First time going to Disneyland and I have 2 dates narrowed down: June 18-23 or August 12-17. Of these two dates, which one would be better as far as crowds, getting the most out of our 4day/hopper pass (already purchased), less ride closures (train is no big deal if not open), etc? We are a family of four (kids are 7 & 10) and planning to stay at the Howard Johnson. Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I’m trying to narrow the date down soon so I can finish planning.
More so at DL than at WDW, crowds are a function of local school schedules because there is a much greater local draw. SOCAL AP black-out dates all are a factor. If schools are still out in Aug, and the black-out dates are still in effect, then in general, probably not much difference between the two time periods.
However, your August dates include a weekend, and my experiences at DLR is that weekends are typically busier than weekdays. One exception: I did a 7:00 AM EE on a Sunday one time and it was the emptiest I have ever seen DL. I got 5 FL attractions, 2 rides on the Matterhorn, and Buzz done in the first hour. SM, HM, Splash, and BTMRR done in the second hour. But it did start to get more crowded when the “after church” crowd started coming in.
For this year, I would go for the August Dates. Due to the construction of Star Wars Land, they have had to reroute the train tracks and the River of America. That has caused some significant closures–the canoes, Tom Sawyer Island, the Mark Twain river boat, the Pirate Ship Columbia and most importantly, Fantasmic. Disney is scheduled to reopen all that “Summer 2017”. I would go later in the summer so that those attractions are reopened. That will help disperse the crowds to more areas of the park, thus reducing wait times throughout the park. Most importantly, if you haven’t seen Fantasmic at Disneyland, its way better than at WDW (not knocking Fantasmic in Hollywood Studios, but you have to see it at Disneyland)!
If you do wait til August and the Rivers of America is reopened, check for Fantasmic Dining Packages. They have in the past been an excellent deal. If they do offer it with the Blue Bayou, there really is no other choice. That Restaurant is Amazing and if you time it right, you can sit inside by the water and watch guests start their journey on the Pirates of the Caribbean!! My kids love that! It adds a great atmosphere to go with their amazing food!