When Will It Be Busy At Disneyland - 2012 Edition

[swampymarsh]

Hey! Quick question. So I know that DCA opens June 15th and that'll be a pretty crazy day. But how busy will June 17th and 18th be at both parks? Will some of the crowd have died down by Sunday and Monday, or will it still be pretty insane?

Thanks!

Opening day lines for the new attractions will calm down by the next day but still be very long for perhaps most of Summer. The 17th will be extremely busy with many APH holders making up a large percentage of the attendance. The 18th should be much better but still busy.

[topdog2010]

Going this weekend (9th-11th) because we are going to the CL preview Monday. Any extra events this weekend that I'm missing? I figure it will be busy but maybe not as busy as the Bats Day/Gumball Rally weekend a few weeks ago? Hopefully everyone is saving up their trips for when CL opens...

[swampymarsh]

This weekend and all the weekend through August don't need special events to add crowds. It will be very busy on all of them from the combination of it being busy and Summer Vacation.

[DisneyGoof]

I have a feeling that today is going to be crazy packed because it's the last unblocked day for So Cal select APs for the summer. So Cal APs block out days are starting tomorrow too, but they're not completely blocked out yet.

[disneyfish]

Hoping to go to Disneyland on June 24 (friends visiting LA, and I just have the SoCal pass). How busy will it be? Will one park be worse than the other? Money is pretty tight. Is it worth going or will the crowds be too crazy? What would be the expected wait for the bigger rides? Thanks for all of the help

[Krillinish]

June 17 and June 24 are expected to be record-breaker days. Katella CM lot is being used for guests and CMs will be parking as far as Honda Center and Angel Stadium. Also expect a lot of grumpy CMs that day (not me) making those days a bad day to be in the parks.

[Kateyandstitch]

I am planning a trip from the 13-21st of September. Hotels are booking up fast, hojo has no rooms left and many of our other first choices have limited availability. I'm not sure why it is so popular then..I noticed a few conventions but not many. Do you know when the haunted mansion closes and opens for the holiday overlay?

[swampymarsh]

Hoping to go to Disneyland on June 24 (friends visiting LA, and I just have the SoCal pass). How busy will it be? Will one park be worse than the other? Money is pretty tight. Is it worth going or will the crowds be too crazy? What would be the expected wait for the bigger rides? Thanks for all of the help

I would take what Krillish said and choose another day. You don't want 60 to 120 minute waits on the bigger rides. In summer aim for another time and they should be more like 45 to 90.

I am planning a trip from the 13-21st of September. Hotels are booking up fast, hojo has no rooms left and many of our other first choices have limited availability. I'm not sure why it is so popular then..I noticed a few conventions but not many. Do you know when the haunted mansion closes and opens for the holiday overlay?

Hotels are not booking fast. You just happen to inquire at a hotels that had a huge group book well ahead of time. Be ready for some Aussie accents in teh queues.

Haunted Mansion will probably close August 27th and will reopen on the 14th when the Halloween Season begins.

[Ethel]

First post!
Hello all - I recently moved to California and I've been to Disneyland a few times but never to California Adventure. I really want to go but I want to avoid the crowds...do you think it would be a dumb idea to go the week before it opens? Was thinking of Tues. June 12 or 13. According to touringplans the few days before will be lighter crowds compared to the rest of the summer...Do you think any of the new rides would be open? Thanks! I've spent the most time at Disneyworld and I'm so excited to be near the BEST park.

[swampymarsh]

Was thinking of Tues. June 12 or 13. According to touringplans the few days before will be lighter crowds compared to the rest of the summer...Do you think any of the new rides would be open? Thanks! I've spent the most time at Disneyworld and I'm so excited to be near the BEST park.

Welcome.

The new rides in Cars Land and Beuna Vista Street will not be open to the general public. The refurbed Matterhorn may be soft opened.

Despite the prediction you saw expext the crowds to grow through the day and be bad in the evening because the parks are hosting Grad Nites.

Since you are talking about going midweek can you go midweek later in Summer? Mid July to mid August I usually try to get there midweek and while busy it works out fine for me. It's not aweful compared to weekends. Going later you will have everything open and no group of teen who are celebrating the end of school.

