WDW Vet beginning plans for DL 6/2013

[bigdaddybyrd]

Hey DL Vets! I'm a WDW Vet/DVC Member in the beginning stages of planning our first ever venture to the west coast! We're looking at the first of June in 2013. MANY thanks to HydroGuy for his in depth guide of DL for WDW Vets! VERY useful!!

Since I've read weekends are fairly crowded with daytrippers, and the week is not AS bad, I'm considering flying in on a Friday night and getting a rental car then staying for a couple of days in a hotel close to Universal, do Universal on Sat and then drive around Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, etc. on Sunday before heading to the DLR on Sunday evening to get ready for five days of DL/DCA starting Monday!

If I follow this plan, is there any rental car agency close to DLR that will then drop me off at DLR on Sunday evening? I'm hoping to book at VGC, and I wanted to make a grocery run before checking in, get there and get the kids and wife all squared away at the room before returning the rental. I really don't care to keep the rental while we're at DLR because I'd just be throwing money away on keeping a car I'm not driving plus paying to park it. I'm happy to take one of the shuttles back to LAX when we leave. So, opinions?!?

I'll probably have another 1,000 questions between now and time for the trip! I'm trying to embrace the whole don't worry about planning as much train of thought at DL as opposed to WDW, but it's not working yet!! Thanks guys!

 

[skiingfast]

Alamo is just a minute away from the GCH in DTD.

Also offsite area bunch or rental companies that have desk locations but use shuttles to thier lots. I'm not sure they could drop you off back at the GCH, it may just depend on how busy they are.

In a couple hotels about a 10-15 minute walk are Avis and Dollar. 20-25 and you can find Budget and Enterprise.

 

[rtfelt]

You might want to rethink your plan. Generally after the first weekend in June (first Sun, Mon, Tues) is the last non block out days for the SCAS until the end of August. Those days are busier than normal, the days that are also grad nights are even worse.

 

[DLR29]

You might want to rethink your plan. Generally after the first weekend in June (first Sun, Mon, Tues) is the last non block out days for the SCAS until the end of August. Those days are busier than normal, the days that are also grad nights are even worse.

While the block out days have affected crowds over the past few years, it should not have nearly as large of an impact in 2013 because there is really nothing new and big opening next summer.

 

[rtfelt]

While the block out days have affected crowds over the past few years, it should not have nearly as large of an impact in 2013 because there is really nothing new and big opening next summer.

I don't know about that. Every time I've been to DLR right before a long block out or right after a long block out the crowds are way busy. Everyone's trying to get one last day in before they're blocked out. Since nothing had really been added the first part of June, the opening wouldn't really affect it more than usual--the large affect is still to come when the block outs end in August.

 

[DLR29]

I don't know about that. Every time I've been to DLR right before a long block out or right after a long block out the crowds are way busy. Everyone's trying to get one last day in before they're blocked out. Since nothing had really been added the first part of June, the opening wouldn't really affect it more than usual--the large affect is still to come when the block outs end in August.

Yes, the large crowd jump in August is going to happen BECAUSE of the new things that opened this summer.

We saw this trend first happen in 2009 with the Summer Nighttastic and the new dragon at Fantasmic where tons of AP holders flooded back in August to watch the updated show.

Then in 2010 it was WoC
In 2011 it was Star Tours and Ariel
This year the increased crowd levels when the block out days are lifted will be due to Carsland/BVS. The lowest level of APs (SoCal Select) have not had a valid day to see these new attractions...thus you bet they'll be flooding into the parks at the earliest chance.

Next year I'm sure you'll have some people squeezing in one trip before the blockout days begin but because there won't be anything big and new, the jump won't be as drastic. Next year we won't have people NEEDING to see a particular attraction before their AP becomes blocked out or right after their AP becomes valid again like we have the past 4 years.

 

[bigdaddybyrd]

I know grad nights have been eliminated at WDW, and when they had them there were only a few. I see from the 2013 calendar there are 20+ at DLR, and on three of the five days I was planning on Just how bad are they? Can someone give me a crowd level number on a scale of 1-10 like at WDW?

I was planning on our visit being the first week after the SoCal passport blackout begins (6/9-6/15), but I also wanted early in June while I can get a room using a lot less DVC points than if I wait until later in the summer.

 

[rtfelt]

The SCAP are only valid the first part of the week (Sun-Tuesday) most of June, so these are often times busier than the weekends this year especially. My experience is the days that were not blocked for SCAP and were grad nights were probably at least an 8 to a 9. Without the grad nights, it was more like 6-7. Saturday was actually the least busy day throughout all of June this year. If I were planning a trip next June, I would try to avoid grad nights and the beginning of the week.