When is DL least crowded?

[tsjm4]

Has anyone been to DL when they could just walk right on the rides or wait less than 5 minutes in line? When did you go for crowds this low? We experienced crowds like this in WDW last fall the week after Labor Day and it was SO wonderful that we'd like to try DL for our next trip. I realize they are not the same, but we'd like to see something new.

 

[JennHales]

copy pasted from mouseinfo.com

Least Crowded Times
First week in January to Presidents' weekend
A week after Easter until Memorial Day weekend
End of Labor Day week until Columbus Day
End of Thanksgiving week to the week before Christmas

Average Crowds
End of Presidents' weekend to the week before Easter
Sundays except Holiday weekends
Memorial Day week to the second week in June
Labor Day week
Columbus Day to Thanksgiving week
Week before Christmas

Most Crowded Times
Any Saturday
Sunday during Holiday weekends
Presidents' Week
Week before and week after Easter
Second week of June through Labor Day weekend
Thanksgiving week
Christmas Day through New Year's Day


I went back in 95' during the second week of December and had no lines at all.
Jen

 

[tsjm4]

I never like trying to figure out their official crowd times which was why I was asking for when others went and actually experienced low crowds. In trying to figure out the official schedule, would you say that a Saturday or Sunday that is included in the time frame of a low crowd would be very crowded? Is it better to just go during the week? Do they still do things like parades and night shows or are those only on weekends?

 

[disneychrista]

The time that I have been when there was little to no crowds were Fathers Day (this was back in 1999) and then the first couple weeks in December.

There really is no way to predict it. But no matter when you go make sure you get there EARLY! to maximize your time. If the park opens at 8am get there are 7:30. If the park opens at 10 get there at 9:30.

As for entertainment, it will vary depending on the time of year you go, as well as the day of the week. Weekends will always have more entertainment then during the week, no matter what time of year.

 

[Blackunicorn]

We went the last week in September 2002. I think that the longest we waited in a line was about 20 minutes, and I'm pretty sure that the CM's laughed at us when we tried to use the Fastpass system! I considered the park to be not very crowded that week, and there was only one line where my then-3-year-old got restless while waiting. We had the ability to do our favorite rides so many times that by the last day I was more than willing to sit for three hours to save our space for Fantasmic. (A mistake--I wasn't aggressive enough and got shuffled off to the side by encroaching crowds.) The only time we actually needed to use a fastpass was for the Haunted Mansion, which was closed until Friday for their holiday makeover, and had a special grand opening-type thing that made it very crowded. We experienced heavier crowds on Friday than on any other day of the week. Also, we still had to stand in line to get character autographs, the longest being for Mickey at his house in Toontown, and I'd say that wasn't more than 20 minutes, either. The down side to going at that time of year is that many rides were closed, and there wasn't a single Early Entry day while we were there. But who needs early entry if the crowds are that low, right?

 

[disneychrista]

Originally posted by Blackunicorn
there wasn't a single Early Entry day while we were there. But who needs early entry if the crowds are that low, right?

Early entry as in the park opens at 8 or Early Entry as in "Magic Mornings/Extra Magic Hour"? If the later, it is because this was discontinued in I believe Janauary 2002.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

We were just there for the first week of February. We actually rode Splash Mountain around 20 times, and each time it was pretty much just walk right up and get on. We were there from Monday to Friday...Friday sucked. There were a lot more people there and were all spoiled by then. Even then the lines weren't THAT bad, but there were 15 - 20 minute waits on some things and up to 45 minutes for Splash Mountain.

I once went during the third week of October and it was the same way. It was a bit too warm for my taste, though!

We went the second week of April last year, and it was just terrible. We thought it wouldn't be bad, but it sure was busy. I would never go around that time again! Also, I'd never go in the summer time. The park isn't open as long in February, but with the lines as short as they are, you can do everything there is to do in no time at all. We just couldn't believe how much we accomplished during our last trip. One day, we got a late start and only had three hours at Califnornia adventure. We rode almost everything in that three hours. When were were there in April, we rode maybe half that much during the whole day. I'm a frim believer in Disneyland during the off season!

 

[almostGoofy]

Originally posted by tsjm4
In trying to figure out the official schedule, would you say that a Saturday or Sunday that is included in the time frame of a low crowd would be very crowded? Is it better to just go during the week? Do they still do things like parades and night shows or are those only on weekends?

The majority of DL visitors, I think I read somewhere about 70%, are locals so Saturdays and Sundays will always be more crowded than a weekday. As for parades and night shows during the week; that depends on the time of year. During the off-season, the park closes around 6 or 7 p.m. Fantasmic runs during the weekdays during the summer only. It runs weekends only for only part of the year. I don't remember exactly but usually mid-fall through the spring, there are no Fantasmic shows.