What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR

[DLR29]

Hi all, I need some info for October.. the 9th thru the 16th. I would go any time, but my son who is autistic needs a less crowded time. I have not taken him in several years as it was hell. Now that he is older I think he can deal way better, but I still need some insights on whats going on in the park these days, and what times the park closes. If you can help me I would appreciate it very much. we are so excited to be able to go again after many years !!!

My guess is that DL will close at 8PM and DCA will close at 6PM during that time because of the low crowds. Both will open at 10AM

 

[WDW Princess 71]

Bumping...I'm going November 10-12, 2009--all weekdays, but one of the days is Veterans Day when a lot of schools are out...so is there any chance of fireworks around that? What about park hours, what can I expect?

 

[{Kat}]

What about an 8-day trip, with 6-days in the parks? A friday-Wednesday in October 2011. 14th-19th in parks...

 

[HydroGuy]

What about an 8-day trip, with 6-days in the parks? A friday-Wednesday in October 2011. 14th-19th in parks...

I think anytime of year you will see just about everything on a trip that long. Which specific days you choose really depends on numerous October special issues like Halloween parties, early closures, Halloween fireworks, overlap on AP blockouts, and weekdays vs weekends for the full entertainment...

 

[RebeccaMcK]

Hi there,
I'm a former SoCal girl who has now lived in SoCol (Colorado Springs) since 2004, but we used to go to DLand once a year when I lived there. We're finally staying on site (Paradise Pier hotel) from October 21-26 this year (first time I've ever stayed more than one day at Disneyland since we always just drove back and forth from my parents' place, and we have five days of hopper tickets), and I know it will be low crowd levels but what do you anticipate will be shut down or not showing (when it comes to the night shows and whatnot)? We are only going to be in the parks Monday through Friday, and on Friday only until about 4 pm because our flight back home is that evening out of LAX.
TIA

 

[RebeccaMcK]

^ Sorry, pay no attention to the trip ticker in my previous post. Didn't know that was still there. I've never posted on these boards before, and we're not going back to WDW until some time in 2014. I'll go see about removing the trip ticker.

 

[DLR29]

Hi there,
I'm a former SoCal girl who has now lived in SoCol (Colorado Springs) since 2004, but we used to go to DLand once a year when I lived there. We're finally staying on site (Paradise Pier hotel) from October 21-26 this year (first time I've ever stayed more than one day at Disneyland since we always just drove back and forth from my parents' place, and we have five days of hopper tickets), and I know it will be low crowd levels but what do you anticipate will be shut down or not showing (when it comes to the night shows and whatnot)? We are only going to be in the parks Monday through Friday, and on Friday only until about 4 pm because our flight back home is that evening out of LAX.
TIA

First of all, October may have larger crowds than you might be imagining. Over the past 3 or 4 years, DLR has really ramped up their "Halloweentime" and it's become a very popular place to go during October. That being said, the largest crowds in October will be on weekends, which you will miss, but Thursday and Friday you may have quite a few people in those parks. World of Color, however, should be shown every night, even during the week.

Unfortunately, you will be missing Fantasmic and fireworks by not going on any weekend day (and leaving early on Friday). The only way around this is to buy a ticket to the Mickey's Trick or Treat Party on Tuesday. This extra ticket allows you to spend a few more hours in the evening at DL, which includes a special Halloween themed parade and fireworks. Those without these special event tickets will be kicked out of DL at 6 or 7, I believe, and many head over to DCA.

Also expect at least a couple of major rides to be closed for refurbishment. Disney has not officially released which rides will be down, but just be warned that a few things will very likely be down during your trip. Last year It's a Small World closed on Monday, 10/24 for its annual Holiday makeover...I would assume that this year it would close on the first day of your trip (Monday, 10/22).

One good thing to end on is that by staying onsite, you'll be entitled to "Extra Magic Hour" everyday during your trip, which allows you to enter one of the parks an hour early to enjoy certain attractions before the rest of the crowd. During your trip, EMH at DL is on Tuesday and Thursday and at DCA on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I highly recommend taking advantage of this.

