For most of us, who don't live close to Orlando or Anaheim, a Disney trip is a major trip and we want to plan carefully to have the best possible family vacation.
The Disneyland Trip Planning Guide (a helpful "unofficial" site by a Disney fan) puts it this way: "in choosing your time to visit a Disney park, you should consider crowds, weather, park hours , and special events".
The busiest times of year are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and summer vacations; yet these peak seasons have advantages too. The park stays open late, perhaps until midnight (or later), and Disneyland is lovely at night; you can take an afternoon break from the heat and leave the park, maybe spend some time at your hotel pool, or induce your kids to take a nap; then return to the park in the late afternoon, and stay to enjoy the warm night-times. If you visit during October, however, the park will probably close at 8 p.m.
Another plus about peak periods is that extra shows and parades are staged when the parks are open late.
Head to the Disneyland official website to check park closing times and special shows for specific dates.
As for weather: during summer days, the heat can reach the nineties-- and it's tough to wait in lineups with little kids, in the heat. Fall and spring temperatures will probably be just right; in January and February, daytime temperatures might reach the high sixties, though cooler days are possible. Meanwhile, rain is unpredictable, in spring and fall.... Still, a bit of rain isn't the end of the world. We experienced a drenching at Disneyland in May: but once we bought poncho's and the rain lightend to a sprinkle, we enjoyed the lack of crowds -- no lineup at all for Splash Mountain!
Best bet: If your kids are preschoolers, or you're willing to take them out of school for a few days, September is a fine time to visit: the park is still open until midnight on weekends, the show schedule is still rich, and the weather will be cooler than in summertime.
Another highly recommended time is right after Thanksgiving: the crowds are gone, the Christmas decorations are up, and the park is often open late in the evenings (--but be sure to check the hours for your specific dates.)
continue to page two, Walt Disney World
