Questions!!!

[ltl engine]

Sorry I know this is kind of off topic but maybe some others experience would help....we just found out Cars Land was opening at DL in June. My boys LOVE Cars. DH already has vacation time from June 9th-June 17th--do we want to risk that CL will not be open then? Will it be SUPER busy that close to opening? The kids don't really care for super crowded places.

Part of our other dilemma is that in June--DS will be 1 and still a lap child, if we go in November or March 2013 he will be 2 so he requires his own plane seat. Not sure I want to try 3+ hour plane ride with a lap child but it saves on airfare...thoughts?

How is the weather June vs November vs March? I assume park hours will be shorter in November & March so we may need more days to do everything. How many days do we need? We will definitely take afternoon breaks.

Any other advice would be appreciated! I am making my way through the stickies....

 

[Malcon10t]

If Carsland opens in early June, then your dates will be slammed. But, we will all be there as we want to see it asap!

I never did the lap child, I had a seat for the kids as young as 6 weeks. For me, it was more about safety.

 

[skiingfast]

A. There is no known date of when Carsland will open. June is likely because that's when Summer starts but it's not a sure thing.

B. That is a really crazy period to go because of effects a large number of AP holders at DL has on crowds.


It would be much better to wait until mid summer and go midweek I would go 5 days then.

At DLR big crowds equal long hours and low crowds equal short hours, it's a trade off. November except for the week of Thankgiving is mostly uncrowded other than the weekends. March in the first week is uncrowded, then this year Spring Break starts and crowds pick up.

June has very nice weather. March and November both have some rain risk and it's cool. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=23004158

You may also want to read the following thread. The DLR guide for WDW vets.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[Argento]

As others have alluded to, Disneyland around Cars Land opening will be a mad house. First off, it'll be summer and Disneyland is jam packed under normal conditions (SoCal kids on summer vacation with annual passes, peak season tourists, etc.). Secondly, Disneyland also gets packed for introductions of new attractions, regardless of season (heck, it gets crazy for something as simple as holiday decorations).

Combine the crowds of both summer and the crowds of a new attraction -- especially an attraction as highly anticipated as Cars Land -- and it's not gonna be a very good time for anyone who absolutely hates crowds.

That said, Disneyland is still a blast and if you do your homework and plan things out, you can minimize how much the crowds impact your experience.

 

[HydroGuy]

As others have alluded to, Disneyland around Cars Land opening will be a mad house. First off, it'll be summer and Disneyland is jam packed under normal conditions (SoCal kids on summer vacation with annual passes, peak season tourists, etc.). Secondly, Disneyland also gets packed for introductions of new attractions, regardless of season (heck, it gets crazy for something as simple as holiday decorations).

Combine the crowds of both summer and the crowds of a new attraction -- especially an attraction as highly anticipated as Cars Land -- and it's not gonna be a very good time for anyone who absolutely hates crowds.

That said, Disneyland is still a blast and if you do your homework and plan things out, you can minimize how much the crowds impact your experience.

Opinions about summer crowds vary greatly. In general I rarely have found summer to be jam packed. Summer is busy but hours are longer. An early start each morning and FP collecting makes for an enjoyable day. Afternoon breaks to a nearby hotel also really help.

 

[Eeee-va]

If Carsland is a must-do and your kids "don't really care for super crowded places," I would not go for your dates in June. Carsland MIGHT be open but as you said, it's a risk. If it is newly opened, it will be very crowded. I think this summer will probably be notably busier than usual summers, and that period could be really crowded.

I'm not sure what your weather concerns are. The weather in Anaheim in November or March is almost certainly going to be very mild compared to Illinois! I thought it got a bit chilly in the evenings, but I'm from central Arizona... The days were very pleasant; I didn't even need a jacket, nor was I hot.

The week after Thanksgiving in particular is reported as a beautiful time to see the parks, as all the Christmas decorations are up. We went from the Friday after Thanksgiving through the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and it was perfect. Do not go the days immediately BEFORE Thanksgiving if you want to avoid crowds! (Around Thanksgiving is probably really expensive for flights, though.)

The hours are short but depending on your kids, that MIGHT mean you get to be at the parks from open 'til close (which I prefer to taking mid-afternoon breaks). If you have to take a mid-afternoon break and stay later than about 8 PM, you might be better off going in March when the hours might be longer.

If you want NO crowds in November, in 2011 people reported having a great time going the week after Halloween. Even big rides were reported as very close to walk-ons.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'd wait until later.

Lapbabies aren't guaranteed to be perfect little babies that want to sit on your lap the whole time. Add the whole "nearly 2" thing into the mix and you MIGHT be wishing you'd paid the money for the seat. The hard part is that you don't know if the child will be pure bliss or a pain in the patootie (or in my case, quite literally a pain in my arms, abs, and back from restraining my then 17 month old from vaulting over the seats the whole trip!) until AFTER you're already experiencing it.

Just wait until the summer crowds are gone. It will still be busy, I have no doubt, but it won't be AS many people. Plus, you'll know that carsland is open!

 

[DisGirl1971]

I just posted a thread to see if anyone had heard of any rumored opening dates for Cars Land. Everything I have been able to find says, tentatively, expect soft openings around the end of May and official opening to be around the first week of June. Wish they would firm up those dates!

We are coming to California for vacation this summer and Disneyland and California Adventure are just 2 of the places we will be visiting. I am specifically planning our CA day for June 16, because all levals of Annual Pass are blocked for that day. I figure that will be the best day, crowdwise to see Cars Land - just hoping it is actually open on that day. We will do Magic Kingdom on either June 15 or 17.

It's almost February, hoping for some official dates soon!!

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

We LOVED going the day after Thanksgiving. Crowd levels were awesome, temps were great (I know this can vary), decorations..everything was awesome