When to go to avoid heat/crowds?

[J. Galt]

We are planning a trip to DL in 2008. We can be somewhat flexible about when we travel so I am wondering.... when would be a good time to go? FYI we would prefer milder weather (not hot, cool is even fine) and low crowds.


Thanks for any help!

 

[DangerMouse]

Mid January and early February is coolest weather and uncrowded. Of course, it's off-season, so not all entertainment and rides will be operational during that time.

 

[mystic_path]

A great time I found to go was the first week of October. The weather was beautiful as it wasnt hot, it was just a nice warm. You wear can wear capris or shorts during the day and light weight pants in the evening with a Mid-weight jacket or sweater for layering, as it can get quite cold in the evening. The rides during this time are all open, the haunted mansion has its holiday overlay and the lineups arnt bad at all.

 

[J. Galt]

Thanks for the quick responses. What about the beginning of Nov? Is this a good time?

 

[XTinabell]

Thanks for the quick responses. What about the beginning of Nov? Is this a good time?

Yep that should be fine. Last year in November though, they had a heat wave and it was summer temperatures, but that's not normal for november.

 

[DangerMouse]

Thanks for the quick responses. What about the beginning of Nov? Is this a good time?

Yes, as long as you avoid Veteran's Day weekend. Depending on your exact dates, you would probably notice Halloween decorations coming down and Christmas decorations gradually appearing.

 

[Albort]

Mid January and early February is coolest weather and uncrowded. Of course, it's off-season, so not all entertainment and rides will be operational during that time.

I suggest second week of January. Full entertainment and ride schedules, crowds arent as packed mainly because almost everyone is back in school. But this year, January had some pretty cold days. Some Artic chills!

 

[DangerMouse]

I suggest second week of January. Full entertainment and ride schedules, crowds arent as packed mainly because almost everyone is back in school. But this year, January had some pretty cold days. Some Artic chills!

We were there Jan 6-9 this year and it was in the high 80's. HOT!

 

[Albort]

We were there Jan 6-9 this year and it was in the high 80's. HOT!

oh, you werent around to see the coldness... lets just say, downtown LA was snowing. :\

This is something that NEVER EVER HAPPENED. I was wearing the thickest i can get + all the extra clothes. I think it was 2-3 weeks after you visited but it was FREEEZING!

 

[HydroGuy]

Pick your off-season days carefully. See "What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

 

[tinkerbelt]

oh, you werent around to see the coldness... lets just say, downtown LA was snowing. :\

This is something that NEVER EVER HAPPENED. I was wearing the thickest i can get + all the extra clothes. I think it was 2-3 weeks after you visited but it was FREEEZING!

I remember that! My friend came to CA from Utah, and he had purposely picked January for his vacation so that he could have a break from the snow and cold, and when he landed, it was snowing in CA!

Back OT, the weather here really varies. I personally like this time of year. It is starting to warm up, but it is still nice.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

The rides during this time are all open, the haunted mansion has its holiday overlay and the lineups arnt bad at all.

Not true, at least last year anyway. We were there 10/7-10/10 last year and both Autopia and Matterhorn were down, still a nice time to go though if you don't mind things being down.

 

[NVDisMom]

We went second week in January last year and could not have been happier. The rides were all still open (except Pirates for its big renovation and ISW to take down xmas overlay). The crowds were nonexistent, with almost no wait and the weather was beautiful. We enjoyed jeans and tshirts all week. And it was nice enough to enjoy afternoon swims.

 

[leslie_537]

I like to take my kids in March and April but things are closed!

 

[StephPf]

I was there from April 15 to 18th this year and had an incredible experience. It wasn't hot (in fact, locals complained it was a bit too cool ... but as New Englanders, we didn't mind. ).

We rode LOTS of times, with little to no wait ... we even walked onto Dumbo and rode w/ emtpy elephants (!) this was on an early admission/toon town madness day. Most people in Fantasyland moved onto Toon Town when it opened to ticket-holders-only and we didn't.

We did the raft ride in California adventure first thing one morning and rode FOUR consecutive times w/out getting off ... nobody was waiting. After that I sent hubby and kids to California Screaming for a 20 minute wait, and I walked back to get fast pass for Soaring (the wait was only 30 mins, but this guaranteed us a spot an hour later) ... after Screaming, we did the Dream presentation (Whoopie Goldberg movie), had a snack, and used our fastpasses to walk right into Soaring.

According to a book I read, the week before Easter and the week after Easter are very busy. Then things slow down until about a week before Memorial Day. Our experienced seemed to follow that theory. Easter this year was 4/8. We arrived late afternoon Sunday the 15th and the park was opened until midnight. We debated not entering hte park, but we wanted to see fireworks so we did. We did see some long lines to have 'ears' personalized, and on a few rides ... but not bad. Sadly, fireworks were cancelled for wind.

On Monday ... the crowds were gone!! The cast members were commenting "yay, spring break is over", and everybody was in a good mood.

So ... if you are looking for a spring time visit, I can't say enough about the week that starts the Sunday after Easter.

The only downside ... the parks close earlier (for us it was 9pm) when they aren't busy. But really, we had plenty of time to do everything we wanted to do.

As for closed rides ... Splash Mountain and Tom Sawyer's Island (and the ride to get there) were closed for refurbishing, but they had been closed during the peak 'spring break' time too. Sometimes refurbishment is necessary ... and we could actually see work being done on the island.

 

[LucyKate]

We went in the first week of December, mid-week, and it was just perfect.

Crowds were non-existent (straight on to Pirates, Splash, short wait for Indy etc) the place was decorated for Christmas, which was just magical, and the weather was perfect.

It was mild in the day - tee-shirts some days, and while it got pretty cool at night, it was never too cold.

We also get very cheap deals on hotels - if we ever return I couldn't think of a better time to go, but make sure you are out of there before school break, about a week before Christmas, when crowds go insane until early January.