Crowd levels Memorial day week vs. 1st week in June

Foxfiregrrl

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 6, 2005
Hi! We are planning our first Universal trip for this summer. I was thinking of going the first full week in June (5/31-6/4), but when looking at hotel rates I see that it is cheaper the week of Memorial Day. I read a trip report for that week of Memorial Day and it didn't look overwhelmingly busy. So my question is in your experience and opinion, what will the crowds be like the week of Memorial Day vs. the week after that in June? We are planning to have Express Passes so I know that will help.

Some background for us, we have been to Disney many times. We used to go in September and loved the lower crowds, but now w/ kids in school we have gone in October 3 years in a row. To us the Disney crowds in October are a bit of a bummer (too high). So we were originally planning to try Disney the first week in June for a change. But decided to switch to Universal for an even bigger change. :)

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
I have only been to UO a few times on your dates

I looked up UI calendar site on line and it had no info listed for May 31 but did list the parks busy for your June dates

They do update park crowds and adjust their predictions over the months prior to keep readers advised

Also looked at UT crowd predictions
As of today, which could change later in the coming months, they have nothing listed for May 31
The do have their predictions for June 1-4
It shows some of your dates are in red for one park but not the other

Suggest you start to watch some of the crowd predictions sites if it would make a difference in your park days

I stay onsite at a premier hotel and get free EP
If I run into park crowds it’s not an issue as the ep lines cuts ride wait time

My only advice is to look at the park maps for UO online and familiarize yourself with locations of first aide, restrooms, rides, show times, etc

If you are staying onsite, take advantage of the one hour early entry UO hotel guests get into the designated park of the day
 
I looked at several crowd calendars and they seem to conflict making it very unclear what to expect. I was just hoping that some of the regulars on the board had been at those times and could give me an idea of what their general experience has been.

I am a major researcher, but I am just a little stumped on Universal. I feel like I know the ins and outs of Disney pretty well by now. We are planning to stay on site and have express pass so I am hopeful that the crowds won't matter. I just don't want to go on a busier week than I need to.

Thanks for the advice.
 
One thing I look for is using my gut feeling for doing the darkside during a low to moderate period is watch UO site for when they do park ticket deals

When I see the specials of buy a two day P2P ticket and get 2 (or 3 days) days park tickets free, I pay attention

Those special deal tickets are a way to bring sales up to the parks

Also if you see room rates dropping, hotels are trying to fill up to a specific % of occupancy
Hotel rates can lower when many rooms are still available

Since you will have the unlimited ep, you will do fine at the parks

My guess right now is first week of June will be fine crowd wise
 


I feel your pain as I am a big planner too. Back when the kids were little, we always went to Disney. I had the parks scheduled for each day, what order we would do the rides, and often where we would eat. This was back when you had to physically go to the rides to get your Fastpasses, so I was constantly walking around the part gathering passes, so we didn't have to wait in long lines. When I first started looking at Universal, I read about how little planning was needed. I didn't believe it until our first trip was complete, and that was without EPs during a busy time of year (Spring Break).

Since you are starting out with EPs (we'll always have them from now on), getting around involves much less waiting in lines. With 4-5 days, you should have no issues riding everything in the park multiple times and be able to see whatever shows interest you. Hagrids is probably the only ride that you might need to plan around, since it does not use EPs and lines tend to be long.

Can't help you with your specific dates, as we have only gone during Thanksgiving and Spring Break. With EP, ride lines were usually in the 10-15 minute range; however, there were times where the parks got extremely crowded (especially after lunch) and some rides would have 45+ minute "express" waits. We typically get to the parks pretty early each day, so we simply go back to the hotel for a break/late lunch and then come back in the evening.
 

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