Would you go in July or August??

kittycruize

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 9, 2010
We are planning our very first visit to DL, having been to WDW many times. We are trying to decide if the 2nd or 3rd week in July, or the last week in August would be better for avoiding the crowds, especially the Star Wars crowds. It looks like the passes are lifted by the last week of August, yet a lot of kids will be in school at that time. What would be a better time for us to go? I know nobody can predict much this summer, but any thoughts would be very appreciated! I would like to book a hotel today!
 
Not all school districts will be back in session by the end of August. Some schools don't go back until September. And there are a lot of districts that affect crowds at DLR: Southern CA, Northern CA, AZ, NV, UT, OR, WA. You get the picture. By the end of August, DLR traditionally moves to the non-peak schedule, which means shorter hours, more refurbs, lower staffing, less entertainment, nighttime entertainment on weekends only, etc. HM will be down for the Halloween overlay installation. And the return of the lower APs to DL will definitely affect crowd patterns. I would choose July when DLR will be totally prepared for the crowds and the lower APs will be blocked from DL. You'll have longer hours, rides running at full capacity, more staffing, more entertainment, nighttime entertainment every night, etc. This makes a very big difference in how smoothly things run in the parks. It may be crowded, but you won't feel it as much when the parks are prepared to handle it. With good planning and preparation, lots of patience, and a positive attitude, you'll have a great trip!
As for SWGE, by July, you'll have had over a month to read the updates here on how to handle the crowds and what the best strategies are. Keep up with the threads here and you'll be a pro by the time of your trip!
 
Not all school districts will be back in session by the end of August. Some schools don't go back until September. And there are a lot of districts that affect crowds at DLR: Southern CA, Northern CA, AZ, NV, UT, OR, WA. You get the picture. By the end of August, DLR traditionally moves to the non-peak schedule, which means shorter hours, more refurbs, lower staffing, less entertainment, nighttime entertainment on weekends only, etc. HM will be down for the Halloween overlay installation. And the return of the lower APs to DL will definitely affect crowd patterns. I would choose July when DLR will be totally prepared for the crowds and the lower APs will be blocked from DL. You'll have longer hours, rides running at full capacity, more staffing, more entertainment, nighttime entertainment every night, etc. This makes a very big difference in how smoothly things run in the parks. It may be crowded, but you won't feel it as much when the parks are prepared to handle it. With good planning and preparation, lots of patience, and a positive attitude, you'll have a great trip!
As for SWGE, by July, you'll have had over a month to read the updates here on how to handle the crowds and what the best strategies are. Keep up with the threads here and you'll be a pro by the time of your trip!
I agree with this. July is a better bet than August based on what you said are your options.

:wizard:
 


one gamble that you could take on August. Traditionally the last week of august usually ends with labor day weekend....this year labor day is late into September.....so what if folks book the last week of august not aware of the labor day on the calendar, freeing up that first week of September that is usually not available. That week could very well be a good week to visit because no one has a tradition of visiting that week.
 
July! August can get complicated trying to figure out what schools are in session or not. And people tend to take their last minute summer trips then. And it’s hotter.
 
Hmm, I am going to go against the grain here. Most California schools are in school by the end of August. I have found the crowds much lower at that time of year. Temperatures can vary both months from really hot to very pleasant. You will take the risk of some rides being down. I can't remember when they close Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain to do the Halloween overlays. That may be in late August, but I think it is September.
If you have the ability, late September is a really nice time to go.
 


Hmm, I am going to go against the grain here. Most California schools are in school by the end of August. I have found the crowds much lower at that time of year. Temperatures can vary both months from really hot to very pleasant. You will take the risk of some rides being down. I can't remember when they close Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain to do the Halloween overlays. That may be in late August, but I think it is September.
If you have the ability, late September is a really nice time to go.
I will add that this year is special compared to past years. First is Star Wars GE. Second is the unprecedented DAP blockout for DL that lifts Aug 19. Just saying I would be careful to base advice this year on what has happened in past years when comparing July to late August.

