Sept? Oct? Nov? when to go????

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

We originally were taking 2nd week of December trip to DL & Southern California, now we are thinking we would like nicer weather (coming from Illinois, I'm sure it would still be nicer then here, but....). When do all the rides close for Halloween overlay & Christmas overlay?? Approx. of course.
Any suggestions? or stick w/Dec 6-14 for the trip dates?

 

[jsfofec]

The best time I ever went to disneyland was the day after labor day. That's because everybody is back in school and most people want their kids to get a good heads start in school, so they aren't going to pull them out right when school begins.

When I went the day after labor day, the only people that seemed to be in the park were those from other countries.

 

[godalejunior]

That is my thinking too. My DH and I are doing an adults only trip in mid Sept. and I agree, kids are in school and most people are not going to yank them out the first month to go to DL. At least that is what I tell myself so I can think about it not being crowded. When we went in Jan. that was the case since everyone was back in school after a long Christmas break.

 

[Itinkso]

I agree, the days right after Labor Day are the best. The parks are still on their late closing schedule and there aren't too many people in the parks. We used to be on a year-round school schedule so we always had Sept. off and would go for 2 or 3 days...the weather was always great!

 

[Leofoenget]

We originally were taking 2nd week of December trip to DL & Southern California, now we are thinking we would like nicer weather (coming from Illinois, I'm sure it would still be nicer then here, but....). When do all the rides close for Halloween overlay & Christmas overlay?? Approx. of course.
Any suggestions? or stick w/Dec 6-14 for the trip dates?

Well according to my unofficial spreadsheet that I have been keeping, December 6th last year was Dead. This came from my friend whose husband had their company Christmas party there that day. It was a Wednedsay. So figure that week in Dec mon-thurs will probably be very quite. Fri-Sunday will probably pick up.

jan

 

[lulubelle]

I think it depends on what is most important to you and your family. The Christmas decorations, winter weather and the whole "Holiday" feel - which is prevelant in Dec, or low crowds. If it is low crowds, then definately come in Sept through the first part of Nov. It will be warm. And maybe you will get better rates? Have fun and good luck deciding.

 

[AZMickeyfans]

I agree with lulubelle with deciding what is important and going around that.

My family and I always go the week before Thanksgiving. They have all the Christmas decorations up then and are usually debuting the Christmas parade and the Christmas fireworks. Dh can't get away in Dec anytime so we make that our Christmas trip.

I have been in Sept and Oct. If you like Halloween decorations October would be a great time to go although I dont think they had crowds drop this year as they have in past years due to the Halloween festivities. Still is neat to see. Sept right after labor day is nice. It's very quiet and warm enough to swim. Oct and Nov are too cold for me to swim but I am a desert rat from AZ!

 

[MATTERHORN]

September is when Haunted Mansion and Small World go down for their overlays so if those are important, I would skip that month unless you go labor day week! They go down after that!

I really liked October last year, the Fall/Halloween decorations were really cute and it was still warm enough to swim and wear shorts which I like!!

December is great too though, with all the festivities and decorations!! I probably just made your decision worse!!! Can't you make three trips???


Andrea

 

[mystic_path]

Last week of September or the 1st week of October. During the 1st week of October the Haunted Mansion is open and Halloween starts to kick into gear. So fun! Great crowd levels too, or so they say.

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

Does Its a Small World get a Halloween overlay too??
I don't want to go when the Mansion is down or Its a Small World - to me It's a Small World is totally Disney & its a must! (corny I know!)
When do they open back up before Halloween?

We are just thinking that we could do WDW during December another year - they have night time parties that you can get tickets to & only a limited number are sold, etc. So, we were thinking nicer weather..... but don't want the rides shut down....I know, I know - good luck with that - right??

I wish I could do 3 trips, the flight alone will kill us - price wise!

We have 1 child - she will be 7, but I am willing to pull her from school.

Keep coming w/advise - I need alot of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mom2micayla]

IASW usually goes down for holiday overlay right after Halloween. It was down until Veterans Day last year. We were there until the 9th (2 days before Veterans day) and missed the opening by a day.

