What week in June 2015 would be least packed?

[kittycruize]

Hi everyone! We are thinking about going for a first visit to DL this June! Can any of you experts recommend a week in June that would be best? We are looking for the least packed week, like everyone else! We are WDW vets, and used to it being around a 5 or 6 when we go. We have heard so many storied of it being super wall to wall packed, and would like to avoid that if at all possible! Thanks in advance for any advice. Also, we would consider May if that would make a huge difference in crowds! We will be traveling with 12 people, including 5 small children! We are very excited!

 

[Butterfly123]

We are going at the end of June. Some of the APs will be blocked, and the grad nights will be over. I'm sure it will be busy then, because lots of people go then for the same reason.

We have gone earlier in June before, and it's less crowded because a lot of kids are still in school.If you just care about crowds, first week in June might be better. You will just need to be mindful of grad nights and work around them. One trip we had three out of our four days as grad nights and I was concerned about it, but it didn't turn out to be a problem at all.

 

[Butterfly123]

I wanted to add I haven't been in May so I can't help you there, but I'm sure others will chime in. That may be a good option crowd wise.

 

[Reepicheep]

Butterfly123 wrote: We are going at the end of June. Some of the APs will be blocked

I agree that the AP blackout dates is a significant factor to take into account. In 2012, we had a two week stay at Disneyland for the last week in June and the first week in July. I couldn't believe how busy the parks were for our first few days, then suddenly the parks were (relatively) empty.

I asked an employee about it, and she said that many people with the California passes try to visit as often as they can before they are blocked out for the summer. So, I think a starting point for choosing when to go in June would be to check out the blackout dates for the two types of California passes, and plan accordingly.

 

[SMD]

Disney hasn't announced their plans for the 60th or the start date yet. The later that starts, the more crowded it will be in June, because it will be people's first opportunity to go for that. Also, this is the first year that LAUSD started in August, so they will be out around the time the AP blocks start. Expect more locals to start their summer trips earlier this year. I don't think you're going to find multiple 5-6 crowd days between Memorial and Labor Day, if that is important.

 

[kittycruize]

So if I am to understand correctly, the last week of June is less packed than the first week, due to block outs? Or is the first week of July even better? Sorry, I am just a bit confused?

 

[gottalovepluto]

Grad night dates aren't out yet, so it's hard to plan around that. When the party moved to DCA we found it severely impacted crowds in DL when were there end May- beg Jun. First thing in the morning was fine but crowd levels were solid 8 by night because all the high schoolers were in DL before being pushed to DCA. They get all day passes before the party and we saw older high schoolers arriving in mass around noon but they split up into smaller groups so it doesn't impact rides too much until they all arrive by night. (What caught us off guard were the 8th grad class trips because they travelled in packs of 20, and that can fill a line quick.) Just be aware if you do hit a grad night and do some extra planning. When all APs were blocked over Jul 4 this last summer it was apparently quite nice but it was just that day and the 4th is around a weekend this year so I wouldn't count on it again.

Bottom line, it's DL in summer, you're not going to see crowd levels of 5. It just ain't happening. Grad nights, class trips, summer vacations. Planning for ap blackout dates might be the best method though it will still be crowded, especially since word is getting out lol. But, don't let the crowds scare you! Planing ahead like you are and having a realistic expectation will help a lot. My top summer tip: Start first thing in the morning when the parks open if crowds bother you because that's when they are at the lightest.

Btw, according to the DL grad nite Facebook page dates are going to be announced "in the coming weeks" if that concerns you.

 

[SMD]

So if I am to understand correctly, the last week of June is less packed than the first week, due to block outs? Or is the first week of July even better? Sorry, I am just a bit confused?

July is busier than June. July 4th is one of the busiest days of the year, as are the days leading up to it. It's on a Saturday this year, so the Friday before will be a federal holiday. Expect that week to be 10/10. Your best bet is the week after the blockouts start, but just don't expect 5/10 that week, it won't happen.

Bottom line, it's DL in summer, you're not going to see crowd levels of 5. It just ain't happening. Grad nights, class trips, summer vacations. Planning for ap blackout dates might be the best method though it will still be crowded, especially since word is getting out lol. But, don't let the crowds scare you! Planing ahead like you are and having a realistic expectation will help a lot. My top summer tip: Start first thing in the morning when the parks open if crowds bother you because that's when they are at the lightest.

Agree with all of this.

 

[Patrick in Oregon]

I go almost every year with my wife for our anniversary which is on June 19th. We have found that the middle of June has been a very pleasant time to go as far as crowds are concerned. We've not planned around any grad nights and nor have we run into them accidently. Just from experience, I would say 2nd and 3rd week of June is ideal.

I also think that time is right before high/peak season hours start.

 

[Butterfly123]

The thing we found about grad nights is that because some people avoid them you can usually get a lot done in the morning because the kids don't start rolling in till closer to noon. I certainly don't think the end of June is going to be less busy than the beginning of June. We are expecting a very large crowds when we go, in part due to the 60th this year.