Disneyland in June??? Advice

[NicholeB630]

Is going in June a horrible idea? My kids are getting older and it’s harder to miss school, I’ll have a middle schooler next year. I don’t want to go over holiday breaks where it’s really busy, is June ok? I know DL is so different from DW with touring and fast passes but we can’t handle the wall to wall people. We’d only go once so I want to make sure we can do everything we want. So is there a better time in summer? Any advice is good!!
Thank you.

 

[dieumeye]

Last year June was not busy at all even with SW:GE opening. Halloweentime and Holiday time are both more crowded this year than summer was.

I’d say go for it.

If this will be your only trip, how long are you planning to stay? What’s on your “must do” list... attractions, restaurants, shows? Anything you aren’t interested in doing?

You don’t need to do anywhere near the planning for DL that you need for WDW, but with a little preparation you can avoid crowds and get a lot done even on otherwise “crowded“ days.

 

[VandVsmama]

I really love June. Especially the first half of June because the weather is just fabulous, the parks have extended hours (open 8 am - 11 pm or 12 am daily), all of the rides are fully operational, there's a full load of entertainment options. The mornings in June are wonderful.

 

[Blue32]

June is a favorite time for us. Not uncrowned by any means, but still very doable. The hours are long in summertime and entertainment is usually full schedule. Early morning hours are AWESOME at DLR. Others will chime in on Grad nights and AP blackout dates. But weather in June is usually great as well. Enjoy your trip!

 

[ErinF]

Our family has been twice in June, back in 2015 and in 2017, both times were in mid-June. It was a great time to go, and I'd go again then in a heartbeat! We are also frequent visitors to WDW, where we also always go in June. The weather in SoCal in June is soooo much better than Florida in June. It can get warm, but it's so dry that you instantly cool off in the shade. With the humidity in Florida, I always feel like I'm drenched in sweat by 10am. (I'm from Texas so I'm used to heat and humidity.) And it almost never rains in June so you won't have to deal with the pop up showers/thunderstorms like in Florida! Even if you run into some crowds, I think the pleasant weather just makes it so much easier to deal with as opposed to in WDW. But I don't remember it being super crowded, and if you take advantage of early mornings (parks will open at 8am) and learn how to use Maxpass to your advantage, you'll be all set!

 

[NicholeB630]

Last year June was not busy at all even with SW:GE opening. Halloweentime and Holiday time are both more crowded this year than summer was.

I’d say go for it.

If this will be your only trip, how long are you planning to stay? What’s on your “must do” list... attractions, restaurants, shows? Anything you aren’t interested in doing?

You don’t need to do anywhere near the planning for DL that you need for WDW, but with a little preparation you can avoid crowds and get a lot done even on otherwise “crowded“ days.

We’d do at least 3 park days and honestly would want to do everything possible. Kids would be 11 and 8 and love all rides!!! The less planning seems great!

 

[NicholeB630]

I really love June. Especially the first half of June because the weather is just fabulous, the parks have extended hours (open 8 am - 11 pm or 12 am daily), all of the rides are fully operational, there's a full load of entertainment options. The mornings in June are wonderful.

Is 8am typically the earliest even with extra morning hours? We’re early morning ppl so we love the early hours!!!!

 

[VandVsmama]

Is 8am typically the earliest even with extra morning hours? We’re early morning ppl so we love the early hours!!!!

With an 8 am regular park opening, EMH would be from 7 - 8 am. And there is hardly ANYBODY in the parks for 7 am EMH!

 

[VandVsmama]

A few years ago, we got 5 day park hopper tickets and spent a week staying at Hojo's. That was an AWESOME trip! For anybody who tells you that 5 days is too much...they're crazy. We were able to really relax on that trip instead of being open-to-close commando style Disneylanders. Our routine on that trip was like this:

• get up early, eat quick grab & go breakfast in the hotel room.
• be at security/bag check 7:30 am.
• be in line at main gate ~ 7:45 am.
• ROPE DROP!
• Go on rides until ~ 11:30 am, then stop for lunch. On our EMH day, we did the character breakfast at 10:30 am at the Plaza Inn. That was perfect.
• Go on some more rides. Leave the park ~ 1:00 pm.
• Go back to hotel. Rest, take a nap, watch TV, go to the hotel pool.
• ~ 4:30 pm, get ready to head back to parks.
• ~ 5:00 pm, be back in 1 of the parks. Go on a ride or 2.
• Eat dinner.
• More rides.
• Night time entertainment, if applicable.
• Back at hotel ~ 10:00 pm. Straight to bed.
• Wake up again and do all of the above.

