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The Best Rides at Disneyland

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Disney's Best Rides for Kids

What to Do at Night at Disney

Making Restaurant Reservations

Character Dining at Disney

Disney's Best Table Service Restaurants

Disney's Best Quick Service Restaurants

Disney's Best Snacks & Desserts

Disney's Best Ice Cream

Things You Can't Bring to Disney

How to Reduce Your Wait Times

The Best Disneyland Apps

Things to Do for Free at Disney

13 Terms to Know for Your Trip

The Best Time to Visit Disneyland

Disneyland Weather

The Best Disneyland Hotels

How to Get to Disneyland

Getting Around Disneyland & Anaheim

Opening & Closing Times

The Best Souvenirs to Buy at Disney

Disneyland Ticket Options

FastPass & MaxPass

Disneyland Magic Morning

Fireworks at Disneyland

Birthdays at Disneyland

Things to Do at Disneyland on Halloween

Mickey's Halloween Party

Disneyland at Christmas

The Best Things to Do at Disneyland

The Top 10 Things to Do at Disneyland

Disneyland in California is packed with so many things to see and do. The park always has something going on, such as shows, fireworks, parades, and special events. And even on quieter, less eventful days at the park, you can still easily fill your day there with plenty of the other fun attractions and activities. Use this guide to learn about some of the best things to do when visiting Disneyland to make your trip there a memorable one.  

Enjoy the Rides

Mark Downey / Getty Images 

Rides are the reason most people go to Disneyland, and they've got a broad range of options, from gentle boat trips to the white-knuckled, scream-yourself-silly kind.

The  Disneyland Ride Guide  and  California Adventure Ride Sheet  have all the details, listed by type, height restrictions, and photos.

Meet Disney Characters

smckenzie/Getty Images 

What could be more fun than meeting your favorite Disney character in person? Minnie and Mickey Mouse have residences in Disneyland's Toontown where you can drop in, and the Star Wars characters hold meet and greets in the Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland.

You'll also find a whole host of other characters around the parks and at special character breakfasts.

Celebrate a Birthday, Anniversary, or Special Occasion

If you're going to Disneyland for a special  birthday , honeymoon, anniversary or another occasion, you don't have to celebrate alone. And you don't have to pay a penny extra, either.

When you arrive, stop at Disneyland's City Hall or California Adventure Guest Relations to pick up a souvenir birthday or celebration button. 

Wear the button and you'll feel like a celebrity all day, with Cast Members and other guests offering you best wishes all day.

Go Shopping

Betsy Malloy Photography 

You'll find a themed store outside many of the most popular rides full of tempting souvenirs .

You'll find lots of shops along Main Street U.S.A. and along the street near New Orleans Square. The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique near the castle sells costumes to suit all the mini princesses that visit the park. 

The Disney Gallery on Main Street or Off the Page in California Adventure are the best places to head to score a special collectible, or try the World of Disney Store in Downtown Disney.

Celebrate the Holidays

Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland 

In some respects, every day feels like a holiday at Disneyland. It's like Fourth of July every time they set off the fireworks.

Disneyland also gets gussied up for  Halloween , and Mickey Mouse hosts a Halloween Party that has its own parade and fireworks.

The park also celebrates  Christmas  with handmade candy canes, festive treats, and holiday-themed overlays at It's a Small World and Haunted Mansion.

Scott Brinegar/Disneyland Resort 

Disneyland and California Adventure have some great  live shows  featuring singing, dancing, and sometimes a little audience participation. If you aren't into rides, you could easily spend an entire day just watching the shows.

The Frozen show at California Adventure is a favorite. California Adventure has  other options , too, including the World of Color, a water-and-lights show worth staying up late for.

Watch a Parade

Courtesy of Disneyland Resort 

In most places, you're lucky to see one parade a year, but at Disneyland, you can watch two or three in a single day.

In Disneyland, the Pixar Play Parade (which was previously at California Adventure) runs once or twice a day.

Watch the Fireworks

FrozenShutter/Getty Images 

Disneyland has  fireworks  about 250 times a year, and they're some of the best you'll see anywhere. They're launched using low-smoke, low-pollution, quieter technology. Plus, they're not just pretty, but they tell a story, too, with the help of some amazing projection effects that go with them. 

A perennial favorite  Fantasmic!  also offers a generous helping of fireworks and special effects.

Have a Meal

You'll find plenty of  places to eat  in the parks and just outside them, too, from a simple pretzel and a fountain drink to a full, sit-down dinner. Most are first-come, first serve, but a few require reservations .

You can also have a meal while getting a chance to meet the Disney characters at the hotels and inside the theme parks.

Do Some People-Watching

Kayte Deioma

People-watching is a favorite thing to do at Disneyland while you're relaxing and taking a break from running around and exploring the park. Find a bench or a place to rest, and watch all the visitors and characters stroll by.

Some of the best spots to do this are the benches around the "hub" between Main Street U.S.A. and the castle. In California Adventure, head to Paradise Pier or Hollywood Land.

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Disneyland Guide: Planning Your Trip

How to Actually Meet the Disneyland Characters

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Disneyland At Night: Everything You Need to Know

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Everything You'll Need to Know for a Trip to Disneyland

Want to visit the famous Anaheim theme park but don’t know where to begin? Consider your Disney vacation sorted. You’re in for much more than a visit with Mickey Mouse and a handful of rides, because Disneyland Resort is actually home to two separate theme parks: Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. They’re located directly across from each other but host a different set of enjoyable rides, shows, and lands, some of which you won’t find at other Disney Parks worldwide. If you’re curious about stepping inside Sleeping Beauty Castle or Star Wars : Galaxy’s Edge, experiencing the world of Cars , and riding every glorious Disney attraction on your next trip to the California parks, we’re here to help you discover the Happiest Place on Earth. Here’s everything you’ll need for a first visit to Disneyland — besides a pair of Mickey ears, of course.

The Sleeping Beauty Castle

The original Magic Kingdom is known for its classic attractions and quintessential “main street” charm, but hosts plenty of electrifying rides throughout its themed lands. Disneyland Park is also home to the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle, which sits in the center of the park.

Attractions and Rides

From Jungle Cruise and It’s A Small World to Pirates of the Caribbean, there are a multitude of famous family-friendly attractions at Disneyland, but that doesn’t mean it’s short on thrills. With Star Tours’ Star Wars simulations, the rollicking Indiana Jones Adventure and Disneyland’s multiple mountain-themed coasters, it’s home to many of Disney’s most exciting rides.

Star Wars : Galaxy Edge

Today’s most-discussed attractions and rides are tucked away inside Star Wars : Galaxy’s Edge, Disneyland’s newest land. Here, you can encounter the Resistance while eating otherworldly food, adopt a plush Tauntaun after visiting Oga’s Cantina, or be apprehended by Stormtroopers before stepping foot on the land’s two rides — Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, which allows flight crews to operate the famed starship and Star Wars : Rise of the Resistance, a monumental battle opening in January.

Restaurants

Disneyland offers all the theme park staples — ice cream, corn dogs, and plenty of churros — but sit-down restaurants like Plaza Inn and River Belle Terrace are first-rate. Foodies should hit New Orleans Square for mint juleps and Mickey Mouse beignets or try indulgent tableside offerings at Cafe Orleans or Blue Bayou Restaurant.

If you want a cocktail with all those treats, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Alcohol is only served at one place inside Disneyland Park: Oga’s Cantina, which is located within Star Wars : Galaxy’s Edge.

Disney California Adventure Park

Compared to Disneyland, Disney California Adventure Park is significantly newer. Themed to highlight the landscape, culture, and history of California as a whole, it channels San Francisco’s waterside roots, Hollywood’s golden era, and the state’s national parks throughout several different lands, with its newest, Cars Land and Pixar Pier, infusing silver screen attractions within the coastal design.

If you’re visiting both parks in one day, note that admission is per individual park; you’ll need an upgraded “park hopper” ticket to visit both.

Disney California Adventure Park's Film Attractions

Disneyland’s sister park has two colorful lands that revere cherished animated films. Cars Land brings the movie’s awe-inspiring Route 66 scenery to life with shops, restaurants, and multiple rides, including the joyous Radiator Springs Racers. At Pixar Pier — formerly Paradise Pier — guests can ride a coaster, carousel, or spin ride that pays homage to films like Incredibles , Toy Story 2 , and Inside Out while taking in food, shopping, and entertainment honoring the iconic movie studio.

And, in 2020, a new Marvel-themed area at Disney California Adventure Park will allow superhero wannabes to interact with the Avengers like never before.

Disney California Adventure Rides

There’s plenty to ride at Disney California Adventure Park, but highlights include virtual hang gliding on Soarin’ Around the World, the frenzied arcade shoot-out of Toy Story Midway Mania!, and the soaking wet joy of Grizzly River Run’s roaring rapids ride. Its newest thrill, Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT!, pairs the popular Marvel characters with a frenetic drop ride soundtracked by Star-Lord’s vintage tunes.

Disney California Adventure Park Dining

There are fantastic quick-service meals throughout the park, but Cozy Cone Motel in Cars Land is the most visually pleasing place to devour pretzel bites and stuffed bread cones. Pacific Wharf’s eateries and Pixar Pier’s Lamplight Lounge make for popular sit-down options, but the glamorous Carthay Circle Restaurant remains Disneyland Resort’s finest in-park dining option.

Disney California Adventure Park Drink Options

Unlike Disneyland, Disney California Adventure Park serves beer, wine, and cocktails throughout its restaurants, stands, and food kiosks. You can’t go wrong with wine at Mendocino Terrace, colorful concoctions at Lamplight Lounge, or craft cocktails at Carthay Circle Lounge.

Nighttime Entertainment

Both parks offer nighttime entertainment so noteworthy that park-hopping guests will struggle to choose just one. Disneyland Park’s nightly fireworks are ever-popular, but so is Fantasmic!, a waterfront retelling of Fantasia with beloved Disney characters, special effects, and pyrotechnics. (Pro tip: watch the show performed on Disneyland’s Rivers of America, and stay put for a unique view of fireworks.)

Disney California Adventure Park offers World of Color, where lighting, projections, and special effects combine to feed the show’s stunning display atop dancing water.

Disneyland Resort operates three on-property hotels: the seaside-themed Disney’s Paradise Pier, the park-influenced Disneyland Hotel, and the craftsman-style Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. There are many “good neighbor” hotels nearby, but Disneyland hotels come with perks, including Extra Magic Hour Early Admission for additional time in the parks.

Downtown Disney

Disneyland Resort’s theme parks and hotels are located around Downtown Disney, a strip of shops, restaurants, and entertainment that’s open to the public. It’s home to many themed eateries and specialized Disney boutiques including World of Disney, a massive shop that’s ideal for last-minute souvenirs. Park guests can even hop on the monorail from Downtown Disney for an extra-special entrance into Disneyland Park.

These are the best times to visit Disneyland

Editor's Note

Disneyland may be the Happiest Place on Earth, but it can be even happier if you know the sweet spots in sunny California's calendar. The ideal times to visit are when the crowds are manageable, the weather cooperates and the resort has even more magical offerings.

Related: Everything you need to know about visiting Disneyland

As someone who visits Disneyland in Anaheim with my family multiple times a year, I've learned the best days and seasons to visit the theme parks. In my travels, I've discovered how to avoid stressful crowds and manage costs. For your best time at Disneyland, here are some suggestions to help you plan your next vacation.

Best time of year for weather at Disneyland

If you aren't from Southern California, you might think the weather is perfect year-round. Although Disneyland has many more ideal weather days than Walt Disney World in Orlando , the weather doesn't always cooperate in Anaheim.

Summers in Anaheim can be hot and sometimes even humid. Unpleasantly warm weather usually continues well into the early fall. In fact, August and September are the months when I've found myself most often caught by a brutal heatwave. May, June, July and October can have some extremely warm days as well.

Contrary to the lyrics in the well-known song, it does occasionally rain in Southern California — rain is most likely in January and February. That shouldn't keep you from visiting, though. Locals with annual passes (called Magic Keys at Disneyland) often stay away when it rains. On rainy days, crowds can be incredibly light, and there are plenty of rides and shows at Disneyland to experience inside.

Best time to visit Disneyland for special events

Disneyland does seasonal and special events as well as any destination can, so many visitors plan vacations around holidays, festivals or grand openings. Here's what happens in every season.

Summer events

There are no recurring annual summer events at Disneyland, but visitors can usually count on a special theme, anniversary celebration or a grand opening of an attraction or land most years.

This summer, Disneyland will celebrate Pixar Fest in both parks from April 26 to Aug. 4. The event is expected to offer a new parade, a returning nighttime spectacular, a new food festival and quite a few new characters from more recent Pixar movies.

Nothing has been officially announced for summer 2025, but the resort will celebrate its 70th anniversary July 17, 2025. Disneyland will certainly hold several special events around that milestone, as it always does in anniversary years.

Fall events

Fall is all about Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort . The not-so-spooky decorations and autumn offerings don't start quite as early as they do at Walt Disney World, but they will debut earlier than ever in 2024 with a late August launch date.

Disneyland cast members completely transform both parks in the fall season, so it's no surprise that this is a favorite time of year for many Disneyland fans to visit. Guests can experience ride overlays like Haunted Mansion Holiday and Guardians of the Galaxy — Monsters After Dark, meet costumed characters and Disney villains, or experience Dia de los Muertos.

On certain nights in September and October, Disneyland also hosts a special hard-ticketed Halloween party event in the Disney California Adventure area called Oogie Boogie Bash . The event is incredibly popular and always sells out almost as soon as tickets go on sale.

Winter events

The holidays at the Disneyland Resort are another popular time to visit. Main Street, U.S.A. gets a giant tree, and Sleeping Beauty Castle features snowcapped turrets and lights. The decorations begin to go up the day after Halloween as soon as the pumpkins are put away. Disneyland doesn't unveil the full portfolio of holiday decor until around Veterans Day, and the holiday season extends through early January.

After the new year (usually in late January and early February), Disneyland also has a Lunar New Year festival. The event has grown substantially in the last few years, but it isn't yet on the radar of many visitors. Disney California Adventure is home to the celebrations, which feature festive food marketplaces with dishes from all over Asia, as well as parades and music.

Spring events

Spring is when the annual Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival takes place. Disneyland sets up about a dozen booths featuring California-inspired cuisine that is not offered at any other time of year. The dates fluctuate, but the event usually starts in early March and runs through late April, covering most school spring break dates.

Related: The best credit cards for your Disney vacation

Best time to visit Disneyland for low crowds

If the last few years have taught us anything about Disneyland crowds, it is that they are rarely low anymore. Disneyland is extraordinarily popular with both tourists and locals alike, and it's increasingly rare to find times when other guests stay away.

That said, looking at a crowd calendar (like the ones offered by Touring Plans ) can help. Also, take a peek at Disneyland's Magic Key blockout calendars. Locals make up a huge portion of the crowds at Disneyland. The dates when many of the cheaper annual passes are blocked out can often offer much more room for out-of-town vacationers to play.

Times of year when crowds are traditionally lower include:

• January and February : Crowds are lowest this time of year (except on the three-day holiday weekends). This is also the time when Disneyland traditionally takes several rides out of service for refurbishment, so you may miss some of your favorites. Park hours are also shorter.
• Early March : Spring break crowds are spread out over multiple weeks at Disneyland in March and April, but if you can come about a week before the critical mass begins, the payoff is usually solid.
• Late April and early May : This time of year between spring break and summer vacation is traditionally slower but can sometimes be skewed by spring ticket deals for locals. This year's spring ticket deal doesn't expire until June 2 (later in the season than usual), so that may help keep late April and early May quieter again.
• Mid-August : A lot of California and West Coast schools go back in session in the middle of the month of August, and the parks can empty out for a short while as a result. The last two weeks of August have historically had low crowds, but with Halloween Time starting earlier than usual Aug. 23, expect this low-crowd period to be compressed this year.
• Early and mid-September : After Labor Day weekend, there can be a lull in attendance before the Halloween parties have traditionally started. The dates for Oogie Boogie Bash in 2024, however, have not been announced. If the parties start earlier than in past years, this low-crowd period may disappear.
• Mid-November : After Veterans Day but before Thanksgiving week is another sweet spot in the crowd calendar most years.
• Early December : There's another lull in crowds after the Thanksgiving travelers go home but before schools start letting kids out for the winter holidays.

