When to Go to Disneyland

When planning a Disneyland vacation, many people want to know when is the best time to go. The answer is not simple, but the information and guidelines below may help you pick the time that's best for you.

Poll: When are you going to Disneyland?
Spring break | Spring but not during break | Summer | After the kids go back to school | Halloween | Thanksgiving | Christmas | Winter

Seen what others are planning.

Calendar Considerations

Any season has its pluses and minuses at Disneyland. Here's the rundown:

• Disneyland is least busy in winter (January and February), especially on weekdays. However, winter is California's rainy season, you'll find more rides and attractions closed for repairs or taking down holiday decorations, and the park is open fewer hours per day.

• Any school holiday or three-day weekend will be busy.

• Summer is very busy, but hours are longer and most of the Disneyland attractions will be open.

• Fall months when the kids are in school may be the best time to go to Disneyland, if you can.

• Check the Disneyland weather page for month-by month rainfall, high and low temperatures and what to wear.

Special Events

These are a few events you should know about when scheduling your Disneyland visit:

• Haunted Mansion is closed in late September so it can be transformed into Haunted Mansion Holiday. It's closed again after New Year's so it can go back to normal.

• It's a Small World closes in early November so it can take on its holiday look, and closed again after New Year's for decoration removal.

• Fantasmic! is a seasonal event, and during the off-season it may only happen on weekends.

• In early October, an unofficial event called Gay Day brings thousands of visitors to the park, creating larger crowds than you'd normally find that time of year.

• The Disney Princess Half Marathon brings lots of extra visitors in March, as does the Disney Half Marathon in September. The race is over early in the day, but many runners and spectators stay on.

• Halloween

• Christmas

We've also noticed that the first day new decorations go up in the park, the crowds are bigger. In fact, the park was near capacity when the new Halloween decor was revealed in 2006.

If You Can't Beat'Em, Join'Em

If your work schedule or kids' school holidays lock you into visiting Disneyland during one of its busy periods, these suggestions may help:

• Sundays are usually less busy than Saturdays, unless the following Monday is a holiday.

• Go midweek any time of year and the parks will be less crowded. However, parades and other special activities may happen less frequently (or not at all) and rides are more likely to be closed for maintenance.

• Read our tips for how to stay out of line to learn how to spend more time having fun and less time waiting.

The Bottom Line

Here's our best advice. Plan your trip when a lot of things will be going on, or to see the seasonal decorations if you want to, then use Ridemax to minimize your time in line. You may be skeptical, but all my friends love it. It costs a fraction of a single one-day ticket and offers a money-back guarantee, so what have you got to lose?