Guests Warn About “Nightmare” Time to Visit Disney

Each year, around 19 million people visit The Happiest Place on Earth — Disneyland Resort. The Resort consists of Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, and the Downtown Disney District. Disneyland Resort is Walt Disney’s original Park, and the magic of his presence can be felt at all times. Those who walk through Disneyland’s gates can dine on delicious food, meet a ton of fun characters, ride exciting attractions, and enjoy several nighttime spectaculars, like Wondrous Journeys in Disneyland and World of Color – ONE in California Adventure.

For years, a large group has descended upon Disneyland Resort between May and June. These would be high school seniors who are celebrating their graduation. The teens have California Adventure all to themselves until early in the morning. These Grad Nites have dance parties and specialty foods. Plus, the attractions are open for them to enjoy to their hearts’ content.

However, not everyone is a fan of Grad Nites. Mainly, anyone who is not a grad.

Redditor old-manwithlego recently went onto the social media site to vent about being a Guest who visits during Grad Nites. The user said that they noticed a lot of grads cutting in line. The user said that they didn’t let the kids cut the line, since everyone else had been waiting. However, the Cast Members didn’t seem to care and let the students cut the line.

Grad nite – line cutting
byu/old-manwithlego inDisneyland

Many commented that they had similar experiences during Grad Nites. Some called the experience a “nightmare” and others said that they would never visit on days when a Grad Nite was happening. User Muckl3t said that the event should be exclusively after-hours and not overlap with Guests being in the Parks.

I went on one grad nite and it was a nightmare. They were cutting lines, screaming, one kid even shoved my 10 year old nephew as he walked by. Never again. I personally don’t think Disney should allow this event to overlap with the general public, it should be strictly after-hours. Trying to enjoy an expensive vacation with hundreds of unsupervised teenagers running around is just a no for me.

User kym31279 said that she and her husband are both high school teachers, and they were appalled at the behavior exhibited by the teens attending Grad Nite.

Just leaving today. Spent the last 2 days in Disneyland and DCA with my husband and 2 littles. Thursday was amazing. Got to get on most rides at both parks and the crowd was doable. Yesterday, Friday, was awful. Line cutting and extremely long wait times. We were in line for Space Mountain for 2 hours when the app said 65 minutes. The students were rude and disrespectful. As a teacher and my husband a high school teacher we were appalled and will NEVER go back during grad night.

This year, Disney Grad Nites will once again be held at Disney California Adventure Park. It will take place on May 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 25, 30, and 31. The party will continue in June on June 2, 4, 7, 9, 14, and 16.

Grad Nite parties will begin at 9 p.m. each day of the event. So, if you are visiting Disneyland Resort during that time, be sure to log into your Disneyland Resort mobile app to double-check theme park hours.