We have been to DL in early June about 3 times now, the most recent June visit being earlier this year. On each of those 3 trips, we went when there were absolutely no So Cal AP black out dates at all. AND there were Grad Nights on those trips, too.
Here's what I've observed on those trips:
- the weather is really great. Overcast in the morning, sunny in the afternoon. Pleasantly warm, but not sweaty warm. Cool in the evening once the sun went down.
- we'd start at the parks each day at park opening. sometimes made rope drop, sometimes got there 20-30 min later. Crowds were FABULOUSLY low for the first 2-2.5 hours.
- By 1pm, we noticed that things seemed a little crowded, so we'd leave for a break & would return late afternoon.
- About 5pm, crowds seemed larger than at 1pm because all of the local So Cal residents had left work to go to DL, have dinner, go on a couple of rides, go home.
- Right after fireworks, DL cleared out. In fact, crowds started to lighten up even before fireworks...at 9pm.
- We made sure that we hit up the E ticket rides in the morning - stuff like RSR, BTMRR, Star Tours, Space Mountain, etc.
- On Grad Nights, we'd stay out of Tomorrowland after 4 pm. A lot of the grads seemed to hang out & walk around a lot in Tomorrowland and it would be wall to wall people there. Everywhere else in the park? Busy, but manageable.
- Don't do what we did this June - park hop over to DCA 30 min before DCA closed to regular park guests...because my kids wanted to go on GRR. At that point (9:30 pm), practically ALL of the grads were in DCA and they really were walking around in packs, yelling, cheering, we got slammed into a couple of times just walking from the DCA entrance to GRR (which isn't that far). Next time, I'd be sure to be totally done with DCA by 8:30 pm on a Grad Night and just, frankly, NOT go into DCA at all in the evening.
I would totally go to DL again at that time of year. We've really really enjoyed it.