Quietest week in late September/early October

[seatrav]

We are planning a trip for mid/late September or early October. I have an almost 3 year old son who loved Disneyland when we went in February but was awful waiting in lines. So I am trying to figure out which week is likely to be the quietest in terms of crowds. We will be in the area for a week, going to Disneyland 3 days (most likely M/W/F so we have one day with longer hours). I am getting overwhelmed trying to pick a week with various weekend events at DL in that time frame plus planning around the Columbus Day holiday (I assume that will be a busy week). Any thoughts on which would be the best time to visit for low crowds? Thanks!

 

[Nonsuch]

The Halloween parties will likely be Tuesdays and Fridays, but the schedule has still not been announced. This will be my third consecutive year visiting in early October
The last weekend of September will likely have smaller crowds. The first weekend of October is Gay Days, and the Friday Halloween party and Saturday will be very busy
If you plan on staying onsite, the special Gay Days hotel rates might make up for the crowds

 

[valiamo]

We are planning a trip for mid/late September or early October. I have an almost 3 year old son who loved Disneyland when we went in February but was awful waiting in lines. So I am trying to figure out which week is likely to be the quietest in terms of crowds. We will be in the area for a week, going to Disneyland 3 days (most likely M/W/F so we have one day with longer hours). I am getting overwhelmed trying to pick a week with various weekend events at DL in that time frame plus planning around the Columbus Day holiday (I assume that will be a busy week). Any thoughts on which would be the best time to visit for low crowds? Thanks!

If you want to avoid crowds, you might want to avoid a Friday in the parks, as they can get quite busy. Any of the weekdays in late Sept and early Oct are in the slower season, but most of the weekends are busy. (But what is slow to some is busy to others, it is all realitive, as I find Feb to be quiet).

There will always be lines for the rides, but not the same as when the parks are full. For the big rides a 30 minute wait is not unreasonable, but to a 3 year old it would be "forever". The kids rides should have shorter wait times.

From what I remember..... (please correct me if I am wrong) Dapper Days are the 12 September, Holiday overlay up by the 3rd weekend in September, then Gay days are the 3rd and 4th of October, Utah Fall break is the 2nd week of October, then columbus day... Tuesdays and Fridays are the Halloween party (advance tickets and extra charge to stay in the park), the park stays open later and has fireworks.. BUT the parks are busy, busy...

We are there the last week of Sept and first week of Oct and are expecting to have a blast!

 

[tarheelalum]

The slow days just don't exist anymore. Its busy or very busy now. Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday in general are crowded. Friday through Monday are very crowded and dapper days, gay days and any Holidays or Halloween parties in your time frame will be crazy busy.

Just expect it to be very crowded so you won't be let down when you get there. Show up early to get in a lot of rides and have a great time.

 

[deebaxster]

Nonsuch is right...the Gay Days hotel discounts are incredible (& extend a few days before and that weekend).

 

[OregontoDisney]

We are planning to visit the last week of Sept, and everything is pretty set for us. But now I'm seeing that our hotel (Desert inn and Suites) has a two night minimum for that weekend (thurs-sat), and not for the previous weeks in the month. So I would say from that, they seem to expect that week to be busier than say, the second or third week.

 

[cmpeter]

We are planning on being there Oct 16-18, hoping that most of the Columbus day (10/13) folks will be gone by then.

 

[figment_jii]

DLR just announced that the MHP will start on September 26 (Friday) and there will be one every Friday night from then until Halloween. So, if you want longer hours on a Friday, you will need to go on the September 19th (or 12th). I think the Monday and Wednesdays are pretty much the same regardless of week, but the Fridays can be quite variable.

• 9/12 is the start of Halloween Time, which means heavier than normal crowds as guests come to see the Halloween decor.
• 9/19 is the last Friday without a party until after Halloween. This means it's probably the only Friday where you'll have longer hours.
• 10/3 is the start of Gay Days weekend, which mean high crowds.

On days when there is a MHP, guests with MHP tickets can normally get into DL at 4:00 pm. So I would expect high(ish) crowds from early afternoon on. In addition to the Fridays listed above, there is also a party on 9/30 (Tue), 10/6 (Mon), and 10/8 (Wed) (in terms of the first weeks of October).

As others have said, I would not expect low or no crowds during that time frame, but I do think the weekdays (Mon-Thu) of non-event/non-holiday weeks can be pretty manageable. As long as you are not expecting walk-on rides or an empty park, I think you'll be okay.