When should I go? Mid September vs week before Thanksgiving. What do you think?

[Littlebitofsunshine]

I love both the Christmas and Halloween decorations! So either one would be great! Which will have lower crowds you think? Looking at Sept 14 or Nov 16!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

First question: does your visit have to be on a Monday? (What’s up with Mondays?) If it does, then make sure to plan accordingly. Halloween Time dates have not been announced, so it is possible that 9/14 might not include the Halloween decorations (probably will, but until officially announced, nothing is certain). Same with Holiday Time. Without an official start date, don't bet 100% on anything. Your Sept. date is the day after CHOC Walk -- don't know if there will be any carry over crowds. Your Nov. date is right after Dapper Day Weekend -- again, don't know if that will have any effect on the Monday. Personally, I'd go with November just because of the weather. Mid-September can be quite warm and then there are the Santa Ana winds that can kick up (hot, dry, can cancel fireworks and shows, etc.). November may still be warm, but may be more tolerable.

 

[Littlebitofsunshine]

Good points! Thank you I’ll probably arrive Monday, but not head to the parks until Tuesday. For about 3-4 days. I was there a couple years ago the day after labor day and the crowds were already so much busier! Maybe due to halloween time starting earlier that year!

 

[sherilaine]

The parks are crowded all the time now - go when you want to go - I no longer plan around crowds unless you are trying to avoid a super busy time like Christmas or Spring Break. Also, keep in mind if you are going when Disney thinks the crowds won't be crazy, then hours are shorter, entertainment is limited and often park is not run at full capacity so it can feel more crowded in the end.

 

[Littlebitofsunshine]

Yes, that’s the truth isn’t it. I’m chasing an old dream!

 

[sherilaine]

Unfortunately yes, the days of the parks being ghost towns during certain times of the year are gone. The closest we have seen to that is when it's cold and rainy. The only thing we can manage when it comes to Disneyland is our own expectations. Seeing huge lines that wrap around before park opening have been enough to throw some people into panic mode - only to have another person wander in an hour later not to even know there was an issue. If you really want to have a great trip - show up early, buy MP and use it wisely and bring lots of patience!

 

[ZCarroll]

I would go with November. Halloween is my favorite holiday so at first I was really excited when the parks started getting into it around the time we always visited but more and more it's just gotten insane and after this last visit I decided to never go back during Halloween. I thought it might be better since they had extended hours and extra entertainment from prior years but I think that actually only made it worse. Main street was so difficult to navigate with people taking up spots hours in advance for parades and fireworks which I asked and was told repeatedly by plaids people were not allowed to do...??? It was just a constant moving in a swarm of people sometimes just ending up circling around the park, it was maddening, more than once despite my best efforts to avoid it and asking several CMs along the way that apparently were full of misinformation we ended up getting routed all around like that. I spent a lot of time in tears actually! It actually wasn't too bad for the first couple hours right after opening but with ROTR open now all those people that didn't want to get up early will need to do so.

From what I gleaned here it did seem like November was much better crowdwise... I went in December this year and it was soooooo much nicer than Halloween time! I hadn't done Christmas time since 2001 and while my expectations for crowds are definitely ramped up it really didn't feel that much worse than from what I remember from back then (which I thought was insanely crowded and decided to never come back during Christmas, ha!)