There’s a 4 month stretch encompassing Halloween, Christmas, and Lunar New Yr that we love at Disneyland and Disney California Journey. These are our three favourite holidays, however they are often very busy. We aren’t the one ones who love these instances of 12 months, and the parks will be filled with vacationers and locals on peak dates. Luckily, there’s one window of alternative that we’ve discovered has turn into persistently uncrowded.
Let’s begin with the fundamentals. Inside the aforementioned 4-month stretch–from October by way of January–far and away our favourite time to do Disneyland is Christmas. There’s one thing particular concerning the vacation season, and we make a degree to go to as many instances as we will throughout November and December. (See our Information to Christmas at Disneyland for the whole lot we love about this time of 12 months.)
The draw back of the Christmas season is that it’s already shorter than Halloween by practically a full month, and it has extra peak season dates which might be unhealthy instances to go to. We’re really a bit aggravated that Vacation Time is beginning per week later this 12 months, as a result of that eradicated certainly one of our different favourite instances. (We’ll nonetheless be there then, so right here’s hoping for tender openings!) When you get rid of the excessive crowd weeks round Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Yr’s Eve, you’re left with solely a few potential choices.
Fortunately, we’ve discovered top-of-the-line home windows to go to Disneyland, and it’s nonetheless considerably of a secret. This timeframe would possibly really come as much less of a shock to Walt Disney World followers, because it being a good time to go to has been one of many worst-kept secrets and techniques there for ages.
In reality, long-time readers of the weblog would possibly know that our #1 favourite week of the 12 months at Walt Disney World is the one after Thanksgiving. We’ve beneficial it numerous instances over the past decade-plus, and it’s been our go-to for ages. Again once we lived within the Midwest, our annual WDW Christmas journey often began the Sunday after the vacation.
Now that we’re Disneyland locals once more, we go to on a weekly foundation and have “by chance” found that the identical is true at Disneyland. Nicely, form of. In contrast to at Walt Disney World, this nice time to go to will not be anchored to the bottom of Thanksgiving. Though that isn’t a foul time to go to, both.
Statistically talking, crowds do drop after Thanksgiving at Disneyland. This usually begins to some extent on that Saturday, with a sharper drop on Sunday and the next week. You possibly can anticipate crowd ranges to fall from 8/10 to 10/10 ranges the week of Thanksgiving to 2/10 to five/10 ranges that subsequent week.
Nonetheless, this isn’t essentially the very best week to go to through the vacation season (and by extension, your entire 12 months). Our favourite week often happens one week later, and can begin as an alternative on Sunday, December 8, 2024. Emphasis on “not essentially” and “often” as a result of we’re basing this on previous precedent and wait instances knowledge from the previous few years.
Thanksgiving is happening later than regular this 12 months, so it’s doable that our favourite dates in December 2024 received’t be fairly as fascinating because of that. (Simply need to be up entrance about that asterisk–we nonetheless anticipate the sample to carry true, however the shifting of Thanksgiving does introduce a component of uncertainty.)
Let’s focus on why that is our favourite week to do Disneyland…
Candlelight Processional – This would possibly look like an odd beginning place, however this being a good time to go to flows from Candlelight Processional, which is completely completely different from the model at EPCOT. We completely like it on each coasts, but it surely’s unequivocally higher at Disneyland. Regardless, we’re not mentioning Candlelight Processional for the caliber of the expertise, pageantry, and so forth. (For extra concerning the expertise, see our Information to Candlelight Processional at Disneyland.)
Candlelight can also be essentially completely different at Disneyland. In contrast to at EPCOT the place it’s an providing for normal friends and a method of accelerating attendance and promoting eating packages, it’s none of these issues at Disneyland. Nearly the alternative, in reality. Candlelight Processional will not be meant for the common friends at Disneyland.
It isn’t designed to attract crowds, and Disneyland actively tries to cut back them by not publicizing something about Candlelight Processional in anyway. For those who Google “Candlelight Processional,” you’ll virtually solely see outcomes for Walt Disney World. Even including “Disneyland” to the question principally brings again Walt Disney World pages. There isn’t something about Candlelight Processional on the official Disneyland web site in any respect.
Level being, Disneyland doesn’t need common friends to find out about Candlelight Processional because it’s not for them–it’s for VIPs and Membership 33 members. That is additionally as a result of Candlelight Processional is held on the entrance of the park, proper on the Principal Avenue USA Prepare Station.
Which means City Sq. is extremely congested from mid-afternoon on, and mainly turns into a stressed mob by the point Candlelight Processional rolls round, packed into the general public areas like sardines. Though Disneyland doesn’t publicize it, locals find out about Candlelight, and present up anyway, typically standing in the identical spot for hours. All of this exacerbates the congestion on the entrance of the park.
Due to all this, typical knowledge had been to keep away from Disneyland throughout Candlelight Processional weekend. Talking from expertise, this was good recommendation for at the very least a decade by way of 2019. We had carried out Disneyland on this weekend, and it was a madhouse. And never simply on the entrance of the park.
