Disneyland Guide - When To Go - When To Go

Once you've decided you should go to Disneyland you need to decide when to go and for how long.

When to Go

"it's a small world" decorated for Christmas which can be one of the quieter times (before mid-December) or the busiest (between Christmas and New Year's Day)

On-Season or Off-Season?
One major decision to make is whether or not to go to Disneyland during the on-season or the off-season? The on-season for Disneyland is generally summer (mid-June through Labor Day), Christmas (the week before Christmas to just after New Year's) and Spring Break. There are advantages and disadvantages to each time of year:

On-Season:

• Longer hours - generally 8:00 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. to midnight every night.
• Generally no rides are down for rehab during the on-season
• The full slate of Disneyland's entertainment runs during the on-season.
• Certain restaurants are only open on the busiest days which is usually everyday during the on-season.
• The big downside is crowds. You can expect as many as two or three times as many visitors to Disneyland on a given day compared to the off-season. The obvious effect of this is longer lines everywhere.

An early-summer evening on Main Street

Off-Season:

• Shorter hours during the week. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays usually have longer hours, though not necessarily 8:00 or 9:00 to midnight like the on-season. Typical weekday hours are 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• All attractions at Disneyland, at one time or another, have to go down for maintenance. This is almost always done during the off-season. You can expect anywhere from one to four attractions to be closed during the off-season. Luckily, Disneyland usually schedules these closures well in advanced, so you can call months ahead to make sure your favorite attractions will be available.
• Disneyland often scales back the entertainment during the off-season. However, most shows and parades do perform on the weekends - even during the off-season.
• The big advantage is crowds are almost invariably smaller in the off-season so you can do more in the same amount of time.

An mid-September afternoon on Main Street. Notice the construction wall on the left. (Of course, there's no guarantee crowds will be this way at any given time)

Also keep in mind, certain holiday periods can be very crowded at Disneyland including Thanksgiving weekend and most three day weekends. Hours are usually longer, but attraction rehabs usually still occur. If possible, you'll want to avoid Disneyland at these times since you get some of the disadvantages of on- and off-season without all the advantages. If you must go during these times, try to go on the last day - e.g. the Monday of three day weekend usually has much smaller crowds than the Saturday and Sunday.

Best Day of the Week
Because a large percentage of Disneyland's visitors are locals instead of vacationers, weekends are much more crowded than weekdays. This is less so during the on-season, but even then Saturday is easily the most crowded day of the week. Disneyland does not release attendance numbers, but our impression is Saturday is the most crowded day of the week followed by Sunday, Friday (especially Friday evenings), Monday, then Tuesday through Thursday. But keep in mind certain entertainment runs on the weekends only, so be sure check ahead to make sure your favorites will be running.

Special Considerations
While the tips above can be helpful in timing your visit, please remember there are many factors that can make the crowd on any given day be abnormally large or small. Those considerations include:

• Resident Offers - During the off-season Disneyland usually runs a promotion where local residents can get in at a reduced price. The last couple of weeks before this promotion ends, crowds can be high as residents get those last visits in. There currently is no resident offer in effect.
• Happy Hearts Day - Special days where Disneyland invites disabled guests to enjoy the park at a reduced rate. Crowds are little larger on these days.
• Deaf Awareness Day - Days where Disneyland has sign language interpreters available at certain attractions and shows. Crowds are little larger on these days.
• Rain - Nothing keeps a crowd down like rain. If you can stand it, head to Disneyland in the rain and you always enjoy smaller crowds. However, Disneyland sometimes shortens their hours when it rains and certain attractions, parades and shows don't run in the rain. For more information, visit the Miscellaneous section of this guide which includes information on Disneyland in the rain. Disneyland in the rain.

Weather Considerations
Sunny Southern California is usually sunny - but not always. Winter nights can get cold and rain can occur well into spring. Summers can get quite warm though usually not humid, and autumn is usually pleasant. For more details on what to expect any given month in Southern California, click here. For a quick seven day forecast, click here.

How Long To Visit
Depending on how fast a pace you want to keep, you can see all of Disneyland in two to three days. If you can only visit for one day you'll have to carefully choose what you'd like to see. However, if you're lucky enough to be able to visit for more than three days, you'll be able to revisit many of your favorite attractions and take a leisurely pace to really enjoy all the little things Disneyland has to offer.

Related Links

• Anaheim/Orange County Convention Bureau
  Includes convention schedules which could result in unsually large crowds.

-- Last Updated June 22, 2000

 

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