:wizard:
 
I will add that this year is special compared to past years. First is Star Wars GE. Second is the unprecedented DAP blockout for DL that lifts Aug 19. Just saying I would be careful to base advice this year on what has happened in past years when comparing July to late August.

:wizard:
I was just about to post that. End of August many people who were blocked out of DL or the whole park will be wanting to see Star Wars so they will for sure be there. Even though school may be in session, I am sure people would take their kids out for a day.
 
I was just about to post that. End of August many people who were blocked out of DL or the whole park will be wanting to see Star Wars so they will for sure be there. Even though school may be in session, I am sure people would take their kids out for a day.
Totally agree! SWGE changes everything this summer!
 
... I can't remember when they close Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain to do the Halloween overlays. That may be in late August, but I think it is September...
Historically, HM goes down for the Halloween overlay around the third week of August (20-somethingth) until the first day of Halloween Time in September. SM goes down in September, usually the week before the start of Halloween Time, for the GG overlay -- that one is very short, usually only two days or so.
I agree with the previous posters that this year will not be typical, so basing crowd predictions for this summer or fall on past years' patterns is comparing apples to oranges. It really isn't possible to compare a year with SWGE to years when it didn't exist.
 
Annual passes make it easy to go after school gets out. Nice treat for the kids for going back to school.
August is typically a lot hotter than July.
Then there is SWGE. I'd aim for July
 
I don’t know about June or July, but we regularly go during the first week of August. Two things that can make or break travel at that time: (1.) heat & (2.) crowds. We’ve dealt with both very successfully by getting up extra early (we usually stay on site & get to use the early admission) and then slowing down when the real heat and the big crowds roll in. We even have a routine of my kids getting up extra early during the week before we go, just to get used to getting out of bed quickly (we usually take a break midday and then go back for afternoon/evening stuff, but the initial couple of hours right after opening are by far they best ones of the day for us). We’re all pretty sleep deprived by the time we’re done and usually need a vacation to recover from our vacation, but the high energy, full entertainment schedule, and the fact that most rides tend to be up and running more than makes up for it for us.

So, in my opinion, as long as you and your family are early birds (or, if not, are motivated to shift your daily rhythm accordingly while there), you are likely to have a great time. If not, then the heat & crowd issues may make your summer visit (unnecessarily?) stressful.

At this point, any impact on crowds due to the opening of SWGE is of course pure speculation, though my hunch is that the people who predict that there‘ll be more people than in other (already crowded) summers are probably on to something.

We were in the parks during the summer that saw Cars‘ Land open, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the patterns this year will be similar (more people overall but many of those stuck either in SWGE or the standby line for it—given that the currently announced reservation system is only supposed to be in place for the first few weeks, potentially taking a bit of strain off the rest of the parks, especially California Adventure; maybe some capacity closures—another good reason to get there early).
 
one gamble that you could take on August. Traditionally the last week of august usually ends with labor day weekend....this year labor day is late into September.....so what if folks book the last week of august not aware of the labor day on the calendar, freeing up that first week of September that is usually not available. That week could very well be a good week to visit because no one has a tradition of visiting that week.
Labor Day Weekend is August 31st through the 2nd. It's actually relatively early this year. My birthday is August 30. Many times it's notntil the week after.
 
Thats kind of like a cut off your hand, or foot question. Its hot and uncomfortable during both months and crowding will be much worse than usual.
 
We have been in July the last 5 years. We have really enjoyed July. Obviously, no one knows the total level of crazy crowds that Star Wars will bring- but I'm sure that will be the same in August. We are WDW vets as well- and WDW in October is often more crowded than most of our July Disneyland days. I would call the July crowds when we have been there moderate by WDW standards--- not horribly heavy, but not light. With a lot of the annual passes blocked out, I would definitely pick July over the last week in August when the deluxe annual passes are not blocked and all the people that didn't make it to Star Wars before they were blocked are flooding in. Also, I would just note that for whatever reason, Mondays at Disneyland Resort have always seemed significantly more crowded than any other day of the week that we have been there.
 

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