Hello all! SO a month after my last Disney vacation last fall I scheduled my next one this summer. It is June 11-14 2 days Disney w/Max pass-- DCA w/Max pass. I am not doing a hopper because we got so tired last time we left at like 4-5pm each day.
Last vacation I learned my tools of the trade- what not to do and what to do. We rode every Single Ride at DL and got half way through DCA- my first plan of attack is DCA, to see what we missed.
BUT OOPS- although I am stoked I forgot that SWGE might be opening at that time. If I go to the parks way early like 45 minutes before they open and have one magic morning- do you think that it will still be terrible?
ALSO i have heard mention of there might eventually be PAID pre openings to see SWGE–
IS that for the general public?
When they release stuff like that about how much does it cost?
How much is Disney different in the FALL versus the Summer?
The Fall weather is nicer, and if you go on weekdays while school is in session, it will typically be less crowded (when I lived in San Diego, I never went on weekends and rarely in the summer months).
There have been rumors all over the place about how SWGE will be rolled out. The consensus (if there is one) is that when it “opens” there will be a period of previews - invitational and/or pre-paid. One rumor I’ve heard is that you will need an advanced “fast pass” just to get into the land for at least several months… There have also been rumors of pre-paid WDW-style “Early Morning Magic” events (early admission to the land, unlimited rides, and possibly a meal of some kind starting 60 minutes ahead of regular park opening). Based on similar events for other “lands”, and the immense popularity expected of SWGE, some people are predicting as high as $500/person. One person quipped “They could charge $1000/person and they would still sell out every date within minutes of tickets release”. Sadly, he may well be right.
If it’s a “general admission” and not a reservation system then I would say 45 minutes early??? Probably more like 4 or 5 hours Some people will probably “camp out” days in advance of the opening to be at the head of the line.
One news article I read (which I think is probably the “worst case” scenario) predicted, that if there were no “reservations” and it was just general admission, opening day could see as many as 200,000 people, with 5-6 hours in line just to get into Disneyland, then lines to get into SWGE, then lines for the individual rides. The two parks have a (unpublished) capacity of between 75,000 and 85,000, which means both parks will probably hit capacity by mid morning. I don’t remember the exact figure quoted, but the DLR parking lots are thousands of cars short of the expected numbers, potentially causing gridlock in Anaheim and possible back-ups all the way onto the I-5. And I expect that it will only be marginally better at least though the end of the year.
Thanks for your response. I am hoping I am a little early for SWGE but if I’m there for the grand opening I guess I will see the crazy in some people lol. I can’t move my trips dates so I hope it goes well ! I wanted to spend a lot of time in CA anyways maybe it won’t be as crowded. I have also hear during the summer weekends are better?
Your dates should be fine. Most of us are using the deluxe AP blockout dates as a guide as to when to expect SWGE to open. June 21 is the first date the Deluxe AP are blocked for Disneyland (they can still enter DCA) until August 19. I suspect that they will have a paid preview of SWGE, however no one knows when and what the details will be. I can tell you that last year for the opening of Pixar Pier they had a paid preview at $300 per guest, now keep in mind this was for a rethemed area, not a brand new one. Many suspect they were testing the waters for SWGE this year. Not sure what dates you are planning on being in the parks, but I would suggest that June 14th would be your best bet for crowds at DL. Deluxe APs are blocked June 14, 15, and 16. So crowds should be very reasonable. Last summer was the first year it was better to go on a weekend, than on a weekday due to AP blockout dates. Weekdays were seeing CLs in the 7-9 range, while weekends were 4-6.
The beginning of fall is not that much different than the summer, weather wise. The crowds too. They are starting Halloween earlier and earlier each year and Halloween is growing increasingly more popular and has made what was a very quiet time in the parks, quite busy! However, with SWGE, that may change. Many suspect that they may send the Halloween party back to DCA with the opening of SWGE.
With the 11-13 being some of the last days that Deluxe passholders can access Disneyland before they are blocked out the following week, I would prepare for Disneyland to be very inundated, especially in the evenings. The good news is those aren’t the very last days they can come in so it may not be complete madness, but I would expect it to be very busy still. Then on the 14th I would except DCA to be filled with those same Deluxe passholders since they will be blocked from Disneyland but not DCA.