Nonetheless, as with so many issues, the closure and post-reopening insurance policies modified issues. In the previous couple of years, we’ve seen that Disneyland will not be practically as busy throughout Candlelight Processional. The entrance of the park remains to be a madhouse, certain, however when you get handed Principal Avenue, it’s not practically as unhealthy. In reality, we’ve been stunned by simply how low wait instances have been all through the park.
There are two causes for this. The primary motive is visitor demographics. This isn’t a well-liked time for vacationers, so it’s principally locals who’re disproportionately doing issues apart from points of interest. They’re there to camp out for Candlelight (outdoors the viewing space), benefit from the spirit of the season, and so forth. They add to congestion, however not wait instances for rides.
That alone doesn’t clarify it, although, because it’s all the time been the case that this weekend is busier with locals than with vacationers. The most important distinction is nearly assuredly park reservations. Disneyland now has granular management over attendance, with the power to restrict the reservation pool for normal ticket holders and, rather more importantly, Magic Key Annual Passholders. This permits Disneyland to successfully block out APs by dramatically decreasing reservation availability. This capability cap is one thing that didn’t meaningfully exist in 2019 or earlier.
After all, that is all the time topic to alter and Disneyland may select to open the floodgates on Magic Key park reservations for December 7-8, 2024. In so doing, this might go from an incredible weekend to an terrible one–as was the case previously. However we extremely doubt that can occur, as a result of Disneyland has no incentive to take action. Reservations are already gone for Sunday, and each tier of AP besides the highest one is already blocked out on Saturday. All indicators are at the moment pointing to latest historical past repeating itself and this being an excellent weekend to go to from the angle of wait instances. Simply keep off of Principal Avenue within the afternoon, because it’ll virtually actually be packed!
Fortunately, the low crowds shouldn’t finish as soon as Monday, December 9, 2024 rolls round…
Crowds & Wait Occasions – As measured by common wait instances, December 3-7 was one of many slowest stretches of final 12 months (the equal dates to what we’re recommending as soon as adjusted for the timing of Thanksgiving). Day by day crowd ranges had been 1/10 or 2/10. For those who increase that to incorporate the prior Friday and Saturday (December 1-2), crowds had been nonetheless under common, however not fairly as favorable.
Crowds did spike on the next Friday, and that Saturday noticed 8/10 crowd ranges. The week after that was reasonably crowded, however nonetheless under common. Nearly each date from the Saturday after Thanksgiving till mid-December was reasonably crowded or under. (December 9 is the largest outlier–I can’t clarify why it spiked to eight/10 crowds.)
In terms of Disneyland crowds, one adage rings true: historical past doesn’t repeat itself, but it surely typically rhymes. On this context, because of this common developments and patterns play out from yearly, however the specifics often differ. That is due largely, as soon as once more, to park reservations. Natural demand from vacationers is low throughout these weeks, however not amongst locals. All it might take is Disneyland final 12 months’s numbers and opting to ‘open the valve’ on Magic Key AP reservations. With that transfer alone, final 12 months’s 2/10 crowd ranges turn into 5/10 or greater. That’s actually all it takes.
Since locals are the first drivers of December attendance outdoors of vacation weeks, different variables that influence their want to go to are at play. If it rains or is unseasonably chilly, it’s sport over–Californians received’t go to the parks. They’ll, nonetheless, disproportionately accomplish that within the days that comply with. Level being, crowd developments at Disneyland are extra fickle than at Walt Disney World. Vacationer developments are predictable, however that’s solely half (or so) of the equation.
Our expectation is definitely barely greater crowd ranges for the second week of December 2024, and about the identical numbers for the week instantly after Thanksgiving. The idea for that is, fairly merely, that 1/10 and a couple of/10 crowd ranges are very low–and it’s troublesome to repeat numbers that good. Alternatively, wait instances have been trending downward year-over-year as pent-up demand exhausts itself. So who is aware of.
Frankly, we’re comfortable every time crowd ranges are 5/10 or under in November and December. The qualitative upsides greater than make up for even common crowd ranges, and reasonable crowds are nonetheless low by vacation time requirements. For those who assume the primary or second weeks of December 2024 are busy, return between Christmas and New Yr’s Eve. You’ll be disabused of that notion actual quick, and can be begging for a return of these first half of December crowds. It’s all relative.
Talking of all of it being relative, it’s additionally value a reminder that late November by way of mid-December is busier now than it was a decade in the past. However that’s true of just about all dates of the 12 months. Disneyland annual attendance has elevated by a number of thousands and thousands of individuals, and park enlargement has not saved tempo. So crowds are worse, throughout the board, than they had been in 2014! However until you’ve a time machine, that doesn’t do you any good.
Crowds and Candlelight Processional are the 2 greatest causes to go to Disneyland throughout this week. Right here’s what else we love about this timeframe through the vacation season at Disneyland, and why you must go to throughout certainly one of these weeks if you happen to’re already planning a 2024 or 2025 trip throughout Christmas-time…
“Full” Christmas – In contrast to Walt Disney World, the vacation season isn’t actually phased at Disneyland. It’s doable you would possibly see fewer decorations within the resorts if you happen to go to in mid-November, however all the leisure, attraction overlays, and so forth., can be in full swing proper from the outset.
