Is it better to go to Disneyland early or late?

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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The best way to get a lot done in Disneyland is to get there in the morning EARLY and power through as many attractions as you can. Most times you will be able to get more attractions done the first two hours of the morning than you will the rest of the day combined.

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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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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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Disney After Hours is a specially ticketed event (meaning it's a ticket that is purchased separate from regular park tickets) that allows people to enter Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom at 7 p.m. and stay until midnight or 1 a.m. (ending time varies by date).

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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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Two full days at Disneyland is enough to authentically experience the park. If your goal is to ride as many attractions as you can, you'll see that the 58 rides would take you 14 hours each day! That is however based on an average 30 min wait time.

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Thanks for popping in to planDisney with your question. Unfortunately, there are no half-day ticket options. Theme park tickets are sold in full day increments – there are one-day tickets and multi-day tickets. There is so much to see and take in, you'll need at least one full day, even if you visit only one park!

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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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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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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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Some people enjoy the parks when the temperatures are cooler while others combine Disneyland with time at some of California's beautiful beaches and want warmer temperatures. Coolest Temperatures: December, January and February. Average high: 70-degrees / average lows 47 to 49 degrees.

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Arriving at the Magic Kingdom 30–60 minutes before official opening ensures the shortest possible waits for rides. Off-site guests, who aren't eligible for Early Theme Park Entry, should arrive 30 minutes before official opening on all days.

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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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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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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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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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Using the following tips, our family of five can consistently see and experience 18+ attractions in an 11-12 hour day at Disneyland…that includes parades, light shows, and two meals in the park. We've even gone in a group of 12 and maintained that same average.

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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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Disneyland attracted an average of 51,000 visitors per day in 2019 before the pandemic when Disney California Adventure pulled in an average of 27,000 daily visitors, according to TEA/AECOM.

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Keep your eyes peeled for the many churro carts found throughout Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Churros average $5 each for a pastry wand of fried dough coated in cinnamon and sugar.

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