Planning Your Trip

So you've decided you want to go to Disneyland. Awesome! We say go for it, obviously. But despite what many people think, going to Disneyland does require a plan. Different times of the year are generally far busier than others, and they often have special events throughout the year. Then, of course, they have celebrations for Halloween and Christmas. All of these things should play a part in your decision.

There are about a zillion websites and blogs (just like this one!) out there to help you out with that, but my favorite is Touring Plans. They have reviews and descriptions for every attraction, show, parade, and restaurant, including how suitable each is for varying age groups. But the feature I use the most is their Crowd Tracker. They rank each day of the year with a number from 1 to 10, with 1 being the slowest and 10 being the busiest. These rankings aren't 100% accurate, but they've been fairly close, in my experience. The site also has plans you can use in the park. I've never personally used one, but I know people who have, and they say the plans save them a ton of time when the park is busy. The people who run the website also publish a book, The Ultimate Guide to Disneyland, that's updated every year. It has all the same information, with the exception of the Crowd Tracker. The website does require a paid subscription.

Another good resource is Disneyland's website and app. Disneyland has a ton of information about their attractions, and they generally post the entertainment schedule six weeks out, so you can see what shows will be going on during your stay. I also follow Disneyland on social media so I can hear about new events as soon as they announce them. In conjunction with that, I also check the Disney Parks Blog regularly. They post a lot of details about things going on at the parks.
In general, the slowest times in the parks are the following:

• Mid to late January
• February, with the exception of the few days surrounding President's Day
• Mid-September through October
• November, excluding the week of Thanksgiving
• The first two weeks of December

A good rule of thumb is that if kids are in school, crowds are going to be lighter. When kids are out of school, the parks are busier. It's also good to pay attention to when California schools are out; they observe more holidays than we do here in Utah. For instance, one trip we took in September had mostly pretty low crowds, with the notable exception of one day. It was Rosh Hashanah, and all the kids were out of school, and the parks were a zoo. 

These are generally the busiest times:

• Most national holidays when school/work are out of session
• Mid-March through mid-April (spring break/Easter)
• June through mid-August
• The two weeks surrounding Christmas and New Years

The two main events that Disneyland holds every year are for Halloween and Christmas. Halloween usually runs from the beginning of September through October. Both California Adventure and Disneyland are decked out in Halloween decorations, and there are quite a few rides that are themed for the holiday. The Haunted Mansion becomes Haunted Mansion Holiday, which is Nightmare Before Christmas themed, and Space Mountain becomes Ghost Galaxy. A couple of rides in Cars Land in California Adventure are also themed. There are also Halloween parties a few times a week throughout Halloween, which require separate tickets. This year the parties are being held in California Adventure, and on days with parties, the park will close early for guests who don't have party tickets. 

Christmastime at Disneyland runs from early November through the first week of January. Both parks are decked out in decorations, but there are fewer themed rides. Haunted Mansion stays Haunted Mansion Holiday through Christmas, and it's a small world is also Christmas themed. There is also special food and merchandise for both events. It's also important to note that the themed rides close about three weeks before the holiday starts and about three weeks after they end so the theming can be set up and taken down. 

Andrew and I have been to Disneyland for Halloween and Christmas multiple times, and we'll publish some posts with more specifics at some point in the future. We're attending the new Halloween party in October, and since this is the first year it will be held in California Adventure, I'm excited to write about all the fun details.

Hopefully this is enough to get you started on planning your trip. More detailed posts will be coming soon about driving from Utah with little ones, flying with littles, and how to best handle your time in the parks. Let us know if you have any questions or any other tips we may have missed.