What to expect for Grad Night...

[DisneyMartian]

Next Thursday I'll be heading down with my class to Disneyland's Grad Night as part of our senior trip and I couldn't be more excited!!!

Yet, at the same time, my mind has been continuously tossing and turning in anticipation of this event, particularly of what to expect. That is, beyond what is promoted in the fliers and on the website. Among my highest questions are:

How crowded is it typically?

Will there be characters out and about?

Would it be best to shop earlier while everyone still has riled up energy and are off spending it on
attractions or the dance floors?

Will all the attractions be open?

How is the general behavior of the participants?

I've been searching for answers and so far have either found mixed or no answers. Anybody Grad Night alumni willing to share their experience or have an answer to any of these questions?

Thanks everyone! Take care!

-DisneyMartian

 

[Brancaneve]

Wow, it's been about 15 years since my senior trip to DL but I remember getting on the rides very easily.

My nieces were there for grad night just last year and they said they had nightclubs set up all over DL but not all the rides were open. They had a blast!

People dressed up when I graduated but I would recommend going comfy.

You will never forget it! Have a great time!

 

[PetitePixy]

I went to DLR for my grad night too, about 3yrs ago. To answer your questions:

The crowds will be the same as a typical day at Disneyland, crowded. Other schools will be there too.

No, there will be no characters out.

I would definitely shop earlier! I'd say it's best to shop first before you do anything else! I wasn't so smart and decided to do some shopping right before we left, seems every single person at the park had the same idea, it was awful, the Emporium was so over-crowded, I couldn't move.

Saddly, not every ride will be open. Toontown was closed (because that part of the park closes the earliest normally anyways.) as was Fantasyland, I was really disappointed in that.

Well...the general behavior...is teenage behavior! lol. I've learned no matter where you are, even if it's the happiest place on earth...teens will be teens!

I really hope you have a great time! Personally, I didn't enjoy my grad night, and it was the only time I didn't enjoy my time at DLR, but it was different, Disneyland is totally transformed for Grad Night. Most of the attractions are closed, but that is because they have booths set up all over the park, with games and DJ's, and little "clubs". They were blasting music all over the park, but it wasn't my taste in music, lol. Have fun.

 

[fairycat]

It's been a long time for me too, so this is what happened when I went, but my Mom said her's was very similar and that was a REALLY long time ago hahaha!


How crowded is it typically? It tends to be like a busy day at DL, it just depends on how many schools will be sharing the same night with you. But over all we found small walkways to be the worst.

Will there be characters out and about? Yes, I would expect characters, I know they even had photo-ops set up when I went. I actually got a photo with Roger Rabbit, I don't know if I paid for it or not, but it does have a gard night paper frame.

Would it be best to shop earlier while everyone still has riled up energy and are off spending it on attractions or the dance floors? Shopping and hanging out seemed to be the most popular things to do when I went, it seemed be sides eating that is where everyone was. With the amount of shops personally I would put it off, but that is mostly because I would not want to have to carry everything all night when there is so much fun to be had.

Will all the attractions be open? YES!!!!! I believe when we were there every ride was open (except break downs and refurbs of course). The great thing is, that it seems so many kids get wrapped up in the other stuff that the lines didn't seem to be that long. In fact I was shocked how much we got on. But we skipped the bands (we didn't like any of them) and dance floors and rode rides all night!

How is the general behavior of the participants Excited and having fun, with an occassional troublemaker, but honestly no different then any other school trip I had done before?

I also want to add that while you should dress comfy, be mindful of the dress code. We had one student who was almost not allowed in because they didn't heed the dress code. I don't know what it is now but we were expected to dress up a bit when we went. Though I wore a comfy summer dress to mine.

I so suggest getting Grad Mickey Ears they are fun to wear all night and to have for years to come! And mostly just have fun! There are some people who would love to have gotten the experience of Grad Night and it really is something special and FUN!!!!

 

[fairycat]

I went to DLR for my grad night too, about 3yrs ago. To answer your questions:

The crowds will be the same as a typical day at Disneyland, crowded. Other schools will be there too.

No, there will be no characters out.

I would definitely shop earlier! I'd say it's best to shop first before you do anything else! I wasn't so smart and decided to do some shopping right before we left, seems every single person at the park had the same idea, it was awful, the Emporium was so over-crowded, I couldn't move.

Saddly, not every ride will be open. Toontown was closed (because that part of the park closes the earliest normally anyways.) as was Fantasyland, I was really disappointed in that.

Well...the general behavior...is teenage behavior! lol. I've learned no matter where you are, even if it's the happiest place on earth...teens will be teens!