By doing this, we avoided the busiest part of the day. It helped minimize theme park fatigue, which is a very real condition that hits my DH every single trip. Side effects & symptoms include: irritability, crankiness, tiredness, malaise, loss of desire to get up & do anything, grumpiness, requests to go home.

 

[NicholeB630]

A few years ago, we got 5 day park hopper tickets and spent a week staying at Hojo's. That was an AWESOME trip! For anybody who tells you that 5 days is too much...they're crazy. We were able to really relax on that trip instead of being open-to-close commando style Disneylanders. Our routine on that trip was like this:

• get up early, eat quick grab & go breakfast in the hotel room.
• be at security/bag check 7:30 am.
• be in line at main gate ~ 7:45 am.
• ROPE DROP!
• Go on rides until ~ 11:30 am, then stop for lunch. On our EMH day, we did the character breakfast at 10:30 am at the Plaza Inn. That was perfect.
• Go on some more rides. Leave the park ~ 1:00 pm.
• Go back to hotel. Rest, take a nap, watch TV, go to the hotel pool.
• ~ 4:30 pm, get ready to head back to parks.
• ~ 5:00 pm, be back in 1 of the parks. Go on a ride or 2.
• Eat dinner.
• More rides.
• Night time entertainment, if applicable.
• Back at hotel ~ 10:00 pm. Straight to bed.
• Wake up again and do all of the above.

By doing this, we avoided the busiest part of the day. It helped minimize theme park fatigue, which is a very real condition that hits my DH every single trip. Side effects & symptoms include: irritability, crankiness, tiredness, malaise, loss of desire to get up & do anything, grumpiness, requests to go home.

This is a great plan and your DH sounds like mine lol ... he hates crowds. My fear is just going and it being wall to wall people. Are grad nights a big deal? Is it easy to work around them? Or are we better to do mid June rather than early? My kids get out like May 31st.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Is going in June a horrible idea? My kids are getting older and it’s harder to miss school, I’ll have a middle schooler next year. I don’t want to go over holiday breaks where it’s really busy, is June ok? I know DL is so different from DW with touring and fast passes but we can’t handle the wall to wall people. We’d only go once so I want to make sure we can do everything we want. So is there a better time in summer? Any advice is good!!
Thank you.

So the Spring Break dates didn't work out? June can be great -- just check to make sure that you come after Grad Nites are over and after the AP blockouts start. July is great, too. Really, any time during summer can be fine as long as you visit before the third week of August. You want to steer clear of any rides that go down for Halloween overlays, any AP blockout lifts, the return of the non-peak schedule (around the end of the third week of August), etc. The weather here is so much easier to deal with than FL weather, so it shouldn't even be a factor for you. Just plan for enough days to take in the parks, the pool, maybe some sightseeing and the beach, etc. at a relaxed pace and you'll be fine.

 

[NicholeB630]

So the Spring Break dates didn't work out? June can be great -- just check to make sure that you come after Grad Nites are over and after the AP blockouts start. July is great, too. Really, any time during summer can be fine as long as you visit before the third week of August. You want to steer clear of any rides that go down for Halloween overlays, any AP blockout lifts, the return of the non-peak schedule (around the end of the third week of August), etc. The weather here is so much easier to deal with than FL weather, so it shouldn't even be a factor for you. Just plan for enough days to take in the parks, the pool, maybe some sightseeing and the beach, etc. at a relaxed pace and you'll be fine.

we ended up booking a cruise for spring break which were so excited and first time! Disney of course. I really want to get my kids to DL before my daughter gets much older! I think she’ll always love it but she’s almost 11 and that innocence will be gone soon Thanks for the advice!!!

 

[VandVsmama]

This is a great plan and your DH sounds like mine lol ... he hates crowds. My fear is just going and it being wall to wall people. Are grad nights a big deal? Is it easy to work around them? Or are we better to do mid June rather than early? My kids get out like May 31st.

