Crowds

[Frozen2014]

We plan on returning to Disney at some point in the next few years...either Disney World again or trying Disneyland. How crazy are the crowds at:

• March Break
• week leading up to Labor Day
• a week in July or August
• Christmas time

Our likely time would be either March Break or labor day weekend (or some other week in the summer). But how bad are they in terms of crowds? As a gage for us, how long would you expect to wait in line for Big Thunder Mountain during the day?

I'm thinking March Break over Christmas since March Break weeks are different amoung schools, whereas everyone has the same Christmas. Last week in the summer is ideal before our kids return to school, but I'm concerned about the weather (and Haunted Mansion being shut down as that's DD and my favorite)

Also, is summer crazy hot? Or is it manageable?

 

[Indiana Scott]

Those are all the worst times of year - crowd wise.
Summer can be extremely hot or it can be mild. It just kinda depends on luck.

 

[SMD]

Big Thunder is a high capacity ride, but the waits depend on how many trains are running that day. All of the times you listed will be crowded. Especially if Easter is early that year. Everything going forward is really unknown with the large parts of the parks closed due to Star Wars construction and the impact once that land opens. The weather has been very unpredictable lately, but it can easily reach 100 degrees in July an August. It is 10am on October 1st right now and 87 degrees and 54% humidity in Anaheim. It is not normally that hot or humid, but it has been the last 2 years, so it may continue.

 

[Frozen2014]

Yeah...last year we took our kids out of school. But our son will be grade 7 or older depnding on when we come....so we don't want to take him out (only possiblity is the week prior to Christmas)

 

[figment_jii]

I mentioned this in your other thread, but I wouldn't count on low crowds during Labor Day weekend. The Disneyland Half Marathon is slated to occur from September 1 to 4 in 2016. High crowds are pretty typical during Marathon weekends. The ride lines might not be too bad (compared to a typical Sat/Sun), but the parks will feel crowded. I do think the Mon to Wed of the week before Labor Day will probably be pretty good in terms of crowds because many schools are back in session.

Spring Break Season (early-March to mid-April) is usually a pretty nice time to go. There will be crowds (especially the week before and after Easter), but the parks tend to be operating on their full schedule (so long hours and full entertainment - though it's worth pointing out that F! is slated to be dark for pretty much all of 2016). I've found that the weather is usually pretty nice in March (although, weather is unpredictable, so it could be great or awful or both). Some of the larger Southern California School Districts (e.g., LAUSD) has the week before Easter off in 2016, so if I had to guess, I would say that is going to be when the peak Spring Break crowds occur.

July and August can be a mixed bag. The parks are operating on their full schedules, but the crowds will be high. There isn't as much of a noticeable difference between weekdays and weekend days in summer. I think you're much more likely to encounter warm/hot weather in the summer months.

Christmas Break would let you see the parks with the holiday decor and offerings. Haunted Mansion (with its Nightmare Before Christmas overlay), IaSW Holiday, and Jingle Cruise should all be up and running (assuming they do all the overlays in 2016). However, as you noted, the week between Christmas and New Years is traditionally one of the busiest periods of the year at DLR. Capacity crowds are likely to occur at least once during that period.

I largely think you're going to have to decide whether low crowds or Haunted Mansion is your priority. If low crowds are the most important thing, I would consider going during the week before Labor Day, just know that the weekend (Fri to Sun) will be on the busier side. If Haunted Mansion is your priority, I would consider going in March (although this depends a lot on when is your March break).

 

[Epek]

The week leading up to Labor Day, is actually a quite nice time to go. As long as the weather isn't too hot! The actual weekend is busy, however. Disneyland holds one of their marathons that weekend. I have been that week for the last few years. Even with the marathon I find it manageable. Keep in mind, some of that week may have shorter hours and Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain may be down for their Halloween overlays.

 

[DaveNinja]

The week before the labor day weekend is usually not bad as far as crowds go. Haunted mansion usually closes sometime around there, some years its the monday before labor day weekend but this last year it was 2 mondays before labor day weekend. Its also usually super hot this time of year.
We went the weekend before the labor day weekend this year and never bothered to get a fastpass for Big Thunder RR since the stand by line was usually pretty short (15-30 min) and we rode it a lot.

 

[grnflash]

Spring Break - PACKED, and refurbs happen during this time
Xmas - ULTRA PACKED, but the decor is lovely
July - Packed but nice, long hours, good weather, usually no refurbs
August - AWESOME, hot but each week gets slower than the one befoe, by the end of the month, short lines. Week before Labor Day is awesome, the actual holiday weekend back to packed

 

[chickapin parterre]

...and just think if you choose 2017 to return.....

 

[Frozen2014]

Thanks for the replies. Great and helpful responses. Is July better in terms of weather compared with August? If we knew in far advance then we could book their camp around a trip). Or the Mon to Fri week before labor day would work as we'd just take the week off work....but missing Haunted Mansion would not be good.

In 2016 our March Break is Mar 14-18, but we're not looking at next March so doesn't mean much.

chickapin, we already have a big trip planned for 2016 (a cruise) so definitely would be 2017 or later.

 

[SoonerLaw]

AP blockouts, AP blockouts, AP blockouts - the single most important crowd decision when visiting DLR. Particularly the SoCal level passes (two lowest tiers).

I highly advise reviewing Hydroguy's various threads regarding visiting DLR for WDW veterans and crowd levels.

