When would you go??

[jandm]

I am trying to plan our first trip to Disneyland and am wondering which dates would be better (less crowded). We have to go when the kids are not in school, so I'm looking at either Spring Break (March 10-17) or the last week in May. Crowd wise, which is best? Thanks!

 

[MillauFr]

I went once during Spring Break. Never again. I would choose May.

 

[skiingfast]

Tough. I've been during then in March with an early Easter and had little problems with the crowds. It is when Spring Break is starting to transition from offseason not truly Spring Break. Though the dates in May are similiar crowdwise, though with a mediocre week for crowds but a busy 3 day weekend eating into it.

I'd still prefer May because of the warmer weather.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I think March 10-17th is really early to have to worry about Spring Breaks. In 2009, easter was April 12th. I was at DL for (IIRC) 3 days at the end of March (appx. March 19-22nd...I was in SoCal volunteering to work for the Figure skating World Championships which began on March 23rd).

DLR was rather dead while we were there, and that was closer to actual easter than March 10-17th will be this year. We actually really enjoyed March (and our April trips, which edged spring breaks on both the early and late side). I think it's a great time to head to DLR. The only thing I would caution is if you want to see the nighttime shows, make sure you're there over a weekend. The nighttime shows don't run during the week during low season (except maybe WOC?)

 

[jandm]

Thanks for the replies. I know that WDW crowds are at a 10+ that week in March, so I didn't know how Disneyland compared. Hopefully I will get some more feedback, as I'm still undecided!

 

[Poohs100AcreWood]

That week for Spring Break seems pretty early for "true" Spring Break.

I would say they might be pretty even because not all Southern CA schools are out yet in late May. Many are mid-late June, so you might miss some crowds in May.

 

[SilentFeline]

I don't know about March, but my boyfriend and I went for 5 days the last week of May during our last trip in 2009, and the crowds were totally manageable. We were there during grad night, but we just left the parks early that day and did some shopping in DTD to avoid the larger crowds. However, I know that school ends much sooner than it used to around where I live (the first week of June or last week of May depending on the district), and I don't know if the same thing is happening in Anaheim/LA. If so, the crowds might be a bit heavier than we went. It might be a good idea for you to find out when the local schools are done for the year if possible.