Predicted Crowd Levels Up for My Dates

[Quiltsndisney]

We have only ever visited before on days of level 2-3 pre covid and I spent ages working out the best week to choose and now I feel like it is going to be too much for us to cope with. Both of us suffer from crowd anxiety thats why we have always gone in January when the crowds were really low but I guess those days are gone now so I suppose we will just have to try and keep each other calm. Hoping if we hit rope drop every day we will miss the worst of it in the morning and then perhaps spend the afternoon by the pool. I really don't know whether I should just cancel the whole thing and try for later in the year when things might be a little less hectic.

Understand. similar to you I have anxiety issues and my cousin has downs syndrome which amps up my anxiety as I want it to be perfect for her. I am going to try and hope for the best. With it being after Easter and school almost wrapping I have to think the day time hours should be lighter.

good luck with your decision.

 

[mdmost]

I think crowds aren't going to go down for more than a year. There's so much pent up demand that the parks may just never have downtime. Couple that with staffing issues and limited key holder availability and it's a recipe for continued crowding. I feel like the best plan is just to go in knowing it might be crowded. So try to come up with a good plan to minimize your waits. That's something we did with our WDW trip in September where there wasn't any fastpasses or Genie+. There are some good options out there to help you with planning. Disneyland Daily and Touring Plans are two that I like to use every trip.

 

[smartlabelprint]

When is the last time you went? The low crowd days are few and far between. The touring plans type apps that predict weren’t always correct pre-covid. Now, the one week here or there that they predict low seems guaranteed to be busy because all the planners choose that week.

 

[Westcorkdisfan]

I recently watched a YouTube video (mrcheezypop) and he was touring DCA with experts that help people with autism, anxiety etc to come up with a plan to enjoy the parks. It sounds like most important is to have an idea where quiet spots are and know when you need a break. I’d plan on very busy and adjust to that. Have a break during the busiest times or do the attractions like art academy or the train that are relaxing. I know it’s been a hard few years (I live in Ireland but family is in CA, heading for first time in 2 1/2 years and Can Not Wait!). I hope you get to go and have an amazing time!

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

We are going in mid-June. That’s our first full week of summer vacation and I’m sure it will be for many others as well! I’m anticipating crowds. That being said, this is a birthday trip for my soon-to-be 16 year old DD who has pretty severe anxiety around crowds. She loves Disneyland so much, but there were times last summer that were hard on her. We learned a few things along the way and since this is her birthday trip, we will be following her lead to make sure she feels comfortable. One thing she’s already talked about is getting to the parks for rope drop as usual, but instead of racing with the crowds to be first on an attraction, she wants to wait and then ride the train. She thinks it will help her acclimate to being in the parks without the pressure of getting into a line (she’s okay with waiting for the train). We did buy Genie+ and hope to avoid being smushed into too many long, slow-moving lines. And we will be taking frequent breaks back at the hotel so she can have some sensory downtime. I think we will have a lovely time even with crowds as long as we go at her pace and take respite breaks when needed.

 

[smartlabelprint]

We are going in mid-June. That’s our first full week of summer vacation and I’m sure it will be for many others as well! I’m anticipating crowds. That being said, this is a birthday trip for my soon-to-be 16 year old DD who has pretty severe anxiety around crowds. She loves Disneyland so much, but there were times last summer that were hard on her. We learned a few things along the way and since this is her birthday trip, we will be following her lead to make sure she feels comfortable. One thing she’s already talked about is getting to the parks for rope drop as usual, but instead of racing with the crowds to be first on an attraction, she wants to wait and then ride the train. She thinks it will help her acclimate to being in the parks without the pressure of getting into a line (she’s okay with waiting for the train). We did buy Genie+ and hope to avoid being smushed into too many long, slow-moving lines. And we will be taking frequent breaks back at the hotel so she can have some sensory downtime. I think we will have a lovely time even with crowds as long as we go at her pace and take respite breaks when needed.

I love this idea.

 

[mdmost]

We are going in mid-June. That’s our first full week of summer vacation and I’m sure it will be for many others as well! I’m anticipating crowds. That being said, this is a birthday trip for my soon-to-be 16 year old DD who has pretty severe anxiety around crowds. She loves Disneyland so much, but there were times last summer that were hard on her. We learned a few things along the way and since this is her birthday trip, we will be following her lead to make sure she feels comfortable. One thing she’s already talked about is getting to the parks for rope drop as usual, but instead of racing with the crowds to be first on an attraction, she wants to wait and then ride the train. She thinks it will help her acclimate to being in the parks without the pressure of getting into a line (she’s okay with waiting for the train). We did buy Genie+ and hope to avoid being smushed into too many long, slow-moving lines. And we will be taking frequent breaks back at the hotel so she can have some sensory downtime. I think we will have a lovely time even with crowds as long as we go at her pace and take respite breaks when needed.

This is a fantastic idea. Another suggestion is to try the Main Street vehicles. That way you can tool around Main Street at a leisurely pace. We've never done it and plan to try that on our slow day this year.

 

[CeCe0906]

It sounds like she would qualify for DAS. You could control your ride times better with less anxiety (not have to meet a specific window, in case that ends up when she needs a break) than with Genie+. You could ride something, and then get a DAS return for something else. Use the wait for the DAS return for the train or other low key activity, lunch or snack. If you return to your hotel for a break, request a DAS return time, and it will be there when you get back. Since all the request are done in app now, she wouldn't be singled out at all, if embarrassment is an issue. You could do the request ahead of time via online chat, and she could just come in at the end for the picture.
A lot of the Fantasy land rides aren't on Genie +, but are available with DAS.