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It’s one of the most popular questions we get. I’ve even had people recognize me in the coffee shop line and ask ... "So, when is the best time to visit Disneyland?" My answer? "Whenever you can!"
It’s the truth. Whenever you can spend time with friends and family at The Happiest Place On Earth, then that is the best time. Of course, just like at Walt Disney World, there are better times to visit than others. In this post, we're outlining the best times to visit Disneyland in 2018. For those of you looking to get a hop on next year's vacation planning, our 2019 dates and tips will help out as well. Keep in mind that crowds will likely be elevated for all of the second half of 2019 with the anticipated opening of Star Wars Land in summer 2019. Frankly, if you are going to Disneyland after Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens, we would tell you to expect crowds.
If you're planning a visit, but don't see your particular dates listed here, jump down to the comments below. We frogs — and the hardcore Disneyland community — will be hoppy to provide answers. Also, our Disneyland Crowd Calendar is a helpful tool to help you get an idea of expected crowds. You can view the Disneyland Crowd Calendar for the day, month or year.
Walt's vision for Disneyland was a place where families could spend time together. His guiding spirit lives on in beloved attractions such as Peter Pan's Flight, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Splash Mountain and The Indiana Jones Adventure. Across the way, the spectacular Radiator Springs Racers, Incredicoaster, Soarin' Around the World and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission — BREAKOUT! have made Disney California Adventure just as popular as Disneyland Park! Even during the busiest times, there are tips and park plans you can follow to reduce waits and make it a blast for the whole family!
With That in mind, Let's Look at the Best Time to Visit Disneyland in 2018 and 2019!
If you’re more familiar with Cinderella Castle than Sleeping Beauty Castle, it's important to know that the best time to visit Disneyland in 2018 and 2019 isn't necessarily the same as at Disney World. The biggest difference are the locals. Disney World has a good amount of locals, but not nearly as many as those in the Los Angeles/Orange County regional area. Many of those locals are annual passholders, who think of the Happiest Place on Earth as their second home. They pop in for a few hours here or there — maybe on a weekday, or on a spring or fall Sunday morning before heading to the beach. Life is good in the OC.
Dropping in on Main Street U.S.A. for a quick bite sounds cool, but it's not always possible for local passholders. Depending on the passport, a passholder might find himself or herself blocked out of the park on certain days or weeks, particularly those times that are especially popular with tourists — namely summer, spring break and holidays. Looking at the Disneyland blockout calendar gives you a fairly good idea of when the very busiest dates of the year are because these are the times when most of the passholders are not allowed to enter the parks. During the summer, for most of June through mid-August, the Southern California passholders are blocked from entering the park entirely, a sure sign that there will be tourists! Keep in mind that crowds are higher right after major blockout periods such as summer when the locals can get back in.
Another factor that has more influence on crowds at Disneyland than at Disney World are the conventioneers. The Anaheim Convention Center is right across the street. What out-of-town visitor wouldn’t enjoy popping over in the afternoon and early evening for some Disney magic? It’s not necessary to rearrange a vacation based on a convention — with one exception. Disney’s own D23 Expo, held every other year, brings flocks of fans. Those folks will plan to spend some of their hours before, during and after the Expo to play in the parks. Note that the next D23 Expo will take place in 2019. Based on all of this information and historical crowd levels during holidays and other data, we have a pretty good idea of the very busiest dates this year.
Keep in mind that what's going on in the parks when you visit also influences crowds. This year saw the return of the Paint the Night Parade — to Disney California Adventure. This is yet another reason to review the Disneyland crowd calendar — we've got key events and show times!
Disneyland's introduction of tiered pricing for one-day tickets several years ago has more of an impact on crowds than at Disney World. Think about it — more people make one-day visits to Disneyland than they do at Disney World. With tiered pricing, each day is categorized as either value, regular or peak pricing. During the off seasons, generally Mondays through Thursdays or Tuesdays through Thursdays are value priced. If you add a one-day ticket to your cart, you can view Disneyland's pricing calendar — which is yet another indicator of the best and worst days to visit.