Guests can do their best to avoid crowds when picking a date, but it's also essential to have a good touring plan as a backup if you stumble into a higher-crowd time. See TPG's guide to skipping lines at Disneyland for suggestions.

Best time to visit Disneyland for lower prices

The cost of a Disneyland vacation can be substantial, so many visitors want to travel when they can get the best deals — crowds and weather notwithstanding.

Affordable airfare

There are year-round deals for flying to Disneyland . According to historical data from Skyscanner , the best months to book cheap flights to Los Angeles include January, February and September.

Related: The best airports for Disneyland

There are half a dozen airports in greater Los Angeles, the largest of which is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). If you have nonstop service from your home airport into airports other than LAX, the best and easiest airports to use are Orange County's John Wayne Airport (SNA) and Long Beach Airport (LGB). Both airports have a major Southwest Airlines presence, so sometimes finding a deal to these airports is as easy as watching for Southwest fare sales.

Affordable hotels

Disneyland draws travelers from many western states who fly or drive in for quick weekend visits. For this reason, Disneyland-area hotels are usually more expensive on Friday, Saturday and even Sunday nights. If you can visit midweek, you'll usually find cheaper hotel prices.

If you are on the hunt for less expensive hotel prices, also take a look at the schedule of major conferences held at the nearby Anaheim Convention Center. Rates soar when a large conference is in town.

According to travel agency Get Away Today , an agency specializing in Disneyland and Southern California travel, the cheapest months for Anaheim hotel prices include the following:

• January (excluding the dates of the National Association of Music Merchants trade show)
• May (excluding Memorial Day weekend)
• November (excluding the week of Thanksgiving)
• December (first half)

Unsurprisingly, these cheaper times roughly track with many of the time periods when Disneyland historically has lower crowds.

Worst times to visit Disneyland

If you aren't trying to over-optimize your Disneyland vacation, how can you at least avoid the absolute worst times to visit? I'd contend that it's possible to have fun at Disneyland 365 days a year, but there are some guidelines on how to avoid the priciest or most stressful times.

Unless you have no other choice, I highly recommend avoiding the week between Christmas and New Year's Day at all costs. Crowd levels can be truly epic, with the parks often reaching capacity on several days during this time. Line-cutting tools like Disney Genie+ passes can often sell out and run out of return times early in the day. Prices for everything from hotels to tickets are at their absolute maximum. Early winter rain storms can derail vacationers this time of year as well.

Other expensive and crowded dates to watch out for include the few days right around Thanksgiving as well as the first day or two of any brand-new park attraction, especially a new ride or land debut.

Bottom line

There's no bad time to visit Disneyland, but there are certainly times when travelers can minimize the inconveniences and maximize their time and money. Dates when weather, crowds and special events all align can be some of the very best options.

Two of my favorite times to visit are early December and early March; this is when the crowds die down, the weather is great and Disney spins its seasonal magic.

Related reading:

• How to use points for Disney tickets
• Where to stay at Disneyland: On vs. off-property hotel comparisons
• Skip the lines at Disneyland: 10 line-busting tips for less waiting and more playing
• Best restaurants at Disneyland
• Save money on Disney resort stays by renting points

Best & Worst Days of the Week to Do Disneyland & Disney California Adventure

Wondering which days of the week to visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure for the lowest crowds? This guide covers which dates have the lowest and highest wait times, plus commentary about weekdays vs. weekends, Halloween & Christmas seasons, how SoCal ticket deals impact daily attendance, and more.

When it comes to choosing the best and worst times to visit Disneyland, there’s a lot to consider. If you’re planning a  trip  that will encompass multiple days–including weekdays and weekends, we recommend consulting our Disneyland Crowd Calendars to choose travel dates instead of this. That gets updated fairly regularly, with each individual month receiving a refresh right before it begins for optimal accuracy.

If you’re more concerned with the quality of the overall experience, we also have something more holistic and practical, see our  Best & Worst Months to Visit Disneyland . Again, though, that’s for choosing vacation dates. If you’re a Californian or are “only” doing a few days at Disneyland and want to pick the optimal ones, this covers which days of the week to do each park…

For much of the last three years, conventional day of the week wisdom for Disneyland has been irrelevant or flat out wrong. Capacity constraints and the introduction of park reservations were big factors. Even though park reservations are longer needed to limit attendance for regular ticket holders most of the time, they’re still being used to redistribute crowds and normalize numbers.

This is most significant with Magic Key Passholders. Prior to 2019 when the Flex Pass debuted, Annual Passes did not require reservations–they just had blockout dates. For the last few years or so, all  Magic Key APs have had both blockout dates and reservations. (With that said, it’s possible that ‘good to go’ days will be added to Magic Keys in 2024, further complicating the calculus.)

Even if you know absolutely nothing about Disneyland and have never visited in your life, you could probably guess which days local Annual Passholders would naturally gravitate to the parks. If not, the answer is Saturdays and Sundays. Those are the days people have off work and school, so those are the days they were proportionately more likely to do Disneyland, all else being equal. A few years ago, Saturdays and Sundays (plus Friday nights) were the busiest days of the week. You might find resources that indicate that’s still the case, but those are outdated. At least, for much of the year.

Even before, Annual Passes had more blockout dates that increasingly attempted to push locals away  from weekends. That worked to an extent, and organic demand was manipulated and crowds were spread out throughout the week.  Emphasis on ‘to an extent.’ There was no perfect way to manage attendance with surgical precision, and weekends still were busier. That’s the natural end result with theme parks that are more reliant on locals than tourists most of the year. Visiting patterns could only be shifted so much via blockouts.

In the last few years, park reservations have offered much more surgical precision than in the past. These work in tandem with Magic Key Annual Passholder blockouts to further limit the days that many locals can visit. Typically, park reservations for weekends fill up first for Magic Keyholders. And again, this is on top of blockout dates, during which they’re unable to visit entirely.

These blockouts have gotten more aggressive, with half of the tiers of Magic Keys being blocked out most (or all) weekends and another tier having weekend blockouts during the Halloween and Christmas seasons. Only the top tier doesn’t have weekend-specific blockouts, but it is blocked the entire two weeks around Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

These Magic Key blockouts and reservation limitations have actually been  too effective  and  too aggressive . The end result is that, on average, the busiest days of the week have now flip-flopped. Saturdays and Sundays are now less busy on average, whereas Mondays and Tuesdays have become the two busiest days of the week.

So if you’re planning a multi-day Disneyland vacation and want the short and sweet answer about when to visit that will be true more often than not, the answer is to visit Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Thursdays through Sundays and avoid Mondays through Wednesdays.

Based upon average wait times over the course of the entire year, Fridays and Sundays are objectively the best days to do Disneyland and DCA, followed closely by Thursdays and Saturdays. Mondays through Wednesdays are pretty much equally bad. If you want the relatively quick answer without reading all of the confusing caveats, there you have it.

With that said, there’s more nuance to the recommendations than that, and these generalizations don’t always hold true. That’s because you’re visiting on actual  days and not an  average  of all days. These exceptions become particularly important during

The next biggest predictor of whether the above is true is blockouts. In a nutshell, the more blockouts, the more likely it is that the above will hold true. When Saturdays and Sundays are aggressively blocked out to Annual Passholders, the weekends become even more attractive to everyone else. When they are not blocked out, the weekends become less attractive.

We’re not going to run through the entire calendar to tell you when this is or isn’t the case. That would probably end up being more confusing and ultimately counterproductive. Instead, refer to Disneyland’s Magic Key Blockout Calendar . In particular, you should look for the blockouts on the Believe, Enchant, and Imagine tiers.

When the Believe is blocked out on weekends, those will be good days for you to visit; when the Imagine tier is blocked out on Thursday or Fridays, those will be good days. Conversely, the Mondays through Wednesday will be even worse during those same timeframes.

It’s not just Magic Key APs, though. The other really big factor is discount tickets for Californians. These are typically offered twice per year, one in the winter and spring for Southern California residents and another in the summer and fall for all Californians. These are almost always blocked out on weekends–either Saturday and Sunday or Friday through Sunday.

Those discount Californian tickets in tandem with the Magic Key blockouts further exaggerate the difference between weekdays and weekends. During these deals, Fridays can become much more attractive if they’re blocked out.

The other major wrinkle here is that crowds noticeably increase during the last couple weeks that these tickets are valid. Californians scramble to use these tickets before they expire, resulting in a surge of crowds in the last couple of weeks (usually late May and late September, as that’s when the ticket deals wrap up).

You might  think  that this wouldn’t happen because Disneyland still uses reservations to control park attendance and prevent overcrowding. But you’d be wrong. While your logic would be sound, what we’ve actually observed in practice is that Disneyland “magically” finds more capacity and refills the reservations during these timeframes.

Other contributing factors are whether school is in session and if it’s California’s tourist season. In order for Mondays through Wednesdays to truly be bad, there needs to be an ample pool of people to visit the parks during those times. If school is back in session for Southern California districts and out of state tourists are less likely to visit, there might not be much of a difference between weekends and weekdays.

A good illustrative example is late January through mid-February, after MLK Weekend but before Presidents’ Day. School is in session during the week for Los Angeles and Orange County  and  it’s the least popular time of the year for tourists to visit Southern California. During this stretch, there’s far less demand for weekdays  and  there are fewer weekend blockouts. Consequently, there’s minimal difference between weekdays and weekends. In fact, weekends might be busier.

Conversely, if many schools throughout California, the West, or the entire country are out of session, there are more than enough tourists to create a meaningful difference between weekdays and weekends. These are also the times of the year when Mondays through Wednesday are the absolute worst days to visit–tourists often arrive over the weekend and make their park days Mondays through Wednesdays.

Yet another variable to consider is Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party during September and October. On dates when this event occurs, Disney California Adventure closes early. As a result, DCA offers less value to tourists and they tend to flock to Disneyland on Halloween Party days.

The converse is also true: on non-party days, tourists disproportionately do DCA, and Disneyland is less busy. We usually recommend Park Hopper tickets at Disneyland Resort because Park Hopping is so easy, but that’s doubly true during Oogie Boogie Bash season. The optimal approach is going against the grain–doing DCA on party days until about 4 pm, and then Park Hopping over to Disneyland for the rest of the evening. Then start at Disneyland on non-party days.

Speaking of Halloween, the heart of both that and the holiday season can be a big exception. These times of year are tremendously popular with locals who will flock to the park on weekends. Conversely, outside of the holiday weeks and school breaks (which includes fall breaks in October–don’t forget that one), it’s not tourist season in California. The end result is another inversion of the new-normal, and busier weekends than weekdays during the off-peak weeks.

Confused yet?! An illustrative example of times when weekends are likely to be worse would be mid-November or early December–windows when there are no adjacent holidays or school breaks. By contrast, the Monday or Tuesday of Thanksgiving week will almost certainly be busier than the Sunday immediately before that Monday, or the Sunday after it. (Does that make a bit more sense?)

Finally, there is one more caveat we have to add. Disneyland often only has nighttime spectaculars with pyro on Friday through Sunday nights. This means a couple of things, with the obvious being that you should do one of these days if you want to see the nighttime spectacular ‘with fireworks’ instead of ‘with projections.’

The other is that there’s a ton more congestion around Main Street USA on these nights, as far more people want to see the ‘with fireworks’ version. So even though weekends are typically less busy, you will encounter the worst ‘feels like’ crowds of the entire week on and around Main Street around the fireworks. (Conversely, rides have lower wait times shortly before, during, and after the fireworks on those nights because a large number of guests are congregating in a few areas for fireworks.)

We recognize that this is a lot to digest. That’s because there are a ton of different variables that impact day of week recommendations, and no hard and fast rule throughout the entire year despite what can be gleaned from averages. So we figured we’d run through the factors with some ‘teach you to fish’ guidelines rather than doing the fishing for you.

With that said, there are a couple more things we’re going to discuss…

How Much Does Day of the Week Matter?

Over the course of the entire year, the average wait time difference between the worst day (Monday) and best day (Friday) is 5 minutes. That may not seem like much, but a 5 minute difference on every attraction adds up. Over the course of the day, it can amount to an extra few rides–at least, in theory.

However, it’s not usually a 5 minute difference. As noted above, there are some weeks of the year when the differences are virtually nonexistent, and others when the gap is much more pronounced. It largely depends upon the degree of blockouts and whether weekdays have school breaks.

Beyond that, there are also  time of day differences. For example, the average Friday isn’t going to see consistent crowd levels throughout the day. It’s going to start slow (especially if school is in session!) and get progressively busier as locals get off work and head to the parks. So you might encounter incredibly low crowd levels to start the day, but moderate to high ones by the end of the night.

There’s also typically much more of a difference in crowds between weeks rather than within them. Accordingly, choosing a good time to visit Disneyland is significantly more important than how you allocate your days within the week.

Even more important is arriving early, which is the simplest way to beat crowds at Disneyland. Due to guest demographics, wait times increase over the course of the day–Disneyland crowds tend to be much more late-arriving than Walt Disney World crowds. And as mentioned above, that’s even more pronounced when school is in session and it isn’t California’s tourist season.

Just as crucial is having savvy strategy. Picking a great day or week to visit can make touring the parks significantly easier, but so too can having a good itinerary that zigs when others zag. Then there’s the option of buying your way out of crowds with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes , which is another good fail safe option. (Unlike Walt Disney World, Genie+ works pretty flawlessly at Disneyland.)

Choosing the best days of the week–and avoiding the worst ones–at Disneyland is pretty low priority in the grand scheme of planning and comes after all of those things. Honestly, if I were doing a Southern California vacation that included, for example, days at the best beaches near Disneyland or Universal Studios Hollywood , I might prioritize traffic (generally lower on weekends) or crowds at those destinations (generally higher on weekends) over Disneyland day-of-week crowd trends. In other words, there are a lot of moving parts to consider!

With all of that said, these best & worst Disneyland day of week recommendations can be useful for those boxed into less than ideal travel dates due to school or work schedules. Same goes for anyone who realistically won’t have the option to arrive early or stay late. There’s a reason those times are most advantageous–because it’s simply not feasible for many families with small children.

Ditto anyone who doesn’t want to pay extra for Genie+ on principle, or because it’s not in their vacation budget. For anyone this describes, carefully choosing days of the week for each park can relieve some pressure and result in shorter wait times. The bottom line is that choosing the best days of the week and avoiding the worst ones can matter, but usually not  that much.

Moreover, day of the week recommendations are pretty easy to disrupt. We already covered some of the reasons for this above. Other factors that cannot be planned around include bad weather (Southern Californians are terrified of rain) or inordinate attraction downtime. Either of those things can be enough to turn a “bad” day into a “good” one in terms of wait times, or vice-versa.

We realize that a lot of this is conditional to the point that it almost might be useless. (Sorry!) With that in mind, I’ll let you in on a few of our favorite “secret” times to visit Disneyland. (They are not really secrets, but that sounds cooler, right?!)

The first is rope dropping the parks on Friday. As mentioned above, this is typically the slowest day of the week and it is disproportionately less crowded early in the day. Do as many high-priority rides as possible first thing, and then switch gears as the crowds start to materialize. Do less popular attractions, a table service dinner, or perhaps an evening outside the parks.

Second, do Sunday nights. In a way, this is the “opposite” of the Friday advice. Instead of locals arriving late to start their weekend, they are leaving early to wrap up their weekend and prepare for the upcoming school or workweek. This really only “works” if you’re able to stay until the bitter end, but those final few hours between around 9 pm and midnight are pure bliss!

Finally, our absolute favorite days to visit Disneyland are when it’s rainy. If there’s any amount of precipitation in the forecast, disregard all other day of week advice, drop everything you’re doing and head to Disneyland. That line about Californians being terrified of rain might read as a joke, but it very much is not.

We try to make a point of visiting when it’s raining–this is one big way that Disneyland is very different from Walt Disney World. Floridians and tourists are totally nonplussed by any weather short of a hurricane. They remain undeterred, and continue visiting in full force. Meanwhile, Californians will stay home if there’s even a slight drizzle. Obviously, you can’t really plan for this–and it’s very infrequent–but if it’s even sprinkling a bit, you should get to the parks!

