Navigating DLR, Pixar Pier Opening, and AP Blockouts June 18-30

[HydroGuy]

Note from June 8, 2018 - Well, I guess you ignore basically this whole thread. Today Disney unblocked days from the SCAP and SCAP Select so they can now go on many of these days. I am pretty upset about it. Hope others out there have a good time.

All:

I will be visiting DLR June 19-23 which I handpicked last August as the dates when SCAP (So Cal AP) blockouts are in place. That was way before Pixar Pier (PxP) dates had been set which are set as June 23 opening.

I am starting to see lots of questions pop up, some from folks who are not DLR regulars and do not understand these dynamics. This thread is intended for all the folks visiting DLR during this time!

SCAP Blockouts - see calendar below from https://disneyland.disney.go.com/passes/blockout-dates/, SCAPs are blocked out June 20-23. Then again, for the summer starting June 29. With PxP opening June 23, they will be visiting DCA in droves June 24-29. I would expect Sunday June 24 and Thursday June 29 (the final day before blockout) to be the worst for crowds during this time. For more info see "Understanding AP Blockouts and Impact on Crowds" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2365983

Last summer a young lady who works for me visited DLR the same week as June 18 this year. She visited DLR on Tuesday (the equivalent of June 19 this year) and Friday (the equivalent of June 22). At the time GOTC was new and all the rage. She was not aware of this SCAP issue (she should have asked me LOL) but told me upon return that Tuesday was insanely crowded but Friday surprised her at the lighter crowds.

Pixar Pier - It opens Saturday, June 23. That will draw crowds.

Added June 3 - FYI there is a special event in Pixar Pier June 22, 3-9PM with media access in the morning. Plan to visit TSMM on a different day.

Planning - It will be best to avoid DCA as much as possible June 24-28. Save your visits to DCA if possible for June 20-23 and June 29-30. Worst days I predict will be June 24 and 29.

Get your DCA days in on the SCAP blockout days and then only lightly venture into DCA on the unblocked days - if possible.

Two other posters here are going June 20-25 and June 21-25. Get your DCA in completely on June 20-22. Carefully visit DCA on June 23 - it will be busy but not as bad as June 24. Avoid DCA on June 24 and the rest of that week if possible. And buy parkhoppers even if you were not planning for that. If you don't there will come a point when you are in a very crowded spot and you will think back to this thread with regret.

 

[jonahsmommy]

Thank you so much for the information. I am worried, we are in the parks June 24-25, one day for each park. We have been many times before but still I want this to be an enjoyable time. I am going to see if we can change our dates.

 

[HydroGuy]

I should add that experience with GOTG last year suggests the surge of visitors will focus on PxP. So other parts of DCA may be fine. There will be more people in the park that day and I think crowds will grow. But totally skipping DCA may not be necessary. What I am saying is try to get the bulk of DCA visits on days discussed in the OP. Then do PxP on June 23 (with me ) but try to not have the bulk of your DCA visiting be on June 24-28.

Hope that clarifies things.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Thank you so much for the information. I am worried, we are in the parks June 24-25, one day for each park. We have been many times before but still I want this to be an enjoyable time. I am going to see if we can change our dates.

If you can’t change just switch to park hoppers. I just can’t go there without.

 

[crazycheryl]

We will be there June 22-24 and I have it planned to do DCA on the 22nd, DL on the 23rd and no set plans for the 24th yet. I am staying within walking distance - do you think it is doable to visit DCA at opening on the 24th and then head to DL without hitting the crowds too much? Not my first choice to go that weekend, but visiting family in San Diego from Michigan and will need the beginning of our trip to adjust to the time difference before heading to Disney to make sure the kiddo can stay up for the late night entertainment.

 

[midnight star]

I think I'm going to be one of the crazy people who goes to Pixar Pier opening day...lol I'm actually pretty excited for it.

 

[Malcon10t]

We will likely be there. Looking for a preview event on the 22nd!!

 

[skuttle]

We will be there for the pier opening. This is our first and possibly only trip to Disneyland, at least for a very long time.

My plan is to be in Disneyland for the EMH at 8am the day the pier opens, that way my ticket will already be scanned for max pass purposes. When will I be able to try for an incredicoaster FP? I assume not until DCA actually opens?

 

[HydroGuy]

OP here and I am bumping this thread for all the folks who may not have seen this yet.

