Will be in DL ON July 17th for the 60th & I have a question about that day

[novafan]

So it just so worked out that I will be able to visit DL resort in July in conjunction with my brother's wedding in San Diego!! Great timing little bro!

Anyway, I chose my travel dates and then chose which days we will visit DL (not even thinking about the 60th). I chose arriving on July 16th in the evening and leaving on the 19th. And then it hit me - we will be in Disneyland Park ON it's 60th anniversary!!! WOO HOOO!

That said, I'm already starting to think about our park touring plans, dining, etc and I'm guessing that visiting DL on that day will be a unique experience and difficult to plan. I'm not going to worry about getting on tons of rides and "doing it all." I just want to be there that day and soak in the atmosphere of a big celebration in Walt's park. I'm excited about any special entertainment or presentations too.

My biggest question is about park capacity and crowds that day. Will the park reach capacity? We will be there for rope drop in the morning without a doubt, but what if we want to go back to our hotel (Grand Californian) for a mid-day break? Will we be able to get back into the park in the late afternoon evening? My thought is that we are going to have to tough it out for a very long day in the park if we want to experience all of the pomp and circumstance on the day of the 60th anniversary, from rope drop to closing fireworks at night.

Thoughts? Tips?

 

[tiffjoy]

I am not planning on going, but I would imagine crowds will reach capacity. Maybe people who were there for the 50th will speak to that. Regardless, no one can really predict it, and there is no guarantee that you would be able to come back in if you left.

Instead of leaving to go back to your hotel for a break, I would plan for a later lunch and do something quieter in the park itself. Maybe escape over to Tom Sawyer Island or watch the Lincoln show- things that are typically less crowded and more relaxing.

 

[Just Peachy]

Our family is there for the week and plan on running our typical touring plans for each day, which include afternoon breaks back at the hotel. On the 17th, we planned on doing a whole family (10) Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour to beat some of the expected afternoon crowds. The DL side may max out on capacity for a part of the 17th, but it is unlikely that DCA will (after all it's not their 60th). We are at the VGC as well.

 

[Diznygrl]

I am not planning on going, but I would imagine crowds will reach capacity. Maybe people who were there for the 50th will speak to that. Regardless, no one can really predict it, and there is no guarantee that you would be able to come back in if you left.

Instead of leaving to go back to your hotel for a break, I would plan for a later lunch and do something quieter in the park itself. Maybe escape over to Tom Sawyer Island or watch the Lincoln show- things that are typically less crowded and more relaxing.

The 50th was busy, but not at all as crowded as one might expect. It never reached capacity that day. However it's important to remember that it was ten years ago, and overall attendance/crowding has increased dramatically since then. I would expect the 60th to be extremely busy with the potential to reach capacity. They even have Deluxe passes blocked out for that day, which is a Friday and would otherwise not be a blackout day (sad for me, I have a Deluxe pass ), so it appears they are anticipating very heavy crowds.

 

[SMD]

The crowds thinned out later in the day on the 50th because the majority of the events happened earlier in the day. Other than the giant stage in front the castle making the walkways to FL more crowded, we actually found it pretty easy to do rides that day, as they were all running at peak capacity. We did end up eating lunch sitting on the planter ledge near Innoventions crammed between people because the tables were so crowded. There were video screens up in TL showing and re-showing the ceremony in front of the castle, so that caused crowds too. I don't think that the 60th will be exactly like the 50th, so obviously I don't expect those things to happen exactly. I think that there will likely be some level of capacity closure, but if you have a handstamp you'll be ok in the first phase. And I doubt it will last very long. I imagine DCA won't be as crowded since the anniversary is really for DL park alone.

 

[novafan]

Thanks for the tips and info from the 50th.

 

[my*gracie*girl]

We were there on the 55th and will be there again on the 60th. I know 55 might not be the draw of a decade anniversary?, but it really wasn't that bad and I am not too worried about the crowds for the 60th. What we noticed was that A LOT of the people in the park were in lines for limited edition merchandise/pins. We rode all the rides we wanted to ride and were able to watch the Happy Birthday flash mob. We got to ride in the parade (had done the volunteer for a day thing and they picked people to ride on those floats). I expect it will be more crowded this time, but we are not worrying too much. If it is crazy busy, then we will just find the quieter places like a previous poster suggested. That day is also my dd's 13th bday and my moms' 61st, so we are there for the novelty and, fortunately, have 4 more days in the park. Have fun! It was really special to be there on the 55th and we are excited for this year!

 

[VickiHD]

We were there on the 50th and we started lining up EARLY in the morning. (I think it was around 4-4:30 am) People had started lining up shortly after midnight. We were held in DCA until we were finally let into DL. Later that morning, Main St. was packed to watch the 50th Ceremony with the Governor and other "invited guests" which took place in front of the castle. A big hint will be what time they open the garage for parking. It was a LONG day. People camped out for hours on the benches for fireworks.
55th-crowds were not bad.