Crowds between Vetrans/Thanksgiving weekends?

[Luvin'theDis]

Hey Everyone! Wow...it's been awhile! So curious...I know Vetran's Weekend is super busy as well as Thanksgiving Weekend - so does this mean the weekend in between is likely to be busy as well? My family wanted to squeeze a quick trip in but all the weekends in November seem to be busy ones...the last time we went was in October for the Halloween parties and my husband said never again - we were literally shoulder to shoulder and the wait times for rides were 1 hour minimum! Very busy! Our other option is mid December but the flights are way more money at that time...but I guess if fewer crowds? Also can get HoJo rate for the time in November opposed to December....ugh...decisions, decisions!

Any help regarding November crowds would be super helpful...Thanks!

 

[Sherry E]

The official start date of the holiday season at DLR is Friday, November 12th. The holidays are extremely popular so that will always mean more crowds, but to varying degrees. That 11/12 weekend will probably be more crowded than an average November weekend because there will be folks there who are extending their Veterans Day trips to include the holiday festivities, and people will be coming to DLR after work on 11/12 to see the decorations. Some folks say that the opening weekend of the season is very, very busy - I haven't been there on opening weekend so I can't give my own opinion.

Then, apparently things get busy right before and through Thanksgiving weekend and immediately after it's over, it quiets down.

In December, the first weekend (when the Candlelight Processional happens) is quite busy. Then things quiet down for a week or two, but right around mid-December is when crowds start to increase significantly, and as December progresses they increase more and more, reaching their peak between Christmas and New Year's.

It's best if you can go on weekdays instead of a weekend, but if it has to be a weekend then maybe the weekend of 11/20 will be slightly better, or perhaps the weekend of December 11th. It's a tough call, though, because weekends are always going to be busier than weekdays anyway.

 

[Luvin'theDis]

Thanks Sherry! We'll probably be there 5 or 6 nights so only partly over the weekend, but we want to catch Fantasmic if possible since we've been several times but for whatever reason have yet to see it! And I think it only plays on a weekend...hmmm...maybe that weekend would be worth a try? I was hoping since HoJo had it open for the entertainment rate that it would be a less popular weekend...but these days it seems everyday is a Disneyland day! Thanks again for your input!

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks Sherry! We'll probably be there 5 or 6 nights so only partly over the weekend, but we want to catch Fantasmic if possible since we've been several times but for whatever reason have yet to see it! And I think it only plays on a weekend...hmmm...maybe that weekend would be worth a try? I was hoping since HoJo had it open for the entertainment rate that it would be a less popular weekend...but these days it seems everyday is a Disneyland day! Thanks again for your input!

You're welcome! In that case, since you will have several nights at DLR, you should be fine whenever you go because you will be able to spread everything out and have time to do it all, even with crowds. For some reason I was thinking that you only would be able to go on a weekend, which could be crazy if it turns out to be super busy. But with 5 or 6 nights to get it all done, you should be able to do everything and see Fantasmic too! It would be worse if you had to cram everything in on the same day you are doing Fantasmic, especially if it's super crowded, but you'll have plenty of time.