"off season?"

[kitkat4622]

we have been to WDW several times and I am actually thinking of adventuring out to DL in 2020. I know that most of the year is busy but if you were going to pick a time which was "slower/less crowded" when would that be and what would the weather be like? thanks

 

[midnight star]

It’s always busy now...but usually the winter months (January and February) are slower. However there are a lot of refurbs...so If you want all the rides and no construction I would try and go during the busier times. Also these months are very cold and this year it rained it seemed like weekly.

 

[GatorChris]

I haven't seen a slow day at DL since 2014. The slow-er times would be January and early Feb, and maybe the first week of November (after Vets Day, crowds are back up). Both of those times will be cool, but not cold...it's still SoCal. Jan/Feb is the rainy season. That's part of the reason it's slow.

 

[sherilaine]

With Star Wars Galaxy's Edge opening - it is going to make the opportunity to find low crowds at DLR less and less.

We had some very light crowd days last month but it was cold and rainy - however, it's nothing like it used to be years ago.

Go to DLR when you want to go because trying to turn yourself inside out to find a light crowd time only to have it be busy anyway is a futile endeavor in my opinion.

 

[gottalovepluto]

we have been to WDW several times and I am actually thinking of adventuring out to DL in 2020. I know that most of the year is busy but if you were going to pick a time which was "slower/less crowded" when would that be and what would the weather be like? thanks

PLEASE understand that if you chose the off-season headliner attractions will be in refurb and you won’t know what until shortly before your trip. I cannot even count how many “we heard this was the best time of year visit, this is our only trip to DL and all the good stuff is closed!!!!!” posts we’ve gotten here.

 

[kitkat4622]

thank you for all the responses. it's very helpful

 

[lalasmama]

PLEASE understand that if you chose the off-season headliner attractions will be in refurb and you won’t know what until shortly before your trip. I cannot even count how many “we heard this was the best time of year visit, this is our only trip to DL and all the good stuff is closed!!!!!” posts we’ve gotten here.

Oh my goodness, THIS! So many people were shocked and disappointed by the refurbs last month. I think people hear that Jan/Feb is the least busy time, and then they stop listening to hear about increased ride refurbs, lowered ride capacities, and unexpected crowds due to the above ride info.

 

[HydroGuy]

Adding to what others have so eloquently said, see:

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

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

 

[theluckyrabbit]

At DLR, it is really easy to predict high crowd times (e.g. Halloween Time, Holiday Time -- especially Christmas Week, most Mondays, etc.), but it is really hard to predict low crowd times. It's not that there are never low crowd days, but they aren't consistently predictable, especially far in advance. So with that in mind...
There are pros and cons to high and low season. High season means more crowds, but more importantly, it means that the parks are prepared for those crowds. So you will get longer hours, more staffing, rides running at full capacity, fewer/no refurbs, full entertainment schedule, nightly entertainment, etc. When the parks are prepared for crowds, things run much more smoothly and you don't really feel the crowds as much. Low season does not mean low crowds! It means more refurbs, shorter hours, less staffing, rides running at lower capacity (so longer lines because there are fewer vehicles running), longer restaurant lines because there are fewer CMs working, less entertainment, nighttime entertainment on weekends only, etc. And you will feel like the parks are more crowded because there are fewer things going on to spread out the crowds and fewer CMs to deal with everything.
We tell people here to stop trying to second guess crowds and to stop betting on the crowd calendars (which are notoriously unreliable for DLR). Just pick the dates that work the best for you, then come here to double check that nothing crazy will be going on at the same time before you book. Then do your research, make your plans, have a plan A and a plan B, and get ready to let go and let the magic happen. And we'll be here to help you plan your trip all along the way!

 

[Steven G]

One of the busiest days at Disneyland for me was a couple years ago in January. It was insane, nearly as bad as spring break or Christmas and I am not exaggerating. Reasons were cheaper SoCal resident tickets, weather was bad for a couple weeks and that finally cleared up, and who knows why... but it was supposed to be a 4 or 3 and turned out to be 9 and 10 ... and I could tell that the CM’s were surprised as well and not prepared.

So I wouldn’t even try and recommend anything.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

What @theluckyrabbit and @Steven G said. Trying to predict low crowds is an exercise in futility. It just doesn’t work at DL, for a whole variety of reasons.

 

[tarheelalum]

During periods when its slower Disneyland will reduce staffing levels. So even if fewer people are coming, the lines might even be longer then busy times.

 

[chickapin parterre]

2023 the week after Thanksgiving comes back to the calendar and that would make the first two weeks in December "off-season" and in 2024 Easter is March 31st, so could be a few weeks in April that folks are going to avoid because " isn't Easter break in April crowded at Disneyland?"..... hence folks won't make plans to visit crowded Easter April.

and 2020 Labor Day could be good, folks don't visit the last week of August because it concludes with a 3 day Labor Day weekend....well in 2020 Labor day is the 7th, 7 whole days in September before that holiday. So the last week in August and that whole week in September before labor day could also be off season.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Based on my experience in April 2018 and March 2019 - don’t go the Disneyland on a Monday!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... what would the weather be like? thanks

This thread has good information for the weather year round at DLR: Detailed Weather Data for DLR.
Once you decide on some dates, come back here to check on the weather specifically at those times.

 

[Jairy]

We’ve gone 3 times now in the first two weeks of May, and found it to be reasonable. The weather is nice and it has been busy, but not packed.

 

[tarheelalum]

We’ve gone 3 times now in the first two weeks of May, and found it to be reasonable. The weather is nice and it has been busy, but not packed.

The last week of April tends to be good as well. I wouldn't go in January or February.