Where is the best place for DL trip planning info like when to go?

[ElectricalParadeFan]

Hello all! My fiance and I just returned from 4 days at WDW and of course we are basking in the afterglow of our trip. We have friends and family in SoCal and we were trying to figure out when the best time to go to DL without encountering huge crowds. We have pretty flexible schedules for when we can go. The only month this year that is completely ruled out is July as we will be getting married and homeymooning then.

I used the UG and TGM to plan our visit to WDW and their crowd levels in particular to plan when we should go. Is there any resource like this for DL? I would like to go at a time when it won't be super crowded. Suggestions or resources please?

 

[Alex2kMommy]

The sticky at the top of the DL section entitled "IMPORTANT" has a wealth of information, including info on hotels (both onsite and off), park aerial photos and maps, and HydroGuy's Rules.

HydroGuy wrote a series of great tips, including trade-offs on when to go (high season v. value season) and comparisons between DL and WDW. Definitely a great place to start!

Then if you have questions that haven't been answered there, you can post a new thread or search through the ones listed. Folks are very helpful!

 

[MATTERHORN]

Hello all! My fiance and I just returned from 4 days at WDW and of course we are basking in the afterglow of our trip. We have friends and family in SoCal and we were trying to figure out when the best time to go to DL without encountering huge crowds. We have pretty flexible schedules for when we can go. The only month this year that is completely ruled out is July as we will be getting married and homeymooning then.

I used the UG and TGM to plan our visit to WDW and their crowd levels in particular to plan when we should go. Is there any resource like this for DL? I would like to go at a time when it won't be super crowded. Suggestions or resources please?

You've already found the best place!!! There is a wealth of information here for anything you could need and everyone on the DL board is very nice and knowledgeable!!!

My favorite months for low crowds are after Labor Day and anytime in January but not near a holiday weekend!! After those, most of February is good and the second week of December is one of my favorite times!!


Andrea

Andrea

 

[HydroGuy]

Be aware that "best time to go" at DLR does not entirely parallel WDW. At WDW you can go in offseason and expect to catch all or most of the shows on weekdays. At DLR in the off-season, shows such as the fireworks and Fantasmic are usually only shown on weekends.

If you then decide to stay for a weekend to catch the shows, it will be more crowded and you will have defeated the purpose of trying to avoid crowds. The crowd difference between weekends and weekdays at DLR is significant because there is a much higher percentage of local day trip visitors at DLR than WDW (70% vs. 15%).

There are downsides to off-season visits that are discussed here:

"HydroGuy's High Season/Off Season Tradeoff Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199852

Regarding TGM-like resources at DLR, because there are so many local day trippers (and various other reasons) no one has found it worthwhile to put anything like TGM together. There is less demand than for WDW.

Even the guidebooks at DLR are not very good compared to those for WDW.

Do not take this to mean that DLR is somehow inferior to WDW. DLR serves a different group of people with a different set of expectations than WDW. The resort part of DLR is much smaller than WDW, and there is not nearly as much to do outside the parks. On the other hand, the parks themselves offer more than the WDW parks on average. (The two DLR parks have almost as many rides as the four WDW parks put together.)

You may find the info in this link useful:

"A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[ElectricalParadeFan]

Thanks everyone! I know that DL has a higher rate of locals visiting compared to WDW, but I figured there had to be times that were a little less crowded. My fiance isn't the best in large crowds. He was fine at WDW, but the crowds weren't bad.

I will check out the info above!