Looking at November 2010

[jennsky]

Hi! I've never been to Disneyland, yet I've been to Disney World more times than I can count. We are looking at spending 4 days, 3 nights at Disneyland in November 2010. Any advice on the quietest time during that month to go? I live in Canada so our Thanksgiving is in October, but I am guessing that because US Thanksgiving is in November, I may want to avoid Disneyland during that time. So, advice on when to go that month (or even October) would be greatly appreciated!

[NotaGeek]

November is pretty smooth sailing as long as you avoid Thanksgiving (3rd Thursday) -- be sure and check the calendar as that's off season an fireworks, Fantasmic and extended park hours are typically only offered Friday-Sunday. But, crowds on the weekends should be a lot lighter than the rest of the year.

October can be a little more hit and miss with the Halloweentime activities going on, and weekends tend to be really busy -- the weekend after Halloween is a great time to shoot for ... if you can get a whole Thursday-Sunday that's awesome. Or, if you arrive on a Saturday-Tuesday you can see the weekend stuff and still have 2 days of mid-weeks to relax and take it easy in the parks.

There is a crowd estimator (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=115765) at the top of the Vacation Planning forum that can be of assistance as well.

[tinkwest]

Another thing you might want to consider when choosing between October and November is the decor of the parks (mainly Disneyland). Which would you be most interested in enjoying on your first visit? The Halloween and Autumn decorations in October or the Holiday/Wintery look which should be up entirely before two November weeks have passed. Also, parades, fireworks, and some attractions change with the seasons.

[robnadina]

Totally agree with what was posted above. I was there last week and thought there wouldnt be many people. BIG mistake. I forgot that this is also the time of year where alot of youth organizations start having tournaments and competitions on weekends. Plus I was at opening of the Halloween festivities. Mid-week the park was pretty empty. Friday brought the crowds. I would shoot for a mid-week stay if I were you with Friday being your last full day in the park. This way, you can experience most of the rides with no crowds and still see Fantasmic & Fireworks on Friday.

[jennsky]

Thanks so much guys! I'm sure you'll see a bunch of other (dumb) questions posted by me on here (wait, there's no such thing as a dumb question, right?? Ha ha!). I'm so clueless when it comes to Disneyland. Ask me anything about Disney World and I can help you guys out!! Ha ha!!