Slowest day of the year

[Brian Shepherd]

I read somewhere it was always Superbowl Sunday.

 

[kkheburn]

We were there last year on Super Bowl and it was still crowded. I think because the weather was so nice. It was really warm. Seems like it is never real slow.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

ive heard superbole was busyyy becosue moms are taking the kids away from the dads lol
but no i did hear its prety busy

 

[MATTERHORN]

Been there twice on Superbowl Sunday and it was BUSY!! This is not true! Maybe it used to be but not in the last 8 years!

Andrea

 

[disneychrista]

I'd say the Monday after Thanksgiving is one of the slowest days of the year. I am not sure that there is one definitive day that is slowest

 

[DirkLogan]

There is no magical slowest day, it is usually always at least a little busy. We have found the late winter to be the best time to go crowd wise and weather wise. It is really nice then. Also the week after a holiday is good, everyone has usually just gone there or somewhere and they are less likely to go to Disneyland.

 

[BillyFan]

I've been there on New Years Day, and it was pretty dead, especially in the morning.

 

[Sherry E]

Early New Year's Day is slow (as I stated on another thread) because all the partiers from the night before are still hung over or sleeping. But as soon as noon rolls around, the crowds pick up again. I still say, Brian, as I stated on your other thread, that after January 1 - like the 2nd on - will be better for you. I know some kids are still out of school and will be at DLR, but most parents have to get back to work!!! Otherwise, your only hope for an almost-empty park is that it rains. That, I can tell you from experience, drives the crowds WAAAAAAY down. If it pours rain, there is virtually no one getting in your way anywhere. It tends to rain a lot in late January and February out here, and sometimes in December. Otherwise, unfortunately, DLR is a crowded and very popular place. Even the non-crowded days are getting crowded. The bad economy and high gas prices have taken a bit of a toll on attendance this year, so the crowds are less intense this year from what we hear, but you really have to just go with the expectation that there will be lots and lots of people in lines and things, and take the necessary measures to make your waits shorter - like Fast Passes, Priority Seating for dining, hitting some rides while there is a parade happening, mid-day rest breaks at one of the hotels or a meal in Downtown Disney, etc. Just make lots of lists and come somewhat prepared with a plan, and mentally prepare yourself for crowds. As long as you don't go right between Christmas and New Year's it IS manageable. I have done it. Have a great time!

 

[Mugglemama]

i wonder if thanksgiving day is slow?

 

[tink2dw]

The slowest day is when is so cold it hurts, And it is raining sideways into the stores 6 feet in. And you are so wet below your $$Store poncho's that you are frost bitten. And your walking tennys are so wet it takes 2 days for them to dry. But you have no pictures, due to the fact your camera case is so wet you don't dare take it out with 1 hand cuz you just know will kill the Digital Camera. And while walking back to the hotel because the weather has beaten you down, you wish for your Brownie Camera that went thru wet rain, heat, blowing sand, and summer camp and still took the best darn pictures of any other camera you have ever owned.

That is the slowest day.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

Been there twice on Superbowl Sunday and it was BUSY!! This is not true! Maybe it used to be but not in the last 8 years!

Andrea

haha no kidding...yeah like when my dd was 11 superbowl was dead...we came 3 years in a row for superbowl weekend and it was completely dead but lots of refurbs but now its packed....btw my dd is now almost 22 so that tells you how long ago it was

 

[disneegrl4eva]

i wonder if thanksgiving day is slow?

ah no....there is no real slow day anymore...tsk tsk

 

[disneegrl4eva]

I still say, Brian, as I stated on your other thread, that after January 1 - like the 2nd on - will be better for you. I know some kids are still out of school and will be at DLR, but most parents have to get back to work!!!

Sherry I have to disagree with you on this one..since my aunt moved to MoV 4 years ago Ive been going down there right after the new year for a few days and this year I was there on the 5th, 7th, and 10th and both the 5th and 7th were crowded as all get out but the 10th was slower even though they still had the parade and christmas music and decorations up...it was really warm that day and I was trippin because I thought they would be down already and they werent...the year before that I went day after christmas and then again on the 3rd of Jan. and granted day after christmas was horrid (never do it again horrid) but on the 3rd it was god awful too...that whole week after new years is still crowded...I too thought that once the 2nd rolled around it would be less crowded because of kids going back to school but someone forgot to tell their parents or something this year Im going to steer clear of jan. and try to go at the beginning of dec....

