1st time to Disneyland Sept./Oct. 2023

[Buttercup2009]

We are WDW regulars on the east coast planning our 1st Disneyland and Hollywood area trip the very end of September/first week of October 2023. I've been reading about how crazy busy October is and now I'm nervous! We are doing 4 nights in the Hollywood area with a day at Universal, general sightseeing, Warner Brothers Studios tour, etc. We are planning to arrive via LAX on Friday September 29th. I've read that weekends are busier so we are thinking of doing the Hollywood area stuff first on Saturday, Sunday and Monday and then moving to Disneyland on Tuesday and doing the Oogie Boogie Bash on Tuesday night and the parks Wendesday, Thursday and Friday. Would this be a good idea, or should we plan to do Disneyland Saturday, Sunday and Monday and the Hollywood area at the end? Would it really make much difference either way? Thanks for your input!

 

[OlliePop27]

I personally look for Disneyland days with the maximum number of Magic Key block outs. Saturdays often have the most blocked out passes, and therefore crowds can be more manageable. Mondays have turned into the day often with the highest crowds, due in large part to the least pass block outs. DLR crowds are driven by local pass holders more than anything else, so going on days when the least number of pass holders are eligible has proven to be a great strategy for my family over the past several years.

I'd also consider not going to the parks during the day when there's OBB (which you already aren't planning to do). It really disrupts crowd flow at the parks to have DCA close early.

One final thing is hours and nighttime entertainment. DL will offer 8 to Midnight hours on weekends, and likely will close earlier on weekdays. Also, quite likely no fireworks or Fantasmic on weekdays that time of year but definitely will show on weekends (weather permitting).

 

[Aspencreek]

Hard to say going forward what crowds will be like but I can provide insight from our trip last October. We did a quick 4 days in the parks from Sunday October 23 to Wednesday October 26. We did Sun and Mon at DL, then DCA/Oogie on Tues, and back to DL on Wed.

We assumed that Sunday or Monday would be the worst days and thought that midweek would clear out a bit and be a nice end to the trip. That was backwards though. Actually Sunday and Monday were busy but bearable, Tuesday at DCA wasn't too bad and was especially fantastic during Oogie, then Wednesday back in DL was a nightmare! It was the most crowded I've ever experienced DL and we ended up leaving early-afternoon as we couldn't take it any more. Looking back at a blockout calendar for 2022 I can see that Saturday and Sunday was a no-go day for most pass-holders so that likely helped thin the crowds for the first couple days we were there. So if it was us planning for your dates I'd reverse it as you mention and do the parks first over the weekend. And get Genie+ if it is still a thing this fall.

 

[Buttercup2009]

I personally look for Disneyland days with the maximum number of Magic Key block outs. Saturdays often have the most blocked out passes, and therefore crowds can be more manageable. Mondays have turned into the day often with the highest crowds, due in large part to the least pass block outs. DLR crowds are driven by local pass holders more than anything else, so going on days when the least number of pass holders are eligible has proven to be a great strategy for my family over the past several years.

I'd also consider not going to the parks during the day when there's OBB (which you already aren't planning to do). It really disrupts crowd flow at the parks to have DCA close early.

One final thing is hours and nighttime entertainment. DL will offer 8 to Midnight hours on weekends, and likely will close earlier on weekdays. Also, quite likely no fireworks or Fantasmic on weekdays that time of year but definitely will show on weekends (weather permitting).

I didn't even think about fireworks and Fantasmic not showing during the week. We definitely want to see those. The longer hours on the weekend are a plus too. Thanks so much!

 

[Buttercup2009]

Hard to say going forward what crowds will be like but I can provide insight from our trip last October. We did a quick 4 days in the parks from Sunday October 23 to Wednesday October 26. We did Sun and Mon at DL, then DCA/Oogie on Tues, and back to DL on Wed.

We assumed that Sunday or Monday would be the worst days and thought that midweek would clear out a bit and be a nice end to the trip. That was backwards though. Actually Sunday and Monday were busy but bearable, Tuesday at DCA wasn't too bad and was especially fantastic during Oogie, then Wednesday back in DL was a nightmare! It was the most crowded I've ever experienced DL and we ended up leaving early-afternoon as we couldn't take it any more. Looking back at a blockout calendar for 2022 I can see that Saturday and Sunday was a no-go day for most pass-holders so that likely helped thin the crowds for the first couple days we were there. So if it was us planning for your dates I'd reverse it as you mention and do the parks first over the weekend. And get Genie+ if it is still a thing this fall.

It sounds like the weekend is the way to go! Thanks so much for letting me know your experience. That helps a lot!

 

[wabbott]

We're scheduling the last week in September for DLR/DCA. You will like it since it's the "original" Walt Disney park. While in the area, see if you can schedule time to see the sunset and nighttime view from Griffith Observatory. Easily the most spectacular panorama in the area. Except for the parking charge, it's free.

 

[Buttercup2009]

We're scheduling the last week in September for DLR/DCA. You will like it since it's the "original" Walt Disney park. While in the area, see if you can schedule time to see the sunset and nighttime view from Griffith Observatory. Easily the most spectacular panorama in the area. Except for the parking charge, it's free.

I will do that, thank you!