We've been there all of those months. I liked them all. There are advantages to each I think. Sept. is low crowds (but can be HOT), Oct. is better as far as weather usually, but crowds pick up a bit because a lot of the year round schools get a fall break in Oct. Nov. is perfect (IMO) as far as weather and the crowds are low with the exception of around Thanksgiving. If you are there the first week or so of Nov. you get to see the holiday decorations going up a little each day. Dec. is nice weather wise, crowds are low in the early part of the month but is insanely busy from around Xmas until after the new year.

I guess if I had to pick I'd probably chose November. There is something so magical about the parks when they are decorated for the holidays. We're personally contemplating going the second week of Nov, right after Veterans Day. The parks are usually pretty empty then, all the holiday overlays are up and the weather is generally beautiful. The only thing that's keeping me from yet is my daughter is starting kindergarten this year and I'm feeling guilty about pulling her out.

 

[LittleWoodenHead]

Here's my personal experience from last year:

The Haunted Mansion was closed from Sept. 11 - 28 for installation of the Holiday overlay.

I went to the park the day HM reopened (Friday, Sept. 29) and both the park and the ride were packed. Though Disneyland was scheduled to close at 10:00PM, they began making announcements early in the day that the park would remain open an hour [or was it two?] longer. I don't think they reached capacity, though, as I never found the crowds to be intolerable. (But, then, I typically don't go on many Fantasyland rides and I use FastPass to the utmost.)

I had a blast, and loved the Halloween decorations so much that I went back to the parks a few weeks later (Friday, October 20) as a birthday present to myself. Apparently the Halloween theme was drawing in so many people that DL added some shows of Fantasmic! -- and I managed to snag a Dessert Buffet reservation a couple days before my visit! The park was, again, incredibly busy but manageable (to me, at least). I stayed overnight and returned for a half day's visit on Saturday. The first few hours were fine, but the crowds really began to build in the late morning. By early afternoon, even I found the crowds to be too much -- which made leaving the park much easier.

It's a Small World was closed for its Holiday overlay installation from Oct. 23 - Nov. 9.

I returned to DLR the Wednesday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 29), in order to see the Xmas decorations before the December crowds. What a GREAT time to visit the park! There were minimal waits -- I think the longest I waited was about 18 minutes for Peter Pan and 20 for Indy. (And DCA was so empty, you could get off California Screamin' or ToT and walk right back on.) The only downside to that day was an unusually high wind, which caused fireworks to be cancelled that night. But that was an aberration, and you should not let that affect your decision. (Weather-wise, rain is more common in November/December than September/October. But we've been having a drought, so who knows what this year will be like?)

 

[Leofoenget]

IASW usually goes down for holiday overlay right after Halloween. It was down until Veterans Day last year. We were there until the 9th (2 days before Veterans day) and missed the opening by a day.

We've been there all of those months. I liked them all. There are advantages to each I think. Sept. is low crowds (but can be HOT), Oct. is better as far as weather usually, but crowds pick up a bit because a lot of the year round schools get a fall break in Oct. Nov. is perfect (IMO) as far as weather and the crowds are low with the exception of around Thanksgiving. If you are there the first week or so of Nov. you get to see the holiday decorations going up a little each day. Dec. is nice weather wise, crowds are low in the early part of the month but is insanely busy from around Xmas until after the new year.

I guess if I had to pick I'd probably chose November. There is something so magical about the parks when they are decorated for the holidays. We're personally contemplating going the second week of Nov, right after Veterans Day. The parks are usually pretty empty then, all the holiday overlays are up and the weather is generally beautiful. The only thing that's keeping me from yet is my daughter is starting kindergarten this year and I'm feeling guilty about pulling her out.

I have to agree. My friend went on Electioin Day and it was totally DEAD. Seems mid week Sept, Nov first part Dec is light.

 

[wvnative]

We went for a few says the second week of Oct. (kid's fall break in AZ). The crowds were not unbearable and the weather was fine during the day. It was a little cool at night. (we do live in the desert) The Halloween decorations were up and the park looked great. We've not had a chance to go when the Christmas decorations were up yet, but will sometime soon I'm sure.