[Kuhio]

Since you are talking about going midweek can you go midweek later in Summer? Mid July to mid August I usually try to get there midweek and while busy it works out fine for me. It's not aweful compared to weekends. Going later you will have everything open and no group of teen who are celebrating the end of school.

I'm planning to visit sometime in the next couple of months, but on a weekday. My schedule is pretty flexible -- I'm a bit impatient to see Carsland (and try out the new Matterhorn vehicles), but I can also wait until September or later if it means the crowds will be substantially thinned out.

What will the crowds on a, say, Tuesday or Wednesday be like in July or August versus September? Is there some point in late summer/early fall where attendance drops off significantly, such that even the longer standby lines aren't more than 30 minutes or so?

[swampymarsh]

What will the crowds on a, say, Tuesday or Wednesday be like in July or August versus September? Is there some point in late summer/early fall where attendance drops off significantly, such that even the longer standby lines aren't more than 30 minutes or so?

It could be a huge difference. If we say that Tuesday and Wednesday are 10s in all of July and through the first two full weeks of August. The 3rd week of August, 20th-24th is when APs become unblocked and it could be like a 12. The next week an 8 when some schools restart. First week of September that is near the Labor Day Holiday a 6. The next 3 weeks of September are 2s.

While the crowds are so much bettter in September, the hours are short and there will not be as much entertainment. If Fireworks and Fantasmic or being in the park at night are important you should go in Summer.

[Kuhio]

Great, thanks! I last visited DL before World of Color debuted, so that and the new Carsland stuff are what I definitely don't want to miss. (I've seen MM&Y at WDW and the other nighttime entertainment at DL in years past, so I don't mind missing those.)

I'll probably look at late August or early September -- so long as WoC is showing on a nightly basis, I'm good.

[summertime]

Thanks so much for your help, swampymarsh! We decided to go ahead and plan our visits and be prepared for the crowds

Me again.

Will June 30 (Saturday with DAP blockout) be less crowded than June 29 (Friday with SoCal APs blockout only)? We are thinking about driving down to Southern California on Thursday, 6/28, to avoid the worst holiday weekend traffic. We could activate our DAPs on Thursday evening and go to the park on Friday, but then we would be blocked out on Saturday. Which day--Friday or Saturday--would be less crowded? If Saturday is a better day to visit Disneyland, then we'll stick to our original plan of activating our DAPs on Saturday.

A potential bonus of activating our DAPs on Thursday would be that we might be able to register for AP early entry on Monday, 7/1, and Tuesday, 7/2 (if spots are still available...although I suspect that they might all be taken since it's 4th of July week).

Thanks for your help!

[zeppelindude]

Me again.

Will June 30 (Saturday with DAP blockout) be less crowded than June 29 (Friday with SoCal APs blockout only)? We are thinking about driving down to Southern California on Thursday, 6/28, to avoid the worst holiday weekend traffic. We could activate our DAPs on Thursday evening and go to the park on Friday, but then we would be blocked out on Saturday. Which day--Friday or Saturday--would be less crowded? If Saturday is a better day to visit Disneyland, then we'll stick to our original plan of activating our DAPs on Saturday.

A potential bonus of activating our DAPs on Thursday would be that we might be able to register for AP early entry on Monday, 7/1, and Tuesday, 7/2 (if spots are still available...although I suspect that they might all be taken since it's 4th of July week).

Thanks for your help!

Actually curious about the same dates. I've been an AP holder for years but going away for school forced the cancelation. A friend of mine is coming to visit from Texas and she has never been, but if its too crazy I don't even want to expose her to it. I'm used to the whole "if we show up and the crowds are awful let's just leave" mentality, but having to stay for the full day (especially with the price of the one day tickets) would change the outlook. I haven't been to Disneyland with a 1-Day ticket for almost 8 years now, and the poor college student in me doesn't want to drop the money if the waits are going to be insane.

Basically, would it be better to spend a full day at Disneyland on Thursday, 6/28 (the last day before SoCal AP's are blacked out for the summer) or Friday, 6/29 (weekend, start of 4th of July crowds, etc.)? Any input would be nice.

I guess if the outlook is too bad we could just go to Universal...