As has been said, no one knows what the plan is for paid previews and/or first access to SWGE will look like, just that they are likely to be some sort of paid event in place. Keep your eyes tuned to the Disney parks blog as that will be the first place an announcement will be made. My personal opinion is that they will do as many paid previews as they can and that $500 will be on the lower end of what I expect the price to be with $1,000 being a realistic figure. They may offer a short window of time for DVC and/or Annual Passholders to first purchase these events and then extend to the general public, but I expect that every single one of these previews will be sold out and quickly, even with such a steep price tag.
Fall at Disneyland is still very hot in my opinion and with the Santa Ana winds, September and October can be just as hot if not hotter than July and August. The autumn decor around the parks is fun & the Halloween overlays of several of the rides will be different. As has been said before, there isn’t an official word on how Halloween will be different this year (and it is expected to be with the opening of SWGE this summer) but you can check out Disneyland’s link to the event for what to expect based on years past: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/halloween-time-at-the-disneyland-resort/
Thanks guys for all this great advice so far! I was a little intimidated by going at summer time in general. I will be there 4 or 5 days this year- have not decided! BUT I am not changing my days, and have now decided to do a couple of weekend days. I know that this Touring Plan definitely MADE my vacation last time— with lines and all the advice I read. I know so MUCH more this vacation, I hope to conquer it all LOL!
On a recent Disney Dish episode, @len and Jim Hill talked about June 21-23 as possible media preview days (though, that’s not 100% set yet). It’s possible there could be some previews before those dates, but it’s tough to tell. I’d think Disney would want to have a bunch of preview days to figure out operations details for the new attractions, but that could depend on whether construction stays on schedule and/or how many last minute changes management tries to squeeze in.
I’d think Disney would want to cash in on paid previews, but I’d think they’d want to have things working pretty reliably by the time they start taking money from guests, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they did a bunch more cast member and Passholder events closer to the dates you’re talking about being around.
If, by some chance Galaxy’s Edge were open during your visit, then I think you’d need to arrive at the parks considerably more than 45 minutes ahead of time to get in front of folks who will likely line up as early as they can to be among the first to see the new land.
It’s been suggested to me that GE preview events will be more than $1,000. (Because I said I’d pay $1,000 and the CM I said it to laughed at me and said it would be “way more than that.”) I’m not sure what that $1,000 includes.
Considering Disneyland just announced a new princess meal at $125/head (for ages 3+, meaning for my family it would be $500) for a.single.meal., it doesn’t surprise me one bit that over $1,000 is being considered.
Hi! I cannot believe the new princess meal at DL is $125!!! So crazy! They clearly are looking for a totally different type of DL visitor than you or I.
I have been trying to figure out how this could be. Even CRT that is inside a freakin’ castle doesn’t approach this. Nor any princess dining ever. We LOOOOOVED Ariel’s Grotto at DCA and felt that $70/adult $35/kid was worth that price and hoped for a replacement for it once Ariel’s Grotto was re-themed to the Lamplight Lounge as a part of Pixar Pier’s re-imagining.
But I don’t see us ever doing this meal unless it were truly a once in a lifetime trip because seriously, it would be $500 for our family for a (one, uno, single, not plural) meal.
We’ll just wait in line with the rest of the peasants for the Royal Hall now.
It is very fresh news & had it come out in the last 2 weeks where I’ve had pesky life (work, prepping for a non-Disney vacation without kids & then going on said vacation that was fully booked of tours, events & quality time with the husband) getting in the way of my “real” life, then I too would’ve totally missed it & way more than by a day.
I would never pay that either! Not even for just me. I get having more expensive options available, but geez, this is out of control! I am starting to believe the $1000 plus entrance into Galaxy’s Edge is coming for the opening.
Ditto. I mean, we weren’t planning on it even if it were $500. But had talked about how nice it would be nice to see Galaxy’s Edge early & without (as many) crowds. It does look amazing. But I am more of a Harry Potter fan than Star Wars so perhaps I’ll just have to go elsewhere for my immersive land-theming for a bit
Do they still have princesses at Goofy’s kitchen? That price is ridiculous. I remember meeting Cinderella and Jasmine during our meals. That seems like a better option than having to pay that price.
