Should I Be Worried about Disneyland's Birthday on July 17?

[Little E]

As a DL newbie, I need some advice. Our family trip to California is scheduled for July, 2018. We will be doing an RV trip to the Sequoia and Yosemite National parks, and we will end our trip with a couple of days at DL. We check into the Disneyland Hotel on July 17 and check out on July 20 and fly home to the midwest.

We have been to WDW many times, but this is our first and possibly only trip to DL. Right now, we have two day tickets with park hoppers, and our plan was to hit the parks on July 18 & 19 with Max Pass. We'll drop off our RV in the morning and check in to the DL Hotel sometime in the afternoon on July 17. Lately I've been thinking of adding another day's ticket/park hopper (total cost of $284+$40 for MaxPass on this day) to our package so we can hit the parks in the afternoon and evening of July 17 after we arrive. When I called DL yesterday to figure this out, the CM I talked to told me it was DL's birthday on July 17. While this is exciting, it sort of freaked me out, as I have since read to expect high crowds and parks reaching capacity on this day. YIKES!

I had NO idea it was DL's birthday on the 17th when I planned this trip 6 months ago. We want this to be a great experience and so I'm asking the Disboard vets to weigh in here...is DL's birthday every year a crazy crowd day? Our youngest has special needs and crazy crowds are his kryptonite. I'm wondering if we should just skip the parks on the 17th and hang at the resort and pool, and stick with our plan of hitting parks on only the 18 and 19th. I don't want to purchase an extra ticket/hopper/MaxPass if the park reaches capacity on the 17th and we can't get in, or if we can't ride much because the crowds are so high. Unfortunately, our dates are firm and we can't arrive any sooner or stay any longer.

So, should we splurge and add the extra park ticket/hopper day/Max Pass and face crazy crowds and the possibility of parks closing, or should we stick with our original plan and just do two days with Max Pass on the 18th and 19th. I value all info and opinions from those with DL experience on the July 17th birthday each year.

TIA!

 

[WonkaKid]

I've been to DL twice on its bday/anniversary, including the 60th. Crowds were no worse than normal, really. I don't think most people realize the significance of the day or are even aware of it. If it were me, I'd make every effort to go on the 17th. Hope you have a great time!

 

[JanJan324]

If you do decide to add the day, be sure to check fastpass availability before purchasing maxpass. Since it's summer, there may not be much left depending on the time of day you'd be entering the parks.

 

[sherilaine]

I had NO idea it was DL's birthday on the 17th when I planned this trip 6 months ago!

You are not alone! Most people likely do not know this. I am pretty sure the majority of people who go to DLR or WDW haven't heard of Disboards either - so you are in the minority being prepared.

If this might be your only chance to go to DLR - then get the 3 day hopper and enjoy every minute!!

 

[figment_jii]

As others have said, I wouldn't expect there to be unusually huge crowds on DLR's 63rd anniversary. My guess is that there might be a small ceremony in the morning and maybe they'll be handing out a button at the gate, but probably not much more than that. Most guests won't be there because it's the anniversary, so you'll probably be faced with "typical" July crowds.

 

[Little E]

We are braced for normal summer crowds. We went to WDW in June of 2017, and we felt things were very doable with a solid touring plan. I read some things online that said it's possible crowds at DL would be so big on the 17th the parks could reach capacity that day, and that info made me start to question whether adding a ticket for the 17th was a good idea.

You all are making me feel much better. Thank you!

 

[ktlm]

Do the extra day and don't worry about it. We were there on the Birthday last year. I was bummed because we started out at CA since we had a 9:30 Ariel's Grotto breakfast reservation so we did not get to see all the characters come out for the birthday and got over there too late to get Birthday buttons. We went over to DL in the early afternoon, and the crowds were no worse than any other day. It was fine. There was no impact at any point in the day at CA. You have hoppers, so if you feel it is a little crowded at DL, you can always hang out in CA and then hop over when CA closes to get that last couple of hours at DL. CA usually closes at 10 and DL at midnight that time of year. Just hop BEFORE World of Color lets out unless you are actually going to WOC,

We are WDW vets and we also absolutely love DL (and the DLH). I think you will regret not getting that extra day. Since everything is so close together- you can get a whole lot done in an afternoon and evening in the parks. Also, while area wise it is a lot smaller, they pack a ton into that space at DLR. We usually spend 4-5 days in the parks, and I'm never ready to leave.

 

[goooof1]

Go with 3 days....that will still not be enough time to do everything! We come home after 4 days with things that we did not get around to....haha... never seems like enough time...too much to do!

 

[Sith]

Yes, the 17th will probably be slightly more crowded because of the birthday. But, birthday or no birthday, it's still the middle of July. It would most likely be crowded anyway...