I really hope you have a great time! Personally, I didn't enjoy my grad night, and it was the only time I didn't enjoy my time at DLR, but it was different, Disneyland is totally transformed for Grad Night. Most of the attractions are closed, but that is because they have booths set up all over the park, with games and DJ's, and little "clubs". They were blasting music all over the park, but it wasn't my taste in music, lol. Have fun.

I posted when you did, and I see they totally changed things from when we went. That stinks they had no characters and had things closed for you guys. Maybe you had a slower night we had Toontown and Fantasyland opened for ours, but then Disney might have cheaped out too

 

[PetitePixy]

Yea, it really sucked Me and my cousin even went on Small World to get some sleep time, lol! I can't believe how slow it was, I was really sad.

Also, I cannot stress this enough, but please be careful! I don't want to freak you out or make you paranoid or anything, but most of the Disney deaths that happened at the park, happened on Grad Nights, because students were acting stupid. So just use common sense, and have fun!

 

[Minuet888]

As a high school teacher who tends to chaperone grad night A LOT....
I speak from last year

Crowds were unbelieveable. There was a long line of busses just to get into the parking lot. Dance floors were really crowded and lines for rides that aren't normally that long were long. I think I waited almost an hour for haunted mansion, I have never waited that long for that ride.

Characters were not out. No offense to all teenagers but there are some teenagers who take joy in kicking the characters in the rear end and run which is why that doesn't happen. There might be some characters out on the stage but no photo ops.

All the rides were open with the exception of Toon town (teenagers aren't mostly into that anyways). Be aware though that there are some rides currently closed for refurbishment such as Peter Pan and the Astro Orbitor.

General Behavior of the participants in my opinoin has been good. Schools are careful not to let troublemakers go because their school would not be allowed back to gradnight. Disney also has a lot of beefed up security to handle any trouble and the strict dress codes usually prevent any sort of rivalry from happening.

Shopping tends to happen as the crowds are supposed to leave. Everyone wants to get that last souvenir as they leave. But beware some shope are closing earlier to prevent kids from hiding out in the shops or making their busses late by taking in some last minute shopping.

I think that is it. I'm not chaperoning this year because we are doing a disneyland resort vacation when school gets out May 30th.
Have fun!

 

[pitchmom]

I went to grad night in 92. What I can remember is having to dress up (which I wasn't thrilled about). We couldn't wear our torn jeans and flannel shirts The boys had to wear a shirt and tie and the girls had to wear a skirt or suit type pants At the time they told us if we dress up we would be less likely to get into trouble Still didn't keep us from riding the sky tram and throwing ketchup packets at people

They had a photo op with Tigger dressed in a graduation costume. And lots of grad night merchandise. I still have my button, t shirt and a stuffed pooh with a grad outfit on. I am sure things have changed since then. But know that you will have a great time. You only graduate from HS once

 

[scooter15]

We couldn't wear our torn jeans and flannel shirts The boys had to wear a shirt and tie and the girls had to wear a skirt or suit type pants

Wow, I went in '90 and girls could only where skirts or dresses. The dress code back then was used to prevent teens from getting into trouble because the dress was a bit more restrictive than shorts, jeans and a t-shirt.

I think Grad Nights are getting more crowded because more schools are participating in it and they have cut the # of days when it occurs. Just be on your best behavior because it is true that if you get in trouble with security, there is a good chance your school would be blacklisted for a while and I'm sure you don't want any underclassmen to blame you.

 

[DisneyMartian]

Thank you all for the responses so far

Yeah, I kind of figured that it would be crowded, but I had an idea that most participants would be dancing, which I don't think I'll find myself doing (I'm not into most of the "popular" songs...). However, I'll still have fun . Bummed about the characters not being out though, but I can understand the unfortunate fact that a lot of riled up teens may be tempted to mess with them. Bummer about Toontown as well: I really enjoy that part of the park. Oh well.

I have another question I hope someone out there may be able to answer. Being how my closest friends are not coming, I will most likely find myself on my own for the night. So I'm wondering: will they allow the single rider thing for the attractions?

 

[PetitePixy]

I see no problem about them letting you ride on attractions alone
There have been times that i've been on a regular trip to DLR and I asked to ride alone on rides because my dad and cousin are much taller and, "fuller" than me, so it would be comfortable for me. LOL So yes, you should be able to go on rides by yourself.

Did your school allow you to bring other people with you? Like family members? I went to Grad Night with friends, but I also brought my cousin, he just had to buy the ticket from my school.

 

[Cali_Sparrow]

I went just last year. It's an ok experience but you have to be in the mood to stay up all night long to enjoy it all. Make sure you do any of your shopping right when you get there or else the lines will be incredibly long!!! They have lots of exclusive grad merchandise, but honestly I didn't buy anything while I was there. I knew I would probably not want any of it in the future.