Honestly, these last few random time of day tips are probably better and more reliably good advice than the entirety of the day of the week recommendations. But we’ve had a lot of people ask about this, and the problem is that it’s not as straightforward as the averages imply (or even as is the case at Walt Disney World) due to those pesky locals!

Ultimately, simply by virtue of researching and reading a post about the best and worst days of the week to visit Disneyland, you’ve done more to prepare and plan than 95% of guests–no thanks to this post itself, but because you’re almost certainly not reading just this strategy. While the advice here is theoretically useful, it’s pretty far from make or break.

You’re much better off using the other resources on this blog to choose good months or weeks to visit. If that’s not an option (or even if it is), remember to arrive early or stay late. Failing that, use our itineraries to prioritize attractions in the best order. Don’t want to do that for some odd reason, spend the money on Genie+ and buy your way out of lines. If you’d rather not spend money and go with the flow during a midday-only visit…I guess this is the best advice for you!

Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets . Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings . For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews . For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney . For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide . Finally, for guides  beyond Disney , check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!

Your Thoughts

Which days are your favorites for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure? If you’re a local, have you noticed a shift from weekends being busier to weekdays being busier in the era of Magic Key (and other ticket) reservations? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!

Written by Tom Bricker

Hi – I’ve been studying your advice religiously and was pleased to read weekends are generally quieter as had planned to be in the parks on May 5th as it’s my birthday but then you mentioned “Bats Day” (whatever that is). How bad will ”Bats Day’ be? We are travelling from the UK and have 4 day park hoppers (window 1st – 6th May) and I was excited to be in the park for my birthday but now I’m worried – should I ask for Genie+ as a birthday present lol – will that save the day?

I always tell people that ask , the best time to go is when it’s raining. That’s hard to plan for of course in SoCal, especially since you need reservations. But it’s definitely worth trading a bit of discomfort, for an empty park.

Since they are returning to 1 park per day for early entry, what is the strategy if you do not have hoppers? (we will have 4 1-park per day tix) Avoid the early entry park because more people will be heading to that park? Or the reverse? (we are WDW regulars and used to rope drop early entry days and then hop to a non-early entry park – back when it was 1 park rather than all.)

Disneyland currently only lets guests at Disney resorts and villas access to Early Entry, as opposed to before when a lot more guests had access via multi-day tickets and non-Disney hotel packages. While I’d personally try and go to the same park if you’re using Early Entry and the other park if you aren’t, Tom’s right that there’s currently so few guests with access that it probably won’t matter at all, and definitely not as much as everything in this post.

UPDATE: Genie is $35 for Wednesday 10/11. Is this what we are in store for thru the end of the year? The parks are INSANE.

Genie is $35 for Wednesday 10/11. Is this what we are in store for thru the end of the year? The parks are INSANE.

This aligns pretty well to our recent trip. We were there Saturday, Sunday, and Monday in early December. Sunday had the lightest crowds of the three days by far, and Monday was easily the most packed. Weekends are certainly not what they used to be.

Tom, I have followed much of your advice through the years at WDW and it has been very helpful. We are finally making a trip out to DL in June 2024 the 1st to the 8th for a full week, mainly because since I am coming from the east coast and this trip is a one shot deal and I want fireworks every night and that is only possible after Memorial Day weekend I learned from doing research. With that being said I will try to take this daily advice but I planned for a week long at DL and DCA so I could do it all and not have to worry about crowd levels and missing a ride due to wait times. We are WDW pros thanks to you so I feel confident we will get it all done in CA at DL and DCA but any additional advice you have will be appreciated.

I am not Tom, but I am going to chime in and say with a trip of that length you probably don’t have to strategize at all. The last time I was at Disneyland we did 3 full days with Park Hopper (no Genie+) and did everything we wanted, including many of the big rides multiple times. Granted, this was during the mid-May shoulder season and your trip is more squarely in “summer vacation” territory, but you also have over twice the amount of park time we did. The only way you are not getting on every ride during that time is if something is closed for refurbishment or you decide just not to do it.

One thing you didn’t mention is that the vibe/clientele of the park is very different on days when the lowest 2 tiers of magic keys are vs. aren’t blacked out. When only full-price tickets and the most expensive passes are allowed, certain types of people and groups just don’t end up showing up nearly as much, but you do get more families and people with tickets there on vacation. Even if the AMOUNT of people is the same between weekdays and weekends, the type of people and feel of the park is nicer on weekends for sure. It’s like how EPCOT becomes a drinking festival on Friday nights sometimes, but at a smaller scale.

I’m going to start my visit this weekend and am struggling to finalize my last day. I have a four day hopper with Genie, and for the first three days, I’m visiting Saturday-Monday, October 14-16. That’s a sure thing. I’m currently reserved for my last day to be Saturday, October 21, but part of me wants to switch to Tuesday the 17th (currently scheduled to be a rest day). Wed-Fri will be spent doing Horror Nights or Knott’s Scary Farm. I can see that two of the three tiers of Keyholders you said to look at are blocked on Saturdays, and that all tiers appear to have availability on Tuesday.

In favor of Saturday, I like the idea of having a rest day on Tuesday, because otherwise I’m doing theme parks & Halloween events for seven straight days in a row, and then resting the last day before flying home. But realistically going from Scary Farm on Friday to DL the day after would be a lot too, and I’m almost certainly not going to be able to stay til SF close AND ALSO do DL at opening.

If Tuesday is going to be much less crowded, then it might be nice to switch over to that. But that would also mean I would have to start two days at DCA instead of one, and I’m a bit low on DCA at the moment. There’s also the aforementioned seven parks/Halloween events in a row drawback.

I did not get tickets to OBB.

I’m skeptical that I’ll be at my most energetic for either final Disneyland day just based on where either day is timewise in my schedule, so this is me trying to find the best option under the circumstances.

I don’t feel like there’s a perfect option, but based on the above, do you think it would be better for me to make my final DLR day Tuesday the 17 or Saturday the 21?

If it were me, I’d do Tuesday.

This is one of those times when the crowd calendar overrides the day of the week calendar, and this coming weekend is going to be fall break for many school districts in California. It hopefully won’t be as bad as this weekend, but it should still be pretty bad.

There’s a good chance it’ll still be very busy on Tuesday, so you might end up cursing this recommendation…but I think it’ll be even worse Saturday. Neither are particularly great options, though, so you could also just do whichever you’d prefer and not worry about the crowd ramifications. It’s going to be some degree of packed either way.

I don’t know what truly is going on but genie + is progressively being priced at $30 and has sold out these last 2 days. When it hasn’t, by noon selections are pushed out to 11 pm. The standby lines are levels not previously seen as they look like Disney World wait times at the height of vacation times. I have the top pass and only buy genie when visiting with a guest so most of the times I am only getting on a big ride by waiting over an hour. With the daytime parade ending this week and no Fantasmic in the near future there is little to pull crowds away for entertainment purposes except for fireworks/projections. Visiting has been a pretty miserable experience for awhile now and seems to be getting worse. For some reason genie + has ruined the experience for those not wanting to pay significantly more for their visit. I don’t see how they fix it but I wish they could.

Ouch! It’s the worst weekend of fall break, so I’m not surprised, but it certainly doesn’t help that the entertainment slate is depleted and about to get worse. I know it comes down to staffing (partially), but I’m still surprised (and disappointed) they don’t have more entertainment to help absorb the crowds.

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A Guide to Finding the Best Time to Visit Disneyland

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Finding the best time to visit Disneyland can be tricky, this guide will cover what you can expect during each season and will help you decide when would be the best time for your family visit.

Disneyland Park is undoubtedly one of the world’s most popular and beloved theme parks. Located in Anaheim, California, it is a dream destination for many children and adults, offering a unique combination of thrilling rides, magical experiences, and a nostalgia-inducing atmosphere.

However, with its immense popularity, Disneyland can often get overcrowded and overwhelming, leading to long lines, wait times, and a less-than-magical experience. This is why choosing the best time to visit Disneyland is crucial, as it can make a significant difference in your overall experience.

In this guide, I’ll take you through the various factors to consider when choosing the best time to visit Disneyland, including weather and seasonal events, crowds and wait times, park hours and unique offerings, and personal preferences and priorities. By understanding these factors, you can plan ahead and make the most of your Disneyland trip, resulting in a stress-free and magical experience for you and your loved ones.

Make sure you check out my  Disneyland Crowd Calendar  to help you pick the best time to visit Disneyland.

Table of Contents

Discount disney park tickets and hotels.

After you pick the best time to visit Disneyland, you’re going to need tickets and a hotel! Please be aware that all Disney parks require park tickets and a theme park reservation. Make sure you have both! Please don’t pay the full price for your Disneyland tickets or hotel. My partners at  Get Away Today  have the very best deals on tickets and hotels. Their customer service is top-notch, and they even have layaway plans. You can find them by clicking on the image below or by calling  1-855-GET-AWAY . Make sure you tell them Melissa from Mix In Some Magic, sent you the best deal!

They have great deals on hotels! Many of their properties offer a free night with a stay, free parking, extra discounts, or a complimentary breakfast! You save the most money when you purchase a vacation package and bundle your hotel rooms with one of their discount resort ticket offer.

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I have a bunch of hotel reviews that might be helpful for you if you’re still trying to decide where you’d like to stay.

What Is Disneyland’s Least Busy Month?

When looking for the best time to visit Disneyland, People are always wondering what is the least busy month. Finding a slow time for your Disneyland vacation these days is tricky. Disneyland is a popular place and is usually crowded. However, there are lower crowds in January and February(if you avoid holidays); Early March is a good time(before Spring Breaks and  Grad Nites  get going). You can also find low crowds on Halloween day and the first week of November. If those times of the year don’t work for you, don’t stress! Even when it’s crowded, you can still have a great time at Disneyland. 

What is Disneyland’s Most Busy Month?

Summer break at Disneyland is jam-packed; if you’re able to avoid summer vacation, you’ll have lower crowds. You’ll also find high crowds during all major holidays and school breaks. The worst time to visit Disneyland(if you’re trying to avoid crowds) is between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The parks are bustling during Christmas break. During this time of year, wait times for popular attractions can get quite long. Avoid it if possible.  The best time to visit Disneyland for my family is avoiding the most busy times of the year, if possible.

Check out my podcast episode where I discuss the best time to visit Disneyland. In it, I cover each month of the year and talk about what you can expect and how to plan!

If you’re looking for Disneyland planning tips, and the latest Disneyland park news you’re in the right place! I also talk about Disneyland park history, the storytelling behind the attractions, and my latest Disney park adventures. I’m here to help you plan your Disney vacation with a little extra magic mixed in. Join me!

In this episode, I talk about the best time to visit Disneyland in 2023! There are some pretty big things happening at Disneyland next year and I talk about them all. Plus, I have a giveaway happening for my podcast listeners! 

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Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Time to Visit Disneyland

• Weather and Seasonal Events: The weather in Anaheim, California, is usually warm and sunny, but it’s essential to keep in mind the seasonal changes and how they can impact your experience. For example, summer tends to be the busiest due to summer vacations, and temperatures can get scorching hot. Spring and fall offer milder weather but also the possibility of rain. Additionally, Disneyland hosts various seasonal events throughout the year, such as  Halloween  and  Holiday celebrations , which can impact crowds and ride availability.
• Crowds and Wait Times: The number of visitors at Disneyland can vary significantly from day to day and season to season, so it’s essential to research crowd levels before planning your trip. Holidays and weekends are the busiest, with longer wait times for rides and attractions. On the other hand, weekdays during the off-season tend to have lower crowd levels and shorter wait times. I recommend using  Disney Genie Plus  to skip the long lines no matter when you’re visiting. 
• Park Hours and Special Offerings: Disneyland has varying park hours throughout the year, with some attractions and events only available during certain times. It’s important to check the park’s schedule and plan your visit accordingly. Additionally, Disneyland offers special promotions and deals during off-peak seasons, such as discounted tickets or hotel rates.
• Personal Preferences and Priorities: Everyone has their own unique preferences and priorities when it comes to visiting Disneyland. Some may prioritize character meet and greets, while others prefer thrill rides. Some may prefer a quieter, more relaxed experience, while others may thrive in the hustle and bustle of the park. It’s essential to consider your preferences and priorities when planning your trip to ensure you have the best possible experience.

Considering these factors when planning your Disneyland trip, you can choose the best time to visit Disneyland that aligns with your preferences and priorities, resulting in a memorable and stress-free experience.

 Best Time to Visit Disneyland by Season

One of the most significant factors to consider when planning a trip to Disneyland is the time of year you visit. The seasons can significantly impact the park’s crowd levels, weather, and events. Here is a breakdown of the best times to visit Disneyland by season:

• Winter (January-March): Winter is generally considered one of the best times to visit Disneyland, as the park experiences lower crowd levels and shorter wait times. The weather is mild, with occasional rain, but you’ll have the chance to experience festive seasonal events, such as the  Lunar New Year celebration . Additionally, Disneyland’s Christmas decorations typically stay up until early January, so you can still experience the magic of the holiday season.
• Spring (April-June): Spring can be a great time to visit Disneyland, with mild temperatures and the blooming of flowers throughout the park. However, spring break and Easter can bring in crowds, so it’s essential to plan accordingly. The park also hosts the popular  Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival  during this time, which can be a highlight for foodies.
• Summer (July-September): Summer is the busiest time to visit Disneyland, with crowds at their peak due to summer vacations. Temperatures can also get extremely hot, so staying hydrated and taking breaks in the shade is essential. However, the park offers extended hours, with nightly fireworks and the popular Fantasmic! Show.
• Fall (October-December): Fall is a fantastic time to visit Disneyland, with festive Halloween decorations and seasonal events like the  Oogie Boogie Bash . The park also transitions into its holiday season in November with festive decorations, holiday-themed rides, and the popular “it’s a small world” holiday overlay. The crowds tend to be lower during this time, except for the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The best time to visit Disneyland will depend on your preferences and priorities. If you prefer lower crowds and milder weather, consider visiting during the off-season of winter and fall. If you want to experience extended hours and nighttime shows, summer may be the best time for you. Regardless of when you visit, planning and considering these seasonal factors can help ensure you have a magical and stress-free experience at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Tips for Avoiding Crowds and Long Wait Times

Even if you pick the best time to visit Disneyland, one of the most significant challenges is dealing with the crowds and long wait times for popular rides and attractions. Fortunately, there are several strategies you can use to minimize your wait time and make the most of your visit. Here are some tips for avoiding crowds and long wait times:

• Using  Genie Plus : Genie Plus is a service offered by Disneyland that allows you to reserve a spot in line for certain rides and attractions. Genie Plus is a paid service that allows you to reserve Lightning Lanes from your mobile device. Using these services strategically can minimize your wait time and make the most of your day at the park.
• Choosing the correct day of the week: Crowd levels at Disneyland can vary significantly depending on the day of the week. Generally, weekdays tend to have lower crowds than weekends, while Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the least busy. Sundays have also had lower crowds lately. It’s essential to avoid holidays and special events when crowds tend to be at their peak.
• Arriving early or staying late: Another strategy for avoiding crowds is to arrive at the park before it opens(Rope Drop) or stay until it closes. Many popular rides and attractions have shorter wait times during the first and last hours of the day. Additionally, if you stay late, you can take advantage of shorter wait times during the park’s nightly entertainment shows. I prefer to arrive early because it is one of the best ways for you to maximize your time at Disneyland. I have a complete guide to  rope-dropping at Disneyland . 
• Taking advantage of Early Entry: If you’re staying at a Disneyland resort hotel, you are eligible for early entry, allowing you to enter Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Park 30 minutes early. Select attractions are open during this time. This can be a great way to experience popular rides and attractions with shorter wait times. Check out my complete  guide to early entry  for tips and strategies. 
• ​Make A Plan: Have a basic outline of how you’d like your Disney days to go. So many people waste valuable time deciding what to do next. Figure out what rides are most important to your group and prioritize them. Are you planning on meeting characters? Are there any shows you’d like to see? Give these things some thought before you arrive, and it will help save you time once you’re in the park. I have  touring plans  that utilize Genie Plus and give you a step-by-step Disneyland itinerary that will be helpful for you if you’re looking for a premade plan that you can easily follow. 

