BEST time to go to DLR

[Stacey Neves]

I LOVE the Disney experience when it's very lightly attended. It's so enjoyable to be able to walk freely without huge hoards of people, or be able to hop in a stand-by line without a long wait time. I've only ever been to DLR during summer times and the Holiday season. While mornings were lightly attended on a few of my summer trips, the crowds would quickly rise as the day progressed.

So, what is your opinion on the time(s) of year with the least amount of crowds? I'm currently contemplating a 2017 trip.

Thanks for the input!

 

[nicolispicoli]

I don't like crowds, I never go to the park during the summer, ever. For me, the best times are usually weekday trips in February and November, sometimes including weekends but avoiding any marathon weekends. Of course, the sacrifices for those times are often more refurbs which only bums me out if one of my favorites is down. My absolute favorite is the week after holidaytime starts but before that weekend going into Thanksgiving, usually 11/15-11/19 or so. The park is decorated and in full holiday mode, but the marathon weekend has ended and the rush of thanksgiving has yet to begin. For me, there is NOTHING like It's a Small World glowing with a billion Christmas lights.

I also really enjoy dapper day (and onsite dapper day rates) so I usually go to at least one of those a year. The weekend is usually crowded, but the weekdays around it are pretty nice.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Disney has been working to make sure attendance is higher on days that used to be traditionally slow.

Also, school districts have been changing up their scheduled, adding things like more time over the Christmas and Easter weeks, starting earlier, ending later, having things like Ski weeks, Rodeo weeks and other weeks off that people don't expect.

Also, the city is expanding its Convention Center again, and already has some very large events that have an impact. (Largest Convention Center on the West Coast).

So early September after Labor Day is usually good, but now Disneyland starts its Halloween Time earlier to boost crowds. Early to mid November also tends to be good before the week of Thanksgiving. Also the couple of weeks after Thanksgiving but before Christmas Break. January has a lot of Holiday periods and the large NAMM show. Holidays is the surprise in February, not just in the main Presidents weekend, but also other school breaks. Much of March and April are now Spring/Easter Breaks periods. May before Memorial Day tends to be good, as most schools stay in session to prepare for finals. Then you are in the Summer Break period (June through August).

So I would pick the first three weeks in May as my first choice as to the slowest period of the year.

 

[figment_jii]

As others have mentioned, there really aren't many prolonged periods of low crowds anymore. Most weekends (Fri afternoon through Sunday) are fairly busy regardless of the time of year. If you can go during the weekdays (non-holiday Mondays through Thursdays) outside of the peak periods (holidays, summer, spring break, HalloweenTime, Holidays), I think that those are your best bet for the lowest crowds. I've been tracking some of the events that happen in or around DLR during the year in the 2016 and 2017 Calendar threads. Those might give you a sense of what types of activities may be happening when you're considering going to the parks.

 

[disneyxica20]

early may isn't bad. just make sure it's not a grad night.
and i know everyone says spring break is awful, but when we were there easter weekend this year (specifically friday and sunday) it wasn't bad at all. maybe we just got lucky.

 

[Darkbeer1]

There are also always factors you can't plan for, such as weather (local care more about it), unscheduled school closures, major freeway accidents, etc.

As stated, Disney does things to increase crowds on slow days, such as special events, special discounts, etc.

Their goal, 95% capacity every day of the year. They aren't there yet, but they are getting closer every year since the edict came down over a decade ago.

 

[MouseOfCards]

We were at DLR 9/18-9/21. Sunday was the highest attendance and Monday and Tuesday were surprisingly busy, but none of the days was difficult to maneuver (we had a double stroller, a single stroller, and a wheelchair), except for Tuesday night in DL (see below). We enjoyed our time slowly going through the parks and relaxing at the hotel (GCH) pools. We were able to get front row seats to all the parades (average wait 15-30 minutes) and got our whole group of 8 in to see Frozen getting into the standby line 10 minutes before showtime. Most of the rides we could get on with a 10-15 minutes wait.

The negatives: no Paint the Night parade (very disappointing), no Disneyland Forever fireworks (only one night did we have fireworks and the show was under 4 and a half minutes!), and Tuesday night in Fantasyland was packed (the wait times were much longer than what was being reported on the DL app and on the Touringplans app)!

Despite the negatives, we had a great time. FYI, Mickey and the Magical Map was very enjoyable and World of Color was incredible (everyone in our group rated it 10 out of 10). Highly recommend the WOC Dessert Party, the desserts weren't very appealing, but the CM serving our tables was excellent even giving both non-paying toddlers the color changing cup.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

The best time is 8am!

Seriously, no matter when you're there, make sure you rope drop! I actually prefer "busier" times with an 8am opening... The "slower" times tend to have those 10am openings, and you miss those magical early-morning hours. February tends to be s lighter month other than Valentine's Day weekend, though...

 

[Darkbeer1]

The best time is 8am!

Seriously, no matter when you're there, make sure you rope drop! I actually prefer "busier" times with an 8am opening... The "slower" times tend to have those 10am openings, and you miss those magical early-morning hours. February tends to be s lighter month other than Valentine's Day weekend, though...

