When Will it Be Busy at Disneyland - 2009 Edition

[sir clinksalot]

Welcome to the 2009 version of “When will it be busy at Disneyland”.

So, the question gets asked, when will it busy, is this a good time to go to the park, etc.

While we don’t claim to have a crystal ball here at MiceChat, there are some times that you may want to avoid if you want to avoid the crowds.

Whenever the Deluxe pass is blocked-out it will be busy.

The parks are generally in high-capacity mode when Deluxe AP's are blocked out. You can see Deluxe block out days here. http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disn...utCalendarPage

Whenever the SoCal pass is NOT blocked-out on a Sunday.

Expect in influx of SoCal AP's. You can see SoCal block out days here.
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disn...utCalendarPage

Other days to watch out for SoCal passholders is the last Sunday before they are blocked out for the summer. This would be June 21st. And also the first Sunday they are allowed back in. This would be August 16th.

However, with the new payment option for Annual Passes, this may not be as big of an issue as in past years. We’ll just have to watch and see.
UPDATE: As has been reported through the last few weeks, it has actually been WORSE. The idea that people would upgrade to the Premium pass due to the payment plan has not come about. Instead, people are using the payment plan to get the SoCal passes and now it's quite possible that a Saturday in July will be less busy than a Sunday in October.

During the Disneyland 2fer Deal

The 2fer is running form January 6th until June 2nd this year. Which means weekends will be very busy for the first 6 months of the year. Generally people will use their first day at Disneyland on a Saturday, 2nd day at DCA on Sunday. This typically means that DCA will not be very crowded on Saturdays, but quite busy on Sunday's. Also, as the deal comes to a close, the weekends leading up to and especially including the last weekend in May will be extremely busy.
Due to the way the 2fer is structured, the "Free" day can be used up to and including July 2nd, 2009.

During Spring Break

Spring Break times run from Mid-March to the end of April. Couple that with the 2fer and you have a busy park.

During any major convention in Anaheim

You can find all convention information here
Welcome to the Anaheim Convention Center

It does seem there are less for 2009, and only 2 weekends of Cheerleaders compared to I think 3 or 4 in 2008. Things are always subject to change and I would check the events link to make sure. Anytime a group takes over the “Entire Facility” or Arena or multiple halls generally means it’s a big convention.
Here are some of the major ones.

January 15 through 18 – NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants)
January 25 through 28 – CHA (Craft and Hobby Association)
Feb 24 through March 1 - Religious Education Congress
March 11 through 14 - Big West Basketball Tournament
March 20 through 22 - American Showcase National Cheer and Dance Competition
March 27 through 20 – United Spirit Association All Star Nationals
April 2 through 5 – Orange County Boat Show
April 14 through 17 – NCEA (National Catholic Education Association)
April 17 through 24 – Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association
May 25 through 28 – Four Square Convention 2009 (this is the week after Memorial weekend, so that weekend may be busier than usual)
June 7 through 10 – Institute of Food Technologies
June 25 through 28 – Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference
July 31 through August 2 – United Spirit Association USA Cheer Camp
September 10 through 13 - D23 Expo (entire convention center)
October 15 through 18 – Orange County Auto Show

But as you can see, there is pretty much something ALWAYS going on at the convention center. Which means for people who have to travel, they will bring the family who will spend time at the parks while Mom or Dad is at a convention.

During Major Disneyland events

Disney's California Adventure Food and Wine Weekends (April 24 through June 7)
The weekend of July 17th
Disneyland 1/2 Marathon Weekend - Labor Day Weekend
Gay Days weekend - Generally the first weekend in October

Around Holidays

MLK Weekend
Presidents Day Weekend
Easter week (week before and week after)
Memorial Weekend
July 4th weekend
All of July and most of August
Labor Day weekend (but usually the least crowded of the holidays)
Columbus weekend (increasingly busy the last few years)
Veterans Day weekend
The week before and through Thanksgiving weekend
From the week before Christmas and through the first weekend after New Years
Weekends in December

January 29 UPDATE - Disneyland Parking Problems

As has been well documented here on MiceChat, Disneyland is experiencing some problems with having enough parking spaces on certain days. You can find more information in the link below:

Fiasco to Park at the Parks - What can be done?

As to why this is happening, an informative post by "Darkbeer" is linked below:

http://micechat.com/forums/3391525-post75.html

So what to do when it's busy? Get there early. Take it slow. Have fun.

The Number Scale:

As you will see on the next pages, many days are given a "Number Scale" as to how busy it "might" be. Remember, we are not psychic, but we do try and give you an idea based on our experience and past attendance patterns.

