Weird closing hours in May?

[Masonmj84]

No DCA is opening at 9 that week except one day it opens at 8, and that is an EMH day for hotel guests.
Wow, these are some interesting hours. I may have to re-think my strategy. Hmm...not sure, not sure. Was planning Mon and Wed morning at Disneyland and Tues and Thurs morning at DCA with an early character meal on Tuesday. But now...I'm not sure. Usually we go against the early morning hours, but with early park hours...I'm just not sure. Need to think, think, think

We're planning the same dates (May 18-21) and I'm thinking of the same plan (Mon & Wed at DL, Tue & Thu at DCA). We'd like to ride Peter Pan, which isn't scheduled to re-open until the 21st, but, since we have hoppers, my plan is to just hit that one ride at DL before heading over to DCA.

Along those lines, this tentative schedule that shows DL hours of 8 am-6pm on the 21st (and DCA opening at 9 am on that day), which will allow doing Peter Pan before DCA opens:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/ca/calendar/daily/#/default/2015/05/21

 

[agamble]

We're planning the same dates (May 18-21) and I'm thinking of the same plan (Mon & Wed at DL, Tue & Thu at DCA). We'd like to ride Peter Pan, which isn't scheduled to re-open until the 21st, but, since we have hoppers, my plan is to just hit that one ride at DL before heading over to DCA.

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Not sure how many people will have the same idea though. We have APs and can parkhop, but I prefer not to do too much hopping with the little kids. But I'm guessing with Peter Pan opening that day the line will just get longer throughout the day. So I'm guessing 8am opening will be the best time to ride even with the Magic Morning guests already clogging up the ride.

 

[Tinkerbell19672]

Yes, and it should be very light at that time of day without the summer crowds.

thanks! Now if I can just wake up that early...

 

[SMD]

The 21st is also the last day to use this year's So Cal discount tickets. Past years have shown that many people wait until the last day to use them. Though with it being a Thursday this year, maybe that will shift the crowd more to the weekend before.

 

[agamble]

Yeah a Thursday and the park closes at 6pm. Not a great time to use your day on the discount ticket.

 

[wdwfan22]

Here:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/au/calendar/#/default/2015/05

What is this calendar and where did it come from? It's so different. And it SUCKS. I'm really starting to freak out now. So if DL closes at 6:00 and CA is open til 9, will DL be less crowded cuz everyone will be at CA for longer hours? Or will everyone go to DL then to CA at 6:30, in which case it will be a disaster? I wish I could change my week, but I can't. But with these short hours, the parks are going to be a nightmare!

If they need to close early to test the new 60th entertainment, why can't they just do it overnight?

 

[cindernat]

What is this calendar and where did it come from? It's so different. And it SUCKS. I'm really starting to freak out now. So if DL closes at 6:00 and CA is open til 9, will DL be less crowded cuz everyone will be at CA for longer hours? Or will everyone go to DL then to CA at 6:30, in which case it will be a disaster? I wish I could change my week, but I can't. But with these short hours, the parks are going to be a nightmare!

If they need to close early to test the new 60th entertainment, why can't they just do it overnight?

I've got no idea, I've never even been to Disneyland! A couple of months ago when I was putting a spreadsheet together for a park strategy (yes I am crazy), I just googled the park schedule and came up with that. I notice now if you google it, you come up with the other one that someone else posted, which doesn't have the opening hours available yet.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I've got no idea, I've never even been to Disneyland! A couple of months ago when I was putting a spreadsheet together for a park strategy (yes I am crazy), I just googled the park schedule and came up with that. I notice now if you google it, you come up with the other one that someone else posted, which doesn't have the opening hours available yet.

I've stumbled on that site too! From the "au" mentioned I believe it is the Australian Disney site. Why they have the most updated hours and not the US site only the mouse knows!

 

[agamble]

The Canadian site has the same hours. The US site used to look just like that, and then they changed it. I prefer the old style like the Canadian and Australian sites. The new site at Disneyland.com doesn't let you click on the individual day of each calendar. So if you want to look at May 18, you have to start at May 1 and scroll through each day. So annoying! I'd think the hours are pretty likely as they are similar to the hours throughout all of May. There are a few days each week closing at 7:30.

 

[wdwfan22]

The US disney site has the hours up now through the 21st. and they are just like that AU site. This really sucks. If they are going to take so many hours away, they should have announced it way in advance. Whatever the reason, testing, media previews, they should do them later at night after the park closes. Some people plan a once in a lifetime trip here, and they are getting screwed big time. I go a little more often, but I still want my money's worth. I'm bummed and now have to re-evaluate everything, and change my reservations all over again!

 

[javeyloveschelsi]

Yup, we are one of those once in a life timers here...we had initially planned on going the 21st and 22nd (22nd is DD1 birthday), but then found out about the 24 hour day. We are not ones who are used to crowds (we live in the middle of nowhere USA and have to drive over an hour to get to any halfway decent sized town), plus, we have 3 littles, so big big crowds and a 24 hour day would probably bring on a panic attack for this mama. So, we changed our dates to the 20th and 21st, and now the crazy hours on those dates...I'm sure we will have a great time though regardless, just would have liked more notice so we could have determined whether or not this all would be worth the time, money, and effort with the hours getting cut short.