 

[RebeccaMcK]

Thanks, DLR29. TouringPlans' site has the crowd levels ranging between 1 and 3.3 for both parks overall all the days we'll be in the parks, except for a 6.5 on Friday for DCA - so that's where I got the "low crowd levels" expectation. There is only one Halloween party night during our stay. We picked these dates because my kiddo has a fall break from school and hence won't be missing any school. We arrive late afternoon at LAX, so I figure by the time we get to our hotel we shouldn't go into the parks (but maybe we can see fireworks from the pool level if there are any that Sunday night?).

So I could basically use each morning's EMH since I'm staying on site? Or do I have to pick just one or two to use?

Thanks for the heads up that Small World might be closed. I am hoping that won't disappoint my DD7 too much (she loves that ride), but I'm also hoping that Merida will still be doing the Brave meet'n'greet over near there - I haven't heard much about it lately, and she's the last princess for DD7 to meet (has met all the rest). Are there still plenty of characters out in October? We don't have many my daughter still "needs" to meet but we have some, and we plan to do the Minnie & Friends Breakfast some time during our stay (it's too soon for me to make reservations yet, and the park hours aren't yet posted for October). Also might do the Storytellers breakfast, especially if the Brother Bear character (or any other bear characters) might be there. One thing that is a must do, and I hope they're still out for meets in mid October, is meet Dug from "Up!" over at DCA....we met Russell before, last December when we were there for one day, but Dug never showed up that day. The character breakfasts will eat into our EMH time, but if we have the EMH option for each day I'm sure we'll have time to do everything we want to do.

I prepped my kiddo for the Haunted Mansion holiday overlay by finally showing her the "Nightmare Before Christmas" movie, and this will be her first time riding HM ever....so I think it'll be more "friendly" to her this way. She loved the movie.

I read once that if you only had one EMH (MM) to use, to do the in-park character breakfast one morning and then save your entitled MM for another available morning....but if I'm "entitled" to the EMH every morning then it won't matter, right? Also, we haven't yet bought tickets for the Halloween party (it's just on the Tuesday night during our stay) but if that's the only way we can see any fireworks maybe we'll go ahead and do it. I know the tix are cheaper when you buy in advance, but if I wait and buy them at our hotel does it still count for being cheaper if it's only two days in advance? And any nights we're out late (we'll probably only see WoC once) make it harder to get up for the EMH the next morning.

One last question (sorry this is so long)....is it worth doing a lunch/dinner show package at that time of year for WoC? We're thinking about doing the Wine Country Trattoria pkg, not sure yet about Carthay Circle since we'll already be doing some expensive meals (the character dining, Blue Bayou which Hubby loves, and maybe a couple other places). Or should we just get FPs for the show (if available) or just go stand around and watch (big leap of faith)? It's too bad we'll miss Fantasmic, but we did at least see it at DHS in Orlando last October (DD7's first time).

 

[HydroGuy]

Thanks, DLR29. TouringPlans' site has the crowd levels ranging between 1 and 3.3 for both parks overall all the days we'll be in the parks, except for a 6.5 on Friday for DCA - so that's where I got the "low crowd levels" expectation. There is only one Halloween party night during our stay. We picked these dates because my kiddo has a fall break from school and hence won't be missing any school. We arrive late afternoon at LAX, so I figure by the time we get to our hotel we shouldn't go into the parks (but maybe we can see fireworks from the pool level if there are any that Sunday night?).

TouringPlans' site is pretty respected for crowd calendars at WDW. Unfortunately they do not understand DLR well enough yet and no one around here pays much attention to them. I would ignore their crowd predictions for October.

You might be able to catch DL fireworks from the PPH. Not sure about the pool but certainly from some of the upper floors. I understand they pipe the music into the TV in your room so if you have a view of DL from the room that would be the way to go.

So I could basically use each morning's EMH since I'm staying on site? Or do I have to pick just one or two to use?

EMH will be every day for those staying at a DLR hotel.

Thanks for the heads up that Small World might be closed. I am hoping that won't disappoint my DD7 too much (she loves that ride), but I'm also hoping that Merida will still be doing the Brave meet'n'greet over near there - I haven't heard much about it lately, and she's the last princess for DD7 to meet (has met all the rest). Are there still plenty of characters out in October? We don't have many my daughter still "needs" to meet but we have some, and we plan to do the Minnie & Friends Breakfast some time during our stay (it's too soon for me to make reservations yet, and the park hours aren't yet posted for October). Also might do the Storytellers breakfast, especially if the Brother Bear character (or any other bear characters) might be there. One thing that is a must do, and I hope they're still out for meets in mid October, is meet Dug from "Up!" over at DCA....we met Russell before, last December when we were there for one day, but Dug never showed up that day. The character breakfasts will eat into our EMH time, but if we have the EMH option for each day I'm sure we'll have time to do everything we want to do.

