is at 8am, get to the turnstiles at 7:30 am.
   
2. Go, go, go on rides all morning while the crowds are low.
   
3. Go back to your hotel for an afternoon break. Take a nap, swim in the pool.
4. Head back to the parks late afternoon.
5. Eat lunch & dinner at off hours, so you're going on rides while everyone else is in line to eat.
6. See fireworks your 1st night there.
7. if you'll have Magic Morning entry, try to use it on your 1st day when you're the most rested & refreshed. Getting up really early gets harder as the days progress on your vacation.
8. Have each person in your group pick the #1 ride that they REALLY want to go on and make sure that they go on that ride on day #1 of your trip (just in case there are ride break downs the rest of your stay). For our June trip, DH & YDD want to go on Star Tours, ODD wants to meet the fairies in Pixie Hollow, and I want to go on Pirates of the Caribbean.

And this is one of MY suggestions:
Get a subscription to Ridemax and use it!

• It can help you take best advantage of your time there.
• You plug in up to 13 attractions you want to see at the park that day.
• You also enter in stuff like: whether or not you're going to use Fast Passes, time you'll enter the park, time you'll leave the park.
• Then the application calculates an itinerary for you. FOLLOW THIS ITINERARY if you don't want to wait in lines for an hour per ride. Seriously. If you're running late, skip the attraction that you missed the start time for and go to the next one and then go back to that attraction later.
• Make a couple of back up itineraries (in case you sleep in, for example).

I used it 2 summers ago when we went to DL and we didn't wait more than 20 minutes for a ride the whole 3 days we were at DL.

 

[Bubblegum1286]

Get a subscription to Ridemax and use it!

• It can help you take best advantage of your time there.
• You plug in up to 13 attractions you want to see at the park that day.
• You also enter in stuff like: whether or not you're going to use Fast Passes, time you'll enter the park, time you'll leave the park.
• Then the application calculates an itinerary for you. FOLLOW THIS ITINERARY if you don't want to wait in lines for an hour per ride. Seriously. If you're running late, skip the attraction that you missed the start time for and go to the next one and then go back to that attraction later.
• Make a couple of back up itineraries (in case you sleep in, for example).

I used it 2 summers ago when we went to DL and we didn't wait more than 20 minutes for a ride the whole 3 days we were at DL.

Wow! That's great advice! Thanks. I'm looking at the Ridemax subscription now. Does it allow for spontaneous stops for snacks or pin trading or running into a character?

 

[enrai]

I have found over the past two summers the weekends to be the lighter of the days due to everyone thinking the same and AP's being blacked out. Some of our lightest summer days were Saturdays and Sundays and busiest were mid week.

Really? I've never thought about that before. Being from outside California, I didn't even consider the AP blackout dates. I'll keep that in mind and hopefully it will be one of those week where everyone stays away so my family can enjoy the park to ourselves... dreams do come true?!?!?

 

[agamble]

AP blackouts make a difference. On summer Saturdays only the Premium/Premier passes are eligible. That means the park is mostly full of tourists rather than locals. It's still busy because it's summer and people are vacationing, but the days could be lighter than expected.

 

[::danielle::]

My dates and itinerary is very similar to the OP. I have a question regarding what to do our first day in So. Cal.

Like the OP, our arrival day is a grad night (June 17). We get in mid-morning to SNA and have a good chunk of the day to do something. The earliest we could get to the park is 12pm, which means we'll miss out on the prime park times for a grad night. That's fine but I don't know how to spend the rest of our day. Any suggestions?

 

[Bubblegum1286]

That's fine but I don't know how to spend the rest of our day. Any suggestions?

Are you wanting to spend the rest of your day at the parks or somewhere else? Southern Cali is the best vacation destination in the US (IMHO)

 

[::danielle::]

Are you wanting to spend the rest of your day at the parks or somewhere else? Southern Cali is the best vacation destination in the US (IMHO)

My thought is that we shouldn't go to the park because of grad night. I'm not really sure what to do that first afternoon and evening. I'm open to suggestions.