 

[xenon2000]

Maybe I missed it, I read the 4 pages, but I still don't understand what is happening Thursday May 21st, 2015 that would have the park close at 6:00 pm. Other info leads me to think an AP event is that evening. But that seems odd with the 24 hour event starting the following morning. Or do they have to close it at 6pm, so they have time to open Disneyland at 6am on Friday for the start of the 24hr event? Which would mean the park really is closed for everyone at 6pm Thursday? Guess we see what the calendar says tomorrow.

 

[xjay]

Just checked the park hours for our arrival day in May which is May 20. I'm so upset that they scheduled DCA to close at 6PM that day. We're flying from Orlando and were going to attempt to be in all 6 parks coast-to-coast in one day. Unfortunately, our flight lands at 6pm in Long Beach. I was hoping that DCA would at least close at 8pm. Did not think it would be closing as early as 6pm. They really should release the park hours at least a couple months in advanced rather than just one month in advance. This totally ruins our plans and our only chance at attempting to be at all 6 parks coast-to-coast in one day

 

[wdwfan22]

Maybe I missed it, I read the 4 pages, but I still don't understand what is happening Thursday May 21st, 2015 that would have the park close at 6:00 pm. Other info leads me to think an AP event is that evening. But that seems odd with the 24 hour event starting the following morning. Or do they have to close it at 6pm, so they have time to open Disneyland at 6am on Friday for the start of the 24hr event? Which would mean the park really is closed for everyone at 6pm Thursday? Guess we see what the calendar says tomorrow.

Unfortunetly, they don't usually release one day at a time. They usually do a week at a time, so since they only showed til thursday, who knows when they will show the schedule for the 22nd. We know the hours (24), but it would be nice to know the schedule of events to make dining reservations around. That week is just a big mess, and I wish I could change my trip.

 

[cindernat]

Yup, we are one of those once in a life timers here...we had initially planned on going the 21st and 22nd (22nd is DD1 birthday), but then found out about the 24 hour day. We are not ones who are used to crowds (we live in the middle of nowhere USA and have to drive over an hour to get to any halfway decent sized town), plus, we have 3 littles, so big big crowds and a 24 hour day would probably bring on a panic attack for this mama. So, we changed our dates to the 20th and 21st, and now the crazy hours on those dates...I'm sure we will have a great time though regardless, just would have liked more notice so we could have determined whether or not this all would be worth the time, money, and effort with the hours getting cut short.

Same as us - this is our first trip (from Australia) and no idea when we'll be back. I'm glad I convinced hubby to do 5 days, so that it's not a complete disaster with the early closing times. We'll just make the best of it.

 

[Masonmj84]

I feel bad for those of you who have made evening plans in the parks on the week of the May 18-22 (with one of the parks closing early on each of May 19-21, making the other park a zoo on those nights, and the whole place being a zoo on May 22). I can totally understand your disappointment.

We're going that week but we are morning (and not evening) park people. But we also like to have a table service breakfast before heading to the parks (when we go to WDW, we often do pre-park opening character breakfasts).

So what I'm most disappointed about are the really early opening hours at the MM/EMH park and the fact that the park closing early will make the other park more crowded.

We are staying at DLH and the plan most days is to eat breakfast from 7-8, hit a couple of rides from 8-9 at the MM/EMH park then switch to the other park. However, on 3 of our days, MM/EMH will start at 7, meaning we won't be able to take advantage of it unless we skip breakfast (and late breakfasts don't work for our family) plus the lines will be longer in the MM/EMH park by the time we arrive at 8 and, to add insult to injury, lines will be longer in the other park for the whole day (due to the MM/EMH park closing early).

I figure that opening and closing the MM/EMH park earlier than normal on May 19-21 will add somewhere between 60-90 minutes to our total wait times per day. I know this is a first world problem but part of the reason we picked this week is to take advantage of shorter lines before the 60th anniversary officially started. Now I feel like we would have been better off waiting until after the 60th started because we could have used my original plan to mitigate the crowd issue plus we would have been able to see all the new 60th anniversary stuff.

 

[Masonmj84]

This site is now showing EE/MM being switched from normal on May 20 and 21:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/ca/calendar/#/default/2015/05/20

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/ca/calendar/#/default/2015/05/21

It's saying that DL will have MM on Wednesday, May 20 and that DCA will have EE on Thursday, May 21 (usually, DCA has EE on Wed and DL has MM on Thur).

If this ends up being the final schedule, it means that for the week of May 18-21, DCA will have EE on Mon (18) and Thur (21) and DL will have MM on Tue (19) and Wed (20).

 

[agamble]

If that's true, that would be WONDERFUL! It could be a mix-up or typo though. However the US site shows the same Magic Morning schedule. Oh I hope it's true. Then we wouldn't have to follow others to ride Peter Pan on that Thursday. We'd just have to get to the park early enough to be at the front of rope drop.

 

[Angrose]

I'm hoping for a soft opening of Peter Pan on Wednesday since I'm thinking of being in the parks on Tue/Wed. That would make me soooo happy! Let's cross our fingers!!!

 

[CastMember 02]

If Disneyland "is" Closing at 6pm on May 21 it will be due to Media Events just as there was on 05-04-05, I would be thankful that Disneyland will even be open at all as on 05-04-05 the park was closed to all guests. Happy Diamond Celebration y'all