1-2: Rainy Days
These are the lightest of the light. If you don't mind dealing with the rain, those are the best days to go. Some rides will be closed, but crowds will be VERY low. Expect wait times to be less than 20 minutes, even on the E-tickets.

3-5: Off-season weekday
If you don't want to deal with the rain, Off-season weekdays are the other good days to go. Some rides may be closed for refurbishment. Expect wait times to be less than 40 minutes. Note: Some school districts have odd-days off, so some off-season weekdays may be busy.

5-8: Weekends and Spring Break Weekdays
Weekends during non-holiday seasons and Spring Break Weekdays can REALLY fluctuate. Due to the 2-fer, most weekends until July will be busy. Generally the best weekends to go are early september through early october. But now with the Halloween festivities and the AP Payment program, this may not hold true so much anymore. If you will be going during Spring Break, weekdays are your best bet, but it may still be busy. Expect wait times to be 60 minutes for the bigger E-ticket attractions and low capacity rides.

9-10: Holiday periods and Spring Break Weekends
These are the busiest times of year. Examples of such busy times are Thanksgiving Weekend, Week between Christmas and New years, Weekends in December, July 4th Weekend, during big convention periods. Expect wait times to be AT LEAST 60 minutes for most attractions, if it's warm, water attractions can get up to 120+ minutes.

[Scottk]

ok quick question.

We will be in so-cal over MLK weekend. We haven't decided if we want to go to disneyland on Saturday the 17th or Sunday the 18th.

Saturday is blocked out to regular so-cal annual pass holders, but not to deluxe pass holders. The park is open 9-11 on saturday.

Sunday is not blocked out to anyone, and the hours are 8-12.

We were thinking saturday would be the better day. The hours are shorter which means the park will be less busy, right?

Does anyone know which day would be better to visit on?

[amanda.collishaw]

I would almost say Sunday would be the better day to go. I'm not sure that it would really make a difference though if it's a holiday weekend.

[sediment]

Originally Posted by Scottk

ok quick question.

We will be in so-cal over MLK weekend. We haven't decided if we want to go to disneyland on Saturday the 17th or Sunday the 18th.

Saturday is blocked out to regular so-cal annual pass holders, but not to deluxe pass holders. The park is open 9-11 on saturday.

Sunday is not blocked out to anyone, and the hours are 8-12.

We were thinking saturday would be the better day. The hours are shorter which means the park will be less busy, right?

Does anyone know which day would be better to visit on?

I already answered your question: I don't know.
They will both be pretty busy.
The difference between the two should not be enough to affect your decision. If you want less busy, you should pick another weekend, or a weekday instead. If you're planning to spend full price to go on either of these days, well, it's not my money.

I recommend Monday, if it's possible.

[sir clinksalot]

I would also recommend Monday.

If Saturday has longer hours than Sunday then I would lean towards Saturday, and pray for rain.

[twinmom]

Clinks, I really appreciate this thread! My whole family (29 in all!) are planning a trip for my parents' 50th anniversary this year. I am really trying to convince them to NOT go Columbus Day weekend but one of my sister's won't pull her kids from school for the trip.

[Eric5675]

I heard mixed things about New Years Day. Is New Years day crowded or is it pretty dead because of the Rose Bowl, Rose Parade and all the people hungover, I mean "sleeping in"?

[I Heart Disneyland]

Clinks...these posts crack me up at the start of every year. I don't know why, but, it just does! Well done! haha!

[elly]

Originally Posted by Eric5675

I heard mixed things about New Years Day. Is New Years day crowded or is it pretty dead because of the Rose Bowl, Rose Parade and all the people hungover, I mean "sleeping in"?

a friend of mine that went New Years Day 2 years ago said she has never seen the park so empty before

[SCUBAbe]

Originally Posted by elly

a friend of mine that went New Years Day 2 years ago said she has never seen the park so empty before

I've gone with the 1st being slow and I've been there when it was pretty busy. So, I think it just depends on the year...or how hung over people are....

[PretzelSouls]

Thanks Sir Clinksalot! I was hoping you'd post one of these!!!

[disney-fan-reborn]

Planning to go around mid to late October of this year! Yippie!!!

[MickeyMousePal]

Thanks, Gregg now I can decide what weekends to go and which ones not to go on.

[FolsomFan]

We are thinking Feb 22-24.

What do you think?

[Darkbeer]

Originally Posted by FolsomFan

We are thinking Feb 22-24.

What do you think?

Some schools do give a week off in February, sometimes referred to as Ski/Rodeo week. Not sure when they will be held in 2009, with Presidents day being held on Febraury 16th. They might be that week. But then some schools could go with the week of February 24th....