Author: D’land Diva
Crowds at Disneyland
True story: it once took my husband and me one hour to walk from It’s a Small World to Main Street. By the time we actually got to Main Street, I don’t remember much after that, but I think I was carried by the masses through the front gates.
Then it took about forty-five minutes and practically sitting on a stranger’s lap on the tram ride, to reach our car. It took one hour or so for our car to leave the parking structure and make our way home. Of course, it was the 4th of July and we did decide to leave the park at the same time everyone else did (right after the fireworks show ended.) But, don’t let my horror story scare you. There are strategies to avoid situations like this, its called PLANNING AHEAD!
To understand why the crowds at Disneyland are so bad, you have to go back to 2008 when the recession hit. Disneyland did something awesome for Americans looking for a happy escape from money woes: they introduced a monthly payment plan for annual passes. The monthly payment plans meant that it was suddenly AFFORDABLE to have an Disneyland annual pass. Which resulted in my whole family having passes and approximately 900,000 fellow Disney addicts now becoming Disneyland annual pass holders.
This means that on your next Disneyland trip, you are more likely to run into locals than tourists most of the year. It also means that you may have to wait longer to get on a rides, see your favorite attraction, eat, park and even use the bathroom because there are simply more people at the parks to contend with. Unlike Walt Disney World, which has really busy seasons and dead seasons, at Disneyland what you are looking for in your trip are times that parks are less crowded than others.
Below are the times that I would suggest going and when to avoid going to Disneyland. If you just HAVE to go during one of these busy times then be sure to read my upcoming article on strategies to survive crowded days.
Less Crowded Times
1) The second week of January through February, minus holiday weekends. Weekends in general tend to be more crowded at Disneyland (because of the locals). So make sure you plan to have more weekdays in your trip.
2) First two weeks of March, before the Spring Break crowds come in.
3) End of April through May, again, avoiding holidays. I like this time of year because the weather is nice and the flowers are simply stunning throughout the park.
4) June, July and August, avoiding 4th of July like the plague. I know, I know. It’s the tourist season in California and it can be hot (can you say over 100 degrees?), but if get there earlier in the day and avoid holidays and it can be very pleasant. The beginning of June is particularly pleasant.
Diva tip: If you want to be sneaky, you can check out the blackout days for most of the passes on the Disneyland Annual Pass Holder website and go on a day when most of the passes are blocked out! We have had tremendous luck going on Saturdays during the summer months because many of the annual passes are blocked out. You can find out the blackout dates by clicking HERE
5) September before the Halloween decorations come out (usually third week or so). Why? The kids are back in school!
6) First two weeks in November, again, avoiding holidays. After the Halloween decorations come down and before the Christmas decorations come up (usually week before Thanksgiving).
7) First two weeks in December. The park is decorated for Christmas, which is truly a sight to behold!
Times to Avoid
1) The week between Christmas and New Years Day. Southern California has a lot of out of town visitors for the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl, and everyone seems to have vacation time during this week. We once visited Disneyland during this week on a rainy day…we walked back to New Orleans Square and were so frustrated with all of the people that we decided to go home.
2) Holidays in general. If you don’t have to work, the chances are pretty good everyone else doesn’t either.
3) Weekends. There are a lot of locals on the weekends, particularly on Friday evenings and Sundays. Saturdays are blocked out some of the time, but if it is not blocked out for annual passes it can be unpleasant, too.
4) Special events days. Grad Nites, Gay Days, D23 Expo, and popular conventions at the convention center across the street from the park. These events all bring in MANY extra visitors into the park.
5) First weekend Halloween or Christmas decorations go up. I love, love, love the decorations….So do millions of other people.
I hope you’ll use this advice in planning your next Disneyland vacation and have a great time!
Disney World is also SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER than Disneyland. Disneyworld absorbs a larger amount of people and having so many more resorts that are great so people WANT to stay at the resort and chill AND there’s also water parks. So there’s a lot more to “do” other than just be in the parks at WDW.
Superbowl Sunday is a great time to go. No crowds at all. I hear Mother’s Day is also good, but I haven’t been on that day. When I went on Superbowl Sunday, we went on all the rides twice in a seven-hour span, and our longest wait was ten minutes.
Traveling from a little country called New Zealand. Never been to the states. Whole family is excited. Will be there from 1st Jan 2015 for 10 days. Can we expect Disneyland to be busy around that time? Thinking of going on the 5th or 6th Jan. Cheers.
Hi Norman,
I think the 5th or 6th will be less crowded than the 1st of January. Most of the folks around Southern California will have their winter break the last two weeks of December this year and return to school the week of January 5th. Hope you have a great trip!
Jan 5 and later is a GREAT time as all Americans will be back at school & work after their Christmas vacations.
Hi we are planning on coming from Canada in September. You didn’t mention anything about this month. I heard it was great because of the kids going back to school. What are the pros and coins of September?
Hi Kim,
September, after Labor Day can be a great time to visit! This year, Halloween Time begins on September 18 and that means the crowds will descend. They do Halloween up big at Disneyland and are starting pretty early this year. If you do go after this time, it may be crowded but you will not miss some cool Halloween decorations!
We will be going to Disneyland Dec 11-16. What should we expect for crowds on Sat & Sun (13-14)? I’m not too worried about the weekdays but I have heard Christmas season weekends can be slammed.
Hi Jay,
Yes, you can expect it to be busy at that time. Saturday might be better than Sunday because some of the annual passes will be blocked out. My advice would be to get there early and take advantage of fastpasses. If you have Frozen fans, be sure to stop by the meet and greet for your return pass early on in the day (they will be gone later!). The magic of the holiday season at Disneyland makes it well worth the crowds!
