How early do I need to be at Disneyland?

We recommend that guests with Early Entry plan to arrive at the park gates 15 minutes before the start of Early Entry. We recommend guests without Early Entry plan to arrive at the park gates 30 minutes before scheduled park open. Keep in mind you'll need to account for parking and security time, too.



People Also Ask

Get There Early to Avoid the Crowds As you can imagine, that means the wait times will likely be over an hour and the park will be shoulder-to-shoulder with other visitors. For an enjoyable Disneyland vacation, get to the park as soon as it opens at 8 am to enjoy empty rides and no wait times.

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To start with, the opening time listed on the Disneyland app isn't actually when the park opens. This time changes seasonally, but right now, park hours are generally 8 a.m. to midnight. If you arrive at 8 a.m., though, you'll find thousands of people who are already inside the gates.

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Yes. The Genie 120-minute rule says that you can always make a new reservation if two hours have passed since you made the last one, or two hours since park opening if you made the reservation before the park opened.

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It's always a great time to visit Disney theme parks! However, when planning a trip to the Disneyland Resort, expect lower crowds from mid-September through mid-November (before the Thanksgiving break). Mid-January through mid-March is another time when potentially lower crowds are expected.

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A: Guests are allowed to bring outside food and nonalcoholic beverages into the parks for self-consumption, provided they are not in glass containers, do not require heating, reheating, processing or refrigeration and do not have pungent odors. Inform a Security Cast Member of any food items when you enter the park.

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Disneyland fireworks usually begin at 9:30 p.m. each night and 9:00 p.m. during cooler months. For the upcoming schedule check the online daily schedule or the Disneyland app (Apple/Android) under entertainment.

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For touring purposes, most attractions develop long lines between 10 and 11:30 a.m. From late morning until early afternoon, guests are equally distributed among all the lands.

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You can't do everything at Disneyland in a single day, and you shouldn't feel pressure to. You can ride all the rides without much difficulty many days, but you'll miss out on some other attractions, entertainment, and characters. You'll want to know what your priorities are before you get to the park.

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In 2019, the monthly average attraction wait time was 25 minutes, while in 2022, it was 30 minutes. In 2021, when the parks reopened after being shut down due to the pandemic, the Register reported that the monthly average attraction wait times was 21 minutes.

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Weekdays are less crowded than weekends, especially Monday-Thursdays. On weekends, Sundays are usually less crowded than Saturdays. Regular weekends tend to be less crowded than holiday weekends.

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Firework shows happen nightly EXCEPT on nights when the park closes early (like for Mickey's-Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, or for select events like Cast Member appreciation nights). There really aren't any spots to eat and watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom.

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What are the Disneyland Parade Times? The Main Street Electrical Parade is set to run nightly at 8:45 PM and 10:30 PM. The parade is 20 minutes long and is part of your park reservation and ticket.

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Suitcases, bags, coolers or backpacks, with or without wheels, larger than 24 long x 15 wide x 18 high (61 cm x 38 cm x 46 cm) are not allowed in any theme park. Loose or dry ice is not permitted in these containers. Re-usable ice packs are recommended.

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Whenever you're thirsty, stop by one of our many water fountains—located throughout the Resort, including outside of most restrooms. If you wish to use disposable cups at drinking fountains, feel free to request them from the nearest restaurant or snack shop at no extra charge.

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You can bring your bag or backpack on almost every single ride at Disney Parks. With the exception of a couple attractions, every ride at Disney will have a small pouch for you to stow your backpack, or space at your feet. Your trusty bag can take on all the adventures Disney has to offer with you!

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Disneyland's less crowded times are:
  • Early January through the mid-February.
  • The day after President's Day (February) until Spring Break (mid-March)
  • The middle of April until Memorial Day Weekend (late May)
  • After Labor Day through the beginning of October.


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Most Crowded
  • The weeks before and after Easter: mid-March through mid-April, or Spring Break Season.
  • October which will increase in crowd levels the closer it gets to Halloween.


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