Using these tips and strategies, you can minimize your wait time and maximize your visit to Disneyland. Remember to plan, prioritize your must-see attractions, and be flexible with your schedule to ensure a magical and stress-free experience at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Choosing the best time to visit Disneyland can make all the difference in ensuring a magical and stress-free experience at the park. By considering the weather, crowds, park hours, and personal preferences, you can select the ideal season to visit and plan your trip accordingly.

Remember to prioritize your must-see attractions, take advantage of Genie Plus, and use strategies such as arriving early or staying late and taking advantage of Early Entry to avoid crowds and long wait times. And most importantly, plan ahead and be flexible with your schedule to make the most of your time at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Whether you’re visiting Disneyland for the first time or the hundredth, I hope this guide to finding the best time to visit Disneyland was helpful for you! There’s always something new and exciting to discover at Disneyland! By following these tips and planning, you can make your visit to Disneyland an unforgettable experience for you and your loved ones. So what are you waiting for? Pick the best time to visit Disneyland and start planning your dream Disneyland trip today. Prepare for a magical adventure!

Make sure to check out my podcast for lots of Disney planning information! You can find it on  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts. Just search for “Mix In Some Magic” Follow me on  Instagram  for lots of Disney tips and fun!

I'm Melissa, your Disney vacation aficionado and full-time mom to four. Whether it's sipping Diet Dr. Pepper or sharing unbeatable Disney planning tips, I'm all about adding a touch of magic to everyday life. Let me help turn your Disney dreams into reality with insider advice and customized planning strategies. Join me on this magical journey and make every Disney adventure unforgettable! Read more...

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2024 BEST Days to Go to Disneyland (Full Crowd Calendar Guide)

Are you trying to figure out, what are the best days to go to Disneyland Resort?

Here’s the deal – anytime you, your family, and friends can go on vacation, IS a good time to visit the Disneyland Resort. But some days are simply better.

When the crowd is less, wait times are minimal, and there’s worrying about packed resorts.

When’s that? That’s the mystery I’m are going to unravel in this guide as I should you how to choose the best days to go to Disneyland using the Crowd Calendar.

2024 Disneyland Resort Crowd Calendar

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Best Time to Go to Disneyland at a Glance:

• The best months to visit Disneyland to avoid the crowds are: January and February
• Your best days to visit Disneyland are:  Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
• Be sure to avoid all major holidays such as:  Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day Weekend,  Halloween,  Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s Eve

Disneyland vs. Disney World

When it comes to Walt Disney World (WDW), the answers to your trip are easily available online about when to travel, what to do, and how to go about your Disney World vacation.

But Disneyland, not so much.

But why should you bother? Is Disneyland Resort even worth the trip?

YES! Read on.

I am a Disney World fangirl. I’ve been going to Disney World since the mid-1990s before I even thought about planning a trip to Disneyland Resort.

When compared to Disney World, the Disneyland Resort has half the number of theme parks: Disneyland and California Adventure.

In my naivety, I assumed that the Disneyland Resort would be an exact replica to the Magic Kingdom.

But boy, was I wrong!

I’d have known better if only I would have done the usual “Disney World vs Disneyland” Google search. But I was just way too confident.

Space Mountain Disneyland vs Disney World: Which is Better?

Rides, Attractions and Entertainment at Disneyland

Despite being small, the number of attractions at Disneyland are 36+ compared to the 27+ rides at the Magic Kingdom (the more similar park at WDW).

Much like Walt Disney World, the Disneyland Resort also includes resort hotels. Although, few in number due to the limited space available in California.

There’s a Downtown Disney (instead of Disney Springs at Disney World) – the entertainment, dining, and shopping area of the California Disney Resort too.

In a nutshell, there’s a lot of things and attractions that make Disneyland Resort just as popular and crowded as Walt Disney World.

In fact, it is one of the most-visited theme park in the world with 18+ million annual visitors. This is why we need the Disneyland Crowd Calendar Trackers.

Get Your Discounted Disneyland Tickets here!

What is the Disneyland Crowd Calendar?

Disneyland Crowd Tracker, also known as Disneyland Crowd Calendar , is a curated planner that predicts just how crowded the park will be on any given date throughout the year.

Since it’s obvious that most of us would want to avoid busy days at Disneyland, this tracker helps us narrow down the ideal dates to travel.

How Does The Disneyland Crowd Calendar Work?

Typically, a Disneyland crowd predictor is made by collecting attendance data from recent years and observing which days usually see long queues at the Disneyland Resort parks.

If there’s a major event that happens at the park, like a grand opening or a special holiday, the calendar algorithm will be adjusted based on previous Disney events.

Each level of busyness is categorized as: heavy, light, or moderate and will be color coordinated on the Crowd Calendar with:

• Red  indicating high crowd levels
• Yellow and Orange  indicating moderate crowd levels
• Green  indicating low crowd levels

Once you have this information, you can then figure out which month, week, and day will work best for you when choosing when to visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

Today, the Internet floods with these calendars. You will find tons of them in a variety of formats, looks, and setups.

Don’t feel overwhelmed by this, because having multiple Disneyland Crowd Calendars will allow you to compare them all for a more accurate prediction.

Are Disneyland Crowd Calendar Trackers 100% Accurate?

To be honest, no, at least not always.

I still do recommend that you look at them as guides that will give you an idea and help you plan your Disneyland trip.

Though they are designed only after doing thorough research, it is easy to miss unknown future events, especially those by Disney .

There is a variety of insider news that a calendar-curator is simply unaware of, including annual conventions that bring attendees to the resort during the off-season months.

So, you’ll want to keep that in mind when you’re choosing the best days to go to Disneyland Resort.

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The real question should be is if Disneyland Crowd Calendars have any value?

Yes, they do. Sure, there’s no iron-clad guarantee, but these predictive theme park crowd calendars are a great way to get an idea of what to expect on your day.

Quick Tips for Choosing the Best Days to Go to Disneyland:

• Continue to do your online research
• Choose a time-frame that looks ideal to you
• Finalize your date based on the information that you have discovered

Hipster Power Tip: Continue to recheck the Theme Park Crowd Calendars every week up until your trip to stay in the know.

What Are the Main Causes of the Crowd in Disneyland?

Two things that affect (or determine) the crowd levels the most are the events happening in the resort and school holidays.

This is mainly because of the many locals who hold an Annual Pass to the park. A major difference than the Walt Disney World Resort.

Also, the weekends will be busy, no matter when you choose to visit Disneyland.

With that in mind, you should be able to make an educated guess about when will it be crowded at the resort.

Needless to say, this makes it super tough to know when the crowd will rise. That’s when those Disneyland Crowd Calendars come in handy. They save you from all the trouble of researching.

You can also know what to expect by reading the regular “when is the best time of year to visit Disneyland” guides/answers – just what I am about to talk about below.

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When IS the Best Time to Go to Disneyland?

For starters, any time when kids are in school is a good time to visit Disneyland.

That generally means visiting in January, February, May, September, and the early days of November.

Remember that this is predominantly a local’s park.

Even in these slow months , you’ll have to avoid holidays and weekend s to avoid the crowd.

I’d even suggest you plan your Disneyland vacation to avoid popular holidays like Christmas, New Year’s, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Halloween and Easter.

By saying so, I mean travel about a week after or before a major holiday. This would give time for the seasonal guests to leave for their homes, leaving the parks emptier.

Hipster Power Tip: Although January through May might be off-season months and least crowded, but they come with a downside. A lot of fabulous shows like Fantasmic! tend to have sporadic showings instead of nightly during peak season.

These are also the months when Disney may close some their popular rides for refurbishment. So, you must check the refurbishment calendar on their official website .

The Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar is usually released 60 days in advance to help you guide through the bookings, especially if you’ve already made them.

As said before, you can always cross-check your information about Disneyland crowd levels by referring to any of the online Disneyland Crowd Trackers.

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What are the Best Days to Go to Disneyland?

Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the best days of the week to go to Disneyland and California Adventure.

It’s best to get there early especially since the locals usually come after work in the late afternoon/early evening.

This is the ranking of the best days of the week to go to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure (from BEST to WORST):

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Perks of Visiting Disneyland During Worst Crowded Days

Yeah I know that “Perks” and “Worst” do not go together , except when it’s about the Happiest Place on Earth.

Just like visiting the Disneyland Resort during the offseason has its disadvantages, visiting the resort during the most crowded days has its advantages.

The two parks tend to get jam-packed during summer months, between June through August.

However, it is also during these months that the parks extend their opening hours . Even on holidays and school breaks, the resort operates longer.

During the maxed-out crowd days, you can also expect Disney to host more shows, parades, and fireworks.

In short, there are some awesome trade-offs that Disneyland offers if you are ready to face the crowd. It all depends on your priorities and preferences.

You always have the Genie+ to buy, save wait times, and enjoy a potentially smoother time hopping from one popular attraction to another.

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What to Know Before Your Disneyland Resort Trip

Now that we have the basic information out-of-the-way, let’s go through the frequently asked questions for choosing the best time to visit Disneyland with the Crowd Calendar.

Are Disneyland Crowd Trackers reliable?

To a good extent, yes. These trackers give you a general idea of how crowd levels can be in Disneyland on a particular day.

But there’s no iron-clad guarantee. Calling them 100% accurate would be as wrong as calling weather reports 100% reliable.

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If trackers aren’t enough, how can I make sure my trip goes as planned?

The best way to ensure your trip is not ruined by access crowd is to check a Disneyland Crowd Calendar and then research a little around it.

For example, if the calendar says the resort will see fewer guests because of school breaks ended, look online to check if any district near the park still has its schools closed.

If there’s a new addition in the resort (like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge) , never be fully convinced of “downtimes” even after six months. Always expect to see an extra crowd at Disneyland.

You can also use the Disneyland Crowd Calendars to your advantage by looking at one week over another to get an idea which of them will potentially be less busy.

You should also look into the Disneyland hotel rates as high prices = busy days.

What is the best weekday to visit Disneyland?

Activity-wise, the best days of the week to visit Disneyland, crowd-wise, are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

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How many days do I need to explore Disneyland Resort?

Although there are only 2 parks at Disneyland Resort, both have a lot of rides, attractions, events, food , and activities.

Ideally, you should plan to spend between 3 to 4 days to cover almost all of them, including rides, meet-and-greet with characters, live shows, and fireworks.

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Is it possible to explore both Disneyland parks in just 1 day?

Yes, you should be able to travel both the theme parks of Disneyland Resort if you get a Park Hopper Ticket or an Annual Pass .

Sometimes, the Park Hopper Ticket gets included in certain Vacation Packages . Check if you have one to maximize time throughout the trip.

Also plan out your trip and create an itinerary to conquer both Disneyland Resort parks in only one day.

If you’re thinking about making a trip out to any of the parks at the Disneyland Resort in California, then be sure to get your tickets here!

Let’s Wrap It Up

Being one of the most popular theme parks in the world, Disneyland Resort sees a lot of the crowd throughout the year.

If you are someone who hates getting squished in parades of people, don’t let this dishearten you.

Just like any other vacation destination spot, Disneyland Resort also has its off-season months.

You can always rely on a Disneyland Crowd Tracker to help you with learning which is which.

My opinion? Why take a chance on anything that might dampen a memorable trip to the Disneyland Resort?

Double-check everything – even down to the busiest days of the resort to make your  trip as pleasant as it should be.

Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!

About the Author

My name is Nikky. I’m a wife, a mother, a pharmacist turned theme park blogger, USA Today 10Best Contributor , and a writer who loves ALL things amusement park related!

Traveling alone to the parks has changed my life and I want to show how you can create your own solo theme park memories.

Connect with me on Instagram!

UP NEXT: 7 BEST Places to Eat at Disneyland on a Budget! (Disney Food Guide)

(Original Article Date: July 19, 2020/Updated on January 8, 2024)

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Must-Do Disneyland Perfect Itinerary for First Timers (2024)

If it’s your first time visiting Disneyland, what makes the park so magical? What are the must-do Disneyland things to experience? If you only have one day to tour this California theme park, how do you know where to start? I’ve included my definitive list of “must do Disneyland” attractions and rides, in a one day Disneyland itinerary.

Mom Rewritten uses affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through the links in these posts. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, see the Privacy Policy and Disclosures tab.

This article was originally published February 23rd, 2015 and has been updated and republished with a new date.

Must-Do Disneyland List of Attractions

As a first time Disneyland visitor, you’ll want to get the best feel of what makes this Disney park the “Happiest Place on Earth”. The recommended attractions and rides will give you the best experience for a single day at Disneyland.

You’ve never been to Disneyland before but wondering how to do Disneyland in one day? I’m sharing my insider tips in this ultimate guide on the must-do Disneyland attractions for a first time visitor. These ideas will give you a great feel of the park and allow room for plenty of magic.

Be sure to read this planning guide for tips on taking a first Disneyland vacation . The following article offers my suggestion of a one day Disneyland itinerary. After you’ve experienced these things, everything else is just a Disney bonus!

Disneyland in a Day

Can you do everything at Disneyland in one day? Nope, not by a longshot. Rides, attractions, and shows will keep you busy. You’ll want to mix in character greetings and dining. Add live entertainment including parades and nighttime spectaculars and that’s a jam-packed day.

This Disneyland itinerary doesn’t include everything, of course. You’d need a lot more than one day at Disneyland to experience it all.  Each guest will have to pick and choose carefully which of the items on this single day must-do Disneyland list you’ll want to experience.

I’ve served up suggestions for families with younger kids including Disneyland with babies and toddlers. There are tips here for thrill ride fans and foodies.

Please note that some attractions or rides may not be open or operational during your visit. Always check the Disneyland calendar ahead for your date.

Choosing the Best Day for Your Vacation

Disneyland fluctuates the hours their park remains open throughout the year. Before you book your reservation, check the Disneyland calendar to ensure you’ll have a full day in the park. Often times the parks close early due to special events or during off-peak seasons. Fireworks, parades and some shows may not operate during weekdays.

The other thing you’ll want to be aware of is the refurbishment calendar. Disneyland lists on their website which rides will be closed on certain dates. Double-check ahead of time to see what attractions will not be operating during your visit.

If it’s expected to be a crowded day at Disneyland , use this itinerary to plot out your day ahead of time. Figure out a loose plan on where you’ll eat and view menus online before your trip to speed things along.

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Disneyland tickets purchased now are good through January 12th, 2025 . Purchase your multi-day tickets through Get Away Today today and lock in the best pricing of the year.

When you’re ready to book your Disneyland vacation, my friends at Get Away Today are ready to help! Mention code REWRITTEN to receive an extra discount off your SoCal vacation package (when booking 2+ nights with two or more tickets).

Maximizing One Day at Disneyland

When planning a first Disneyland vacation, it’s important to know how to best stretch out the day. There are ways to maximize your time in the parks, which is especially important when you only have a single day at Disneyland.

To squeeze in as much Disney fun as possible, you’ll want to arrive to the park before opening and stay until they close. These are a few more thoughts on boosting a one day visit to the parks!

Disney Genie+

The complimentary FASTPASS service is gone and Maxpass is no longer. Take advantage of the line cutting Disney Genie+ for around $30 per person, per day.

Guests can book their return times online. If trying to maximize time in the parks, purchase a Disneyland ticket with Disney Genie+ bundled in.

As a bonus of purchasing Disney Genie+, you’ll also receive unlimited Photopass and ride photo downloads!

Need more help with using this new line cutting system? Read these beginning tips for using Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane from my friend Leslie at Trips with Tykes .

Individual Attraction Selections

With time constraints, you won’t want to waste a moment waiting in unnecessary lines. Consider booking “individual Lightning Lane” for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland. Radiator Springs Racers is available at Disney California Adventure.

The cost per ride for the “Individual Attraction Selection” is between $7-25 per person. This can be done on the “Tip Board” through the Disneyland app upon entry into the parks. On a day when you’re trying to see and do as much as you can, this extra charge is worth the cost.

Carry a Full Charge

Frequent use of your smart phone to access the Disneyland app is going to drain your battery…FAST! You’ll be using your device for Disney Genie+, scheduling Lightning Lane attractions, mobile ordering and more.

Purchase a Fuel Rod in advance then swap it out for a full battery inside the park. There are kiosks all over (locations found on the Disneyland app).