Lots of characters are out in October. Often they are dressed special for Halloween.

I read once that if you only had one EMH (MM) to use, to do the in-park character breakfast one morning and then save your entitled MM for another available morning....but if I'm "entitled" to the EMH every morning then it won't matter, right?

Right.

Also, we haven't yet bought tickets for the Halloween party (it's just on the Tuesday night during our stay) but if that's the only way we can see any fireworks maybe we'll go ahead and do it. I know the tix are cheaper when you buy in advance, but if I wait and buy them at our hotel does it still count for being cheaper if it's only two days in advance?

Sorry I do not know about that one.

One last question (sorry this is so long)....is it worth doing a lunch/dinner show package at that time of year for WoC? We're thinking about doing the Wine Country Trattoria pkg, not sure yet about Carthay Circle since we'll already be doing some expensive meals (the character dining, Blue Bayou which Hubby loves, and maybe a couple other places). Or should we just get FPs for the show (if available) or just go stand around and watch (big leap of faith)? It's too bad we'll miss Fantasmic, but we did at least see it at DHS in Orlando last October (DD7's first time).

If you want to dine at the CCR or WCT anyways then it may be worth it. We have done it three times when that had WOC tix at Ariel's Grotto. But that was because we liked the location and food. In general it is not worth it to get the special meals for FP admittance because it does not save you that much time. You can get almost equally good views by using regular FP (I have done that too).

A word of caution about WOC is that Disney did a fabulous job on the show but a poor job constructing the viewing area. So most viewing spots are really poor unless everyone in your group is over 6 foot tall.

What that means is you need to dedicate time to get one of the good viewing spots where you can for sure see the show. If you do not dedicate the time then IMO it is better to skip WOC - unless you are really tall or are experienced enough with the show that you know how to work things.

 

[kkendle]

Is there a good crowd calendar for Disneyland? The only one I can find is touring plans as well and if it isn't accurate...makes it hard to plan.

Thanks!

 

[RebeccaMcK]

Yes, it would be good to know about any other good crowd calendar for Disneyland out there...because I have relied on TouringPlans' predictions for the upcoming October trip. @Hydroguy, I have found the opposite to be true regarding crowds....TP worked fine for me when I saw how crowded DLR was (the few times I've used the site for individual days I was there last year) but kind of unreliable for WDW crowds (easyWDW's site is much better for Orlando, and it's free).

Thanks for all the other info - I think if we do enough Early Admission mornings the crowds on weekdays won't affect us much. I did read somewhere that the fireworks' music is piped into the speakers at the pool level (3rd or 4th floor roof, can't remember which but I'll find it) at Paradise Pier so perhaps we can see the fireworks at DL from there. I haven't paid for a theme park view room, so I won't know what view we'll have until we get there. I'll talk Hubby into letting me buy the Halloween Party tickets sooner than later, if they're not sold out yet for the Tuesday we'll be there. We haven't done any Halloween parties at Disney before - we don't care about the trick or treating and I guess they don't do as much at DL as at MK but we may as well do it this year (haven't done MK's MNSSHP before but I've heard about it).

 

[HydroGuy]

Yes, it would be good to know about any other good crowd calendar for Disneyland out there...because I have relied on TouringPlans' predictions for the upcoming October trip. @Hydroguy, I have found the opposite to be true regarding crowds....TP worked fine for me when I saw how crowded DLR was (the few times I've used the site for individual days I was there last year) but kind of unreliable for WDW crowds (easyWDW's site is much better for Orlando, and it's free).

The only folks who even try for DLR crowd calendars are TP and that has only been for the last year or so.

I know many people live and breathe by TP's calendar at WDW. As they have been collecting data for so many years I thought they were best. I have not used EasyWDW so much.

Bottom line is the crowd calendar does not exist for DLR. Best indicator of expected crowds is park hours.

