When to go? Spring Break or first week of June

[pascagoulabeach]

I am planning a trip to Disneyland and need some advice regarding when to go. In prior years we have gone in May before school let out. However, this year we only have two choices:

April 3-6 or
June 5-8

Any suggestions on the dates that would be better?

 

[tnzzz]

I did both late March and early June last year and I would choose the June dates over spring break based on my experience. Both were busy times but June had longer hours and better weather.
Also this year if you go on your April dates you will miss the return of the parades and new fireworks.

 

[LilyJC]

I agree about the June dates being better. That first week in April is when a lot of our So Cal schools have spring break, so it’ll be pretty crazy. Many of the schools don’t get out until mid-June, so that should help with your June dates.

 

[HydroGuy]

Another vote for June but keep an eye out for grad nights.

"The Scoop on Grad Nights at DLR in May and June" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2298400

 

[Cactus girl]

June dates. We have gone around spring break before and it was just miserable. Most of the passes are open, you have the new Pixar parade and fireworks which will be enduring and depending upon your school’s dates, you also have The reduced price SoCal tickets that are active. In June, passes are blocked, the SoCal is over and all you have are just regular tourists. As crazy as it sounds, in our experience, the crowds are a touch lighter and if you really use MaxPass, you can get a ton done. I would go ahead and book dining reservations beforehand if you want to do something other than quick service.

Either way, you will have fun. Enjoy your trip.

 

[Mysteryincorp]

June, hands down

 

[figment_jii]

I think both dates have their pros and cons, so it really depends on what works better for your schedule and what you're hoping to do.

April 3-6: I agree that there are likely to be peak Spring Break crowds those days, but (if it's any consolation, the SoCal and SoCal Select AP blockouts are still in effect). The F&W Festival in DCA will be occurring, which was a lot of fun (if you like F&W Festivals). Easter is on April 1st, so things like the egg-stravaganza (assuming it's happening this year) are likely to be over and none of the new Pixar offerings are slated to have opened (April 13 for Pixar Fest, summer for Pixar Pier).

June 5-8: The new Pixar Fest entertainment (fireworks, PtN) should be offered (debuts April 13) and there is a possibility that the Pixar Pier will be open (although the latest rumors put it later in June). There will be some grad nights to contend with (Grad Nights: June 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 & 9). It's also just before the SoCal Select AP summer blockout goes into effect, so there might be a slight uptick in crowds as AP holders come in one last time, but I would guess that would mostly impact evenings.

 

[sherilaine]

I'd vote for June too - you will have grad nights though for June 5, 6 and 8th, but hopefully much of the construction is done by then!

 

[StarlitNight05]

June, no question. Longer hours, less refurbs.

 

[ktlm]

June 5, 6, and 7 will likely be very busy because those are the last 3 days before the SoCal annual passes are blocked for the summer season. The 8th (friday) should be a good day- crowd wise. We went that week several years in a row. We always arrived and hit the parks on Saturday and left on Wednesday- so we arrived a couple of days earlier than you will. In our experience the Saturday and Sunday were great crowd wise as the passes were already blocked, Monday and Tuesday are extremely crowded (significantly more crowded than the years we have been in July), and Wednesday it tapers off some and is much much better. I can't tell you what Thursday will be like because we always leave that Wednesday. I also can't compare the April crowd because we always go in June or July. All I can tell you is that if it is like past years, Tuesday the 5th is probably going to be packed. Sounds like you don't really have any flexibility in your dates though. Even a crowded day at Disney is still a good day!

 

[smartlabelprint]

I’d go after the majority of the passes are blocked out. I believe that’s June 19.

 

[disneylover102]

I went to WDW one year in April and have been to DLR in June twice. June was a lot less crowded, especially when we were there earlier in June. The way I think about it is when people have spring break, they only have their one week off to go on vacation so that is when they go. But when they have 3 months off, they have more like 12 weeks to choose from, so they don’t all go at the same time (of course, not everyone has spring break the same week, but that’s the general idea.). You’ll also have a better chance in June of things being open. Pixar Pier including the new Incredibles roller coaster (formerly California Screamin’) could be open in June but everything probably won’t be done in April. Splash Mountain should definitely be open in June since that is in the summer but it’s rumored to open again April 13, barely after the days in April you can go.

 

[Flattes]

When is spring break for you guys? I was thinking of heading down during our spring break (Vancouver, Canada) the week of March 26th. Is this different (and potentially less crowded) than Californian spring break?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

When is spring break for you guys?..

School breaks vary a lot, but peak spring break tends to fall between the two weeks prior to and the two weeks after Easter. We tell our friends to try to book outside those weeks if possible. If they have to book within those weeks, then we tell them to do their research, make reservations ahead, and have back up plans.
You can do a search for the school break thread on this forum.

 

[HydroGuy]

When is spring break for you guys? I was thinking of heading down during our spring break (Vancouver, Canada) the week of March 26th. Is this different (and potentially less crowded) than Californian spring break?

@figment_jii has an awesome thread on this:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/2018-calendar-of-events-school-breaks-and-dlr.3635162/

 

[Flattes]

@figment_jii has an awesome thread on this:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/2018-calendar-of-events-school-breaks-and-dlr.3635162/

This is awesome! Thank You!
I'm rethinking the spring break thing - we just got back from the last three days of Festival of Holidays and it was insane. I don't want to rush into another one of those crazy crowd times!