Disneyland Tips & Tricks

My favorite vacation place to visit is Disneyland in California.  I have been there many times throughout my life.  I am often asked questions about Disneyland.  For example, what hotels do I recommend, what time of year do I usually go, how to make the most of the days in the parks, etc.  So I thought I would add a series about my Disneyland Tips & Tricks for anyone who might be interested.  This is only my opinion and I am not affiliated with Disney or any Disney travel sites. 

The first part of my series will be the best times to go from my experience.

Least crowded times

September:  Once school has started and after the Disneyland Half Marathon which is usually the last weekend in August and sometimes runs into September.  There will be a few rides closed since they tend to do maintenance during the off season.  Haunted Mansion will be closed as they prepare it for Haunted Mansion Holiday.  If you go later in September you may start to see the Halloween decorations as well. 

May:  The first part of May before school ends. 

January:  Avoid January 1st but the rest of the month is not crowded.  There will be a few rides closed as they take down the holiday decorations:  Haunted Mansion and It's A Small World

Other good months:  February, March (Avoid Easter weekend if it falls in March) April (Again avoid Easter weekend if it falls in April)

Least crowded during the Holidays.  My favorite time to go to Disneyland is during the Holidays. 

October:  If you enjoy Halloween go at the beginning of the month.  It gets more crowded the closer you get to Halloween.  As I mentioned above you can sometimes see the Halloween decorations at the end of September as well. 

November and December:  They usually start decorating for Christmas the second week of November.  This is also one of the best times to go.  Day after Veteran's Day to the week before Thanksgiving is the best time for November.  December 1-December 17 is best for the month of December but avoid the first weekend in December when they do the Candlelight Processional.  It is packed that weekend.  It is a really neat thing to see though if you can get in.

Times to Avoid if possible

June, July and August:  It is packed in the parks during the summer.  Yes, you can still enjoy yourself but plan to stand in line and plan to be hot. 

Holidays:  New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Easter, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Long school break weekends or weeks:  UEA (Utah Education Association Break) and Arizona's education break tend to be pretty crowded weekends.  They often fall at the same time.

Race Weekends:  You can go to the runDisney website to find out when they have Race Weekends.  It gets very crowded during these weekends as all of the out of town runners stay in the parks.  I was there recently August 29-September 1.  It was packed.  I have never seen the parks that crowded before but I have also never been in the middle of summer.  I don't like to go when it is crowded.  I still had a lot of fun while I was there because I have learned a few tricks on how to enjoy the parks when it is crowded.  In one of my later posts I will share these tricks since I understand that not everyone can go during the off-season times due to children in school, time off of work, etc. 

I hope this helps a little with your planning.  My favorite time to go is November 12-November 20 because the Christmas décor is usually up or will be by the end of that time and it is not crowded.  The weather is also usually perfect this time of year.  My second favorite time to go is in April either before or after Easter break.   Stay tuned for more tips and tricks.