The very worst times to visit Disneyland in 2018 are ...
- Jan. 1-7
- MLK Jr. Day - Jan. 13-15
- President's Day - Feb. 16-25
- Spring break and Easter - March 12-April 15
- Weekends in May
- June 9-Aug. 11
- The week of Thanksgiving - Nov. 17-25, 2018
- Christmas week through the second week of the New Year - Dec. 21, 2018 - Jan. 6, 2019
The very worst times to visit Disneyland in 2019 are ...
- Jan. 1-6
- MLK Jr. Day - Jan. 17-21
- President's Day - Feb. 15-24
- Spring break and Easter - March 21-April 7, April 20-27 (elevated crowds March 16-April 27)*
- Weekends in May
- The opening of Star Wars Land (expected in summer 2019)
- Mid-June through Aug. 12
- The week of Thanksgiving - Nov. 16-24, 2019
- Christmas week through the second week of the New Year - Dec. 21, 2019 - Jan. 5 , 2020
The fall of Easter impacts Disneyland crowds in the spring. Some school districts base their spring break around Easter; others do not. When Easter falls earlier in the season, March or early April, it has the effect of making a more intense, but shorter busy spring break season. When Easter falls later as it does in 2019, the effect is a longer but less intense spring break season.
Other Dates That Likely See Higher Crowds
Here are other days that see higher crowds, but not as high as the absolute worst days. Some of the dates listed are isolated, with the days around them generally fine, but they do bring in more locals. July 17 is the exception to this, as it is already a busy time. Know of other dates that are popular with locals? Share in comments below.
- Aug. 20-23 and 27-30, 2018 - marked as value, but passholders are back in after summer blackouts (Expected to be Aug. 19-22 and 26-29, 2019)
- Labor Day - Sept. 3, 2018; Sept. 2, 2019
- Columbus Day (elevated crowds that week) - Oct. 8, 2018; Oct. 14, 2019
- Utah Education Association Convention - Oct. 18-19, 2018; Oct. 17-18, 2019
- Veteran's Day (and Veteran's Day Observed) - Nov. 12, 2018; Nov. 11, 2019
- Memorial Day - May 28, 2018; May 27, 2019
- Disneyland's anniversary - July 17, 2018; July 17, 2019
Best Time to Visit Disneyland in 2018
Now that we have the worst times to visit out of the way, let's look at the very best times to visit Disneyland! Yippee!
- Weekdays in January (minus the week of New Year's Day and the days around MLK Day)
- Weekdays in February (minus the days around President's Day)
- The first few days in March (until March 9, 2018)
- Weekdays in the second half of April 2018
- Weekdays in May
- Weekends during the last two weeks of August (Mondays through Thursdays see higher crowds with passholders back in)
- The first half of September; Mondays through Thursdays for the remainder of September and October
- Mondays through Thursdays in November (minus the week of Thanksgiving)
- Mondays through Thursdays during the first half of December
Best Time to Visit Disneyland in 2019
- Weekdays in January (minus the week of New Year's Day and the days around MLK Day)
- Weekdays in February (minus the days around President's Day)
- The first few days in March (until March 13, 2019)
- The last week of April 2019
- Weekdays in May
- Weekends during the last two weeks of August (Mondays through Thursdays see higher crowds with passholders expected to be back in)*
- The first half of September; Mondays through Thursdays for the remainder of September and October*
- Mondays through Thursdays in November (minus the week of Thanksgiving)*
- Mondays through Thursdays during the first half of December*
*As mentioned above, it's safe to say that for the remainder of 2019 after Star Wars Land opens, there will be elevated crowds at both parks. We would still recommend targeting one of these "best days," but expect that both parks will be busy with this highly anticipated opening.
Tah dah! There it is — the best time to visit Disneyland in 2018 and 2019. Don't forget that a solid park plan can be almost as good as traveling on a low crowd day. Check out our Disneyland Plans and Disney California Adventure Plans before your visit!
Related: The Ins and Outs of Disney's Maxpass
Related: 36 Tips to Maximize Your Time at Disneyland
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