Hi,
I’m looking at various predictions for crowds in June. We are planning for 3 days June 13-22, but they can be spread out, as we will be in the LA area that week.
Various websites have different predictions, and it seems like if Disney offers a California promotion (they did last June) that could alter the predictions. The special event nights are set, but I’m not clear if we shouldn’t go to the parks those days, or just avoid the park with the event.
So, does anyone have any insight on how to figure out which days will have the least crowds and if we need to avoid the parks on the the special nights?
We are planning on using G+.
Lenny
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DLR has gotten really good at pricing the annual passes and tiered 1 day tickets as well as managing blockouts for the passholders to create a more consistent level everyday in crowds, ie the days that used to be less crowded are now on the much cheaper end and/or have less pass blackouts and therefore that draws more crowds. And then the days that are historically busy, have throttled the crowds by putting a premium on the 1 day tiered tickets making them a price gouge AND have more blockouts on the passholder levels.
So if I had the choice, I use the following as my guiding principle to dictate what days I went: go on the days that have the highest pricing for 1 day tickets and/or most pass blockouts. That might sound like you’re setting yourself up for a busy crowded day BUT, because of those things it’s shifting crowds off of those days AND on top of that, DLR staffs the day as a busy, well-run machine so even if there are lots of crowds, they also have more operations to smoothly guide those crowds through the chokepoints such as security, the entry turnstiles/tapstiles AND will have rides running at more efficient capacity with more entertainment offerings to draw in crowds. If you go on days when the 1 day tickets are cheaper and less passes blocked out, they don’t tend to run the same level of efficient operations and therefore, you may be with less crowds overall resort-wide, but you’re also competing for more limited spots in line, less showtimes, less manned security stations, etc. which results in more waits for you & more of a feeling that you’re in crowds. That’s just my personal take though.
The only really nice thing about this leveling off of crowds is that the days that used to just be insanely busy, are very much less so and there are less instances of pure wall-to-wall people from front to back of the park, just because it’s a busy day. (These still exist if it’s a busier day and you’re watching the fireworks on Main St. for example, but only with those high traffic & specific situations, not just because there’s too many people in the park that so many of them are shuffling down Main St unwilling to wait in the 75+ minute lines).
And then if all your days are about the same when looking at the 1 day ticket prices and pass blockouts, I would go to the park that has early entry that day. Because the footprint of guests staying on site and using that perk is so limited & most guests are offsite and avoiding the EE, it will actually tend to be the less crowded park. Also, there are only certain areas/lands that open for EE so it’s easy to still have a good rope drop advantage if you go to areas that the EE guests didn’t have access to and/or were so efficient at getting all the EE guests through that the ride is still a walk-on at regular opening.
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Thank you. This is really helpful. I’m looking at prices and it does seem that weekend prices are higher, and this is when blackouts usually are. I read about this on another website, that historically weekends are less busy in the summer months at DLR, because all of the passholders go on the weekdays. I wonder if this is why they also put the special nights (grad night, pride nights) on the weekdays, to get more locals/passholders to fill up the weekdays instead of waiting until the weekend.
However, I’m wondering if we should avoid the weekend of Father’s Day/Juneteeth, as I’m thinking that could override the normal flow.
I’m also wondering what happens on the Disney after Dark nights. If we want to stay at night, is the park opposite of the special night so crowded, that it is best to avoid going those nights? And do the crowds typically go to the opposite resort during the day? I’m just trying to figure out if I should avoid those dates, as we typically like to enjoy the parks at night.
Nope, that’s a weekend that we’ve been many times before as June is usually an easier time for our family and our anniversary usually falls around that weekend (if it’s on a weekend). I wouldn’t avoid any of the holiday weekends, especially minor ones and even most major ones as that’s when passes are more blocked/restricted and that offsets the increase of tourists plus DLR is going to be running the most efficiently to accommodate and better capture the spending $$$ of those tourists by minimizing any time they are in any kind of line.
I honestly can never go to the Disney after Dark nights because they are always midweek when my kids are in school and we travel from out of state so what works for us are 3-4 day weekends or summers so I can’t personally give my experience. I do have experience with Halloween time parties and on those nights, yes the opposite park is very busy. EXCEPT when there are passholder blockouts. So I would really look at what if any passes are blocked and if there are 2 or more passes blocked, I wouldn’t worry about avoiding the park.
As for what park are people spending the day in, if they know about the events they may avoid the park BUT it’s probably in the minority. Right now, it’s more common that guests are avoiding the park that is open for early entry to avoid being at a disadvantage to the resort hotel guests that get 30 minutes extra. The pattern is fairly reliably DCA EE Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun, DL EE Tue, Thur Sat. Far more guests are offsite at DLR vs. WDW so it’s more people trying to shift off to the the non-EE park and I would more look to follow the EE (the resort footprint of onsite guests at DLR is so so miniscule & there’s plenty of places to start out that aren’t open for EE or don’t get back-logged with a wait from just the EE crowd so you still have an advantage doing them early on). So embrace going on a morning that has it. Especially if you’re willing to pay for Genie + and/or Individual Lightning Lanes.
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