Disneyland in September

[Scooter42]

We are looking into going to DL in the third week of September. If anyone has gone there in previous years at that time, any info on Park hours, weather conditions and the crowds (all the usual info) would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DLovinFam]

We went the beginning of Oct. last time, and I believe the park opened around 9 or 10 and stayed open until 6 or 7. The weather was beautiful. It wasn't too hot....just right! (low to mid 80's and sunny most of the time) I don't think we got rained on at all. It wasn't too crowded. I guess it would be considered moderate (not sure). We ususally didn't have to wait in line longer than 20-30 minutes for most rides. The Matterhorn line was always long and we only ended up going on that once. We used fast passes on some of the rides because the lines were more than an hour long. Space Mountain we never waited more than 10 min.

I think it's a great time of year to go!

 

[iceskatejen]

Just know that if you go in Sept, the Haunted Mansion may be down to get it's holiday overlay (we don't know if it's going to get it this year or not). Crowds are generally low in Sept. Park hours are usually 9 or 10 to 8 on weekdays and 9-10, 11, or midnight on weekends for DL. For DCA hours are 10-6 on weekdays and 10-8 on weekends. Weather might still be really hot or might be just right. I can tell you the second weekend of Sept last year was miserably hot.

 

[c&m]

We went during the last week of Sept, first week of Oct. for 3 years straight. We LOVED going at that time of year, because the crowds are low. There were lots of times when we would finish a ride such as Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain, and the CMs would tell us not to get off if we wanted to go on the ride again...simply because there was nobody lining up.

Also, no long line-ups at counter service restaurants.

The weather is so nice and comfortable in Sept. However, some time in the beginning of Oct., there's a turning point in the weather, when all of a sudden in the evening it gets chilly. We definitely noticed the change. But a sweatshirt or fleece jacket would solve that.

A drawback to going during that time is that the Matterhorn was always closed. Don't know if that's its regular refurbishing schedule. For 3 years, my DDs never experienced that ride. They finally rode it last year because we changed our DL trip to spring break. The Haunted House (as another poster said) is down, but if your trip extends into early Oct., you might catch it. We always seem to catch it on the first day it reopens.

Another drawback is that a lot of the restaurants aren't open. We always wanted to try the Rancho del Zaccalo (sp??) restaurant in Frontierland but it was closed.

 

[missmulan]

weather question.....generally September is the HOTTEST month of the year while April is the coldest here in Southern California. I always go to the LA County Fair and I cannot remember a time when the weather was enjoyable except during nightfall.

 

[Blackunicorn]

We always travel in September. Usually, it's the last week in September (so that we can see Haunted Mansion Holiday) but this year we're mixing it up a bit--we're traveling the third week instead.

In the past, crowds have been fairly light to moderate during the week. Of course, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are much more crowded. In '02, the crowds were so light that we didn't use fastpasses, and lines were never longer than 20 minutes, except for the Haunted Mansion Holiday, which was the only thing we fastpassed. In '04, the crowds were heavier, and we did get to use the fastpasses, but crowds were still pleasantly light. I think that you make a trade-off--crowds are light, but a lot of rides are closed for refurbishment.

Hours are shorter--in '04 DL hours were 10-8 during the week, and DCA was 10-6.

Weather in '02 was a little chilly, with light drizzly fog on some of the days we were there. It did get warm enough to swim on a couple of days, but it was too chilly after dark to swim. In '04, I seem to recall that it was pleasant to a little too warm for us, but I like temperatures above 70 and below 80. It was plenty warm enough to swim during the day, but a little chilly in the early mornings and evenings. I recall that getting completely soaked on Grizzly River Rapids didn't make us turn blue.

As another poster mentioned, the Matterhorn is closed at this time of year, but from what I can tell, it's every other year. It was open in September of 2003. I've never managed to be there when it's open, but this year is my year! Haunted Mansion closes around the beginning of September, and usually opens the first Friday in October.

For specific information on the parks, I like to go to mouseplanet.com and look at their park updates. The archives are listed by week on the left hand side of the screen, and you can look all the way back to Dec. 2002.

 

[Blackunicorn]

Just found out--according to Mouseplanet, Haunted Mansion will close September 6-29 to put in the Holiday overlay.

 

[Scooter42]

Thanks for the information and the website, this will make things a little bit easier.

 

[Blackunicorn]

Hi--just remembered, all the guidebooks say do Fantasyland first because it gets really crowded fast, and that's true in the off-season also. The longest lines will be at Dumbo (it doesn't hold a lot of people and takes a long time to load and unload), followed by Peter Pan, and then Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. If the Storybookland Canal Boats are fairly crowded, also. Peter Pan is terrible, because the line is squished into a tiny place, so you feel claustrophobic, and there's really nothing to entertain you. If I was going to do Fantasyland, I'd rush to do Dumbo and Peter Pan first thing.