Disneyland: When to Go to Avoid the Crowds

Disneyland is without a doubt the most branded, famous and fun amusement park in the United States. There can be problems with a trip to Disneyland however. Disneyland's long lines and crowds can turn a great trip into a 'why did I come here?' faster than you can say Space Mountain. This article will tell you when to plan your trip to Disneyland to avoid the lines and crowds. Avoiding the crowds is well worth learning about. The average waiting time for key rides at Disneyland in peak season during the peak attendance hours of 11:00-7:00 p.m. is 60 minutes and can spike to 90 minutes on certain holidays. Here is a primer based on experience as the best ways to minimize time spent in line and in crowds at Disneyland. I grew up one mile from Disneyland and the place was a second home. These hard learned lessons about the best times to enjoy Disneyland should apply equally to Disneyworld. For a quick lesson on how to best use every hour of the day to enjoy the rides at Disneyland without waiting in line you'll want to read another article I wrote for AC, Best Times of Day For Rides at Disneyland.

1. Avoid Summer Break
If you are taking the family to Disneylad or Disneyworld it will be well worth your trouble to plan to avoid Summer's school vacation period. Do not if at all possible go to Disneyland or Disneyworld between May 31 and August 31. This is the peak season for for Disneyland and Disneyworld. Crowds at Disneyland average 55,000 people a day. Compare this to the month of December where the crowds average around 13,000 per day. Your wait time for key attractions in December will be less than 5 minutes. The average wait time at Disneyland's key rides during the Summer break months will be 60 minutes.
I have access to the park through a family member who used to work there. Two years ago I was there when it was kind of drizzly and cold out, but I walked onto every ride with no wait whatsoever all day and all night. It was incredible.

2. If you go at all, go in Fall
If you cannot go in December to take advantage of those 5 minute ride lines there is a close second best. The Fall. During the months of September, October, and November, Disneyland's crowds average only 18,000-20,000 visitors a day. The waiting time for the major rides is 5 to 10 minutes. The weather is still very comfortable. It's actually all the better if you can get a rainy day. The park will be empty. After Fall, January and February are the next best choice, then March, April and May.

3. Never go on public holidays or any school holiday
This advice takes precedence over all other do's and don'ts. Never go to Disneyland or Disneyworld on a public or school holiday. You will regret it if you don't like crowds and lines. Attendance over the Christmas Holidays and the Fourth of July hits upwards of 70,000 people per day at Disneyland and the time for waiting in line for rides goes way up. Up to 90 minutes for a ride like Space Mountain or Star Wars. School Spring break, President's Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving Holidays, New Year's Day and any other off-school days are equally as bad. Be aware that all schools do not get the same Spring break so it's best to avoid mid-April entirely.

4. The weekly weather
You can fine tune you trip if you live in the area by watching the long range weather forecast. A forecast of good weather early in the week followed by bad weather later in the week will bring crowds to Disneyland early in the week and vice versa.

5. Big sporting events in town
I once went to Disneyland on Superbowl Sunday on the hunch that everyone would be home watching the big game. Was I ever wrong. It's a cliche, but everyone had the same idea and Disneyland was mobbed. If there is a national event in town be wary about going to Disneyland. Big events bring people from all over and they are looking for something to do while they are here besides seeing the event that brought them to town.

6. If you can't book it, skip it.
A good rule of thumb to judge in advance how big the crowds will be at Disneyland is to start checking with the on-property Disneyland hotels. Even if you don't want to book a room, see if you can get one. If all the Disneyland on-property hotels are sold out you are looking at a big crowd. If they are sold out and in addition it is during Summer break, it's a three-day weekend and the weather will turn rainy on Sunday, you are looking at the Perfect Storm. If you walk through the gates of Disneyland on Saturday morning, you will be walking into the eye of a hurricane. Get in as many rides as you can before 10:00 a.m. and turn around and get out before it is too late. Come back again much later in the night.

7. If there are crowds and waits, use Disneyland's or Disneyworld's FastPass.
Disneyland and Disneyworld have a system designed to cut down on the time spent in line and it works. It is called FastPass. You go up to a machine and the machine gives you a ticket with a 30 minute time frame (like 10:45-11:15 a.m.). You take the ticket and go about your way. Then, at the appointed time you return to the ride and walk on without waiting in line. Learn how to use the FastPass machine before you get to the park. It's not hard hard you'll be glad you did.