Disneyland in July

[hllb]

We are considering a trip the second week of July this year. We have been to WDW multiple times and would never go in the summer, not only for heat, but crowds. How doable would Disneyland be in July if we do lightning lane? Would that make it fairly good, even if it's crowded? I'm thinking we'd spend 3 days.

 

[Chilbert]

We are considering a trip the second week of July this year. We have been to WDW multiple times and would never go in the summer, not only for heat, but crowds. How doable would Disneyland be in July if we do lightning lane? Would that make it fairly good, even if it's crowded? I'm thinking we'd spend 3 days.

We went the week after July 4 last year and it was great. Last year's ticket deal was great, the crowds were fine (I wouldn't even call them "crowds", and the weather was very pleasant. We didn't have Lightning Lanes and it didn't matter...

When we saw the DVC Beyond ticket deal, we said we had to do it again and are going back July 14 !!!

 

[juxtapose]

We've been multiple months over the last few years (May, July, October, March) and I found July crowds to be fine. The crowds seemed lower than other crowds we experienced, and the weather was surprisingly nice. Warm but not really "hot" except an hour or 2 each afternoon.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

Mainly just be aware it can get HOT

If your prepared for that you should be good

 

[reddog21]

IMO crowds have shifted and summer is no longer a peak season. We usually go during the summer and the crowds have not been what they used to be.

 

[hllb]

Great news, thanks! As for heat, I hate the heat, but I haven't found CA to be anything like summer in FL. Heck, we have been to WDW is early May and early October and it still topped 100 on both of those trips. We survived, but wouldn't pick that weather for sure.

 

[SFMommy]

I think July is pretty good crowd-wise. Saturdays are the best and Mondays are the worst. And I would avoid the actual 70th on 7/17. Have fun!

 

[bp2412]

We went to Disneyland last year for the very first time and it was either the 2nd or 3rd week of July. As others mentioned, I thought the weather was great for the time of year. Got hot at some points in the afternoon but very nice in the mornings and evenings. One of the nights my wife even mentioned she wished she had a sweatshirt to wear which sounded nuts to me for July! I was nervous about the crowds too since this was our first and maybe only trip going to DL so wanted to do all the rides. We went 3 days to the parks and did all the rides we wanted and most of them twice at each park so I was happy with the crowd levels. I think you will have a great time, enjoy!!

 

[OlliePop27]

Don't let the secret out! Many of us regulars on these boards, including me, think July is one of the best months of the year to visit. July Saturdays are particularly amazing crowd-wise. As people have noted, it can get warm especially if there's a heat wave. Heat is also relative compared to what you're used to. I live in Dallas - it is extremely hot and humid in July so SoCal by comparison is tolerable. Even if it's hot it is a "dry" heat compared to Florida or the eastern 2/3 of the country. Plan for daytime temps 85-90, which could be higher or lower depending on the day. It is warmer day-to-day in July, but the most extreme heat in SoCal often occurs in Sept/Oct when there can be days over 100. That can happen in July too, but it's more likely in the early fall.

Go on your dates in July and have a blast! Parks will be open 8-10 (DCA) and 8-Midnight (DL) daily. All nighttime shows daily, max entertainment and max number of rides open. Have a blast!

 

[longboard55]

Disney always has crowds. The advantage of the summer is everything will be open. They close a lot of attractions off season. Heat is not an issue typically

 

[OKW Lover]

Just remember that July 17 is the 70th anniversary of DL's opening. There will be a lot of people in the park that day.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I agree with the others. July is a great time to go. The park hours are long and everything is open. Having everything open disperses the crowds and it seems less crowded than October, December and March. It's also a nice time to ride the water rides.

 

[maleficent55]

Don't let the secret out! Many of us regulars on these boards, including me, think July is one of the best months of the year to visit. July Saturdays are particularly amazing crowd-wise. As people have noted, it can get warm especially if there's a heat wave. Heat is also relative compared to what you're used to. I live in Dallas - it is extremely hot and humid in July so SoCal by comparison is tolerable. Even if it's hot it is a "dry" heat compared to Florida or the eastern 2/3 of the country. Plan for daytime temps 85-90, which could be higher or lower depending on the day. It is warmer day-to-day in July, but the most extreme heat in SoCal often occurs in Sept/Oct when there can be days over 100. That can happen in July too, but it's more likely in the early fall.

Go on your dates in July and have a blast! Parks will be open 8-10 (DCA) and 8-Midnight (DL) daily. All nighttime shows daily, max entertainment and max number of rides open. Have a blast!

This July is our first July! I’d say April has been my most visited month

I’m excited to try July and specifically made sure we had a Saturday in there.

 

[hllb]

I booked it for the 10th thru the 12th. Now I have to decide on what else we're doing. The intention was to do Universal also, but kind of rethinking that. There's really only one thing different there than we've done in FL - the Nintendo stuff. Not sure it's really worth it mainly for that, and there's a lot less there than in FL too. My youngest really wants to go to FL but I said no to this year, because of how crowded it'll be with the new parks opening.

 

[SquirmansWife]

So I’m curious…why are Saturdays generally a bit lower crowds (in July, at least)? That seems so weird to me. We’ve been to DW many times and are heading to CA in July so we’re (of course) going to DL while there. Trying to decide if we need to make our Saturday (first full day there after arriving at 7:15 pm Friday night from Michigan) one of our 3 park days.

 

[LKing]

Most of the Magic Keys (annual pass holders) are blocked on Saturday and ticket prices are generally higher.

Plus, locals often go on vacation over the summer. As funny as it sounds, Disneyland isn't usually a vacation destination for locals.

 

[SquirmansWife]

Most of the Magic Keys (annual pass holders) are blocked on Saturday and ticket prices are generally higher.

Plus, locals often go on vacation over the summer. As funny as it sounds, Disneyland isn't usually a vacation destination for locals.

Thank you for the quick response! That makes total sense. I hadn’t thought about those things and kept seeing that Saturday is less crowded. Good to know. We may need to reconsider our (still-forming] plan and head there on Saturday.

 

[V.I.N.C.E.N.T.]

I booked it for the 10th thru the 12th. Now I have to decide on what else we're doing. The intention was to do Universal also, but kind of rethinking that. There's really only one thing different there than we've done in FL - the Nintendo stuff. Not sure it's really worth it mainly for that, and there's a lot less there than in FL too. My youngest really wants to go to FL but I said no to this year, because of how crowded it'll be with the new parks opening.

What's your travel day look like? With their version of fastpass, Universal Hollywood is a half day park at best. We booked two days on our last trip and didn't need a full day. Went to the zoo instead on one of the days.

 

[V.I.N.C.E.N.T.]

And July is our go-to month now. We avoid Halloween season, September through October, like the plague now. if it gets hot, plan to do laundry in the sink at the hotel, or bring a change of clothes for each day. We survived a 113 degree day on a September trip. Cooling towels, misting fans helped. The fans and towels they sell in the park are decent. Better options at Big 5 down the road on Katella.

Also, in California September is the hottest month, February the coldest.

 

[irlandaise]

Plus, locals often go on vacation over the summer. As funny as it sounds, Disneyland isn't usually a vacation destination for locals.

I think it makes perfect sense for people who can go to DL at any time to go elsewhere for vacation. DL isn't a worldwide vacation destination to anywhere near the extent that WDW is.

I had an AP a few decades ago and don't recall it being blocked on Saturdays. Am I misremembering, or did there just used to be one AP that was good any time?