 

[bethwc101]

All:

I will be visiting DLR June 19-23 which I handpicked last August as the dates when SCAP (So Cal AP) blockouts are in place. That was way before Pixar Pier (PxP) dates had been set which are set as June 23 opening.

I am starting to see lots of questions pop up, some from folks who are not DLR regulars and do not understand these dynamics. This thread is intended for all the folks visiting DLR during this time!

SCAP Blockouts - see calendar below from https://disneyland.disney.go.com/passes/blockout-dates/, SCAPs are blocked out June 20-23. Then again, for the summer starting June 29. With PxP opening June 23, they will be visiting DCA in droves June 24-29. I would expect Sunday June 24 and Thursday June 29 (the final day before blockout) to be the worst for crowds during this time. For more info see "Understanding AP Blockouts and Impact on Crowds" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2365983

Last summer a young lady who works for me visited DLR the same week as June 18 this year. She visited DLR on Tuesday (the equivalent of June 19 this year) and Friday (the equivalent of June 22). At the time GOTC was new and all the rage. She was not aware of this SCAP issue (she should have asked me LOL) but told me upon return that Tuesday was insanely crowded but Friday surprised her at the lighter crowds.

Pixar Pier - It opens Saturday, June 23. That will draw crowds.

Planning - It will be best to avoid DCA as much as possible June 24-28. Save your visits to DCA if possible for June 20-23 and June 29-30. Worst days I predict will be June 24 and 29.

Get your DCA days in on the SCAP blockout days and then only lightly venture into DCA on the unblocked days - if possible.

Two other posters here are going June 20-25 and June 21-25. Get your DCA in completely on June 20-22. Carefully visit DCA on June 23 - it will be busy but not as bad as June 24. Avoid DCA on June 24 and the rest of that week if possible. And buy parkhoppers even if you were not planning for that. If you don't there will come a point when you are in a very crowded spot and you will think back to this thread with regret.



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Why do you think it is blocked out starting on Wednesday if PXP doesn't begin until that weekend?
Luckily we will be there for only one day on Wednesday. Hopefully the blockout reduces crowds, but just curious as to why they are beginning the blockout on Wednesday.

 

[Susan121302]

This makes me want to sob since we booked this trip (for June 24th-29th) last fall having no idea what was in the works for Pixar Pier. Booooooo. At least we have MaxPass and park hoppers. In terms of Magic Morning at DL though..... I know the common thought process is to go on Tuesday vs Thursday if you are there for the week since you will have more energy to get up early in the beginning of the week, but what do you think about in this case? Still do MM at DL on Tuesday or go on Thursday? Not sure how the DL crowds will be because of Pixar Pier overflow.

 

[Doingitagain]

This makes me want to sob since we booked this trip (for June 24th-29th) last fall having no idea what was in the works for Pixar Pier. Booooooo. At least we have MaxPass and park hoppers. In terms of Magic Morning at DL though..... I know the common thought process is to go on Tuesday vs Thursday if you are there for the week since you will have more energy to get up early in the beginning of the week, but what do you think about in this case? Still do MM at DL on Tuesday or go on Thursday? Not sure how the DL crowds will be because of Pixar Pier overflow.

We will be there for part of this time as well. I am hoping that Disney is expecting the crowds, and will have the extra staffing to handle it and it will be just fine.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

We will be there for the pier opening. This is our first and possibly only trip to Disneyland, at least for a very long time.

My plan is to be in Disneyland for the EMH at 8am the day the pier opens, that way my ticket will already be scanned for max pass purposes. When will I be able to try for an incredicoaster FP? I assume not until DCA actually opens?

As soon as you're scanned in and have purchased Maxpass, you can book a FP. You don't have to wait for the park to open. Lately, they've had days where DL opens at 9 with an 8am MM, and DCA doesn't open until 10. People start snapping up RSR FPs during MM at 8:00, so by the time the park actually opens, the physical FPs are for noon or later!

 

[Skyegirl1999]

This makes me want to sob since we booked this trip (for June 24th-29th) last fall having no idea what was in the works for Pixar Pier. Booooooo. At least we have MaxPass and park hoppers. In terms of Magic Morning at DL though..... I know the common thought process is to go on Tuesday vs Thursday if you are there for the week since you will have more energy to get up early in the beginning of the week, but what do you think about in this case? Still do MM at DL on Tuesday or go on Thursday? Not sure how the DL crowds will be because of Pixar Pier overflow.