When you arrive, there is a massive buildup of schools to get through the security check, it's a real pain! The will pat you down and then you go to the park entrance. It's really really crowded, be prepared for long lines! We waited close to 2 hours for Space Mountain just so we would have something to do at 2 am.

Don't worry about being alone - I was pretty much the third wheel to my friend and her boyfriend who hangs off of her every second of her life... riding alone is no biggie and no one will judge you for it. Plus you can do what you feel like doing, when you want to do it, which is awesome! You might even make a few friends for the night!

Definitely bring a sweatshirt, at like 5 or 6 am it starts to get chilly and you slow down because you get super tired. Overall, it was fun, but there is a reason you only do it once! Haha.

 

[DisneyMartian]

I see no problem about them letting you ride on attractions alone

Actually, I was talking about that Single Rider feature they have where they let you enter the attraction from the exit (I believe they give you some kind of a pass or clearance for that...it's been a while since I've been to the park so Google is my best friend at the moment ) and you just wait until there is an open spot for you. Sorry, I wasn't very clear. Silly me But thank you nonetheless for your response

Did your school allow you to bring other people with you? Like family members? I went to Grad Night with friends, but I also brought my cousin, he just had to buy the ticket from my school.

Unfortunately, they did not allow this . Just the senior class and their chaperones.

Don't worry about being alone - I was pretty much the third wheel to my friend and her boyfriend who hangs off of her every second of her life... riding alone is no biggie and no one will judge you for it. Plus you can do what you feel like doing, when you want to do it, which is awesome! You might even make a few friends for the night!

LOL To be honest, I'm actually hoping to be on my own for the night for that very reason I'm kind of the quiet one in groups so I tend to fade out and end up as a third wheel. Plus I like to go at my own pace at Disney--less hassle . I do hope, however, to make a friend or two that night. I may like to go at my own pace, but it's nice to have someone to talk to while waiting in line or just relaxing. Double points if I can trade Disney trivia with them . But I appreciate the warm encouragement. Thank you

Definitely bring a sweatshirt.

Already planning on bringing my favorite Mickey Mouse sweatshirt

Thanks for the responses guys . I'm mentally planning out what I think I'm going to do that night, which takes some tension off me (I know, I shouldn't be tense when I'm going to Disneyland, but frankly I'm not looking forward to being stuck in a park with thousands of wild teens for 6 hours so I like to be somewhat prepared). I have yet another question, if I may. Did any of you attend the Blast Off Party at DCA? How was that event? Was the park closed for seniors too? Could you eat anywhere within the park with the food vouchers?

Thanks again! You all rock!

 

[PetitePixy]

Did any of you attend the Blast Off Party at DCA? How was that event? Was the park closed for seniors too? Could you eat anywhere within the park with the food vouchers?
Thanks again! You all rock!

I didn't see that I'd like to know too.
And if you're asking if DCA was closed on Grad Night, it was for me, doubt that's changed in the last 3yrs, lol! Ummm, I believe we could only eat at the snack stands everywhere, and Pizza Port was open....I don't remember anything else though...maybe more were open but I really don't remember.

 

[pitchmom]

Wow, I went in '90 and girls could only where skirts or dresses. The dress code back then was used to prevent teens from getting into trouble because the dress was a bit more restrictive than shorts, jeans and a t-shirt.

I think Grad Nights are getting more crowded because more schools are participating in it and they have cut the # of days when it occurs. Just be on your best behavior because it is true that if you get in trouble with security, there is a good chance your school would be blacklisted for a while and I'm sure you don't want any underclassmen to blame you.

Like I said, they figure if kids dress up they won't get into as much trouble. And I did not wear a skirt or dress. They actually can't force a girl to wear a skirt. I wore this very fashionable pants suit with the bottoms of the legs pegged

 

[DisneyMartian]

12 hours to go before I finally leave for the trip

Thank you everyone for your responses. They were very helpful and I think I now have a feel of what to expect so I won't be caught TOO off-guard You guys are great

I'll be back to post my experience either here or on the trip report area...or in my blog...somewhere in the deep void of cyberspace

Anyways, thanks again

 

[Mom2Angels]

Wow, I went in '90 and girls could only where skirts or dresses. The dress code back then was used to prevent teens from getting into trouble because the dress was a bit more restrictive than shorts, jeans and a t-shirt.

I think Grad Nights are getting more crowded because more schools are participating in it and they have cut the # of days when it occurs. Just be on your best behavior because it is true that if you get in trouble with security, there is a good chance your school would be blacklisted for a while and I'm sure you don't want any underclassmen to blame you.

I went in 1976 and we were allowed to wear pant suits......my son will be there tomorrow night also!

I still have my souvenir program from that night, wow 33 years, does anyone know if they still have the programs for grad night?

Debbie