DL open 8AM-Midnight or 8AM-11PM - higher crowds expected
DL open 9AM-9PM pr 9AM-10PM - moderate crowds
DL open 10AM-8PM - lower crowdss

 

[RebeccaMcK]

Bottom line is the crowd calendar does not exist for DLR. Best indicator of expected crowds is park hours.

DL open 8AM-Midnight or 8AM-11PM - higher crowds expected
DL open 9AM-9PM pr 9AM-10PM - moderate crowds
DL open 10AM-8PM - lower crowdss

Thanks, Hydroguy....sounds like a good way to gauge it. Too bad I just paid for a 3-year renewal for TP (both coasts). I sometimes use the lines apps on my phone, at least, but not often.

 

[HydroGuy]

Thanks, Hydroguy....sounds like a good way to gauge it. Too bad I just paid for a 3-year renewal for TP (both coasts). I sometimes use the lines apps on my phone, at least, but not often.

FWIW, I like their Lines app for the iPhone. I use it at DLR and WDW and find it pretty good.

 

[Dancemom2316]

Myself, DH, my twin DD's (15) and DS (11) are thinking about going March 24th-30th for their Spring Break. Is that considered off season? And what could we expect crowds to be like? Only Dh has ever been and that was many years ago.

 

[sonnyjane]

Myself, DH, my twin DD's (15) and DS (11) are thinking about going March 24th-30th for their Spring Break. Is that considered off season? And what could we expect crowds to be like? Only Dh has ever been and that was many years ago.

Easter next year is March 31st, which means many, many schools will have spring break either the week before Easter or after, which is right when you'll be going. Crowds will be very heavy - not week after Christmas heavy - but up there for sure. I have gone during the week of Easter before and it is certainly manageable, you just have to plan accordingly, utilize FP's wisely, and take advantage of early mornings/late evenings if possible.

 

[HydroGuy]

Myself, DH, my twin DD's (15) and DS (11) are thinking about going March 24th-30th for their Spring Break. Is that considered off season? And what could we expect crowds to be like? Only Dh has ever been and that was many years ago.

Yes as discussed in the OP:

Also see "Choosing When To Visit DLR: Summary of High and Low Season and When Each Happens " http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602

 

[Dancemom2316]

Thank you both for the information! Definiatly helps us out!

 

[tinkerbelt]

The only folks who even try for DLR crowd calendars are TP and that has only been for the last year or so.

I know many people live and breathe by TP's calendar at WDW. As they have been collecting data for so many years I thought they were best. I have not used EasyWDW so much.

Bottom line is the crowd calendar does not exist for DLR. Best indicator of expected crowds is park hours.

DL open 8AM-Midnight or 8AM-11PM - higher crowds expected
DL open 9AM-9PM pr 9AM-10PM - moderate crowds
DL open 10AM-8PM - lower crowdss

I really wish someone would make some sort of crowd calendar. We're locals, so we use MouseWait a lot to see if it's work schlepping over to the parks for a few hours on a given day. It works well for us, but it's not a big deal for us if we can't get on a certain ride on a given day.

Occasionally, though, we like to plan a big, full-on Disney trip, where we get a hotel and hit the parks for a few days, and try to get everything in. We try to plan those so that we have one day with late park hours (to squeeze in F! and fireworks, usually), and one to two days with lighter hours, because the crowds are lower.

During the really slow times of year (usually once in Sept. and once in late Jan or Feb.), we play hooky from work/school and take advantage of the light crowds. Even if the park closes at 6, usually those days are so slow that by 6, you feel like you've done a lot, and are ready to go home.

 

[zhalo]

I'm having a bit of a hard time deciding when exactly to make our trip. I would choose to go when the crowds are the lowest regardless of park hours or the availability of shows/etc. I also have a 7-year-old kiddo with autism who really needs to go when the crowds are at their lowest. However, the same kiddo loves LOVES LOVES Fantasmic, which means we need to go when the crowds are at least at a level to support DL showing Fantasmic during the week. We are thinking the last 2 weeks in September would work well for our schedule. Any thoughts from the DL experts who really know the DL calendars/schedules?

We were originally going to just brave the crowds the week of June 1st until we learned that Space Mountain will be closed then. Of course, that's his favorite ride!

We can bring headphones and earplugs for him and also some sensory/fidget toys to keep in his pockets, but really, we need to cut down on the amount of time he's sitting in line surrounded by lots of people movement and noise.