Accordingly, this comes all the way down to the festive ambiance outdoors Disneyland. If you wish to expertise Christmas in Tremendous Nintendo World at Common Studios Hollywood, it’s important to go to after Thanksgiving. Similar goes for different Southern California theme parks and vacationer points of interest.
Most of our favourite spots all through Orange County don’t get decked out till the very finish of November or December. We love the Seaside Cities this time of 12 months, and as all the time, our favorites are Dana Level and Laguna Seaside. (The previous really does begin its vacation lights show in mid-November, in order that’s not the very best instance.)
Decrease Costs & Higher Offers – With decrease occupancy than the height weeks of the vacation season, it ought to come as no shock that there are higher offers available between the height weeks of the vacations moderately than throughout them. There are at the moment nice reductions on the Motels of Disneyland Resort on Sunday by way of Thursday nights from now by way of December 19, 2024.
Not solely that, however the resort rack charges and different costs are decrease to start with than throughout Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Yr’s weeks. For those who have a look at the Most cost-effective Occasions to Go to Disneyland, you’ll see that these two weeks are the very best of the vacation season. Nonetheless not as little as the true low season, however fairly shut!
It’s additionally simpler to e-book discounted off-site resorts through Get Away Immediately to economize for early to mid-December than round vacation weeks. What we’re seeing proper now could be significantly better availability and considerably decrease costs for these first half of December dates. Win-win!
Climate – We love the climate in Southern California at Christmas. Disneyland virtually all the time beats Walt Disney World on this regard, but it surely’s very true all through the vacation season. It’s not likely that the primary half of December is best than later within the month or November, all dates are (kind of) equally good.
Somewhat, it’s that November and December are higher than the 2 months earlier than them (too sizzling) or the 2 months after (too chilly). With that mentioned, this time of 12 months isn’t for everybody. It does get chilly in California, particularly within the evenings. To every their very own, however I’ll take having to put on a coat over sweating by way of my shirt any day of the week. You possibly can all the time add layers, however there are solely so many you possibly can subtract earlier than safety says, “sir, you possibly can’t take off your shirt right here.” (Buzzkills.)
Whereas it’s not all the time excellent, we’ve discovered that 90% of the time, the climate in early to mid-December is our candy spot. As a lot as I really like late August and September for low crowds, I’ll fortunately cope with barely elevated attendance for considerably higher climate. It’s a simple commerce off for us.
The one asterisk right here is that that is California’s wet season. However that doesn’t actually imply the identical factor in Anaheim because it does Orlando–there’s an 11-14% probability of rain on common throughout these dates, for a grand whole of 1.8 inches of rain over the course of your entire month. That’s mainly a very wet day or two in Florida. And the upside at Disneyland is {that a} wet day clears out the park, which doesn’t occur at Walt Disney World.
Finally, it needs to be simple to see why December 8-12, 2024 is the very best window of your entire 12 months to go to Disneyland. In case your schedule isn’t that versatile, just about any date beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving (December 1) by way of December 15, 2024 needs to be good. Any later than that and also you’re visiting throughout a mix of vacationer instances and when locals scramble to get of their final visits of the 12 months earlier than heavy-handed blockouts take impact. That introduces too many wildcards for assured suggestions about when crowds can be favorable.
For those who’re at the moment planning a visit, our advice can be to make December 8, 2024 your first day within the parks and December 12, 2024 your final day. We often suggest avoiding Mondays, however there’s no wait instances knowledge from the previous 3 years to recommend that day of the week is busy throughout this timeframe. (I’d nonetheless in all probability err on the facet of warning and do a non-parks day if I had flexibility–you in all probability aren’t doing 5 days within the parks.)
That’ll virtually actually be the candy spot for the very best of crowds, wait instances, climate, seasonal spirit, and so forth. With that mentioned, if we had to decide on a next-best set of dates from a qualitative perspective, it’d be troublesome to resolve between December 1-6, 2024 and November 17-22, 2024. Regardless, potential journey dates to contemplate to your future journeys to Disneyland!
Planning a Southern California trip? For park admission offers, learn Ideas for Saving Cash on Disneyland Tickets. Find out about on-site and off-site resorts in our Anaheim Lodge Evaluations & Rankings. For the place to eat, try our Disneyland Restaurant Evaluations. For distinctive concepts of issues that’ll enhance your journey, try What to Pack for Disney. For complete recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Trip Planning Information. Lastly, for guides past Disney, try our Southern California Itineraries for day journeys to Los Angeles, Laguna Seaside, and lots of different SoCal cities!
YOUR THOUGHTS
For those who’ve carried out Disneyland post-Thanksgiving, what was your expertise? Have you ever visited throughout Candlelight Processional weekend in any of the final 3 years? If that’s the case, have you ever seen the same dynamic of heavy congestion on Principal Avenue however decrease wait instances all through the park? For those who’ve visited this identical week in prior years, how do you assume this 12 months compares? Ideas about the rest coated right here? For those who’re a frequent customer throughout this timeframe, what’s your tackle crowds, wait instances, seasonal spirit, climate, and so forth? Agree or disagree with our evaluation of those two weeks as the very best time through the vacation season? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
