How early should you 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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First thing in the morning is the best time to visit Disneyland, even on crowded days. When you're one of the first arrivals, you can walk into Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park up to a certain point where Cast Members monitor ropes that keep people from going further into the parks.

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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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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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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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Typically, Disneyland Park's slowest month with fewer crowds is just after California's summer season, mid-September through the weeks just before Thanksgiving weekend.

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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.

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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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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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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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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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Early Theme Park Entry allows Disney Resort Guests (as well as guests from other select hotels) the opportunity to enter any of the 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios) 30 minutes before non-Disney Resort guests.

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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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Overview of Early Entry at Disneyland. Every day, both theme parks open 30 minutes before the official park opening for on-site hotel guests through 2023. Other guests can also enter the parks 30 minutes early, but they have to stop at ropes before entering any lands or accessing rides until the park officially opens.

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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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Typically, Disneyland Park's slowest month with fewer crowds is just after California's summer season, mid-September through the weeks just before Thanksgiving weekend. Other optimal months to visit for fewer crowds are from mid-January through mid-March.

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While you won't see a discounted price compared with a standard day ticket, you will see lower crowds, special holiday overlays and complimentary drinks and snacks from 9:00 PM- 1:00 AM (with entry beginning at 7:00 PM).

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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. Sampled lines reached their longest length noon–3 p.m., indicating more arrivals than departures in the early afternoon.

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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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