Single Rider Lines

Certain attractions feature a separate entrance line for those riding individually. This can save an exceptional amount of time versus the usual stand-by line. Guests using the Single Rider line essentially fill in empty space on ride vehicles. This means, the Cast Members will seat you with other guests that are not in your own party.

Single Rider is best used with older kids and adults, who don’t mind not riding with their own group. You cannot request to sit with your family if using the Single Rider option.

I’ve mentioned in each section below which rides offer Single Rider. Take note that the Single Rider lines aren’t always in operation, so just ask a Cast Member at the entrance.

Dining is a Must-Do Disneyland Activity – But Where to Eat?

Of course, eating at Disneyland is a must. But where are the best places to eat in Disneyland, especially when on a time constraint? Keep reading through each section in which I cover the top dining spots within the individual Lands. These are extra tips:

Full Service Dining

I’ve made a few suggestions in each section for a full table service meal. At most, choose just one of these for the day, then mobile order the rest of your food. Or save your full service meal for another day outside of the parks and dine at one of the hotels of the Disneyland Resort.

Mobile Order

Mobile ordering is a must. If you’re trying to squeeze as many attractions into your single park day, quick service dining is where it’s at. Mobile ordering is done via the Disneyland app on your smart device. It’s an easy process in which you purchase and pay for food online. Then you’ll bypass the stand-by queue to pick up at designated restaurant windows.

Character Dining

If you only have one day in the parks, is character dining a must-do Disneyland activity? Honestly, no. Character dining combines character greetings with a meal but the process is generally much more drawn out than a regular meal.

If you’re tight on time, you’ll want to skip the only in-park character dining, Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park (located at the Plaza Inn restaurant).

Consider instead to book your character meal on an off-park day. There are several character dining locations inside the hotels of the Disneyland Resort that are a better option.

• Mickey’s Tales of Adventure Breakfast/Brunch – Storytellers Café inside Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
• Goofy’s Kitchen – inside the Disneyland Hotel

READ MORE: Are you on a restricted diet or have special dietary needs? Get the tips on where to find healthy food at Disneyland .

What to Skip at Disneyland

As I mentioned earlier, if you only have a single day, you’ll need to be selective on the attractions you visit. Naturally, everything at Disneyland is wonderful. But when it comes down to it, you can’t do it ALL in one day!

Within each section of this article, I’ve included attractions you’ll likely want to skip. Save the list for your next multi-day vacation.

These are the Disneyland must-do rides and attractions for anyone that has just one day in the parks. In each section, I share Disneyland tips and tricks for going to Disneyland this year.

This itinerary only covers Disneyland park itself, not Disney California Adventure. To follow this itinerary best, purchase a Disneyland One-Park Per Day Ticket and not a Parkhopper!

Start Your Day on Main Street U.S.A

When you enter Disneyland Park you’ll pass through the tunnels (there’s one on each side of the entrance) and be deposited into the hub. Follow Main Street U.S.A towards Sleeping Beauty Castle and the various Lands will branch out from here.

I MPORTANT!! While I do mention Main Street USA first in this article, I do NOT recommend that you do these attractions first thing in the morning. I’d suggest visiting Fantasyland first, then returning to Main Street later in the day.

Arrive at “rope drop” before the Park actually opens. The first two hours at Disneyland are very important when it comes to lighter crowds. At rope drop, you’ll be able to enter Main Street U.S.A. and visit some of the shops.

Must-Do Disneyland Attractions on Main Street USA

Disneyland Railroad – Hop aboard on Main Street U.S.A. and take the grand circle tour around the Park, a total of 1.2 miles. Not to be missed is Primeval World, a large diorama that takes you back to the prehistoric times and features dinosaurs and volcanoes!

Main Street Window Displays – Take a peek at these at the very end of the day, just before leaving the park. These charming scenes are reflective of classic Disney films. You’ll find them in the outside windows around the Emporium.

Main Street Vehicles – No thrill rides here, just a good ol’ fashioned ride down Main Street U.S.A. to get you in the mood of the Park. Take a ride in a horse-drawn car, jitney, fire engine or omnibus.

There’s rarely a line for the Main Street Vehicles, making them a fun option to hitch a ride (ideal for guests without strollers). The Main Street Vehicles don’t run in the evening or nighttime hours.

Best Souvenir Shops on Main Street

Silhouette Studio – Get into the vintage Victorian vibe by having the artists hand cut your silhouette out of paper for the perfect souvenir.

The Mad Hatter – It’s the place to find a hat for every occasion! What better way to start your Disney vacation than with a pair of Mouse Ears that reflects your personality? We bought my son’s Pluto hat here. He continued to wear it on nearly ever Disneyland trip for the next 6 years.

Top Places for Character Greets on Main Street

With the changes at Disneyland since reopening, character locations have shifted. The best way to find character meet ‘n greets is through the Disneyland app.

Simply press the navigation icon, then click the dropdown arrow at the top of the screen. Find “Entertainment” to see which characters are meeting where during specific times throughout the day.

Characters meet ‘n greet at various locations just inside the parks, on Main Street U.S.A. Occasionally, characters will greet on Main Street from the stairs at the railroad station.

Here, you’ll find popular favorites including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Donald, and Chip ‘n Dale. Other characters also appear here throughout the year.

Best Places to Eat on Disneyland Main Street U.S.A.

Jolly Holiday (quick service) – If you only have one day to spend in the park but still need breakfast or lunch, grab something quick. The Jolly Holiday offers mobile ordering for pastries, cinnamon rolls and sandwiches.

Carnation Cafe (full service) – Serving up classic American comfort food, this is where Walt used to eat. In fact they still serve his favorite chili. Time it right and you can sit outside on the patio and catch the parade going by!

Gibson Girl (snack) – The perfect spot for ice cream, use mobile ordering here to get a waffle cone sundae.

What to Skip on Main Street When Time is Tight

If you only have one day to see Disneyland, these are the things you’ll need to skip on Main Street USA.

Emporium – This expansive souvenir shop has a lot of great goodies. But many can be found in World of Disney at Downtown Disney. I highly suggest saving your shopping for a day when you aren’t inside the theme park.

The Disney Gallery

Parades – I do love the parades, but if you’re trying to see and do more things you’ll need to skip. In fact, I recommend avoiding Main Street and Fantasyland completely when parades are taking place. The walkways and shops will be heavily congested during those times.

The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln

Market House (aka: Starbucks) – There’s no mobile ordering here and the line is always lengthy. If you must get your coffee fix, consider the Downtown Disney Starbucks location which offers mobile ordering through the Starbucks app.

Main Street Cinema

Fantasyland at Disneyland

Head straight across the drawbridge and into the most whimsical Land in the entire Park! Or take one of the two side pathways that lead into Fantasyland on each side of the Castle. There’s a lot packed into this small area but I’m including the top must-do Disneyland attractions.

I suggest visiting Fantasyland either first thing in the morning or late at night after the fireworks spectacular. This is when crowds will be the most reasonable.

I’ve made suggestions in this section based on whether you have young kids in your group. If visiting with babies, toddlers and preschoolers, you’ll want to reserve a large amount of time to touring Fantasyland.

For families with older kids or adult-only vacations, save some of your day for thrill rides in other Lands.

Fantasyland Attractions Not to Miss at Disneyland

Peter Pan’s Flight – Arguably the best Disneyland dark ride but I add to this list with a caveat. The line for Peter Pan’s Flight is always 30+ minutes. If you’re pressed for time, consider skipping this one.

Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough – The story behind the iconic castle comes to life with three-dimensional displays. The attraction is beautiful done and guests move at their own pace to view the dioramas inside the castle.

Mad Tea Party – From the festive lanterns hanging over head to the bright colors and patterns of the twirling teacups, this is one bright spot in Disneyland that can’t be missed! If you suffer from motion sickness at theme parks on spinning rides, add to the list of attractions to skip.

Matterhorn Bobsleds – This is the only roller coaster in Fantasyland. Guests zip inside fast moving bobsled-type cars through the mountain, past a frightening Yeti! This ride is offered on Disney Genie+ and Single Rider option, to save you time.

Fantasyland Must Do Disneyland Attractions with Young Kids

Dumbo the Flying Elephant – If you have little ones with you, this is a must do Disneyland classic attraction. Kids can maneuver up and down with a knob inside the vehicle.

Snow White’s Enchanted Wish – Newly refurbished and with a happier ending, this dark ride is delightful.

“it’s a small world” – This happy and colorful attraction carries a message that simply uplifts your heart. Curmudgeons give this one a bad rap because the song by the Sherman brothers is slightly catchy. Younger kids will love it’s a small world , but everyone should aim to ride it. Take advantage of shorter lines with Disney Genie+.

Dining in Fantasyland

Red Rose Taverne (quick service) – This Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant offers up a wide variety of meals, including burgers and salads. The Grey Stuff Gâteau is the well-known dessert served up here. Use mobile order to avoid wait times in line!

Best Places to See Characters in Fantasyland

There are several locations in which characters meet inside Fantasyland. The mall in front of “it’s a small world” hosts a variety of popular Disney characters, including Bert and Mary from Mary Poppins .

Fantasy Faire is the place for classic Disney princesses including Cinderella, Aurora and Rapunzel. Guests can pass through the Royal Hall for personal photos with princesses.

There is also a live princess character show outdoors at the Royal Theatre. Guests may meet and greet with them after the presentation.

Fantasyland Attractions to Skip

I have a hard time suggesting that you skip some of these rides because they are iconic! However because of time constraints and the lack of Disney Genie+ to line skip, you may need to miss them on this trip.

Alice in Wonderland – If you can make one extra Fantasyland ride happen, choose this one. It’s charming and well done, with excellent effects. But the line is usually long so only ride when the queue is short.

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

Casey Jr. Circus Train

King Arthur Carrousel – Young kids in particular will want to ride the merry-go-round. Do it if you have the time!

Fireworks spectaculars – No need to stop and watch the fireworks. You can catch the overhead show most anywhere in the parks. There are projections shown on both Sleeping Beauty Castle and “it’s a small world” façade, but I recommend not stopping to watch as the crowds will make it difficult.

Important to note that the Fantasyland rides close down when fireworks are taking place. Aim to be elsewhere in the park when fireworks are happening.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – This in-park “salon” offers make-overs for princesses and princes, complete with hair-dos and nail polish. The process can be time consuming so consider a DIY Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at the hotel room.

Storybook Land Canal Boats – Guided boats glide past the royal city of Agrabah from Aladdin , King Triton’s underwater oasis from The Little Mermaid and even the land of Arendelle from Frozen . But the wait time is often lengthy, so it’s best to skip on this visit.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

This newest Land takes guests to the edge of the galaxy and beyond. For adults or families of older children (who meet the height requirements), Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge should be your first stop of the day.

If you have a very young kids in your group, read this article about doing Star Wars land with preschoolers and toddlers . Lots of tips on how to fit this area into your one day itinerary when traveling with youngsters.

Must-Ride in Galaxy’s Edge

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – Like nothing you’ve ever experienced in a Disneyland theme park, this ride/experience is a must-do Disneyland attraction. This ride is NOT part of the Disney Genie+ service.

There is a stand-by line for this attraction that is generally the lengthiest wait time in the park. The only way to skip the regular queue is to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane, highly recommended when you only have one day to experience.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – Always wanted to fly Han Solo’s “hunk of junk”? This interactive attraction lets guests participate as either a pilot, gunner or engineer on the Millennium Falcon.

Use Disney Genie+ to shorten your wait time in line. The Single Rider line option is another good choice, though you will miss part of the important pre-ride sections.

Where to Eat in Star Wars Land

Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo (quick service) – Indoor and outdoor dining at this lunch and dinner location. Unique dining that’s more upscale than the typical fast food restaurant. The Batuu-bon dessert is both creative and delicious. Definitely use mobile ordering here for quick dining.

Milk Stand (snack) – Want to try Blue Milk and Green Milk just like Luke in the Star Wars movies? Try the plant-based drink, only available in Galaxy’s Edge. Get one of each and share (they both taste different). Mobile ordering is available for very fast service.

What to Skip in Galaxy’s Edge

Oga’s Cantina – Yes, sipping cocktails at the Galaxy’s Edge is pretty cool. But it’s also a more leisurely experience that you don’t want to rush. And while it is a “kid-friendly bar”, you don’t get to pick and choose where you want to sit. So you might end up standing at a counter-height table instead.

Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities , Black Spire Outfitters , Toydarian Toymaker and Creature Stall – I’m recommending you skip all the souvenir shops within Galaxy’s Edge. The reason being is that you can visit the Star Wars Trading Post in Downtown Disney, which has most, if not all, of the same items.

Savi’s Workshop and Droid Depot – While these high-end Star Wars souvenirs are awesome, they’re also time consuming activities. Guests can build a custom lightsaber in Savi’s or a droid at the depot. Best for only the most die-hard fans.

Tomorrowland at Disneyland

This “Land of the Future” at Disneyland is popular and often crowded. Fortunately many of the attractions in Tomorrowland offer Disney Genie+ so you can line-skip and get to most of them in one day. Before you blast off, check out these must-do attractions and what you should avoid during this single day visit.

Tomorrowland Must Do Disneyland Attractions

Space Mountain – This is the fastest coaster in Disneyland Park. It’s also completely indoors and in almost total darkness! Lots of sharp twists and turns, this one will make you feel like you’re riding a rocket through the stars. This ride also offers Disney Genie+ to save time.

Star Tours – The Adventure Continues – A 3D motion simulator that takes guests on an adventurous ride through the galaxy. C-3PO mans the controls of the Starspeeder in this Star Wars ride that mixes the classic with the new. Use Disney Genie+ and your wait time will be faster.

READ MORE: Concerned that your child might be nervous on the Disneyland roller coasters? Read this Complete Guide to Everything Scary at Disneyland .

Best Rides for Young Kids in Tomorrowland

Autopia – Though you’re only driving about 7 miles per hour, you’ll feel the freedom of the open road! This attraction dates back to opening day in 1955, before there was a center guide rail keeping your car on the road. If your child meets the height requirement, this is a must-do Disneyland classic. Plus it offers Disney Genie+ so your wait time should be minimal!

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters – Guests of all ages can wield a laser to hit moving targets inside the attraction. The quirky music, flashing lights and spinning vehicle (that you control) add to the competitive fun of scoring points. Disney Genie+ available so you don’t have to wait in the long line-up.

Places to Eat in Tomorrowland

Alien Pizza Planet – Tomorrowland isn’t my first choice for dining but if you’re here, this is what’s available. Indoor dining and the place to grab those adorable Toy Story Alien macarons. The pizza here isn’t the greatest, but the pasta and salad options are decent.

Galactic Grill – All outdoor dining with burgers, fries and veggie wraps. Look for seasonal offerings here throughout the year.

What to Skip in Tomorrowland

Disneyland Monorail – This 2.5 mile loop offers an unique aerial view that can save time walking. Use this only if you need to get to and from the Disneyland Hotel or deep into the Downtown Disney District. You’ll need a valid ticket to get back inside the Park.

Star Wars Launch Bay

Astro Orbitor – Similar to Dumbo, with a spinning “rocket ship” that goes up and down. The line is usually long and best to be skipped.

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage – It’s a charming trip under the sea to see characters from the film series. However without any line cutting strategy, this ride is slow to load and best to skip.

Churro carts – The churro cart in Tomorrowland often sells the best specialty treats. But the seemingly mile-long wait times are a hindrance on your schedule…mobile order your dessert instead!

Frontierland

Get ready for the “Wildest Ride in the Wilderness”! Frontierland is a sprawling land that includes the Rivers of America and its own island. There are two grand attractions, and several other things to add in if you have the time.

Don’t Miss These Rides in Frontierland

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – When this first opened, my parents literally dragged my brother and I to get on the ride! We were scared of what looked like a runaway train. Of course, we’ve come to love it. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is my favorite Disneyland Mountain and a must-do Disneyland ride!

Mark Twain Riverboat – If you need to sit and rest your legs at this point in the day, add in this river boat tour that takes you around the Rivers of America.

The ride features narration by an actor reading as the author Mark Twain, whom this paddle wheel steam engine riverboat is named after. The line to get on is generally short.

