How early should I arrive at Disneyland?

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. On busier days, you might arrive even earlier, but at some point you have to be pragmatic.



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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.

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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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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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Mornings are the best times at Disneyland to see popular attractions because lines are much shorter and the California sun isn't quite so hot. Before planning an efficient morning strategy for Disneyland there are a few key features of the Disneyland Resort that you must become familiar with.

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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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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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After the initial onslaught is absorbed, there is a bit of a lull that lasts until about an hour after opening. Following the lull, the park is inundated with arriving guests for about 2 hours, peaking 10–11 a.m. Guests continue to arrive in a steady but diminishing stream until around 2 p.m.

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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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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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If it's your first time visiting, we recommend you begin the trip at Disneyland Park for a feel of the original Disney magic across its nine themed lands: Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, New Orleans Square, Tomorrowland, Mickey's Toontown, and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge®.

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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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What Is Early Entry at Disney World? Early Theme Park Entry is a perk of staying at a Disney hotel or select other hotel that allows these guests access to every park, every day, for 30 minutes before the park opens.

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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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I am a night owl, and I am very happy to share, Hilde, that Disneyland Park is regularly open until Midnight. Even better, Midnight is the time that the attraction queues close for the night. Most stores and some dining locations on Main Street U.S.A. (near the entrance of the park) close their doors at 12:30 AM.

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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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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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The first thing that really matters is how long you can stay at Disneyland. There are so many things from rides to attractions to shows and entertainment, that it's impossible to see it all in only a couple of days. If you're going during a busier time, you'll of course want to stay longer.

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Arrive Early, Stay Late If daily operating hours are long, expect heavy crowds. Whenever Disneyland and Disney California open at 8 am or 9 am and Disneyland closes at midnight (or later), you can be assured that this is because heavy crowds are forecast.

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Genie Plus is definitely worth it for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, and if you don't like early starts, you might consider it for Epcot and Animal Kingdom. If you are park hopping, Genie+ is even better value as it maximises the number of rides you have access to.

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The line stays long throughout the day, but mornings are the worst. I recommend checking wait times of Rise of the Resistance, using the official Disneyland app to determine when to go on Rise. Check around lunch time and if it's under 60 minutes go for it. The wait time will not get shorter.

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The roller coasters may run a tad faster due to oils as someone mentioned, but it is mostly perception in the dark. That is why the 35 mph Space Mountain feels so much faster than Thunder mountain.

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The darkness makes it seem even more like a place that's separate from anything outside its boundaries and sparkling lights give it a cheery twinkle. The place is so different—and so magical—after dark that it's well worth your efforts to manage your energy so you can stay into the night, at least for a few hours.

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