Which to choose Oct or Nov trip?

[Geemo]

I just received the 2012-2013 school calendar for my grandkids.

They have the following block of days OFF.

Wed. Oct. 10, Thur. Oct. 11 and Fri. Oct. 12, 2012
Wed. Nov. 28, Thur. Nov. 29 and Fri. Nov. 30, 2012

Which time do you feel would have the lowest crowd level and least attractions closed for refurbishments?

I know October will have the Halloween event Theme.
Will the parks be set up for the Christmas Holiday by the November dates?

We would try to arrive on an early flight Tuesday and depart on an evening flight Saturday.

For those of you with experience during these dates, please help me decide which to choose.

Thank you,
Geemo Deb

 

[HydroGuy]

Yes the parks will be converted to Christmas by late November. This usually happens by mid-November.

I would say the late November dates will be lowest crowds and lowest refurbs. Along with that cooler weather and greater chance for rain, FYI.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

DL will be PACKED on those Oct dates due to AZ schools having their Fall Break during that week. We have been there on Fall Break and it is super busy and, in 2009, over 90 degrees. The Fall and Halloween decorations are super cute, though.

Are those dates in November for Thanksgiving or the week after? Crowds at Tgiving are huge also, but I have heard the week after has low crowds.

The Christmas decorations will be up in full force at the end of November and they are oh so pretty!!!

 

[Daniellee725]

It honestly depends on if you want to see the parks for Halloween or Christmas. They are equally awesome, but for different reasons. I think it will be busy for both times, because Halloween time for Disneyland has become a pretty big thing, but a lot of schools also have time at the end of November for Thanksgiving, so either time you go, you'll be battling the crowds. October is definitely worth checking out if you haven't been to the Halloween parties yet. They're a lot of fun. Also, don't worry about AZ having fall breaks, very few school districts have it.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Ummmmm, YES, many Arizona districts dohave off for Fall Break and many in Utah also. We live in Phoenix and almost everyone we know heads to DL on vacation. When we were there for Fall Break, we were at the turnstiles an hour before they opened and there were THOUSANDS of people lined up to get in. Not hundreds but thousands. Long lines way back toward the DCA letters.

Busy busy busy during Fall Break.

 

[Daniellee725]

Ummmmm, YES, many Arizona districts dohave off for Fall Break and many in Utah also. We live in Phoenix and almost everyone we know heads to DL on vacation. When we were there for Fall Break, we were at the turnstiles an hour before they opened and there were THOUSANDS of people lined up to get in. Not hundreds but thousands. Long lines way back toward the DCA letters.

Busy busy busy during Fall Break.

Fall break is absolutely not a state-wide break, so like I said, yes it will be busy, but nothing like Winter, Spring or Summer break, where lines are 60 minutes long and you only get to ride 6 rides all day. If you are familiar with the busyness of Disneyland during these times, then a fall break for some of AZ is not a huge deal, especially since it is not every district. The crowds are more driven that time of year because of the Halloween party than by AZ's few districts on break. I would say big rides like Indy and Space Mountain will have lines around 45 minutes, rather than 60-70 like it would be on a truly busy time. I worked there last year, and we never reached capacity during those dates, whereas we have absolutely reached capacity during other breaks.

Bottom line, Geemo, both dates you picked will be busy. So choose based on which decorations/attractions you wish to see, rather than what days you'll think are less busy. If you can postpone the November trip by a week, you will be much better off. First 2 weeks of December are pretty dead, since most people are in school, whereas end of November might have some Thanksgiving breaks, or people taking extended Thxg. breaks.

A good rule of thumb to gauge the busyness of the parks is if anyone in the country is out of school for any reason, it will be busy. Go during a time where kids are in school, and you'll be set.

 

[Geemo]

We were there during Columbus Day once and the crowds were BIG. Trying to avoid a repeat.

Thanksgiving is Thursday Nov. 22nd. The kids have Thanksgiving and Black Friday off. Back to school for Monday Nov 26, Tuesday Nov 27 and then OFF the rest of the week.

I was trying to tie in with scheduled time off, so we wouldn't have to pull them from school.

Thanks for the info on Fall Breaks some of the districts have in neighboring states.

I have a little time to think about which dates to make the trip.

later
Geemo

 

[PineapplePrincessCA]

In our school district (Chula Vista, which is San Diego County), we're on fall break the last week of Sept. and the first week of Oct. It is the PERFECT time to go. Very little crowds.


I think with the November dates you listed, I'd be worried about people who have extended their Thanksgiving vacation.

 

[Jordansmominjax]

I live in Florida and go to Disney every October for the Halloween party and we go every Thanksgiving. It seems like October is ramping up a bit with crowds and they do sell out of the Halloween party tickets. I highly recommend you pay for the Halloween party if you love Halloween. The parade alone is worth the cost of admission. This being said, that would only be if you love Halloween as I do. The decorations are very nice and you have some great photo ops and this is the night to ride, ride, ride because the park is open late. So if you stay up late you can get on most rides with little or no wait. As for Thanksgiving, we go down on Thanksgiving day and the ride lines have not been long on this day or weekend. I can't speak for this year as the park seems to be very crowded this year so far. Weather wise last year both days were very nice. It did rain a lot one week in October so make sure you take your rain gear. So basically do you want to see Halloween or Christmas? Let that be your deciding factor. The crowds should be about equal. Good Luck and have a fun time!







The plannerJordan the king and DH who comes because he loves us