You have Lincoln's BD, Valentines Day, and many South West state school districts take a full week off Ski/Rodeo week. (Usually in combination with the Presidents Day Holiday).

So you have expanded hours on weekdays during the President's Day Holiday week (Monday, February 20th in 2017) due to demand.

And the week before is the combination of Lincoln's BD (some government folks get the day off, and some schools schedule an "instructional" day so students get the day off to avoid in-excused absences) on the 13th, and the 14th is Valentines Day, which has a major impact on the restaurants inside the parks, Downtown Disney and the surrounding area.

It is surprisingly busy.

Also, Angel Stadium hosts major Motorsports events (Monster Jam) on February 11th and 25th in 2017. The PBR is celebrating a 25th Anniversary at the Honda Center on February 3rd and 4th. Twenty One Pilots is in concert at the Honda Center on the 16th and 17th.

 

[Drcbelle]

The last two years we've been the first week of May and the second week of February both during the week and crowds were really manageable. I agree with the previous poster that those morning hours are invaluable. No matter when you go crowds get heavier as the day goes on! Also I'd recommend setting your expectations for high crowds whenever you go. If they are high then it's what you expected. If not, it's a pleasant surprise.

 

[Azjenn]

We just let our ap's expire because crowds were so crazy this last year. I will say our favorite time is definitely the last week of january. Everyone seems to be back to school and work and I think credit card bills are starting to roll in from the holidays so it keeps the crowds down a bit!

 

[cruisehopeful]

We've had our most quiet times in January/February. We've also been rained out a few times when visiting then. I remember one weekend just sitting on the balcony at GCH watching it rain in the park and seeing only a handful of people mulling around. The parks also close earlier during the slower times and there are less things to do inside the parks. It's kind of a toss up on if it is a good time to go or not. It's a great time to avoid crowds, but a bad time if you want to see shows, stay in the parks late, etc.

 

[SMD]

Plus when it's less crowded they run the rides at a lower capacity, it doesn't shorten standby times as much as you'd think.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Once again, January has a lot of events.

Christmas break for many schools last until January 8th, so the park is very busy that week,

The next weekend is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday January 13th trough the 16th). Also the Star Wars Half Marathon weekend.

The you have the largest convention Anaheim hosts, the NAMM Show January 19th - 22nd. This event brings in over 100,000 in just participants, then you have to add family and friends that travel with them. The show rents out parts of the park. (Frozen won't be offered, as the Hyperion is rented out for a concert for the event as just one example).

So the last week in January is OK, but the rest of the month, the park is very busy and not slow.

 

[OneThree]

Last week of August worked well for us (except for HM being closed). The local schools were back in and crowds were very manageable. Like others have said, use the early entry, early park times to your advantage.

 

[SMD]

LAUSD voted to push their start date one week later next year and a week later the year after, meaning they won't be back the last week of August at that point. Expect other districts to do the same.

 

[jmac323]

We do late February almost every year. Only once did it get ridiculously crazy and it was when they announced the 24 hour opening on leap day. That, I did not plan for and it was horrible. Other than that I would say the longest wait we had was under an hour on the most popular rides and we rarely used fast pass. We also got rain one time and just poncho'd up while everyone else left. That was a great day!!!

 

[ClaraOswald]

If any of you were in the parks in late June 2016....can you tell me what wait times were like? Mainly for dark rides. We may have to switch from February to late June and I am worried that waits for dark rides will be insane.....which will suck with a 3 year old.

 

[agamble]

If any of you were in the parks in late June 2016....can you tell me what wait times were like? Mainly for dark rides. We may have to switch from February to late June and I am worried that waits for dark rides will be insane.....which will suck with a 3 year old.

As mentioned above go in the morning. If you have a Magic Morning that is the best time to get on your dark rides in Fantasyland. If you don't, then go to the park that doesn't have early entry and again right at opening is a good time. We've been in June many times, and the mornings are nice. The afternoons can be crazy. Pinocchio, Snow White, and Winnie the Pooh have shorter lines than the other dark lines. And Small World lines move quickly. Buzz and Roger Rabbit have FP. One good thing about waiting until June is it gives your kid a bit more time to grow.

As for OP, I've read that the last week in April and the first week in May are pretty nice if you don't mind the closures. Spring break is over and Grad Nights haven't started.

 

[Donalyn]

While I don't have a lot of experience at DL, I do like the comment about planning for crowds. I think that is great advice. You can't be disappointed and you may be pleasantly surprised.

My DL trips to date have been over the Christmas week (I was young, don't remember it being terrible), mid-June (busy, but manageable with a plan and rope-drop), and our upcoming Veteran's Day/Race weekend. Expecting it to be busy, but it was go that weekend or not go for another year. Easy call! Go.

Now, at WDW, lowest crowds on my trips have been the first full week of January and the last full week of January. But it was cold. Worst crowds was the week before Thanksgiving. I thought it would be a slow week - not that year. And it was HOT! But, as long as you have a plan and get up early, a busy day at a Disney park is better than being anywhere else.