I don't think that Grad Nights are a big deal. It's less of a big deal now that Grad Nights are at DCA.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Grad Nites themselves aren't a big deal for most people. But it's easier to plan when you don't have to think about DCA closing early on any given night of your trip. That's why I recommend visiting after Grad Nites are finished, When both parks have longer hours every night, it just makes your trip planning easier.

 

[disneylover102]

I’ve gone in June twice and it wasn’t bad either time. Some days were fairly crowded but compared to Christmas break, it was nothing.

 

[becks59]

We’ve gone in early June about 3-4 times. I’ve loved it every time. Long hours, great weather, crowds aren’t bad, and full entertainment. My mom is a teacher and she comes with us, so we have to wait until she gets out of school, so that’s why we have done June so much. Grad nights have never been something I specifically plan around and I have rarely noticed much with it. I mean, there are more teenagers, but it hasn’t been a big problem for us.

 

[Fred M]

June can be great -- just check to make sure that you come after Grad Nites are over and after the AP blockouts start.

That’s the secret right there. Remember, there are way more AP holders at Disneyland Resort than WDW. Just check the AP calendar before you book

 

[NicholeB630]

That’s the secret right there. Remember, there are way more AP holders at Disneyland Resort than WDW. Just check the AP calendar before you book

it looks like only the lower three passholder options are blocked out the last two weeks and that’s it, the higher ones can go all month and one type can have reservations? Is late June better? I’d think early/mid is better bc more ppl will vacation more towards July? But early June no AP’s are blocked out and it’s grad nights so I’m so confused what dates are best.

 

[Fred M]

it looks like only the lower three passholder options are blocked out the last two weeks and that’s it, the higher ones can go all month and one type can have reservations? Is late June better? I’d think early/mid is better bc more ppl will vacation more towards July? But early June no AP’s are blocked out and it’s grad nights so I’m so confused what dates are best.

If the lower tiers are blocked out later in the month, then go with later in the month (but finish before July 4th weekend).

Schools in California are all over the map as to when they get out. My son gets out right before Memorial Day. Many moons ago when I was in high school, we got out close to June 15th.

But there are 1 million+ AP holders for Disneyland Resort (and most are probably in the lower tiers because Signature and Signature+ are pricey!) and I think Pete reported that AP holders for WDW was somewhere around 250,000. Anytime you can go with an AP blackout at Disneyland Resort, the better.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

it looks like only the lower three passholder options are blocked out the last two weeks and that’s it, the higher ones can go all month and one type can have reservations? Is late June better? I’d think early/mid is better bc more ppl will vacation more towards July? But early June no AP’s are blocked out and it’s grad nights so I’m so confused what dates are best.

I think some clarification would really help you here:
1. There is no time of year at DLR when there will be zero APs in the parks. The top two passes, Signature + and Premier (the one that works for DLR and WDW) both have 365 days open on their passes. However, both those passes together make up only about 20% or less of all APs total at DLR -- that is a very small number of APs! Flex Passes are limited in the number of reservations that are allowed in each park each reservation day -- they can't possibly all show up on any given day. Stop looking for a time when there will be no passholders in the parks -- it just isn't going to happen!
2. That said, you've already answered your own question! Look at the bolded sections in your quote above: 3 APs are blocked during the last two weeks of June = Good! So, "Is late June better?" Yes!
If "early June no AP's are blocked out and it's grad nights" -- then, "Is late June better?" Yes!
3. I think using your WDW thinking to plan for DLR is just confusing you and messing with your head. Planning your trip dates based on crowd predictions is a losing game at DLR (Most accurate crowd calendars? -- really read this thread through -- it explains the DLR planning mindset when it comes to crowds and crowd predictions). We've had people here plan their whole trip based on what they were sure would be low crowd days, only to find out that there were way more people in the parks than they expected. They hadn't planned for that and a different perspective in their planning would have helped everything go more smoothly.
4. Late June should be good. And July is actually a good time to visit DLR, too. (It may not be a great time to visit WDW, but that's not true for DLR!) Peak times are very good for DLR because the parks are prepared for the crowds -- this is key! Longer hours, more staffing, rides running at full capacity, more entertainment, nighttime entertainment every night, etc. all work to spread the crowds out in the parks and keep those crowds moving so that you don't feel the crowds backing up everywhere.

Does this help at all? I hope it explains things a bit more clearly. Have confidence in yourself -- you're on your way to planning a great trip!