Disney on a weekend at the end of January (2 adults) - How will crowds be?

Hi Disneyland experts! My husband and I are new to California, so we picked up the 3 day SoCal resident ticket. We don't know if we will stay in CA long term, so we are trying to get in some time at the parks while we are living 1 hour away. :mickey:

We went on MLK day to DCA and arrived right at 8 AM, crowds weren't too bad for the first 3 hours and we got a lot done with a 2 PM departure. We were not that enamored with this park, so we will likely spend our other 2 days at DL.

We have 2 days left on our pass and we don't mind doing our trips in the winter if it means avoiding crowds.

We would like to do a trip to Disneyland one of these coming weekends. I went with a friend in early December (on a weekday) and it was quite crowded. We do have one magic hour that came with the SoCal resident ticket.

I was looking at one of the crowd calendars online and it stated that 1/23 (Sat), 1/24 (Sun) and 1/30 (Sat) are tolerable times to go.

We are two thirty something adults, no kids. We will likely just stay from opening to 2 or 3 PM and go to Disneyland again on a weekday. Vacation time is at a premium, so unfortunately one of these trips needs to be on a Saturday or Sunday.


Should we use the magic hour this Saturday or next and arrive at the park (be in line) at 7 AM? Will we be able to go on a lot of rides? Any opinions on crowds?

Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom!

Yes, definitely use the magic hour on Saturday! You will be able to get a lot done by the early afternoon. I would recommend on your second Disneyland day, try and see the Paint the Night parade and the fireworks. Both are amazing! Maybe plan to leave the park at some point in the late afternoon when it gets really crowded and have an early dinner at Downtown Disney or one of the resort hotels.

We go often on Saturdays. It is downright slow the first couple hours and crowds pick up around 11am.