May or September?

[willis37862]

Dh and I are planning our first trip to california next year. We are wondering what time is best to visit. We want to avoid the time when kids are out of school and disneyland is most crowded with them. We are thinking May or September. We will be at disneyland a few days then heading up to San Francisco area. Thank you for any help.

 

[kuusimo]

This is what has been in the past:

http://www.scottware.com.au/theme/feature/crowds.htm

I know that Arizona gets out in the middle of May and a lot of parent head to Disneyland. As well you have grad nights so the parks may close early. Have never been in September though. Have Fun!

 

[Michelle2]

I went last September and it was really nice... In my opinion, I would definitely choose September over May, especially where crowds are concerned. We were a little concerned because it was the 50th celebration, so I armed myself with enhanced fastpasses and Ridemax just in case....HA! Never even had to use them....there were people, but not crowded.

I think this September will even be better with it being the tail end of the celebration. Maybe you can still see the fireworks!!

 

[stampinshauna]

I vote for September. I haven't been in May, but have heard that September is better. There may be shorter hours, but you can get more done in September.

We went in September 2005 and are going again September 2006.

 

[willis37862]

Thanks for all the replies. I was wondering how the weather is there is september and may? I was leaning towards May because I enjoy spring and seeing flowers more than fall. And after disneyland we are going to spend a week or so going up the coast. Thanks for any more help you can offer.

 

[stampinshauna]

We were in t-shirts and shorts in September. The evenings got cool so we would take sweatshirts or go back and change into pants. It was in the 80s. I love Disneyland because they always have flowers in bloom!

 

[karylrocks]

I would definitely choose September over May. In May, the parks are full of kids on school field trips. In September they have pretty much all started back to school and the parks should be much less crowded. The weather will be warmer in September, which is good thing if you are heading north up the coast, because it can get pretty cool clear into June in northern California.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I don't want to be a broken record (Ihave posted this on so many threads) but this September(2nd weekend) will be the inaugural half-marathon/5k event......I assume that it will become an annual event, so you may want to pick the first or last week.

 

[willis37862]

I don't want to be a broken record (Ihave posted this on so many threads) but this September(2nd weekend) will be the inaugural half-marathon/5k event......I assume that it will become an annual event, so you may want to pick the first or last week.

Thanks!! Do you know of any special events in May?

 

[LucyKate]

The graphs at this site - http://www.scottware.com.au/theme/feature/crowds.htm would confirm September is better than May for crowds.

 

[TSRE]

Well, I guess I'll be the one person to voice a different opinion - I have been repeatedly in May and September, and I like them both for different reasons. One of the reasons I like May over September is the cooer weather. I am from HOT Sacramento, but 85 degrees at Disneyland, when you are out in it all day long, feels hot to me, and I enjoy mysef more in the cooer weather. And while I know the crowds are less in September, they never seem too bad in May to me. I think both are fairly nice, and you will probably be happy either way.

 

[darph nader]

I agree with TSRE. With kids May(more attractions open),Sept fewer crowds,cooler(for us anyway).

Is fewer crowds grammerically correct?

HEY I noticed I made mouseketeer! WooHoo!

 

[Judy from Boise]

Looks like DL has all ready scheduled Sept 18th for the marathon in 2007, so it is a new annual event that will be a new variable.I beleive the only events in May are food and wine weekends in DCA, and some grad nights in DL.

 

[willis37862]

Looks like DL has all ready scheduled Sept 18th for the marathon in 2007, so it is a new annual event that will be a new variable.I beleive the only events in May are food and wine weekends in DCA, and some grad nights in DL.

Can you tell me anything about the food and wine weekends? I have read about them at Disney World but didn't know they did that at Disneyland.

LuckyKate- thanks for the table.

And to everyone else thank you for your suggestions. I am all new to Disneyland and California. I have only spent three day on the west side of the country so your climate isn't something I know about. I think I could handle mild crowds in May if the weather wouldn't be too hot (85 and above) or too cold. That being said I have been at Disney World in July and survivied the heat and crowds. Thank you again

 

[Judy from Boise]

nothing CA dishes out could compete with FL in the summer!I will look for info on the festival.

 

[boosmom96]

If you are driving up the coast and staying in San Francisco I definitely suggust September! The weather here in May is very unpredictible. September is, in my opinion, the safest time to visit the Bay Area. The weather is absolutely wonderful!!