When is a good time to go for a newbie?

[Hayden's Dad]

Hello everyone, well DW and I have decided that one of our life goals is to visit all of the Disney Parks around the world, and since we are veterans at Disney World we decided that next year we would take our first trip to Disneyland.
So my question is, when do you recommed coming to take advantage of everything they have to offer and how long of a stay would you recommed. I know DW also wants to take a day to visit the San Diego Zoo and possibly Sea World also.
Any advice would be great. Thanks.

[tinkwest]

If you want to experience everything I would suggest the summer months. There will usually be fewer refurbishments (excluding long term) and the entertainment schedule and hours will give you so much more for your money. Crowds are the one draw back but if you give yourself 4 or 5 days for the parks and time outs at the pool or hotel room, this becomes less of an issue. I like the end of June.

Holiday time (mid November through December) also has a good schedule, but you will of course be seeing a different version of the parks with special fireworks, parades, and even some holiday-ized attractions.

[2Epcot]

I would also recommend the summer. Yes, there will be more people, but just plan for more days to see everything. At least this way everything will be operating. Also, by next summer the new World of Color water show will be running at Disney's CA Adventure. I sat in on the presentation at the D23 Expo, and I'm very excited about this new show.

Sea World is nice almost any of the year. The weather is San Diego doesn't change too much. We went to Sea World last November, and I was afraid it would be too cold ... It felt like summer, but with less people. During the summer months, Sea World does two versions of their Shamu show ... A daytime show, and a night show. I think it's worth going in the summer to see both shows. I really enjoyed the night Shamu show and thought it was very well produced.

[NotaGeek]

i agree with Linda and Chris ... if you want the most bang for your buck, summer is better deal. DLR is open from 8am - Midnight most days n DCA is open from 10am-10pm. If you try for early June or late May the weather will still be great (SoCal has the luxury of great weather all year!), the hours will be scaled back a bit since it's not quite high season, but the crowds might give you a bit of a break.

[BrerGnat]

If you can swing it, EARLY June is the best time, crowd and weather wise. They tend to pull out all the summer entertainment by about the 10th of the month or so (as in, daily fireworks and Fantasmic, and likely World of Color show). Park hours start to extend, and it's just a great time to come BEFORE the summer madness truly hits.

Weather in June tends to be "gloomy" in the mornings (overcast, sort of chilly, and sometimes foggy), but is usually sunny by midday, with highs in the mid 70's-mid 80's. This past June was an anomaly. I think highs were routinely in the 60's. It was glorious!

Once summer hits full on, crowds are CRAZY, and since Disneyland has a smaller footprint than any of the WDW parks, the crowds can really make it quite miserable. Combined with the often oppressive sun and heat of July and August, and I'd choose another time.

If you can't make it in June, I'd opt for the Holiday time. DL is utterly WONDERFUL at Christmas time.

[Magic Smiles]

We had our first visit this Aug from the 12 - 19, as it was really the only time this year that we could go. The first few days were great with not so bad crowds. Apparently the Sunday 16 Aug was the first day that the Southern California pass holders were allowed back in the parks........it was crazy from there on, so I would suggest checking out the blackout days for the locals as it makes a huge difference in the crowd levels.
We had a 6 day park pass and still did not get to do everything. Some was just due to our bad planning and not reading the schedules, but I found that even though there are only the 2 parks there is still lots to do and many places to eat.
We stayed at the Grand Californian and if you can afford that resort, I would highly recommend it. If we ever go back, which I would love to, I would not stay anywhere else.
Check out my trip reports in the DLR - Trip Reports, First Timers to Disneyland. I still have 4 more days to write.

You will love Disneyland

[Melanie]

I concur with early June. We've visited twice during that time frame and I agree it's a great time to visit!