Late Feb 2015 Visit

[RachK]

Hello,

I'm brand new on DISBoards and have learnt so much already! I'm from Australia and had my first trip to DL in September 2011 and wish I had seen these thread before that trip! We had a 3 day hopper and stayed at DLH it was AMAZING and have just been dreaming about the next trip ever since. Well finally we are booking it! We are looking at spending 5-6 nights this time at DLH from around 20th Feb. After reading some post I just wanted to check when spring break is because I'd prefer the crowds of off seasons the holiday times?

Thank you for any help.

Rach

 

[kangamama]

Spring break is later -- mid march through end of April.

 

[Cheshirecatty]

Hello,

I'm brand new on DISBoards and have learnt so much already! I'm from Australia and had my first trip to DL in September 2011 and wish I had seen these thread before that trip! We had a 3 day hopper and stayed at DLH it was AMAZING and have just been dreaming about the next trip ever since. Well finally we are booking it! We are looking at spending 5-6 nights this time at DLH from around 20th Feb. After reading some post I just wanted to check when spring break is because I'd prefer the crowds of off seasons the holiday times?

Thank you for any help.

Rach

"WELCOME" to the Disboards!!!

The last part of February is a great time to visit the Resort!

We've visited the last week of February for the last several years, and it has been wonderful!

Even though park hours are shorter, and there usually some refurbs going on, we have not found that to be a deterrent, and we love the cooler weather in February!

The Spring Break rush usually begins around the second week in March, so you should be just fine!

 

[figment_jii]

As others have noted, spring break probably won't be in full swing until mid-March. Easter is on April 5th next year and while schools do not plan their spring breaks around Easter, it's still a useful metric. DLR is blocking out SoCal and SoCal Select APs from 3/28 through 4/12 next year, so that indicates they except the highest spring break crowds during that period.

In terms of late February, the only "major" holiday that might impact you would be President's Day (2/16). It's a three day weekend, so crowds tend to be higher on that weekend and the few days leading up to and after. If you're thinking of going around 2/20, you'll most likely miss the majority of the crowds.

As Cheshirecatty said, the parks will likely be running on a shorter schedule, with limited evening entertainment on weekdays. If you want to see fireworks and/or Fantasmic, you'll need to schedule at least one weekend (Fri-Sun) night for those. WoC tends to run nightly.

In terms of the crowds, it's always worth saying that there is really no "off season" anymore in the old sense. There are periods when the crowds are lower, but there isn't much time anymore when the crowds are super low. I just say this so you don't go expecting walk-on rides everywhere. In Feb, I would expect low crowds on the weekdays (Mon-Thu) with higher crowds on the weekends. If it rains, then I would except low crowds regardless of the day!

 

[Nonsuch]

...We are looking at spending 5-6 nights this time at DLH from around 20th Feb...

Dapper Day is likely to be around that time
Follow their website for excellent on site hotel rates

 

[RachK]

Thanks so much for the info everyone! In total I think we are going to be spending 4 weeks in USA...so much planning but the Posts on hear are making it a lot easier.

 

[awinangie]

Next year Presidents' Day is on February 16th, so your projected arrival date is the Friday of that week.

Our school system, and quite a number of others have a "Mid-Winter Break" that week. Our extended family was there in 2008 and my daughter and I went during that week this past February. This means that the parks will be more crowded, but the hours are also longer. This year most of the week the hours were 9A to 9P. Short in comparison to summer, but perfectly reasonable in my book If you arrive on the 20th, you'll likely have long hours for the weekend, but they'll shorten significantly starting on Monday the 23rd, probably 10A to 8P. Take a look at this link for historical park hours. <http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2291124>

One trouble with that time of year is that there tend to be a fair number of ride closures for refurbishment. If you just expect that, though, it won't be so bad. Small World has been closed both times my daughter has been to Disneyland, and that's a bummer, but definitely not a deal-breaker.

Weather is also less reliable at that time of year. In 2008 we had a threat of rain or rain throughout most of our trip. No biggie for us, we're Seattlites. This year I was prepared for long pants and short-sleeved shirts all week, but it was much hotter than I expected. The weather won't be bad (as I define bad), but it's hard to predict.

There are many good things about Disneyland in February.