Best time of year to go to DL??

[WisconsinDisneyGirl]

My DH and I are planning a trip to Sothern CA next year. We are thinking spring or fall. What is the best time for weather, small crowds, ect. We are pretty flexable and are not taking the kids!

 

[Albort]

i like the few days after New Years. Not a lot of people, full entertainment schedule.

then again, i was at DCA all week so i wouldnt know about Disneyland.

 

[talie95]

I haven't been during the spring in a while so I don't know about that but we usually go in early Oct. and the crowds are pretty light and the weather is usually really nice (not too hot and not far enough in the year to have to worry too much about rain). Either time you end up going, have fun!!

 

[tinkerbelt]

Disneyland was awful that week! We waited in line for over an hour for pirates *and* they made us sit with people who were not in our group in order to load as many people as possible. But DCA was really nice. If you go the second week in January, it is much better. My personal preference though is the end of April, after the spring break crowds, or May. Good weather, low crowds, overall very nice.

 

[Dizneydaz]

I like the fall alittle more over spring. Our weather here in Spring can be iffy-for example, 2 days ago it was in the high 80's, today we had drizzle.

A good time to go is after Labor Day when most of the local kids go back to school. Also, people traveling with kids won't usually take them out of school when school has just started. In the Spring, you'll want to avoid anytime near any local area (inc. AZ and NV) spring breaks. We went several times in April and it was crowded, most days.

The weather in Sept, and early Oct. is usually very nice. I love it at that time of year.

We travel to WDW is Sept. for the same reasons I mentioned above, regarding schools. My DD7, luckily, is in year-round school, and is off in Sept.

 

[HydroGuy]

If you have not yet figured it out, there is a huge difference between off-season at WDW and at DLR. WDW pretty much keeps their shows running year round, so you can choose to visit any week of the year and be in position to experience most all of the shows.

At DLR shows are offered daily during high season, but in off-season shows are mostly on the weekends. There are some shows on off-season weekdays, but it is limited. Weekends year round are pretty much high season at DLR because of their huge number of local AP holders.

Further, DLR does not publish entertainment schedules as far in advance as WDW - typically 2-3 months in advance. So if you make long range plans you will not know any of the above until you arrive at DLR.

Whether you choose spring or fall, keep the above in mind when you choose your actual days. If you go during off-season spring or fall, then overlap your trip with weekends. If you go during high season spring or fall, then avoid weekends completely.

 

[leslie_537]

I have been in Feb, March, April and Beg of May and those are all good times, just avoid spring break though!

 

[claribella]

I suggest February and early november.

 

[Kailua's Belle]

If you go in February, avoid President's week. It's not just the holiday weekend that's busy. The whole week is. The weather is kind of unpredictable in Feb. too. A lot more chances of rain.

 

[LOVEDISNEYLAND]

We went the first week in December and the crowds weren't all that bad.
15-20 minute wait at the most for rides and the weather was in the 70's during the day and 50's at night (a little chilly but not all that bad) plus we got to see all the Christmas decorations!!!

 

[abby]

I like Early May and October.......

 

[ShawnaF]

I absolutely cannot stand crowds and husband is the same. We used to go in late September for our anniversary every year. Great weather, not much in the way of crowds. The problem with that was the Haunted Mansion going down for the Holiday overlay - almost always hit right around the 21st - and that's my favorite ride. Once we had our daughter, we started going end of October for her birthday. Weather is still nice though we've hit some rains - which further thins the crowds and is a perk for us! There is also some entertainment and extra fun because of the Halloween holiday and decor. Around the 22nd though is when Small World usually goes down for the Holiday overlay.

 

[kiwitravel]

We have been there twice at this time (including last year) we feel this is the best time as everything is open and the park is open longer. If you plan your fastpasses, get there early and stay late you can get to do everything. We had a 14 day pass so had plenty of time, our longest queues were only 20 minutes which were only a couple of times when we missjudged a queue the majority were only 5 to 10 minutes. Work your fastpasses and stay in a hotel close to the maingate, we stayed at the carousel inn and so were able to come out for lunch and dinner, going back in when our fastpasses were due.

 

[ShawnaF]

Fastpass is key - if you spend the entire first half of the day being crazy about grabbing those things as you can, the night flies by with ride after ride of minimal waits. I love those!!!

 

[HydroGuy]

Fastpass is key - if you spend the entire first half of the day being crazy about grabbing those things as you can, the night flies by with ride after ride of minimal waits. I love those!!!

FWIW, last summer we got 12 FP sets in a single day between DL and DCA and used every one of them. And we would have a had a 13th FP set but the BTMRR FP machines broke down in the early evening. I agree that if you gather FPs in the morning it will make the rest of your day much better.

 

[disney_fan_fam]

I've been many times and I like the week after Labor Day in Sept. And May, the week before Memorial Day weekend. (No lines, weather was nice, got to see the parades, fireworks and shows we wanted)