So what's Disneyland like mid Jan or early Feb?

[wamommy2four]

My dh and I just returned from our anniversary trip on Sun. Sep. 23rd. We had a great time!!! Our kids were none too pleased to hear where we had been (we just went as a family last Christmas). Our plan is to take the family every 2 years. We are thinking that although we loved Disneyland at Christmas, it was a little too crowded for us. What is it like mid Jan or early Feb.? I'm ready to start planning our next trip.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

My dh and I just returned from our anniversary trip on Sun. Sep. 23rd. We had a great time!!! Our kids were none too pleased to hear where we had been (we just went as a family last Christmas). Our plan is to take the family every 2 years. We are thinking that although we loved Disneyland at Christmas, it was a little too crowded for us. What is it like mid Jan or early Feb.? I'm ready to start planning our next trip.

California is crazy when it comes to weather so it could be warm or it could be cold and rainy (cold mainly at night). IF, and I do stress the if it rains at all, CA rain season is anywhere between Nov-April...when it does rain I have noticed it rains ALOT in Jan and Feb. so keep this in mind...this will be a slower season soooo, you will have early park closing hours and a number of refurbishments going on plus fireworks and some shows are limited to weekends only..At this time I dont think the refurbishment schedule has gone into the new year yet...so keep your eyes peeled for that. However, you could check some past history on park closings and what shows will be going on what dates.. here:

Jan 2011
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=1&year=2011

Feb 2011
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=2&year=2011

Jan 2010
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=1&year=2010

Feb. 2010
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=2&year=2010

 

[wamommy2four]

California is crazy when it comes to weather so it could be warm or it could be cold and rainy (cold mainly at night). IF, and I do stress the if it rains at all, CA rain season is anywhere between Nov-April...when it does rain I have noticed it rains ALOT in Jan and Feb. so keep this in mind...this will be a slower season soooo, you will have early park closing hours and a number of refurbishments going on plus fireworks and some shows are limited to weekends only..At this time I dont think the refurbishment schedule has gone into the new year yet...so keep your eyes peeled for that. However, you could check some past history on park closings and what shows will be going on what dates.. here:

Jan 2011
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=1&year=2011

Feb 2011
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=2&year=2011

Jan 2010
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=1&year=2010

Feb. 2010
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=2&year=2010

Oh thanks for the info and the links. I will check that out.

 

[Geemo]

January and February weather is a toss-up.

If it rains you'll need more than an umbrella because it usually POURS!
Other than that just dress in layers and get a locker for the day.

Crowds have been lower in the past, not sure how Carsland will affect this Jan and Feb.

As mentioned hours are shorter. They open later in the morning and close earlier in the evening.

 

[MaloCS]

Beware of President's Day week. Not just the Monday but the whole week.

If you go during this holiday just be sure to expect large crowds and be prepared to utilize the FastPass system as much as possible. If you take advantage of FastPasses early on you should have a much more enjoyable time then we did.

We learned the hard way.

 

[BryANDJessMom]

Yep, Malo is right! Most of the schools by me (northern California) have off completely that week. It is always crazy then t DL because of that!

 

[mydisneymoney]

We went January 2011/First couple of days in Feb 2011 and had both rain and sun. The first day we had rain all day. We wore hooded jackets that had some water resistance and it was enough to keep us dry. A small umbrella would have been nice for standing in the lines when they are outdoors. The next day it was sunny and we ended up wearig our jackets around our waist for most of the day. It was chilly first thing in the morning but did warm up. We also wore jeans. Then we put the jackets back on later in the day as it started to get cool again. The third day there were some rain showers so jackets were on and off as the weather changed.

The lines were not bad. They did have fasspass available for most rides and we did use it for the rides we really didn't want to wait in line for. I think that even with Carsland opening, this time of the year will still have lower crowds compared to other times of the year but what was once considered a 6 out of 10 day will now be a 3 out of 10 day based on the new crowd patterns.

 

[katejc]

We've gone a few different times at end-of-January/beginning-of-February (DD bday is in January) and it's always been really good to us! Crowds are generally low, especially if it rains, and though hours are shorter, you can do so much more in a day when there aren't so many people. We've had all sorts of weather--rainy and cold (for Southern California) and warm and sunny (we swam in the afternoons). You do have to watch the closures and refurbishments list, especially if you have a "can't miss" favorite. We go fairly often, so don't mind if something's closed--we'll get it next time. Hotel rates can be lower at this time, too. Not sure how Cars Land will affect everything, but I'd still say it's a great time to go. Just avoid the Presidents' holidays, as has been mentioned!

 

[miss.potatohead]

Beware of President's Day week. Not just the Monday but the whole week.

If you go during this holiday just be sure to expect large crowds and be prepared to utilize the FastPass system as much as possible. If you take advantage of FastPasses early on you should have a much more enjoyable time then we did.

We learned the hard way.

Week after MLK holiday in 2011 the parks were dead.
Great weather, walk ons for everything. Good time to go IMO.

 

[jdb in AZ]

In January, I would avoid the MLK holiday. Also there's a huge convention for National Association of Music Merchants -- NAMM -- from January 24-27 2013 at the convention center less than a mile from Disneyland. It causes major traffic tie-ups, not to mention crowded hotels, and the convention goers "have" to visit the mouse while they're in town.