I see activity in this forum has stalled for over a year but thought I’d try anyway.
We plan to hit DL on 9/7 (crowd level predicted at 4) but wondering if it would be worth altering our trip a little (we haven’t bought the tickets yet) since the crowd level is predicted at only 2 the following day. On a Friday though??? I tried to find out if something else important is going on on the same day but all I can find is a Catholic holiday I’ve never heard of.
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Not sure where you’re looking, but there’s lots of info on here about DL!
I think the prevailing advice would be not to change your plans based on a CL difference of 2. It probably won’t make much difference.
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Oh, good to know, thank you!
I searched specifically in the “crowd calendar” section and I’m only seeing activity from 2022 and before. Probably just something wrong I’m doing! 
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We don’t always tag our posts appropriately, so we’ve discussed Disneyland crowd levels, but just didn’t tag it.
I would leave your plans as is because Thursday is almost certain to be less busy – I don’t trust a calendar that tells you a Friday is going to be less busy than a Thursday. 
All due respect to the TP crowd calendar, I just don’t think it can be used at that level of granularity.
That said, I would only change it if there are entertainment offerings (i.e., fireworks, World of Color) that are scheduled for Friday but not Thursday. I haven’t checked the calendar to confirm one way or the other, so take a look and see if that is important to you.
Also, the most important factor for beating the crowds at DL is to arrive as early as possible to take advantage of mornings before the locals start showing up after school / work.
Good luck!
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Ah! That’s what I was wondering too. And great advice, thanks!
We originally planned to get tickets for Tuesday because it was at a 3 but I got an email update the other day saying it got changed to a 5. 
Since we haven’t bought our tickets yet, we can still choose between Tue/Wed/Thurs, and if we choose Friday, we’d just have to check out of our hotel that morning and stay at another place that night. (We have a place lined up so it might not be that big of a deal?)
I can split hairs all day though! hahaha
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Because of the $50-$60 higher ticket prices on Fridays and the weekends, Fridays have been less busy than Thursdays. MiceChat just had an article on this https://www.micechat.com/363640-disneyland-update-crowd-crush-pipes-pop-holiday-happenings/.
With that said, I wouldn’t change your plans to get from a CL 4 to a CL 2. Either one of them will be a very pleasant experience. Also, there are no pass holder blackout in affect on Friday, so there is a chance Friday late afternoon and evening could get swamped by Pass holders.
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I just checked Thrill Data to see which day of the week is lowest in crowd levels. Of Tuesday - Thursday, Thursday is lowest. Interestingly it shows Friday and Sunday as lower wait times, presumably due to Annual Pass blockouts which typically block the weekends. However, I think this data belies the fact that the afternoons / evenings get busier on the weekends. So you might have a quiet Friday morning, but Friday evening will be a mad house.
Also, I just checked your dates and there are no passholder blockouts between Tuesday - Friday 9/5-9/8.
That makes sense! I think my point above about evenings vs. daytime is still relevant.
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That makes sense! I think my point above about evenings vs. daytime is still relevant.
Absolutely!!
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All good advice given so far. And ultimately, I wouldn’t go chasing the low crowds between a 2 and 4 difference either & go when it works best in the rest of the trip/life schedule.
One thing I’ll add to the discussion re: Friday’s & Sunday’s
These days will be staffed better so yes crowds may be slightly higher, but the ratio of staffed operations to guests will be a more favorable ratio to having a better experience, with a price though.
I would definitely echo the advice to check the entertainment calendar. That week after Labor Day is notoriously a quiet/non-entertainment week because of the lower crowds so if seeing fireworks is important to you, another reason to look into going on a Friday vs. Thursday.
One last thing I would double check, is if there is a Halloween party on Thursday. Actually, I just realized I had the Entertainment Calendar for DLR pulled up & there is a party for Thursday. This means that California Adventure will close at 6pm and Disneyland will become much busier on Thursday night than it was all day. With that alone, I would lean to Friday. But it depends on if you’ll be sticking around for the evening or not as well.
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Oh good call on checking for a party! I always forget about those.
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I’d be surprised if any day was a 2 now. APR have generally removed any CL below a 4. TP only tracks until 5 pm. That works for WDW, but not for DLR, where so many local AP show up after work/school. I’ve seen TomorrowLand as a ghost town Friday am and the whole park swamped in the evening. Many come just to have dinner and watch the FW. The parties definitely impact the days. DCA can be great during the day of a party because the non-hopper guests will avoid it. This also means DL can be busier on those days. FW should only show Fri-Sun that week, so if that’s important, choose that. Otherwise go with a plan on the day that works best for you.
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