Help me decide when to go!!

[EMAW]

Hi! Starting to plan a trip and torn on when to go. One part of me wants to go right before Christmas, but am worried that some rides and parades won't be around. My family wilts in heat, so I don't want to go at its hottest.

So my question is... if you could go any time of the year, when would you go?

Thank you!!

Em

 

[hsembrick]

While I love the Xmas decorations and lights I absolutely love going during October!! MNSSHP is wonderful and you actually get to see the villians!!!! Since your family melts in the heat then you should go sometime in December or early spring before spring break. I know I haven't helped much but HAPPY PLANNING!!

 

[skiingfast]

I like early Spring Break. Mid March, things are back open and the real spring break crowds aren't yet coming. But the hours can be short and no F!/firworks everynight.

 

[PeytonSdiz]

Well, for me there's really not PERFECT time. I hate crowds and heat so early December is good. Late January is also good.

The only downsides for those are shorter park hours. And more rides are closed down.

This year we're braving the crowds and heat to go in late September. I'm hoping to see some of the Fall decor at that time since it's been a few years.

 

[goldies 5]

The week before Thanksgiving week or the 2 weeks following Thanksgiving week. Most rides will be running and the park is beautiful. The Christmas parade is fantastic. Seeing Santa at Reindeer Roundup is always a must do for us. the castle is so beautiful for the Holiday Season. IASW is gorgeous and we love HM Nightmare before Christmas.

 

[Brady's Mom]

We love the first part of Nov. and the first part of March/end of Feb. We also know that we will miss some rides for closures and that not all parades and shows will be running. For us it is a good trade off since we like the lower crowds and the shorter lines and know we can come back another time to catch the rides that are closed.

We have been in mid July, too and it was a good visit - but I sunburn super easy and being in the mid summer heat wilts me a LOT.

We also don't mind missing the decorations for Holidays, either. We love the magic of Disneyland in it's pure form.

 

[mrswh]

Well, if you don't like crowds or heat, stay away from June-September. Then you have to decide whether you are willing to brave the crowds in order to have longer park hours and more attractions/events. Even during off-peak times, there will be longer park hours and a full entertainment schedule on the weekends. I'd say if you go in September after Labor Day but before the Halloween visitors start coming in droves, and include a weekend in your trip, you'd get the best of both worlds. We did that one year and it was great - small crowds during the week and we only had to deal with bigger crowds for 2 days in order to see everything we wanted to. I do have to disclose that it happened to be 90 degrees when we were there in September. I think that is unusual, but you just never know.

I am sure someone else will know how the crowds build around Halloween. I'm not sure whether they increase sharply as soon as the decorations are up, or if they build slowly and peak right at Halloween. If they build slowly, you might be better off going a week or two into October for a better chance of cooler weather.

You might also have good luck right before the spring break crowds. We had nice weather in March but holy cow it was crowded. We were there the week after Easter this year.

Whatever you do, have fun!

 

[HydroGuy]

For us Coloradoans summer is best. The heat issue is exaggerated IMO, especially if you are smart about how you tour.

For us the keys to having a good summer visit are:

1. Stay within walking distance
2. Start out early each morning when it is cool out and lines are short
3. Take long afternoon breaks to swim and nap. DW and I both nap too.

See "Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

Next best IMO is May when temperatures are more moderate and rain still unlikely, crowds are lower, and most major refurbs are complete.

Here are some more links that may help:

"Choosing When To Visit DLR: Summary of High and Low Season and When Each Happens " http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602

"Understanding AP Blockouts and Impact on Crowds" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2365983

"What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

"Detailed Weather Data for DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=23004158

HTH

 

[Mom2micayla]

The week before Thanksgiving week or the 2 weeks following Thanksgiving week. Most rides will be running and the park is beautiful. The Christmas parade is fantastic. Seeing Santa at Reindeer Roundup is always a must do for us. the castle is so beautiful for the Holiday Season. IASW is gorgeous and we love HM Nightmare before Christmas.

ITA! Mid to late November (not Tgiving weekend!) or early December is perfect. Typically low crowds on the weekdays, beautiful decorations and perfect weather. If the school schedule wasn't a factor, I'd go then in a heartbeat.

 

[HydroGuy]

To add to my previous post on weather - see "Detailed Weather Data for DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=23004158

I personally have never visited DLR in the rain and would not care to. To me rain dampens the magic. I can handle WDW rain because - at least when we have gone - it is warm out and the rain tends to come and go more quickly in Orlando than Anaheim. More often when it rains in SoCal it is rainy and drizzly all day - and cold - because it rains more in winter.

In any case, the link above shows December, January and February as the rainiest months - with an average of five rainy days each month. Still not a lot compared to WDW but it can be a factor.

When we have gone of day trips during Thanksgiving week in recent years we have been lucky and it has hit 70 degrees each day and was sunny. We wore shorts! Nice, SoCal weather. One year when our kids were really small - must have been mid to late 1990's - we were planning a day trip and were able to go a day early because of predicted rain - and had a great trip.

Bottom line is weather in winter months can be an issue. In summer months and Sept and Oct rain is usually not an issue - but those months are hotter. Pick your preference.

 

[EMAW]

Thank you all so much!!

I agree, there really isn't a great time to be there, but since we only get there every two years or so I want it to be as optimal as possible

You all gave me some great tips and thanks HydroGuy for the links- awesome!

Now to examine them all and get planning- can't wait!!


Em

 

[Angel Ariel]

We just got back from DL..we were there Apr. 29th-May 3rd, and it really was a great time to go!

Thursday DL closed at 9, but Fri/sat/Sun DL was open til 12am. Fireworks happened Fri/Sat/Sun as well (not Thursday). I believe DCA was closing at 9 on Fri/Sat/Sun.

As for crowds...Thursday and Fri (until mid-late afternoon) were more than reasonable crowds. We pretty much walked on everything, or had a 10 min. or less wait. The weekend was a bit more crowded, but we still didn't wait long for much. 20 mins maybe?

with regards to heat, it was high 60s-mid 70s pretty much our whole trip. I was in jeans and a short sleeve shirt and not hot..DH wore shorts the whole trip and was quite happy. Sunglasses and/or hat are imperative for us though I forgot my sunglasses, so we just had to buy a DL hat to make up for it...darn

We chose this time for the food and wine festival, and we loved it! The festival was SO fun, and kept us busy most of the day on Sat. and the morning on Sunday (Sweet Sunday= absolutely worth the price!). It's made us more excited to someday plan a trip to Epcot's F&W festival!