I'm sure you'll have a great trip! I wouldn't change your MM plans on account of Pixar Pier at all, but I will say that I usually find Tuesday mornings to be much more crowded than Thursday mornings (note: I don't attend MM, but I rope-drop those two days frequently because my daughter has preschool MWF mornings, so if we're there on a weekday morning, it's Tuesday/Thursday). You really can't predict crowds, though, so just do what works best for you and prepare to roll with the crowds!

 

[HydroGuy]

Why do you think it is blocked out starting on Wednesday if PXP doesn't begin until that weekend?
Luckily we will be there for only one day on Wednesday. Hopefully the blockout reduces crowds, but just curious as to why they are beginning the blockout on Wednesday.

I would guess because the AP blockout calendar is set independently of the opening for things like PxP. The current blockout calendar goes out to April 2019. Does anyone know for sure yet if SWGE will open in April or May or June or other of next year? I doubt it.

 

[acceber32]

This whole thread scares me! We will be at DLR June 24 - 27 for our very first trip and have had this planned for over a year. We are WDW bets and I’ve read some of your other threads. We had planned on spending two days at each park but are rethinking this with possibly only spending one day at DCA and three at DL. However, with PxP opening it’s thrown a wrench in our plans. I checked on changing our dates but our hotel is fully booked.

Our plans were to go to DCA Sunday and then DL the other three days and doing MM on Tuesday (I know this is the worst day but it’s the only day we’ll be there that it’s offered). Now I’m thinking we should change this. What would you suggest? We have no option to change, we are stuck and will have to deal with the crowds but I want to avoid it as much as possible but be prepared with a good ride plan to maximize MaxPass as much as possible to help with wait times. What would you suggest our game plan be? Head to RSR first (this was our plan)? Or head to PxP first?

And an earlier poster has me confused on FPS being booked before park opens. Can someone explain this? Thanks!

 

[Skyegirl1999]

And an earlier poster has me confused on FPS being booked before park opens. Can someone explain this? Thanks!

As soon as you enter the park turnstiles, you can buy Maxpass (if it wasn’t included in your tickets) and then book your first FP. The FP return time will be after the park opens.

I’d do Disneyland on Sunday because there’s no EMH there, personally. You also will have a lot of APs who were blocked on Saturday hitting up DCA to check out the Pier on Sunday. They’ll be there all week, but there are enough that will only be able to make a weekend visit that I think Sunday will be especially impacted.

I’d also use Maxpass to do FP for both RSR and Incredicoaster, so I wouldn’t worry about where you head first.

Any chance of using parkhoppers?

 

[HydroGuy]

Our plans were to go to DCA Sunday and then DL the other three days and doing MM on Tuesday (I know this is the worst day but it’s the only day we’ll be there that it’s offered). Now I’m thinking we should change this. What would you suggest? We have no option to change, we are stuck and will have to deal with the crowds but I want to avoid it as much as possible but be prepared with a good ride plan to maximize MaxPass as much as possible to help with wait times. What would you suggest our game plan be? Head to RSR first (this was our plan)? Or head to PxP first?

I’d do Disneyland on Sunday because there’s no EMH there, personally. You also will have a lot of APs who were blocked on Saturday hitting up DCA to check out the Pier on Sunday.

Last year I did AK on the opening day of Pandora. Was it insanely crowded? Of course! But we had a great time!

Know what? On the second day Pandora was open WE WENT BACK! Crowds and Disney does not automatically mean misery. It depends on the person and the attitude.

With that in mind, you will be at DLR and you will have a great time. So take a deep breath and relax.

If you want to stack the deck more in your favor, switch Sunday June 24 at DCA to DL. Then go to DCA on Monday. It will be crowded but not as bad as Sunday. With MP and RD you will be fine. Not optimal from a crowd point of view but still can be a lot of fun. Plow through and don't make your family feel like it will be bad. Tell them they are privileged to be there early after PxP opens and will have to deal with crowds more than you expected. Make it fun!

 

[Christina-B-Na]

Thanks so much for posting this Hydroguy! This is super helpful! We will be there that week as well but will plan to do DL the 18th, DCA the 20th and then DL the 22nd. A little bummed to be missing the opening though!

 

[dorchrislen]

Thanks Hydroguy! Do you think by mid July your advice would differ? I'm planning F/Sa/Su July 20-22, and trying to decide if we should do DCA/DL/DCA to get the MM, or just do DL-DCA (hopper)/DCA/DL to ensure lower crowds and forego the MM but pay for hopper.