What month is your favorite month to go and why?

[ScooterL]

Let's see...

January is my favorite month to go because once the holidays are over crowds are relatively low and the temperatures are cool.

But then February is my favorite month to go because of Valentine's Day, and we try to go have a nice dinner at one of the hotel or Downtown Disney restaurants.

But I can't leave out March as my favorite month to go because spring is coming and the days are starting to get longer, and the crowds still aren't too bad.

But oh, there's April - as long I stay away from the spring break crowds it's great - so many trees and plants are blooming around the parks and it is really beautiful.

May - I can't forget my favorite of May! The Food and Wine is going on at DCA and by then most everything that was in rehab over the winter months is back running again.

Hmm...but June is my favorite because the Electrical Parade and Fantasmic! and Remember...Dreams Come True fireworks start running nightly.

No, wait, July is my favorite, because July 17 is Disneyland's birthday!

I can't forget August, though - August if my favorite because the summer nights are so warm and the parks are open late.

But September is my favorite because once the kids go back to school, mid-week is a great time to visit the parks and have short wait times.

But October, now...that's when Disney's HalloweenTime is in full swing with all of the wonderful Halloween decorations, and Mickey's Trick or Treat Party at DCA, and of course Haunted Mansion Holiday!

November has to really be my favorite, though - the Christmas decorations start going up, and "it's a small world" turns into such a beautiful nighttime spectacular with all of the lights.

No, no, I have it - December is my favorite. There's the Christmas parade, and the holiday fireworks show, and gingerbread cookies and Beach Blast Santa.

So that's it - those are my favorite months.

 

[JaneJetson]

I used to be an AP holder so I've been in every month. We live in the midwest now though.

I like going any month that isn't hot and isn't crowded. So that eliminates June, July, and August for sure. Possibly May and September too. Those are the months that typically have the least ride refurbishments, but since we've been on all of the rides a million times, it's not a huge problem if we miss some.

If we plan a trip...we typically plan for the time after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. Basically the very end of November or the first week or so of December. But then it gets too crowded after that.

Our upcoming trip is for late January. January after new years but before MLK day is good. Or the time between MLK day and Presidents Day (in February) is good too.

So basically November and January are best for me. I hate hot weather and crowds. I prefer cooler weather. I don't care for rain but I can handle it. Although after our last Disneyland trip (November 2007) we've purchased some rainsuits just in case. Ponchos are useless in heavy rain. We saw people in rainsuits and we were jealous.

 

[DoomBugger]

How cold is cold?

I live in Alberta, Canada so winter here is anywhere from -10 to -35 celsius.

Awe, for you it would be a walk in the park, probably in the high 40s to high 60s depending on the time of day and overall weather that day.

The only thing with going during winter I suppose is that you are rolling the doce with the weather but it is SoCal so the odds are with you. Granted, you could get the back luck of the draw and it can just rain on you like the WI poster had experienced. That can happen but if you are dressed for it it can be a total blast!

My girl thought I was crazy when I used to tell her how fun it was to go to DL when it rains as most attractions are indoors and most people don't dress for it and the place can be a ghost town. Subsequently, since we have APs and she lives just miles from DLR we have gone when it was raining and now she understands, as long as you dress to stay dry you can basically feel like you own the place in the evenings!

 

[grannyminnie]

I'm gathering from the above posts that Sept. is pretty ok, but there might be attractions and/or Fantasmic down for refurb. I believe posters have indicated that late Sept. is the time for the holiday overlay to begin being put into place in Small World, so I can understand it's being down.
Fantasmic I would hope is not always scheduled for refurb each year because it's my favorite fireworks show, and the visit we make next year might be the only one for a while.
May looks like a good month, except that the hotel would not be at their lowest price. January sounds like it would be too rainy for me, even tho the hotels would be at their lowest. Decisions, decisions!!! I wish I had the option of going anytime I wanted to...

 

[MommyLove]

The Fantsmic refurb is not an annual thing - it's a special refurb as they are updating the technology. It's just something that will be down while we're there in Sept this year and we'll miss it so that's why I mentioned it.

You always should check the schedule in the off season. Big Thunder will be down for part of the time where were there too. This also isn't an annual thing. But Sept is a popular time for them to shut stuff down since it is such a low time for attendance.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

December! There is just nothing like the perfect storm of Disneyland+Christmas!

 

[grannyminnie]

The Fantsmic refurb is not an annual thing - it's a special refurb as they are updating the technology. It's just something that will be down while we're there in Sept this year and we'll miss it so that's why I mentioned it.

You always should check the schedule in the off season. Big Thunder will be down for part of the time where were there too. This also isn't an annual thing. But Sept is a popular time for them to shut stuff down since it is such a low time for attendance.

Thanks, MOMMYLOVE. I appreciate all the tips and knowledge you DLR vets can give!!
P.S.....I'm a Kathleen too!

