What is summer crowd like in CA?

[Michele]

I'm wondering how the summer crowds in CA compare to FL. We will have to be traveling during the summer now that the boys are going into high school. Does this have to mean the end of our Disney trips? (I don't want the crowds or heat in Orlando) I know the weather will be better (less humid) in CA but how do the crowds compare? Anyone? TIA?

 

[HydroGuy]

I'm wondering how the summer crowds in CA compare to FL. We will have to be traveling during the summer now that the boys are going into high school. Does this have to mean the end of our Disney trips? (I don't want the crowds or heat in Orlando) I know the weather will be better (less humid) in CA but how do the crowds compare? Anyone? TIA?

Pretty crowded. But at DLR there tends to be more of a difference between weekdays and weekends because there are so many locals. IMO summer at DLR is more tolerable than at WDW and I enjoy visiting DLR in the summer. Go on weekdays if at all possible. See this link for some tips:

"Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

 

[DLR29]

We went to WDW in July and I went to DLR in August (I am in high school too. Stupid school days ). The WDW crowds were much more noticeable than the DLR crowds. Partly because of these reasons:

-DLR park hours are longer: DL is open from 8-12 every day in the summer (DCA's hours are more like WDW parks). This means that 8AM is not crowded at all and very late at night (midnight) isn't either. Also Magic Mornings (like EMH's) start at 7AM. That's way too early for a lot of guests.

-Tourist groups. When we went to WDW, we felt like we were in Brazil. You don't get that kind of crowd at DLR.

-WDW is just bigger. It has the capability of holding more people with its dozens of hotels (I'd assume most of the park attendance comes from onsite hotels) feeding into 4 parks, as opposed to DLR where locals and offsite guests make up a HUGE number in comparison to onsite in attendance. That also means that Saturdays (as Hydroguy posted) have a much larger impact on crowds at DLR.