Disneyland Dining in Frontierland

Rancho Del Zocalo (quick service) – The Mexican food platters here are large enough to share and offer a nice variety. The bonus is its beautiful outdoor seating under the glow of the glass lanterns, especially pretty at night.

River Belle Terrace (full service) – Make the advance dining reservation for this restaurant if you’re able to coordinate dinner with a nighttime viewing of Fantasmic! .

The River Belle Terrace has an outdoor patio that overlooks the Rivers of America, where Fantasmic! takes place. Consider purchasing the special dining package to ensure a front row seat.

Golden Horseshoe (snack) – Yes, you can order the usual theme park fare here (chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks). But the highlight of the menu is the sundae. Mobile order the Chocolate-Chunk Cookie Sundae, which is large enough for two.

The Golden Horseshoe is one of the original buildings from 1955. Aim to sit in the upper right reserved box, where Walt Disney used to sit himself!

Best Souvenir Shopping in Frontierland

The Westward Ho Trading Company is the place for all things trading pins. This extensive shop offers up lots of selection. A Cast Member has an outdoor table set up for trading here as well. Get a head-start on your collection by purchasing a lanyard ahead of your trip.

Frontierland Seasonal Can’t Miss Attractions

If you’re visiting Disneyland during Halloween Time, stop in Frontierland to see the decorations. First, you’ll see the Halloween Tree, dedicated to sci-fi author Ray Bradbury. This is best viewed at night, when the tree glows orange with lights and tiny jack o’ lanterns.

The second fall seasonal feature here is the Dia de los Muertos area in El Zócalo Park. This photo worthy location features traditional Day of the Dead spirit with skeletons, overhead flags and brightly colored flowers.

Things to Skip in Frontierland

Shootin’ Exposition

Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer’s Island – If you have little kids that need to burn off excess energy, this is a great place to climb and play. However, expect to add at least an hour to your schedule getting across the water and exploring the island.

Sailing Ship Columbia

Fantasmic! – This nighttime show on the Rivers of America combines water feature, character interaction and daring special effects. Fantasmic! is also crowded and time consuming. If possible, plan to visit another area of the park when this show takes place.

Adventureland at Disneyland

This jungle-themed area is always jam-packed. And with reason: there’s a lot to experience in Adventureland! The pathways are narrow here as well. Use Disney Genie+ when you can to help speed things along.

What to Do in Adventureland

Indiana Jones Adventure – Experience the Temple of the Forbidden Eye just like Indy in this rugged, action-filled trip. For guests that meet the height requirement and aren’t scared of a few thrills, this is a must-do Disneyland ride. Use Disney Genie+ for this popular attraction.

The Enchanted Tiki Room – “Let’s all sing like the birdies sing!” 200+ Audio-animatronics perform before your eyes in this tropical paradise. The show is lively, the music is charming and you may find yourself singing along (go ahead, everyone else will be singing too!).

Jungle Cruise – Another 1955 original, this one evolved over the years from a serious African jungle tour into a slightly silly romp through the rain forest, complete with jokes from the skippers.

Each skipper puts their own spin on the tour along with incorporating classic gags from years’ past. There’s no way to skip the queue here. Try some of these tips for things to do while waiting in line at Disney .

Where to Grab Snacks in Adventureland

Tiki Juice Bar (snack) – Dole Whip, Dole Whip Floats and Pineapple Juice! Get this classic Disneyland treat and use mobile ordering to grab your treats to go.

Bengal Barbeque (snack) – If you’re looking for healthy food at Disneyland , the proteins and veggies skewers here offer a hearty bite. Use mobile ordering to get in and out.

What to Skip in Adventureland

Adventureland Treehouse (formerly Tarzan’s Treehouse) . If you’re particularly fit and can get up and down the stairs quickly with ease, add in this attraction. The view at the top overlooking Disneyland is pretty nice.

Tropical Hideaway (quick service) – I adore this dining oasis alongside the Jungle Cruise. Yummy bao and lumpia snacks with specialty Dole Whips with beautiful waterside seating.

The downside is there’s no mobile ordering, the line is often long and it can be hard to find a table. Use the Tiki Juice Bar to get a Dole Whip fix instead.

New Orleans Square at Disneyland

Wander through the streets of New Orleans Square to get a charming glimpse at the Disney details. It’s Mardi Gras all the time in this quaint area of the park.

As you stroll through, look for the entrance to Club 33 , Disneyland’s exclusive members-only restaurant and lounge. Here’s what not to miss in New Orleans Square!

Can’t Miss Rides in New Orleans Square

Pirates of the Caribbean – Truly one of the best amusement park rides, the detail and special effects are incredible. New additions based on the movies have been added to enhance the story line. Floating through the foggy battle scene, you will feel completely transported. It’s a must-do at Disneyland!

Haunted Mansion – Appropriately spooky, the Haunted Mansion has just the right amount of fright and fun.

From around mid-September to early-January you can see the Haunted Mansion Holiday version, inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas . Use Disney Genie+ year-round for this ride.

Where to Dine in New Orleans Square, Disneyland-Style

Tiana’s Palace Restaurant (quick service) – The New Orleans feeling is alive here! After choosing your meal, take a seat outside to enjoy the live music of a Dixieland Band. Gumbo is on the menu, along with other Creole favorites. Mobile ordering is available here for fast service.

Mint Julep Bar (snack) – Treat yourself to Mickey Mouse shaped beignets and a mint julep from the Mint Julep Bar. Use mobile order and choose the seasonal treats.

Top New Orleans Square Souvenirs

There are two unique Disneyland souvenirs, found only in the New Orleans Square area. There are other shops here including the Cristal d’Orleans and Pandora. But aim not to use your time shopping when you only have one day to experience the theme park.

Take a seat in one of the chairs across from the Blue Bayou entrance and have your portrait drawn by a street artist. There are several versions including caricature or a more realistic pastel artist’s rendering.

Choose one of the hand painted parasols from the cart in front of Café Orleans. These personalized sun umbrellas are a Southern tradition, recreated here in California.

You Might Want to Skip This in New Orleans Square

Blue Bayou – While this is Disneyland’s signature restaurant, it’s also a more leisurely meal. Situated inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, this dining location is a challenging reservation to snag. If you have the time to do one sit-down meal, this could be the one.

Consider MouseDining to help you secure Disney park advance dining reservations. This free service will notify you when coveted ADR become available in Disney’s system.

Critter Country

A little slice of the country, right here at Disneyland! There are several spots you don’t want to miss here including rides and quick dining restaurants. Critter Country is a bit out of the way, but can be reached by two directions – through New Orleans Square or via Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Character greeting – Guests can usually meet ‘n greet with Winnie The Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger in the area just outside of the ride.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – Lighthearted, bouncing fun featuring Pooh Bear, Tigger and their friends. Take this whimsical dark ride only if you have babies, toddlers or preschoolers in your group.

Eating in Critter Country

Harbour Galley (quick service) – This waterfront dining spot is oft overlooked. But with mobile ordering for seafood favorites like the famous Lobster Roll, you might reconsider. Walk around the backside to dine alongside the Rivers of America and catch a fun peek at riders coming down Splash Mountain.

Hungry Bear (quick service) – It’s burgers and funnel cakes on the menu at this dining location. Choose to sit on either the upper or lower patios with a pretty view of the Rivers of America. Definitely use mobile ordering for this popular restaurant.

What to Skip in Critter Country

Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes – Hop aboard one of these free-floating canoes (no track!) as you and other guests paddle around the Rivers of America. It’s a unique way to get in your workout and the lines to get onboard are usually short.

However, the activity takes about 15 minutes total and if it’s hot weather at Disneyland , you’re going to be super sweaty afterwards!

Mickey’s Toontown

Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland has reopened after a major overhaul. There are tons of new spaces for children and families to play and relax together, including grassy lawns and play areas.

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway – This newest Disneyland attraction is a gem! Arrive just after rope drop to minimize your wait time.

Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin – A wacky dark ride based upon the film that combines a spinning vehicle that you control yourself. Use Disney Genie+ if the lines are long. You’ll skip the fun queue that sets up the attraction but necessary if time is tight.

Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GadgetCoaster – The ideal first coaster for young kids at just one minute long. Skip this brief thrill unless you have preschoolers in your group.

Where to Eat in Toontown

There are only two locations for dining in Toontown. Daisy’s Café serves up theme park favorites, including hot dogs. Or grab a snack picnic basket from Good Boy Grocers to take a rest on the lawn while you dine.

What to Skip in Toontown

Meet Mickey and Minnie – Guests can still catch their favorite characters at their respective houses. Check the time for these meet ‘n greets before jumping in line. Other Disney characters mingle in the grassy area near the houses, which might offer a shorter wait.

What If You Have More Time in Your Itinerary?

Is there more time in your Disneyland day? Add in some of the missed attractions or mix some of these extra ideas:

• Photopass photographers – Throughout the park, there are professional photographers available to take photos in popular locations. If you purchased a Disneyland ticket with Disney Genie+ , all Photopass images taken that day are available for free, unlimited downloads!
• Look for Hidden Mickeys – As you wait in queues and while you walk through the park, look for these insider finds. The book Disneyland’s Hidden Mickeys will offer you some guidance towards spotting them.

• Watch a Parade – Disneyland park offers the most fantastic parades you’ll ever see! If you have the opportunity to watch, try and do so.
• Pressed Penny Machines – If time to shop for souvenirs is limited, try this fun and relatively inexpensive memento. There are pressed penny machines over the entire resort. Check out this UP! inspired Pressed Penny Keepsake Book from Etsy.

Extending Your Trip for Longer Than a Day

As you can see from this extensive article, there’s A LOT to see and do inside Disneyland park. If you’re able to stretch out the single day visit into a multi-day vacation, I highly recommend it. You’ll be able to experience many more things, at a more leisurely pace.

I highly recommend purchasing a discounted Disneyland ticket at 2-days or longer. One day tickets are the worst value and are not discounted. Multi day park tickets offer guests a better value, as the cost per day reduced the longer you visit.

READ MORE: For more information about the best ticket to purchase, read this article with everything you need to know about Disneyland tickets .

If cost is a concern, you can place your Disneyland vacation on layaway with Get Away Today . Use the time ahead of your trip to pay in installments.  Use the Promo Code REWRITTEN and receive an extra $10 off any 2-night or longer Southern California package. (Hotel and 2 ticket minimum purchase to qualify for the discount).

Author and owner Julie Bigboy shares first hand knowledge on a variety of subjects, including family travel, positive parenting, and simple living. Her work can be found on The Points Guy, SheBuys Travel, MiceChat and Disneyland With Kids, among others.

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Disneyland Crowd Calendar

Our Disneyland Crowd Calendar will help you avoid the crowds and long lines at Disneyland. Theme park attendance fluctuates significantly throughout the year, so choose the optimal dates for your next magical vacation by avoiding crowds during peak season.

With this Disneyland crowd tracker, you will be able to compare crowds at different times of the year to determine the best period to visit Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure theme parks in 2024 and 2025. It is updated once a month with data for the following 12 months.

We hope our Disneyland Crowd Calendar will help you optimize your next magical Disneyland vacation!

Want free help deciding when to travel? Get personalized advice from The Vacationeer !

• Disneyland » [4]
• California Adventure » [3]
• Disneyland » [3]

Calendar updated through March 2025

ALL Guests are required to have a park reservation and a valid ticket for the same park on the same date. Some parks, restaurants, experiences, hotels, and other features may be modified, unavailable, or be subject to limited availability, capacity, or closure.

Our 2024/2025 Disneyland Crowd Calendar uses a 1-5 rating system for Disneyland’s two theme parks – Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure

(1) Green – Light Crowds Expected

(2) Blue – Below Average Crowds Expected

(3) Yellow – Average Crowds Expected

(4) Orange – Above Average Crowds Expected

(5) Red – Heavy Crowds Expected

About Disneyland Resort

Disneyland Resort is usually referred to as simply “Disneyland.” The park opened in 1955 under the direct supervision of Walt Disney,  16 years prior to the opening of Disney World. The resort was the first Disney theme park location and the only one that was open while Walt Disney was still alive.

Disneyland Resort is located in  Anaheim, California , and is owned and operated by  The Walt Disney Company .

It’s home to two theme parks ( Disneyland Park  and  Disney California Adventure ), three Disneyland hotels , and Downtown Disney , the entertainment, dining, and shopping area of the park.

Speak with a Disneyland expert to plan your trip!

What are Crowd Calendars?

Crowd calendars  predict how many people will be at a theme park on any given day throughout the year. Since most people would rather avoid the crowds and long wait times for attractions (obviously), a crowd calendar can help you narrow down your vacation periods to the times of the year when the park is less crowded and more manageable.

In order to formulate this crowd calendar, we compile attendance data from recent years to help us determine which days will have the shortest lines and longest lines at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. 

When is Disneyland LEAST Crowded ?

Disneyland is the second most visited theme park in the world (18 million visitors per year compared to roughly 58 million at Disney World). Therefore, don’t expect that you will have the park to yourself at any given time of the year. But i f long lines are a major concern, then there are some less busy time periods you should aim for.

Disneyland’s less crowded times are:

• Early January through the mid-February
• The day after President’s Day (February) until Spring Break (mid-March)
• The middle of April until Memorial Day Weekend (late May)
• After Labor Day through the beginning of October
• The second week of November (after Halloween and before Thanksgiving Week)
• Weekdays are less crowded than weekends, especially Monday-Thursdays.
• On weekends, Sundays are usually less crowded than Saturdays. Regular weekends tend to be less crowded than holiday weekends.

When is Disneyland  MOST Crowded ?

Disneyland is typically most crowded around holidays, weekends, or really just about any time schools are out of session. Here are some of the time periods to avoid, if possible:

• Any school holiday weeks (February Vacation, Spring Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Year’s).
• Weekends, especially around holiday weeks and three-day holiday weekends (MLK Day (3rd Monday of January), Presidents Day (3rd Monday of February), Memorial Day (last Monday of May), July 4th, Labor Day (1st Monday of September), and Columbus Day (2nd Monday of October).
• The park is busy right after the Disneyland Annual Passholder blackout dates come to an end. Check Disneyland’s website for blackout dates .

Questions? Do you want a free Disneyland quote? Contact the Disney travel agents at The Vacationeer !

When is the Best Time to Visit Disneyland?

There isn’t really a right or wrong time to visit. The best time to go to Disneyland will really depend on your own set of interests.

If you wish to visit when crowds are expected to be lower, then plan your trip mid-week if possible. Lines tend to be shorter Tuesdays through Thursdays during off-peak periods.

Which months are less crowded at Disneyland?

Lines will be shorter:

• mid-January through mid-March
• mid-April through mid-May
• mid-September through mid-November

The disadvantages of going to Disneyland during the off-season are:

• Some of the nighttime entertainment may be scheduled for weekends (and not during the mid-week)
• Certain rides may be shut down for maintenance
• The park hours are usually shorter during off-peak times and longer during the summer and other peak times, and 4. there are fewer events, fireworks, shows, and parades during the slow season.

With that said, the most crowded periods aren’t always the “worst” times to visit Disneyland Resort.

Disneyland’s two theme parks do tend to be more crowded during the summer months (June, July, August), and that can mean longer rides for rides, food, and even to speak with Guest Relations .  However, the parks extend their hours every day from late May until early September. You can also expect the theme park to operate with longer hours during holiday periods and school breaks, as well as host more shows, parades, and fireworks.  So there are plenty of trade-offs to consider when deciding when you should visit Disneyland; it just depends on your priorities. 

Check the Park Hours section for a list of the hours, events, entertainment, and refurbishments. 

Do you need some help with planning and booking your next Disneyland vacation? We trust the travel agents at The Vacationeer for all of our trip-planning needs.  Contact them for a free, no-obligation price quote for your next Disneyland vacation.

Disneyland Weather

Disneyland benefits from Anaheim, California’s warm and relatively dry climate. The city averages just 14 inches of rain per year compared to the US average is 39 inches. Here is a chart of what you can expect for weather at Disneyland .

                                                Month                    High / Low  (°F)                Rain

Disneyland Dining Reservations

Disneyland has a number of restaurants in the Downtown Disney District .

Depending on which Disneyland restaurant you choose – and the date/time of your visit – it may be wise to make dining reservations in advance to guarantee you will be seated. Dining reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance for most Disneyland restaurants.