 

[tiffjoy]

My thought is that we shouldn't go to the park because of grad night. I'm not really sure what to do that first afternoon and evening. I'm open to suggestions.

Are you a beach person? There are some great beaches just a short drive away. I would plan to head for a beach and eat in that area for dinner to avoid rush hour getting back. We like Huntington and Laguna.

That's also a great time to go to DTD and do some browsing and shopping. Maybe eat dinner at one of the nice restaurants there or Goofy's for a character experience. You can watch the fireworks from the esplanade between the parks.

If your hotel has a pool, you could swim after arrival and then do the DTD thing.

One of our favorite LA activities is Griffith Park Observatory. Again, I would plan on doing dinner somewhere relatively close and not try to get back to your hotel. Another fun place is The Grove, where you can sometimes see celebrities. My girls love the AG store, and we eat at the really nice Farmer's Market. It has so many great food options. Beverly Hills is right there, so you could do a little sightseeing and head to The Grove around dinnertime.

 

[Bubblegum1286]

-I was going to suggest Griffith Park. The original 1924 carosel that inspired Walt Disney to create Disneyland is still working in the park. The observatory is neat too. There's a steam train museum, lots of stuff to do.

-If you're wanting/willing to go into L.A., we visited the La Brea Tar Pits two years ago and that was pretty cool. It was fascinating seeing the tar pits bubble and swirl and seeing the fossils found out there.

-There's also the "classic" attractions that are a fun way to spend an afternoon, such as Madame Toussauds, the Kodak/Grauman/Whatever the name is now Theater, Santa Monica Promenade.

-If you're a book nut (like I am), there are some fantastic bookstores in LA to get lost in for a while. Some favorites of mine are: The Last Bookstore (on S Spring), Counterpoint Records and Books (Franklin Ave in Hollywood), and Mystery Pier Books (in West Hollywood).

-Dylan's Candy Bar is one of those iconic (new) places to stop by in LA. Pink's Hot Dogs is on N La Brea so if you're doing the tar pits, you could do these together. It's one of those famous dives that everyone should try once. The onion rings are delicious.

-My husband's favorite place to kill time in LA is the Farmer's Market. He insists on going by anytime we go to SoCal. That's a really neat place to just wander around, taste some local foods, do some shopping, buy some fudge (yum!), fresh breads, scarves, toys, books, kind of anything you can imagine. There's a Spanish restaurant that serves authentic paella that's really delicious. We make it a point to eat there when we're at the FM.

-Other great beaches were mentioned. We're taking our kids to the Santa Monica pier. The famous ferris wheel is something my son loves to do. I secretly love it to (though it's no Disneyland).

 

[KellaCat]

My dates and itinerary is very similar to the OP. I have a question regarding what to do our first day in So. Cal.

Like the OP, our arrival day is a grad night (June 17). We get in mid-morning to SNA and have a good chunk of the day to do something. The earliest we could get to the park is 12pm, which means we'll miss out on the prime park times for a grad night. That's fine but I don't know how to spend the rest of our day. Any suggestions?

We arrive around mid-morning on Saturday 5/30 and not hitting the parks till Sunday. So Saturday we are going to Farrells' for lunch and ice cream (our must-do spot!) on the way from the airport. Then stopping at the grocery store, and checking in the hotel. Maybe pool time, depending what time it is. Then doing DTD in the evening - dinner and maybe a movie at the DTD theater. DH thinks it would be fun to see Miles from Tomorrowland while we're at Disney Then early bedtime since we'll be jetlagged, and up early on Sunday morning!

 

[Bubblegum1286]

Do you have to have tickets to get into DTD?

 

[KellaCat]

Do you have to have tickets to get into DTD?

Nope, it's open to all. Full of shops, restaurants and great people watching.

You could also do a character dinner at Goofy's Kitchen at DLR hotel if you want to start the "Disney Experience" without entering the parks. We did that one year.