4 Ways to Beat the Crowds at Disneyland

How to Avoid Crowds at Disneyland

Is it possible to beat the millions of Mickey-lovers that visit Disneyland every year? Well, just like other theme parks, certain times are busier than others.

Keep reading to learn more about the four different ways you can beat the crowds at Disneyland. Yes… it really IS possible!

1. Avoid Peak Seasons

Many families choose to visit Disneyland when school is out so students don’t miss classes. This results in far more vacationers (enjoying the park) during the summer and holiday breaks.

It’s advisable to avoid planning any peak-season Disney trip if you can avoid it. That being said, there are a number of websites and blogs that do a great job of providing the best times to beat the rush.

Check out a few of these websites for ideas:

• Undercover Tourist: Best Time to Visit Disneyland in 2018 and 2019
• Disney Tourist Blog: 2018 Disneyland Crowd Calendar: When To Visit
• Trip Savvy: The Best Time to Visit Disneyland

Another thing to consider when deciding on a date for the trip is whether or not special events are scheduled at the same time. During events like Pixar Fest and Star Wars night, you can expect much bigger crowds in the park. Just like peak seasons, avoid these events unless they’re centered on something that interests you.

2. Take a Midday Break

The crowds at Disneyland tend to top-out right around midday. During this time, families who decide to wait until then to get to the park mingle with those planning to leave early. It makes sense that everyone making their way to the gates at the same time results in overly-crowded conditions. 

Arriving at the park approximately 30 minutes before it opens is recommended. This puts you all that much closer to the front of the line.

Once larger crowds start to form in the early afternoon, consider heading to your hotel room to relax a bit or take a nap. Plan to go back in the late afternoon. This way, you’ll still have plenty of energy to explore even as the crowds begin to thin for the night. 

If you are staying at a Disneyland Resort Hotel, you can get in an hour before the rest of the public with Extra Magic Hour.

3. Use a Disneyland Crowd Tracker / Calendar

In the old days, there was no way of knowing how long you had to wait in line for an attraction or ride until you actually got to the line. Now, with a little magic Disneyland pixie dust and the help of your smartphone, it’s easy to access this information. Here is the official Disneyland Resort App to help you see wait times. 

Third-party apps such as Mousewait provide you with an idea of the expected wait time for many attractions. When planning your itinerary, you can even use an app such as this to get a feel for the ideal time to visit each attraction and use the data to establish your schedule. Honestly, this is a fantastic way to beat the crowds!

Take Advantage of Fastpass+

With FastPass+, it’s super-easy to reserve a specific ride time on up to three attractions per day. This is accomplished using the free My Disney Experience app and results in almost a zero wait time for the attractions you choose. Check out this Guide to My Disney Experience App and Magic Bands by Trip Savvy to get the most out of it. 

Before deciding on your FastPass+ picks for each day of your trip, take time to do a bit of research to determine which of your favorite attractions typically have the longest lines. This way, you end getting the most benefit out of using Fastpass+ on those rides.

Check out this article, Don’t Waste Your Time at Disneyland. Here’s How to Avoid the Lines by Los Angles Times, to help you plan out your day. It has a lot of awesome graphs to help you visualize when and what rides are the busiest.

Final Thoughts

These are just a few ways to beat the crowds at Disneyland. As you can see, it’s all a matter of common sense and these tips are simple to put into play.

In this case, the more research you put into planning your itinerary, the easier it is to avoid the most congestion. So, use the crowd calendars and crowd tracking apps, and schedule your day accordingly.

If you’re planning a trip, make sure to check out our post on how to save money at Disneyland! Or… if you’re not convinced, check out these 12 reasons why Disneyland should be your next family vacation.