Best Time for Disneyland Trip...November or January/February

[disneyfan123]

We are WDW vets, but I haven't been to DL in over 20 years and my DW has never been. We are thinking of going to DL sometime this fall/winter and were wondering when would be a better time to go? We would be looking at early November, around the 7th to 14th, or sometime in January or early February. Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

 

[Disney Dider]

Second week of November super busy. Nov1-2 thru first week not crowded and little closures. Out of all our 20 some trips that's been my favorite week. Great weather too.

 

[casagray]

The Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend will be November 10-13, which is what makes it so busy then - and Veteran's day on November 11 adds to the madness. The 7,8,9 (and the weekdays the week before that) should be better. The benefit of that time is you still get the Haunted Mansion makeover (if that's something you'd like to see), and see the Christmas decorations go up - like Disney Dider said, it's a great time to go. I haven't been in Jan or Feb, so I'll let others comment on those dates.

 

[gottalovepluto]

That time of year I've only been in Dec- lol! I would pick Nov though. You could pick up the Fall transition into Christmas decor wise as well as see Haunted Mansion Holiday (something you never get at WDW). January is one of the last months I would do DL, there tends to be a lot of closures as it comes out of the holidays. (Guess that would make Feb my 2nd choice!)

 

[WestMom2two]

I vote November. Good weather and Christmas decor will be up. We have done September, October, December and May. Sep-Nov is perfect time imo.

 

[hlbtimes2]

November! Jan and Feb you will find short park hours and a lot more ride closures. However, you'll also find lower crowd levels, unless you hit a holiday weekend like Presidents day.

 

[GatorChris]

Lowest crowds will be Jan/Feb besides the holiday weekends. Expect Splash Mt and Grizzly River to be down, just like it would be at WDW. Weather wise, November will have warmer days than Jan/Feb, and probably less rain. Though rain in SoCal is nothing like it is in Orlando. It would take all day of raining to match what a Disney World storm brings in about 20 minutes.

 

[disneyfan123]

So if we go in November, would it be better to go DL the week of Veteran's Day, from Nov 7-10 or after the weekend (Nov 14-17)?

 

[DLfan4]

we went in mid january and we loved it. lower crowds, cool weather.

 

[Disney Dider]

If you want lower crowds, your best bet is the 1-6th

 

[disneyfan123]

If you want lower crowds, your best bet is the 1-6th

I have a conference in Seattle the 4th & 5th so we would be heading down after that.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Anytime around a holiday is going to be more crowded than a non-holiday time. So the days before veteran's day could be bad. Plus I think the days around a marathon weekend could be bad because I imagine a lot of people come and make a vacation out of it. So crowd-wise, November probably isn't the best option. I have a feeling either of those November dates you pick could be fairly similar to each other (but I'm not an expert, by any means.)

But January/February brings shorter hours, less nighttime entertainment, and more ride closures.

It's a trade off really.