You can book dining reservations online , call (714) 781-DINE, or let the  Disney Travel Agents at The Vacationeer make the dining reservations for you.  Click  HERE to request a free, no-obligation price quote .

Skip the Crowded Lines with Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane Passes

Disneyland has retired its FastPass and MaxPass systems and replaced them with Disney Genie+ and individual Lightning Lane passes. These paid add-ons allow the user to bypass the normal standby lines and instead use the much quick Lightning Lane entrance.

• Disney Genie+ : For the price of $25 or more per day, per ticket, Disneyland guests can reserve the next available time on a variety of attractions and experiences via the Lightning Lane entrance. You’ll be able to make one selection at a time, and make your next selection once the previous selection is used. Disney Genie+ also provides you with Disney parks-themed audio experiences and unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads.
• Individual Lightning Lane Selections: Guests can also purchase Lightning Lane access passes on up to 2 highly demanded attractions. For example, Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure Park is not available with Genie+ but it is available on a pay-per-ride basis with a Lightning Lane pass. Pricing varies by date, attraction, and park.

Note: Your Lightning Lane selections are made on the same day of your visit.

If you need help planning and booking your magical Disneyland vacation, please contact the Disney Travel Agents at  The Vacationeer .

Their services are always helpful and totally free of charge . Call  833-4MY-TRIP   (833-469-8747) for a free, no-obligation Disney vacation quote!

The MagicGuides Disneyland Crowd Calendar keeps you updated on the crowd expectations. Check back often so you won’t miss out!

If you enjoyed our Disneyland Crowd Calendar page, be sure to check out our other articles. Our Disneyland Map , Disneyland History , Disneyland Daily Income Estimates , Disneyland vs Disney World , Best Age for Disneyland , Disney Dining Plan Calculator , and Disney World Planning Timeline  may be helpful.

Thank you for reading our page, and we hope you have a magical Disneyland vacation!

Related Posts:

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Best Time to Go to Disneyland 2024 & 2025

Photo Credit: MickeyVisit.com

One of the biggest deciding factors when planning a Disneyland trip is figuring when to go! While there is no time of the year anymore that Disneyland will be completely empty, there are certainly certain best months to visit Disneyland and specific dates of those months to consider.

You can avoid some of the most intense crowds of the year while also taking advantage of some of the best deals which often coincide with those less busy months at Disneyland. But this doesn't also mean you can't visit during some of the best celebrations of the year which include both Halloween and Christmas. We have all our tips

My guide to the best months to visit Disneyland covers not just the best months of the year to avoid crowds but also the best dates to visit to enjoy everything Disneyland has to offer with special events, holidays, and celebrations.

Get exclusive access to prices on hotel & tickets just for Mickey Visit subscribers. Don't miss our travel hacks newsletter!

In this planning guide:

Best Time to Go to Visit Disneyland

Here are some of the best times to visit Disneyland broken down by our favorite months to visit. These choices reflect some of the lower crowded times of the year but also the celebrations at the resort.

As you are looking ahead to plan the best times to visit Disneyland, we put together a helpful download with all of the SPECIFIC best dates to visit in 2024 and 2025. Click the button below to receive this when to visit resource and other super helpful planning resources! You'll also get access to our FREE Mickey Visit newsletter when you sign up to receive our free printable.

What Are the Slowest Months to Visit Disneyland?

The slowest months of the year at Disneyland are January, February, April, August, September, and November. Other information stating that October is one of the slowest months of the year at Disneyland is completely outdated. Even the official Disneyland page still has this listed and it is absolutely incorrect.

Let's dive into all the information on the least crowded months to visit Disneyland throughout the year.

January offers some of the least crowded Disneyland days of the year which makes it a popular month to visit Disneyland. If you visit at least a week after New Years Day you will see some of the lowest crowds of the year. Of course, if you're looking to avoid crowds then you shouldn't visit on the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day which is a popular travel holiday weekend. Read our guide to Disneyland in January .

Guests looking to enjoy special celebrations at the resort can also target the end of January which is often when the popular Lunar New Year festival at California Adventure kicks off bringing a variety of food marketplace booths, entertainment, and special character photo ops.

Guests looking to prioritize low crowds above all other considerations will find January a great time to visit.

February is another month that sees lower crowd levels before the busy spring break season begins. The only weekend to avoid in February is the third Monday of February which is President's Day weekend. As always, any three day weekend will bring extremely high crowd levels. Read our guide to Disneyland in February .

February also will see the continuation of the Lunar New Year festival at California Adventure which usually lasts until the middle of the month. There is also the time of year we will see the popular after dark events take place with Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts' Nite occurring multiple times throughout the month.

February is one of the best months to visit Disneyland if you want to take advantage of lower crowd levels and also enjoy special events.

April is far busier than both January and February but not quite as busy as other months of the year (think October for Halloween season!) and offers plenty of things to do. Especially if you take advantage of weekdays or go towards the end of the month, you can find plenty of days in April with reasonable crowds. Read our guide to Disneyland in April .

During April the popular Disneyland Food and Wine Festival takes place in California Adventure which is one of the best festivals offered at California Adventure all year. This festival brings marketplace booths full of varieties of food and wine, culinary demonstrations, the return of Soarin' Over California, and more. Dapper Day at Disneyland also takes place in April which is a fun site to see as many guests dress up in their best to visit the resort. Depending on when Easter takes place, if it falls during April, you will also find plenty of Easter themed treats, activities, and more.

Though August is usually the hottest month of the year at Disneyland, it is one of my favorite times to visit as you get to enjoy all of the summer celebrations while the crowds begin to die down. Many schools return to class before Labor Day which makes August one of the slower months of the summer as tourist crowds start to trickle down. Read our guide to Disneyland in August .

I have visited during the beginning of August before the local passholders ( Magic Key holders ) are unblocked from visiting the parks and as some of the tourist crowd levels start to dwindle down. This is one of the best months to visit Disneyland. You will still get to enjoy the longer operating hours of summer along with all the other benefits of a summer visit without the higher crowd levels you may see in June and July.

For folks looking for the best time to visit Disneyland for Halloween season, September is the best choice. October is notorious for being busy, perhaps being one of the busiest months all year at Disneyland! September is the perfect time to visit before the Halloween crowds at Disneyland start picking up. Read our guide to Disneyland in September .

The Halloween season at Disneyland usually begins after the first week of the month and crowds will progressively pick up as the month goes on. The earlier in September you can visit, the more crowds you can avoid.

November is a great winter month to visit Disneyland as you can enjoy the holiday season which kicks off within the first week of the month. If you want to try and catch both Halloween and Christmas, visit starting November 1st for the best chance of seeing the Halloween decorations (as they come down) and the holiday ones (as they go up.) Read our guide to Disneyland in November .

Just be sure to avoid Veteran's Day weekend as this will likely be one of the most crowded weekends in the month along with Thanksgiving weekend.

Discount Disneyland Tickets

Our favorite Disney-approved re-seller,  Get Away Today, offers the best Disneyland discount tickets around. In addition to great discount prices, their customer service and easy support is absolutely fantastic. They have an entire department dedicated to making sure every order has a wonderful experience and they are on-call to help you during your vacation if you need them.

Book your discount tickets NOW >

Buying tickets from Get Away Today is easy and convenient since all their tickets are sent electronically. You can take their vouchers and head straight to the gate without needing to wait in any ticket booth lines. They also offer layaway plans so you can pay off your vacation over time.

Best Time to Go to Disneyland Each Month

While it can be hard to pinpoint the exact best date to visit Disneyland, I can give a rough estimate for the best days each month. This isn't an exact science but you can get an idea of what days to focus your trip on. These dates would be the ones I would select if I were picking my own best times to visit Disneyland.

What Days of the Year Is Disneyland Least Crowded?

Disneyland Best Days to Visit 2024

Disneyland is expected to be least crowded on the below days of the year in 2024.

• January : 4-11, 17-31
• February : 1-13, 21-29
• March : 1-9
• April : 23-30
• May : 1-9, 15-25
• June:  1-30
• August : 1-31
• September : 4-30
• October : 1-6
• November : 1-7, 13-22
• December : 1-14

Disneyland Best Days to Visit 2025

• January : 7-16, 22-31
• February : 1-13, 19-28
• March : 1-7
• April : 21-30
• May : 1-8, 12-22, 28-31
• June:  1-12, 17-30
• July:  8-31
• September : 3-30
• October : 1-9
• November : 1-6, 12-25
• December : 1-15

These dates are all meant to avoid peak holiday periods in each specific month.

Cheapest Days to Visit Disneyland

Disneyland's cheapest one-day ticket is called Tier 1 and is priced at $104 for an adult ticket. Disney usually just offers these lower prices for one-day tickets on days of the year they would consider slower days.

Most of these cheapest days for Disneyland will be on weekdays during slower months of the year. Read our guide to the cheapest times to visit Disneyland .

Busiest Times to Visit Disneyland

You can read more about the busiest time to visit Disneyland in our crowd calendar, but ultimately the good rule of thumb is to avoid holidays. This also includes holiday weekends which can sometimes be the busiest weekends the parks will see all year. Some of these weekends to avoid include President's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Labor Day, and Indigenous/Columbus Day .

October is also known to be one of the busiest months of the year at Disneyland due to the popularity of Halloween along with the many Fall breaks that schools receive on the west coast. Other times of year like Spring Break weeks during March/April, Thanksgiving week, and Christmas week also all draw big crowds. During the holiday season especially in late November and December, weekends will be extremely busy as locals turn out in droves to see the holiday decorations.

Best Time to Visit Disneyland During Halloween

Disneyland goes all out for Halloween with the celebration taking place starting mid-September through the full month of October. What can be surprising for a lot of guests to find out is that October is just as popular as December can be, if not more, at Disneyland. Many schools in California, Utah, Arizona, and more all have week long fall breaks in October and many of those families choose to visit Disneyland. Read our full guide to Disneyland Halloween for details on the general celebration and a guide to the after-hours Ooogie Boogie Bash Party .

If you want to see Disneyland during Halloween and avoid the crush of the crowds, then visiting during September is going to be your best choice. Avoid October if you can and choose to visit in September. Disneyland will begin decorating for Halloween as early as September 1st, sometimes even in late August, but the official Halloween celebrations begin the first week of the month.

When is Best Time to Visit Disneyland During Christmas?

If you're looking to visit Disneyland during Christmas then there are some best times to visit to avoid crowds and have better weather. This is one of the best times of the year to visit Disneyland as the parks go all out for the holidays! This is truly one of the best times of the year to visit, it's my favorite time to go personally!

If you are looking to avoid crowds, the earlier in the celebration you go the better. The seasonal celebration often begins after the first week of November and runs until the first week of January. If you visit before Thanksgiving, you will experience the lowest crowd levels during the holidays. After Thanksgiving, the parks will increase in crowd levels, especially on weekends, as the holiday draws near and more locals are enticed by the Christmas decor.

Another tactic is to wait until after New Year's Day and catch the Christmas celebration before it officially ends during the first week of January. Crowds will filter out quite quickly at Disneyland after New Year's.

When is the Best Time to Visit Disneyland in Summer?

Disneyland is actually pretty reasonable when it comes to crowds in the summer, more so than busier weeks during the Halloween and Christmas seasons! While you will have more tourists coming to visit the parks during the summer, many of the Magic Key holders will have more restrictions on their park availability. However, there are still some best times to visit Disneyland in the summer too! Read our guide to Disneyland in the Summer .

The first half of June is still wrapping up the Grad Nites celebrations at California Adventure Park so if you visit towards the end of June you will avoid most of those crowds. July will see some of the heavier summer crowds and you will also have higher temperatures so if you're looking to avoid both, the end of June is a great choice.

August is another good month to visit as many schools around the country go back before Labor Day with many school dates scattered throughout August. My son's school always starts around mid-August, usually the 12th or so, so this is more common than you might expect. The end of August is a great time for low crowds although you may have high temperatures.

Plan Your Disneyland Vacation!

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You can discover more about planning your trip to Disneyland from these links:

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• How to Plan Your Disneyland Trip
• Disneyland in the Summer
• Disneyland Discount Packages

Frequently Asked Questions 

Disneyland is least crowded earlier in the year from late January through February before Spring Break season kicks off and late April (unless Easter falls during this time). There are also other times of year when you can find lower crowds like parts of August, September, and November. See our full discussion above on the best times to visit Disneyland!

If you're visiting during peak times of the year, the slowest day to visit Disneyland will often be Saturday. Tuesdays and Wednesdays can also be good times to visit with lower crowd levels from visiting tourists and Magic Key holders. You can see more details and why these are the slowest days to visit in our guide to the best day of the week to visit Disneyland . 

January and February are often the cheapest times of year to go to Disneyland. You'll find lower hotel rates before Spring Break season starts as well as lower airfares during these months. Disneyland's lowest ticket tier types are often Mondays, making this often the cheapest day of the week to visit. You can see all details about the cheapest time to go to Disneyland in our guide. 

January can often be Disneyland's least busy month if you're looking to avoid crowds. If you visit at least a week after New Year's Day and avoid the three-day weekend surrounding Martin Luther King Jr. Day, you'll be able to enjoy some of the lowest crowd levels of the year as mentioned above in our guide. 

To avoid crowds at Disneyland if you are visiting during a busy time, make sure to arrive at the park early for rope drop and take advantage of the morning hours when you can ride popular attractions with shorter wait times. You'll also want to make sure you're utilizing Genie+ as effectively as possible to make the most of this offering and avoid long wait times for attractions. Visiting during the best months listed above will help you avoid the biggest crowds during the year.

The best month to visit Disneyland is January if you are interested in the least crowded time of year or December if you are looking for the overall best Disneyland experience.

Disclosure: We have used all the products recommended on Mickey Visit. We may receive compensation when you click on links to some products featured.

About Lindsay Brookshier

Lindsay is a college English instructor and has years of writing experience through various nonprofits, charities, newspapers, and online magazines. As the content director of Mickey Visit, she oversees article content and leads our fantastic team of writers to meet guest vacation needs. You can still find her writing weekly content to help make your Disney Parks trip fantastic here on Mickey Visit and Disney Dose- you can also view her recently featured posts on Disney Parks travel on Visit Anaheim, Nerd Wallet and SFGate. Lindsay comes from a dedicated Disney family and enjoys taking her son to the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Will Disneyland get an Avatar land? It’s likely. Here’s what else may be in store

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With the city of Anaheim unanimously voting to pass DisneylandForward , the Disneyland Resort will be forever changed.

Twice in the last 69 years, Disneyland has been significantly transformed. Four years after the park opened in 1959, Disneyland added its monorail, the Matterhorn Bobsleds and a submarine ride and expanded Autopia. It was a message that would begin to fulfill Walt Disney’s promise that Disneyland would never be completed.

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More than that, however, it revealed that Disneyland would continue to look to the future. Disneyland in 1959 showed its guests possibilities — a transportation system in the monorail that could remake urban communities, a tease of the freeway system that would reshape travel and a glimpse at the sort of deep-sea excursions only a lucky few could witness. The Matterhorn, while inspired by the film “Third Man on the Mountain,” also was meant to be a transportive experience, to not only bring to Disneyland a new kind of thrill ride but give visitors a taste of international adventure.

Disneyland’s second reimagining came much later. In 2001 the Walt Disney Co. would open Disney California Adventure, the Grand Californian hotel and the Downtown Disney District. These additions would attempt to make Disneyland, the company’s original park, one that could, in theory, rival Florida’s Walt Disney World by becoming a resort that could demand multiday stays.

This expansion succeeded as well, but not overnight.

The original vision of Disney California Adventure proved to be lackluster, relying heavily on on-the-shelf rides and lacking emotion-driven experiences that take visitors out of their daily life. While the Grand Californian is a Craftsman-inspired triumph, Downtown Disney is in the midst of a transformation and is still attempting to outgrow its reputation as a home for chains and midtier eateries.

And now we’re entering a new era of possibilities, one that likely will look much different from the prior two. Modern Disney is centered on intellectual property — or IP, in corporate speak — rather than Walt-era idealism, and the most tantalizing prospects of DisneylandForward center on building around existing structures rather than erecting a new park.