We are very flexible and would like to visit DL for 2 days.
We can travel anytime 10/1 through 12/25.
Can you tell me the LEAST BUSY two days to visit the par? I have two kids 5 and 7 and standing in long lines will be difficult.
Hi Debbie,
Yeah, I get you. I have a six year old and a three year old. I think your best bet is to go the first week or two in November, NOT Veteran’s Day weekend. It’s after the Halloween time and before Christmas.
I am planning a one day trip to Disneyland with the family. I have a option to visit either on Sunday July 5th or Monday July 6th. Reading at the comments above it appears Monday would be less busier compared to Sunday but I want to know if there are any special attractions/programs available on weekend (Independence Day weekend) which are worth the crowd? Do you suggest visiting on Sunday the 5th or Monday the 6th?
Hi Casper, as your trip gets closer, Disneyland begins to list what specific events and attractions are going on for each day, as well as what will be closed. July is the busiest month of the year at vacation (hence why so many Annual Passholders have block out days for the entire month), so really, either day is going to be busy. You may have some luck on the 5th (if people are out late on the 4th watching fireworks or celebrating), but my personal preference would be to go on the 6th. Right now they only have Downtown Disney’s hours listed (7am-2am both of those days), but you can check back in a few days (they usually update about a month out). https://disneyland.disney.go.com/calendars/month/2015-07-01/ Also, make a list of any “must do’s” and do those first. If you’re going to California Adventure and want to see Anna & Elsa or ride Radiator Springs Racers, I suggest immediately getting Fastpasses for Anna & Elsa, followed by Radiator Springs Racers. Also, if you want to see World of Color (the nighttime show at California Adventure), I recommend getting that next. These are 3 events that do not follow the “one Fastpass at a time” rule, and you can hold multiple passes. The Grizzly River Run will also have long lines due to the heat, so try and get Fastpasses for that. As far as Disneyland goes, Splash Mountain and the roller coasters will all have long lines, as will most of Fantasyland. If you don’t mind missing the parade, I suggest trying to go to Fantasyland then. Best of luck! Please let us know if there’s anything else you need! 🙂
Hello,
My family and I will be vacationing in California this coming June 4th-14th my husband and I will be travel with 5 children ages ranging 19- 2 . What days do you recommend ? We’re planning on either 3 or 5 days tickets to go to the parks .Any tips would be greatly appreciated !
Thank you
Hello! A couple things to be aware of: While some schools will still be in session, many will be on summer break, which means an increase in crowds. Sat. June 4th, Tues. June 7th, Wed. June 8, Fri. June 10th & Sat. June 11th are “Grad Nights” at CA Adventure, so that will mean the parks will most likely have more crowds (particularly in the afternoon), as well as CA Adventure will close early that day (so I wouldn’t recommend going to CA Adventure on those days unless you don’t mind leaving early). While it is only an estimation, touringplans.com does have a crowd calendar that is extremely accurate overall, and there is a 35% discount if you buy their current tour book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1628090405/?tag=tipfrothedisd-20 The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2016, which will also give you planning tips for the park. Have you been to Disneyland/CA Adventure before? Personally, I recommend 3-4 days minimum (and being summer, you may wish to opt for the 5 day tickets, though I definitely recommend some down time in between… maybe go for two days in a row, and then take a day off to rest). Also, for my family, (my kids are 4 1/2, 3, & 14 months) I really don’t feel the hopper option is necessary. I find that there’s plenty of stuff to do at both parks to keep us entertained without killing ourselves, and on our last trip, it would’ve been cheaper to do 4 days at a single park than 3 days with a hopper. But with teenagers, you still may like the hopper option, so it’s really up to your family’s preference and what you want to do. If you do decide you need more help planning your trip, we recommend our travel agent, Leslie Harris with Pixie Vacations. She’s great and can help give you more specific information about hotels, dining reservations, and so on. To get a free quote, you can go to the link here: http://www.tipsfromthedisneydiva.com/2012/09/12/get-a-quote-from-leslie-harris-of-pixie-vacations/ Let us know if you need anything else! We hope you have a wonderful vacation!~Character Diva
Hi. Thank you for the great advice. You had mentioned the week before Thanksgiving. Is this the Mon – Wed before the big day or the week before that. We are thinking of going on Tues Nov 22 with my 70 year old mother a 2 year old daughter, so I’m trying to avoid crowds.
Hi we are gonna be goin to Disneyland in October and would like to know when the best time to go in the month with the least crowds?
That is a great question! It really depends on when you are planning on going (weekday or weekend) and whether or not you want to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or not. Touring Plans (the creators of The Unofficial Guide series) has a great crowd tracker with estimated crowds that you can find here: https://touringplans.com/disneyland-resort/crowd-calendar We are also hosting 3 giveaways this month for your chance to win your choice of any of the Unofficial Guide Books. If you’re interested in the Disneyland one, feel free to enter the contest. http://www.tipsfromthedisneydiva.com/2017/01/02/the-unofficial-guide-the-color-companion-to-walt-disney-world-review-giveaway/ Good luck and let us know if you need any more help or more details on your upcoming October trip! You can also talk to Leslie Harris from Pixie Vacations… she is our Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and her services are free to you because she is paid by Disney, so she can help recommend dates as well! http://www.tipsfromthedisneydiva.com/2012/09/12/get-a-quote-from-leslie-harris-of-pixie-vacations/ ~Character Diva