Which weekend in May to visit?

[iHEARTflorida]

Hi,

Looking at visiting Disneyland in May, we can only do weekends - we'd visit Fri-Mon, spending Sat & Sun in the parks. It will be my 3rd visit and my husband's first.

I know it will mostly likely be busy, but which weekend would be the best of all of them?

As far as I can see this is what will be going on in the parks;

Weekend of 4th/5th : Star Wars Day 4th & Bats Day 5th

Weekend of 11th/12th : Grad Night on the 10th

Weekend of 18th/19th : Grad Night 17th & 18th & Cali Resident Special Tickets Expire 23rd May

Weekend of 25th/26th : Memorial Day 27th


Many thanks

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I wouldn't choose the weekend of the 18th/19th. The last two years have shown that the last weekend before a local ticket promotion ends can be a very crowded weekend. Normally, I would recommend Memorial Day Weekend -- with the lower APs blocked out, the last few years have been really good, only getting crowded on the Monday. But with SWGE in the equation this year, I'm not sure if that will have any effect on crowds in May. We've had lots of posts from people planning trips to avoid SWGE and posts of rumors that media and paid previews will start in May. My question for you is: which weekend works the best for your schedule? I would go with that, do your best research and planning here (and this includes brushing up on your FP/MP skills), make your reservations 60 days out, bring lots of patience and a positive attitude, and get ready to have fun!
By the way, there is a good ticket deal going on now (similar to the SoCal Resident deal) -- see the DLR website -- last day to purchase is 5/20 -- last day to use is 5/23.

 

[VandVsmama]

Weekend of 5/11-5/12. Grad Night won't be a big deal if you choose to go into the parks that day (5/10)...just stay away from DCA about an hour before the park closes to regular guests.

 

[Indiana Scott]

We have visited many times during the first weekend of May. It tends to be slower and there's not usually any convetions but we've noticed that even though it's a slow time, it has gotten much more busy in recent years.
Still, I think it's one of the better times of year to go.

 

[tzeitel]

We go first or second week in May. I believe you don't have to worry about Bats Day anymore. They don't do the convention part, they are only doing a meet in 2019. I felt bad, I really wanted to go last year to the marketlace and it was our plan on our arrival day, but then read about them cancelling their marketplace the day before it was supposed to take place. I saw a few people dressed up but nothing out of the ordinary - could have just been Goth teenagers

For May the 4th we did not see anything celebrating SW. It might be different this year since SWGE will open soon. Last year was pretty hot during our stay, and it was more crowded than it had been in past years.

 

[figment_jii]

I would also opt for the 11th/12th as the first choice, followed by 6th 4th/5th. Grad Night is one of those things that some people avoid at all costs, while others are more "meh" about it. Being that the Grad Night is on the 10th, it probably won't have much of an impact on the rest of the days (I know that for the schools around where I live, the students departed as soon as the event was over and headed back home). For the first weekend in May, Bats Day isn't a huge group; so while you might see a few participants, it's nothing like Gay Days or Dapper Days in terms of number of guests. I don't know that Star Wars Day is really that big in terms of crowds, other than at the stores (if they release a bunch of new limited edition merchandise). So I think you'd be okay with either of those two weekends.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Keep an eye on May 4th -- rumors abound that there might be a paid preview for SWGE that day (wouldn't that be great!), so that could be a reason to pick that weekend.