7 Reasons to Visit Disneyland In Fall

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Summer is winding down all across the country, but also at Disneyland Resort. While the end of summer will mean shorter park hours and some ride closures for maintenance, there is also a lot to look forward to as fall starts. Here are 7 Reasons to visit Disneyland in fall

Not sure if I have told you, we love to visit Disneyland in fall. We visit almost every year during September or October. Because of this we kind of feel like we are experts when it comes to doing Disneyland during this time of year. So right now I am going to tell you 7 reasons why you should visit Disneyland in fall, as well as give you a few insider tips.

7 Reasons To Visit Disneyland In Fall

1. Lower crowds. The fall brings the start of school, so after Labor Day you will see a decrease in crowds. While the parks aren’t exactly dead, they are far less crowded then summer, spring break, or Thanksgiving or Christmas breaks. The crowds are more steady although Friday nights and weekends do see a slight rise in numbers with locals visiting the park.
2. The Villains come out. If you are a fan of villains, this is your time to visit. The villains of Disney seem to come out in full force during this time of year. Sure you can see some of them through out the year, but it seems to be they are everywhere during Halloween. From the Queen of Hearts to the Evil Queen to Frollo, you can find a whole lot more of those characters you love to hate.
   
3. Halloween layovers on rides. Disneyland does a great job at holiday layovers on their attractions. During the Halloween celebration you can find Jack Skellington and his crew taking over the Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain becomes Ghost Galaxy. These layovers give a fun and spooky twist to your favorite rides. New this year- Cars Land and other areas of DCA will join in the celebration.
4. Mickey’s Halloween Party. If anybody knows how to throw a great party it is Disney. Disneyland is bringing back the amazing Mickey’s Halloween Party for guests visiting between September 20th and October 31st. The party is a separate ticketed event so it means crowds will be low. It includes a special spooky parade, firework show, and even an appearance by the Headless Horseman. Plus there is TONS of candy. Guests who purchase tickets (which you can do HERE) get into the parks up to 3 hours before the event starts, so you can use it as an extra day at the parks. This is definitely a reason to visit Disneyland in fall.
   A change starting last year: Tickets to the event DO NOT include guest parking. Tickets are on sale now. The dates closer to Halloween tend to sell out quickly so don’t wait too long.
   
5. All the new stuff! The last two years has brought a lot of new stuff to Disneyland. In 2016 Soarin’ Around the World debuted, Frozen – Live at the Hyperion premiered, Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters rolled in as well. If you haven’t checked them out yet, now is the time. Then in 2017, Guardians of the Galaxy:Mission Breakout debuted. All of these new attractions are sure to please.
   
6. The weather is still great! I don’t know about you, but when I go to California, I love to see sunny skies and warm weather. Fall is the perfect time to enjoy weather that is warmer, but not too hot (unless they are in the middle of a 3 day heat wave where it is over 100 every day in mid-October- True Story!). The days are nice and warm so you can still enjoy some water rides and splash pads, but the nights are still cool enough you throw on your favorite Disney sweatshirt.
7. Great hotel deals. If you are able to travel during mid-late September when most schools are in full swing, with not many breaks, you can find some great hotel deals. If you don’t want to spend all your time searching for the deals yourself, our friends at Get Away Today have some great deals that include free nights, as well as a ton of extras you can add on to your vacation. In fact, Get Away Today has put together a page highlighting some of their best deals for Halloween time at the Disneyland Resort. You can check them all out by CLICKING HERE. (I am an affilaite of Get Away Today which means when you purchase through my link you get a great price, and I earn a little money.) Keep reading for some great tips for visiting Disneyland in fall.
   

Tips for Visiting Disneyland In Fall

Over the years I have learned a few things while visiting Disneyland during the fall and I want to share a few of them with you to help you have the best visit ever!

First- Pack for both warm and cool weather. In the evenings, once the sun sets, it gets cool fast, so be sure to bring pants to change kids into, and sweaters for the family. Also once in a while in the fall they get a cool or rainy day, so be prepared. Layers are great, and if you don’t want to carry all those layers around with you, lockers are available to rent to put you items in while you enjoy the park.

If you happen to be going to the parks on a day when there is a Halloween Party Scheduled- if possible, visit Disneyland. One thing we have noticed over the years is that if we hit up Disneyland during the day of the Halloween parties it is DEAD! Most guests of the Halloween party arrive 3 hours before it starts, but until then crowds are very light. Those who do not have parkhopper passes choose to go over to Disney California Adventure, while some guests just choose not to go to the parks at all. We found we had no wait for rides when we went at opening on a Friday that had a party scheduled.

Avoid DCA during Friday Night Parties- If you are there during a Friday night with a party, and you think “hey, I will just go to DCA” be extremely prepared for crowds. That is the most crowded I have seen DCA EVER! It was so bad when we were there. Wait times were through the roof, fastpasses were gone or several hours out, even single rider lines for large rides had 45+minute waits. It was bad. So I suggest taking Friday night off if you aren’t going to the party.

If you want to see some of our vacation at Disneyland in fall 2015, we vlogged it and posted to our YouTube Channel. You can catch the entire set of videos by CLICKING HERE.

Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort officially kicks off September 7th for 2018.

Also, be sure to check out our post on the all new Digital Fastpass System and MaxPass.

Want to book your vacation now through Get Away Today- Click the picture below to go to their site and book a great deal!

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