 

[DoomBugger]

today

 

[PinkBudgie]

The slowest day is when is so cold it hurts, And it is raining sideways into the stores 6 feet in. And you are so wet below your $$Store poncho's that you are frost bitten. And your walking tennys are so wet it takes 2 days for them to dry. But you have no pictures, due to the fact your camera case is so wet you don't dare take it out with 1 hand cuz you just know will kill the Digital Camera. And while walking back to the hotel because the weather has beaten you down, you wish for your Brownie Camera that went thru wet rain, heat, blowing sand, and summer camp and still took the best darn pictures of any other camera you have ever owned.

That is the slowest day.

You sound as if you speak from experience! We had a day like that at Legoland. The next day we were supposed to go to DL but DS got sick.

This summer I also felt Wed was more crowded than Mon and Tues. That day many day care centers were there.

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry I have to disagree with you on this one..since my aunt moved to MoV 4 years ago Ive been going down there right after the new year for a few days and this year I was there on the 5th, 7th, and 10th and both the 5th and 7th were crowded as all get out but the 10th was slower even though they still had the parade and christmas music and decorations up...it was really warm that day and I was trippin because I thought they would be down already and they werent...the year before that I went day after christmas and then again on the 3rd of Jan. and granted day after christmas was horrid (never do it again horrid) but on the 3rd it was god awful too...that whole week after new years is still crowded...I too thought that once the 2nd rolled around it would be less crowded because of kids going back to school but someone forgot to tell their parents or something this year Im going to steer clear of jan. and try to go at the beginning of dec....[/QUOTE

Lynn, We are basically on the same page! I agree with you that early January is probably more crowded than some other times of the year, but I was trying to make the comparison of post-New Year's to pre-New Year's Day, which was the time Brian initially stated he wanted to begin his DLR trip (which was mentioned in another thread altogether), and then carry it through past New Year's. So just comparing those two periods - not comparing January to any other time of the year - my point was only that post-New Year's will be better than pre-New Year's (like right after Christmas time, when it is SCARY!!!!). I think January will still be crowded but it won't be as bad as the week between Christmas and New Year's. But SOME parents have to get back to work and get the kids back to prepare for school, so the crowds will have to thin out a little bit.

In any case, I think we all agree that each of our personal experiences can be different, and the so-called 'patterns' are changing all the time based on mitigating factors. So what was once a busy time may not be as busy this year because of the economy. And what was once a slower time may suddenly be busier because the prices are lower for hotels and character meals and things during that time. I just think that there is no real way to narrow down exactly when it will be slow at DLR because the economy is too unstable now, and anyone who goes to DLR just has to be prepared mentally for crowds. Unless it is pouring sideways, like Tink mentioned, it will be somewhat busy. It cannot be avoided totally, but you can remember these general guidelines for finding lower crowds: Weekdays are better than weekends. Rain is better than sun. October is better than December or July! Otherwise, there is no telling if October will be as busy this year as it was last year, or even if December will be as bad this year as last year. Things keep changing! Sometimes it pours rain in December and sometimes it doesn't rain until February! There is just no way to really know for sure what crowds will be like. Just go with the flow, plan wisely, use time-saving tools like Fast Passes and Priority Seating and have fun!

 

[Sherry E]

The slowest day is when is so cold it hurts, And it is raining sideways into the stores 6 feet in. And you are so wet below your $$Store poncho's that you are frost bitten. And your walking tennys are so wet it takes 2 days for them to dry. But you have no pictures, due to the fact your camera case is so wet you don't dare take it out with 1 hand cuz you just know will kill the Digital Camera. And while walking back to the hotel because the weather has beaten you down, you wish for your Brownie Camera that went thru wet rain, heat, blowing sand, and summer camp and still took the best darn pictures of any other camera you have ever owned.

That is the slowest day.

I know what you mean, Tink - That is why I couldn't get many photos last year when I went to DLR for the Halloween stuff. It poured rain on the second day of the decorations, and I couldn't take out my camera because it was going to get waterlogged! I know what you mean. And the ponchos they gave us at the Emporium were child-sized, so we ended up getting soaked. My glasses were streaked from rain and I couldn't see anything in front of me. My friends gave up and plopped down on a bench. I wanted to at least get some silly pictures of us in our baby ponchos with sopping wet hair, but my friends were not having it. We got very little done. Cold I can handle. Heavy rain is a different story. But we didn't see many people around so it was very SLOW!

 

[BraMax]

I would have to say that probably the day all the schools start back especially local schools. We were there this year and well Toy Story had a 20 minute wait and space was 5 minutes all day. Even Indy was only 15-20 minutes at night.