I personally believe that summer is the best time to visit of the various options you have mentioned. The parks will be open the longest hours (8 am - 12 am everday for DL), nighttime spectaculars will be offered every night of the week, and refurbs will be at the lowest level of the year. The extra hour of opening time (8 rather than 9) makes a huge difference in staying ahead of the crowds. The hours may be similar over Spring Break, Labor Day, and Christmas. However, it has been mentioned that Labor Day comes with marathon crowds. March and December come with a greater chance of rain, whereas July-September comes with very little chance of rain (it did rain this year in July and September, but very rare).

While the summer is certainly crowded, the crowds are very different then those that you will find during weekends without AP blockouts. The resort is exceptionally crowded on evenings and weekends when SoCal AP's are not blocked. Particularly note the period in August immediately after the SoCal AP blockouts are lifted. All the time periods you mentioned should have the SoCal AP's blocked, so that should be less of an issue - but I highly advise checking the AP calendar.

Generally, wait times at DLR as a whole are substantially lower than you will find at any one WDW park. This is due to the fact that there is more attraction capacity at the two DLR parks than any one WDW park. MK has gotten better with New Fantasyland, but still does not match the sheer volume of attractions at DL.

 

[2boysmom1998]

I've gone to Disneyland in July and August. Spent a week there both times and it was busy but manageable. We got there at rope drop and got a ton done in the morning. The AP's are blocked then and the hours are extended which is nice. You don't have to deal with Grad Nights which is great! I wouldn't hesitate going back during those months again. I went towards the end of July last year and two years ago we went at the beginning of August. It is hot, but I like the heat so it didn't bother me. It's not like WDW with the humidity and heat which can be overwhelming to me. We went to WDW a couple of years ago during a tropical storm. It was miserable!

 

[Frozen2014]

I'm guessing that AP stands for Annual Pass holders?

I wish we could just go Oct time again or even April or May, but again, our DS is getting older and we don't want to take him out.
Having said that, if we came March Break or July or August, they would be out of school, DH and I would take the week off of work. We may fly in on the Sunday, but really our park time would be Mon - Fri...so weekend crowds aren't really an issue.

That's interesting....so July to Sept weather is less rain in California? From what I understand in DW, that's the worst time for rain as they get these daily down pours (I guess from the heat). Also to confirm...it's hot in the summer but no humidity? That makes a big difference.

I guess this post is kind of funny as I'm really researching for far in the future 2-4 years down the road. But we had such an amazing time in Disney World that we promised we'd go back (either DW or Disneyland). Not sure at this point which one, so I'm researching both for those times. I know DL is much smaller, but then you have the fact that everything is there and walkable. (but less onsite hotel options and so not sure cost-wise how that compares)

 

[SoonerLaw]

Yes, AP stands for Annual Passholder.

It essentially does not rain during the summer in Southern California, unlike Central Florida. There is not humidity like there is at WDW. I used to live in CA for two decades and I have visited DLR for 30 years and never experienced rain during a summer visit. When I go to WDW, it has rained every single time and every single day during August and September.

Also keep in mind that Haunted Mansion in October will be Haunted Mansion Holiday. A fantastic attraction in its own right, however, it is not the regular Haunted Mansion we all know and love.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

I'd go in summer if you can handle the heat. July it's usually a little cooler than August but not by much. I have gone during Spring break and it's cooler, but I feel like it's more crowded. Christmas is beautiful but the most packed time of year by far.

Keep in mind that Disneyland is smaller in acreage, but has roughly the same amount of attractions in a smaller area.

 

[Frozen2014]

Thanks again for the feedback. I would love to go in October, but those days will be over by the time we return to Disney. It's just our own parenting decision (well, more DH, but I respect that). So weather wise, if we choose summer, then Disneyland would be better mid week. Guess we'll have to see the pros and cons of each. For the fun of it, I did a price check on DW during our March break next year and was surprised to see special deal packages for that time....so cost may be a factor too (but of course, airline during that time would be more...and we're closer to Orlando than Anaheim).

 

[figment_jii]

I highly recommend checking out HydroGuy's Detailed Weather Data for DLR thread to help you get a sense of what the weather might be like for any of your potential trip periods.

Personally, I don't think there is really as much of a difference between weekdays and weekend days in the summer (July and first half of August). All days are going to be crowded because there are plenty of guests in the parks taking summer vacations. I was in the parks this past July from Wed to a Sun and all of the days felt equally busy. There was some talk that Saturdays might actually be less busy because only the Premium/Premier APs are valid, but I don't think it made a really noticeable difference.

The later half of August (after the summer time blockout for the SoCal and SoCal Select APs end) tend to be busier on the weekends as those AP holders return to the parks for the first time since late-June/early-July. This also (usually) corresponds to when the parks start to transition from their summer schedule (long hours, full entertainment) to their non-peak schedule (shorter hours, less entertainment). Normally the biggest change is that F! goes to weekends only, but F! will be dark in 2016 and it's not yet clear how 2017 will be impacted.

 

[Frozen2014]

Thank you! That link is very helpful as are your comments about weekends in the summer.
What is "F!"?

Also, when is the Star Wars land getting added/completed? My son would love that.

 

[figment_jii]

F! is the shorthand for Fantasmic!

DLR has not yet announced an estimated completion date for Star Wars Land. They will start breaking ground next year (Jan 2016).

 

[taniahappy]

What is "F!"?
.

Fantasmic!