With DisneylandForward, the company won the flexibility to redesign the resort. Zoning rules will be amended so that Disney can add new attractions alongside hotels on the west side of Disneyland Drive. These will, if they come to fruition, likely be extensions of Disneyland or Disney California Adventure rather than a third park. Additionally, a new shopping, dining and entertainment district can be created to the southeast on what is currently the Toy Story parking lot at Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard.

Company brass and the DisneylandForward materials have offered teases of what could be built. Most of these have centered on recent expansions at Disney’s international parks, such as the World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland or Zootopia at Shanghai Disney Resort. There’s been little ideological talk about the future of Disneyland, as the focus has centered squarely on popular properties and franchises rather than the resort’s status as a cultural hub and gathering space.

But DisneylandForward came with a pledge. The Walt Disney Co. has promised to spend a minimum of $1.9 billion on Disneyland attractions, lodging, entertainment, shopping and dining in the next 10 years. That money can go quickly, with modern attractions costing sometimes in the high six figures, but the Walt Disney Co. also is in the midst of doubling down on its theme parks. Disney has guaranteed to spend $60 billion over the next 10 years in its experiences division, with at least half of that total dedicated to parks and resorts, according to a recent SEC filing .

It’s safe to say that the next 10 years will shape Disneyland for decades to come. While there’s much to be revealed, there are, perhaps, some safe bets. Here are a few educated guesses as to what to expect with an expanded Disneyland in the near term.

Get ready for Pandora

DisneylandForward materials reference everything from “Tangled” to “Peter Pan” to “Tron” as possible experiences that could come to Anaheim. One word, however, is missing, and it’s one that’s been regularly referenced by Disney brass in recent weeks: “Avatar.”

Disney CEO Bob Iger mentioned it at a recent shareholder meeting, even sharing the “Avatar” concept art, which was referred to as “inspirational artwork.” Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, wrote in a blog post after the shareholder event that further news on Disneyland-related attractions such as the “Avatar” experience was tied to the approval of DisneylandForward.

“We are excited about the stories our guests could experience at Walt’s original theme park destination after approval of DisneylandForward — including the chance to experience all-new Avatar adventures with a visit to Pandora,” D’Amaro wrote . And last night in Anaheim, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock again teased “Avatar” at the DisneylandForward hearing and vote. Finally, one of Disney’s most respected theme park creatives even posted the “Avatar” concept art on Instagram , expressing the hope of sharing more on the project in the future.

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Consider a large-scale “Avatar”-inspired land all but a done deal, and the art shared for Disneyland isn’t an exact replica of Florida’s Pandora — The World of Avatar, which resides in that coast’s Animal Kingdom park. Now where to put it? Expect Pandora to be bound for Disney California Adventure. There’s been speculation that it could replace the area currently served by water ride Grizzly River Run or move into a largely vacant slot of Hollywood Land, but neither is ideal. The latter requires a rerouting of the monorail, and Grizzly River Run remains a popular attraction.

Here’s betting it’s positioned in one of the DCA expansion areas near the Pixar Place Hotel, as that would allow the company to give the James Cameron property a plethora of space, especially if Disney must hide a large show building behind an illusion of floating mountains.

Expect more hotel options

With Disneyland lacking the acreage of Florida’s Walt Disney World, hotel prices in Anaheim are at a premium. Rooms for the recently revamped Pixar Place Hotel — Anaheim’s “budget” option — can routinely top $500 per night. More hotel space is needed, and if Disneyland goes all-in on “Avatar,” expect lodging and more entertainment options to follow close behind. Disney has long touted development of the Toy Story Lot as prime space for hotel, dining and entertainment modeled after Florida’s Disney Springs district.

The DisneylandForward materials mention the land as “the perfect location to cater to locals, conventioneers, hotel and Disneyland Resort guests with restaurants, hotels, live music, shopping, ticketed shows and theme park experiences.” A new proposed parking structure to the north would solve the parking issue, and Disney has done extensive research on this already, as it was part of an earlier, pre-pandemic planned development known as the “Eastern Gateway.”

Walkways to and from the new parking structure would connect the current resort to the new entertainment area. And while fans may want Disney to rapidly fill the available space with theme park attractions, if the resort is planning to increase capacity it’s first going to need a spot for those guests to park. Additionally, Iger at a recent media event said the company likely would hold back some of its theme park funds so the organization could move on the popularity of new films or franchises.

“We actually have a fairly good idea in the near term of what’s being built, but we’re purposefully not going to allocate it all,” Iger said. “Because who knows? In five years we can end up with a giant hit movie — think ‘Frozen’ — that we may want to mine essentially as an attraction, or a hotel or restaurant in our parks. So you want to maintain some flexibility.”

What about ‘Frozen’s’ Arendelle? Or a ‘Coco’-themed experience?

Beyond “Avatar,” which seems a sure thing as it’s been mentioned by Iger on multiple occasions, any future aspects of DisneylandForward become pure speculation. But a couple of franchises may have higher priority than others.

Disney now has a “Frozen” attraction in Walt Disney World, a land in Hong Kong and experiences in the works for Disneyland Paris and Tokyo DisneySea. Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s secretive arm devoted to theme park experiences, clearly has done the work on bringing “Frozen” to life in physical spaces, and it stands to reason that expansions to the original Disneyland Park, with its fairy-tale feel, would go more of a Fantasyland-inspired route.

What’s more, re-creating Arendelle in the expansion plots located near the Disneyland Hotel would give Disney the opportunity to construct a second castle, as any extensive changes to park centerpiece Sleeping Beauty Castle are prohibited due to structural limitations . The enduring popularity of “Frozen” seems relatively assured at this point, so bringing the franchise to Disneyland is far from a risk.

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But if the company opts to create something unique for Southern California rather than importing Hong Kong’s World of Frozen or Shanghai’s Zootopia, one franchise that seems to be routinely brought up by executives is “Coco.” When mentioning blue-sky concepts last year year at an investor event in Florida, D’Amaro teased “Coco” as a key film that has yet to be properly explored in the Disney parks.

Potrock again mentioned “Coco” in an op-ed in the Orange County Register touting the benefits of DisneylandForward, writing that the initiative could pave the way for “the chance to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos in a ‘Coco’-themed experience.” Disney California Adventure, of course, is home to a Dia de Los Muertos celebration that does center a short “Coco” show, and the property seems especially ripe for Southern California and our heavily Latino communities. That makes it an opportunity to give Disneyland an unique land not found in other parks while also tapping into the region’s diverse fan base. Walt’s original park deserves no less as it looks ahead to closing out its first century.

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Todd Martens joined the Los Angeles Times in 2007 and covers a mix of interactive entertainment (video games) and pop music. Previously, Martens reported on the music business for Billboard Magazine. He has contributed to numerous books, including “The Big Lebowski: An Illustrated, Annotated History of the Greatest Cult Film of All Time.” He continues to torture himself by rooting for the Chicago Cubs and, while he likes dogs, he is more of a cat person.

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Planning A Trip To Disneyland? Why May Is Going To Be A Rougher Month To Visit Than Usual

S pring is here, and that means that what passes for a slow season at Disneyland Resort is coming to an end. The summer months are right around the corner, and millions are likely planning trips to the park very soon. But if you eyeing a Disneyland trip this May, get ready, because things are going to be significantly more crowded than they usually are. This is not only because crowds are sure to increase, possibly more than usual, but also because these crowds will have less space to move around in.

Two major seasonal events taking place at Disneyland simultaneously this May, and when combined with significant Disneyland attraction closures , this means it will be tougher to navigate the park starting this May. At this point, it’s far from clear exactly when things will get any better.

May Is Always Crowded At Disneyland, And This Year Will Be No Exception 

May isn’t technically summer, but Disney Parks often refer to Memorial Day Weekend as part of the summer season. With the school year coming to an end, May is the month that tends to see a significant uptick in guests visiting Disneyland, as the free time to visit the park significantly increases for many.

Disneyland Resort is certainly going to be encouraging people to visit the parks in May. Two different seasonal events will be running simultaneously in May. Season of The Force, the Star Wars-themed event that began April 5, which includes new elements on Star Tours , will only be half over when we reach May the Fourth. Additionally, Pixar Fest will have begun on April 26 and is set to run into early August.

Whether these two events bring in more guests than your average May remains to be seen, but we can certainly be sure that Disneyland won’t be any less crowded than it usually is, and may very well be more crowded. This is a bigger issue than it would otherwise be because Disneyland is going to be a much smaller park than it usually is in May.

A Significant Portion Of Disneyland Will Be Closed This May 

Disneyland has been dealing with two major attraction closures for the last few months. Splash Mountain is in the middle of its transformation into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure , a ride that isn’t expected to open until sometime in the back half of 2024. Also, the best ride at Disneyland , the Haunted Mansion, closed in January for a major queue renovation, and its reopening date is also unknown. This is especially a problem because both rides are right next to each other. At this point, there isn’t even a break in the construction walls between the two attractions, and those walls are about to get longer.

Starting on May 1, all of Critter Country, the land that includes Splash Mountain/Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, is set to close down as two gift shops attached to the log flume ride get rethemed into Princess and the Frog -themed shops. While it’s unlikely that work will take too long, no reopening date for the land was announced alongside the closure.

This means that an entire corner of the park, basically everything west of the New Orleans Square train station, will be closed. This may or may not also block one of the entrances to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a passage through the construction may be left open.

Critter Country is not the largest of lands. Outside of Splash/Tiana’s, it’s home to only the Winnie the Pooh dark ride, the Hungry Bear quick service restaurant and a few shops. Still, not having access to it just means that the guests in the park will be crammed into even less space. Beyond that, there simply isn’t a reason for any guests to go any further into New Orleans Square than Tiana’s Palace because nothing beyond that is open.

Disneyland Park Is Going To Feel More Crowded Than Usual, And It May Last A While 

Take the normal, if not the inflated, number of guests in the park, and then thrown in a park that is going to be smaller than usual, and you have a recipe for crowds. With two major attractions that usually devour crowds into the queues not able to do so, combined with the fact that the amount of general pedestrian space will be reduced, you’re just going to have a lot more people than usual in the remaining space. This is going to mean longer lines on the remaining attractions, and more than likely just walking through the park is going to be a bit more difficult.

At this point, exactly when this period will end is unclear. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has a “late 2024” opening date, which means we're likely looking at something in the fall. The Haunted Mansion doesn’t have a reopening date, but there’s every reason to believe we might not even see the classic Haunted Mansion at all this year . This could mean that even if the attraction is ready, it also might not open until the end of summer at the earliest. We still have months to wait here.

The Critter Country closure is likely to be much shorter, though how short is difficult to say. The closure of Critter Country entirely will give the people working on renovating the two gift shops the freedom to do whatever they need to do, without needing to work around guests. As such, we can expect the plan here is to work as fast as possible and just get it all done.

Beyond that, the gift shop work is just retheming; there are no moving parts like renovating attractions, so this work shouldn’t take too long, weeks rather than months. But whether we’re talking Critter Country being closed for just a couple weeks or a month or more, we don't know, and every day counts.

All this work, all these construction walls and all the guest inconvenience will certainly be worth it. When the work is done, this corner of Disneyland is sure to look amazing and be better than ever. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a lot of fun to get to that point.

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Kanye West's partner Bianca Censori seen walking around shoeless at Disneyland, where bare feet are prohibited

The theme park's posted dress code cites bare feet as a style that "may result in refusal of admittance or ejection."

A stir was afoot at Disneyland after Kanye West and his partner, Bianca Censori, were seen strolling through it in a bizarre fashion, with the latter appearing shoeless. This would violate the California theme park's posted dress code , which explicitly prohibits "bare feet" on the property.

Videos circulating online show Censori, 29, holding the 46-year-old rapper's hand as they walked through the park's Star Wars– themed Galaxy's Edge area toward the land's Smuggler's Run interactive simulator ride.

One video zooms in on West and Censori, revealing what looks to be tan-colored material wrapped around her otherwise bare feet.

An entourage follows close behind the couple, while a Disneyland cast member leads the group through a corridor flanked by other park officials wearing bright vests.

Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty; Amy Sussman/Getty

According to Disneyland's website, "attire that is not appropriate for the theme parks (and which may result in refusal of admittance or ejection) includes but is not limited to" things like character costumes worn by people over the age of 14 and clothing featuring "objectionable material," as well as "bare feet."

EW has reached out to representatives for Disneyland and West for comment.

Censori and West (now known professionally as Ye) went public with their relationship in 2022, following the musician's separation from Kim Kardashian . That year marked a turbulent one for the performer, who courted controversy when he voiced both admiration for Adolf Hitler and anti-Jewish sentiments.

In April, Trevor Phillips, a former employee of West's Donda Academy and Yeezy clothing brand, sued the rapper in Los Angeles after alleging racism, homophobia, antisemitism, and harassment. (Representatives for West did not respond to EW's request for comment on the lawsuit.)

See another video of Censori and West at Disneyland here .

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Disneyland characters and cast members attempt to unionize

Unionization at Disneyland may no longer be a fairy tale, as a majority of about 1,700 parade and character cast members have filed with the National Labor Relations Board for union representation.

The Actors' Equity Association said in a statement that those employees are receiving unionization cards from the group.

"These performers, and the Hosts, Leads and Trainers who create magic alongside them, know that their lives — as well as the Guest experience at Disneyland — can be improved through collective bargaining," Equity President Kate Shindle said. "They deserve a voice in their workplace, and meaningful negotiations over wages, benefits and working conditions."

Referring to themselves as "Magic United," the group of cast members announced their official unionization attempt on Feb. 13, leading to volunteer organizers' collecting already signed union authorization cards from co-workers.

Spokespeople for Magic United have been vocal in expressing their desire for a variety of quality-of-life improvements in the workplace, such as better pay and benefits, scheduling and safety upgrades and an opportunity to have their voices heard.

"We love the work we do. We are proud to be a part of one of the greatest legacies in modern entertainment," a joint letter from Magic United read. "Magic United invites The Walt Disney Company to voluntarily recognize our union and work with us to enhance an essential aspect of Walt Disney’s vision for his theme park — the transcendent magic of live entertainment."

Magic United has yet to get a response from Disney but will proceed with efforts to arrange a union election with the NLRB.

Noah Osborne is a news associate with NBC News Digital.

Disneyland Railroad Guided Tour

All aboard .

Get a look into Walt Disney’s love for trains and discover the impact it had on the Disneyland Resort. On this eye-opening, 2-hour tour sure to delight both Disneyland fans and railroad enthusiasts alike, you’ll:

Start with a Treat Enjoy a beverage and a pastry to steam power your journey through Disneyland park.

Step into the Past Walk through the park listening to stories about where the idea behind Walt’s train creations first started. Understand the impact trains had on Walt Disney’s dreams—from animation and film all the way to the theme parks.

Catch a Rare Glimpse of the Disneyland Park Roundhouse This is where “the magic happens” for the historic Disneyland Railroad system and it’s not typically viewed by the public. You’ll learn more about the Imagineers that look after the Disneyland Monorail and trains.

Take a Special Ride During your guided tour, climb aboard Disneyland Railroad’s special Presidential Car, the Lilly Belle. Take the scenic route along the Rivers of America to see landscapes inspired by 4 of America’s majestic rivers: the Mississippi, the Columbia, the Missouri and the Rio Grande. Each are carefully recreated, complete with indigenous rock formations, natural forests, wildlife and 5 picturesque waterfalls.

Riding in the Lilly Belle is dependent on weather and availability.

And Enjoy a Special Keepsake A memento to remember your tour is included.

Know Before You Go

Required Park Reservation and Admission

Reservations

Late arrivals may not be able to join the guided tour. Please be prepared to present your reservation confirmation, photo ID and the credit card provided at the time of booking.

This tour is only available during regular park hours at Disneyland Park.

Cancellations

There is a 24-hour cancellation policy. Full price will be charged and forfeited if Guest cancels within one day or is a no-show for the reservation.

Riding in the Lilly Belle

Guests utilizing wheelchairs must be able to transfer from their mobility device to a wheelchair provided at the attraction.

Guests younger than 14 years of age must be accompanied by an adult 18 years of age or older during the entire experience.

Important Details

All prices, experiences, information and offerings are subject to restrictions, change or cancellation without notice.

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