 

[nunzia]

This thread interests me because I'm planning a trip next year, and am unsure when to go, except that I would like to take advantage of the value season where room rates on the property are concerned. Even tho I am very big on being in complete control of my trip planning, I just might use a TA for this one because 1) I'm a WDW vet and don't have a lot of DLR knowledge, and 2) I want to get the best deal at the best time of the year (low crowds, good weather, good prices!). I'll continue to monitor this thread toward that end, and would welcome anyone's thoughts on using DU for my travel agency. Does anyone know if they have agents who actually specialize in DLR rather than WDW?

There just aren't as many deals with DLR as WDW. My advice, and I've comparison shopped way too much..is to simply book components of the trip separately using a AAA discount for the room. If booking on site hotel they will then offer to add the tickets and the lower web price (next year for a time they are offering the everyone pays for a kid's price). The only thing you will miss is a lanyard and buy one get one free popcorn. I guess the package thing can be worth it for Early Entry days, but if you are staying onsite you get that anyway. You can stay off site cheap and then there are deals to be had. Getawaytoday seemed the best in my looking around.
My favorite time to go is anytime it is not hot and/or crowded. I thought we'd be ok with mid May this year and it was horrid hot. Never again. Never during anything that could be a spring break..never during any break at all and it seems like kids get a tremendous amount of breaks now.
So.,.Sept, Oct, Nov (certain times), Jan and Feb. (not in conjunction to a three day weekend or early spring break or mid winter break or whatever).

 

[TheAXIOM]

Last year when I went to DL with wazowskiLOVER, I'm pretty sure we went in early January. It was great; low crowds, as the xmas hype was dying down, yet the decorations were still up. A little cold, but nothing a hoody or jacket can't cure

 

[grannyminnie]

There just aren't as many deals with DLR as WDW. My advice, and I've comparison shopped way too much..is to simply book components of the trip separately using a AAA discount for the room. If booking on site hotel they will then offer to add the tickets and the lower web price (next year for a time they are offering the everyone pays for a kid's price). The only thing you will miss is a lanyard and buy one get one free popcorn. I guess the package thing can be worth it for Early Entry days, but if you are staying onsite you get that anyway. You can stay off site cheap and then there are deals to be had. Getawaytoday seemed the best in my looking around.
My favorite time to go is anytime it is not hot and/or crowded. I thought we'd be ok with mid May this year and it was horrid hot. Never again. Never during anything that could be a spring break..never during any break at all and it seems like kids get a tremendous amount of breaks now.
So.,.Sept, Oct, Nov (certain times), Jan and Feb. (not in conjunction to a three day weekend or early spring break or mid winter break or whatever).

Thanks for the info...my plan is to stay at the DLH whenever we go, assuming we can at least get a AAA discount. If it is too much for my sister's budget, then we will start out at Hojo or Candy Cane Inn or some other nice offsite place close by, and then spend the last 3 or 4 days at the DLH. We already have some WDW tickets that are the non-expiring kind, and I've read that we may be able to swap those out for DL tickets...hope, hope!! That will save money. Then I have to find a good airfare deal to boot. I just want to plan to be there at a combination of the best time weather-wise, crowd-wise, and hotel room price deal-wise!!!! That's why I am starting my planning so early!!!!!

 

[MommyLove]

Thanks, MOMMYLOVE. I appreciate all the tips and knowledge you DLR vets can give!!
P.S.....I'm a Kathleen too!

You're very welcome, Kathleen!

 

[missxjess]

Let's see...

January is my favorite month to go because once the holidays are over crowds are relatively low and the temperatures are cool.

But then February is my favorite month to go because of Valentine's Day, and we try to go have a nice dinner at one of the hotel or Downtown Disney restaurants.

But I can't leave out March as my favorite month to go because spring is coming and the days are starting to get longer, and the crowds still aren't too bad.

But oh, there's April - as long I stay away from the spring break crowds it's great - so many trees and plants are blooming around the parks and it is really beautiful.

May - I can't forget my favorite of May! The Food and Wine is going on at DCA and by then most everything that was in rehab over the winter months is back running again.

Hmm...but June is my favorite because the Electrical Parade and Fantasmic! and Remember...Dreams Come True fireworks start running nightly.

No, wait, July is my favorite, because July 17 is Disneyland's birthday!

I can't forget August, though - August if my favorite because the summer nights are so warm and the parks are open late.

But September is my favorite because once the kids go back to school, mid-week is a great time to visit the parks and have short wait times.

But October, now...that's when Disney's HalloweenTime is in full swing with all of the wonderful Halloween decorations, and Mickey's Trick or Treat Party at DCA, and of course Haunted Mansion Holiday!

November has to really be my favorite, though - the Christmas decorations start going up, and "it's a small world" turns into such a beautiful nighttime spectacular with all of the lights.

No, no, I have it - December is my favorite. There's the Christmas parade, and the holiday fireworks show, and gingerbread cookies and Beach Blast Santa.

So that's it - those are my favorite months.

Haha that is VERY good reasoning for ALL of those months.

 

[wvnative]

We've done trips in March, April, May, July, and October. MArch was good. good weather, lower crowds. October is my fav though. I love the fall decorations and the weather and crowds were about perfect.

Our next trip will be in June with any luck. I'm not looking forward to higher temps and larger crowds but it's when we can go.