Shortly after sharing our checklist of the Greatest & Worst Weeks to Go to Walt Disney World in 2025 & 2026, I began engaged on the identical factor for Disneyland and Disney California Journey. Not since the latest replace–because it was first revealed. That was roughly 18 months in the past and I’m nonetheless not even near completed.
It’s a useful resource we actually like and, to be sincere, suppose is best than typical crowd calendars. It’s the kind of factor we share with household and pals after they ask questions on selecting dates. We’ve been attempting to do extra like that, similar to our checklist of the Greatest 24 Eating places at Disneyland. I’ve additionally been toying with one for inns in Anaheim that simply shares the place we keep most frequently for enjoyable now that we’ve got a child. However I digress.
The explanation such an inventory of the Greatest & Worst Weeks to Go to Disneyland in 2025 & 2026 has not but come to fruition is as a result of California crowds haven’t but “settled down” to the identical extent as Florida patterns. Nicely, they did briefly this 12 months. To not pre-closure norms, however shut sufficient that I used to be comfy with qualitative week suggestions, and was on observe to lastly publish the checklist final week. However now, it’s again to the drafting board…
Should you’ve already learn the most recent replace to our 2025 Disneyland Crowd Calendar, you already know the place that is going. In case not, Disneyland crowds are in all probability going to grow to be unpredictable over the course of the subsequent 18 months, to the purpose that we’d warning towards over-reliance on any crowd calendars, ours included.
The aim of this publish is to stroll you thru my excited about how Disneyland crowds may play out in 2025, discussing the distinctive circumstances for this 12 months, and attempting to attract some semblance of conclusions. Truthful warning: it is a thinking-out-loud train, providing my perception and rationales, however not definitive conclusions. With that, let’s dig into the components.
First, the 2025 Southern California Resident Disneyland Ticket Deal is a lot higher than final 12 months, seeing a really uncommon value lower–and a large one. In a traditional 12 months, the superior financial savings would entice locals who haven’t visited shortly or obtained priced out of Annual Passes to make a return.
On high of that, there’s additionally the recently-announced Disneyland youngsters ticket provide for 2025, which is offered for all households–vacationers and residents of Southern California alike. This provides youngsters admission for $50 per day between January 7 and March 20, 2025.
These offers would usually be a powerful sign for increased crowds. The identical youngsters ticket deal was provided final 12 months, and it was tremendously well-liked. The stretch beginning with President’s Day and Ski Week had 8/10 and seven/10 crowd ranges, and the ultimate week of the promotion had a 9/10 crowd stage and is the #3 worst week of the 12 months (for now). Anecdotally, we noticed a noticeable improve in strollers and households across the parks through the closing few weeks of the promotion.
Second, there’s the Disneyland seventieth Anniversary Celebration, which runs Might 16, 2025 by means of Summer time 2026. Right here’s a rundown of what’s debuting or returning in 2025 for this 18-month occasion:
- World of Colour: Happiness
- Paint the Night time Parade
- Wondrous Journeys Fireworks
- Higher Collectively: A Pixar Friends Celebration!
Head over to our Information to the Disneyland seventieth Anniversary Celebration to learn much more element about what’s to come back for the big celebration. We now have full particulars about all of that, plus the brand new Walt Disney – A Magical Life stage present that’ll debut for Summer time 2025, and extra!
Disneyland’s seventieth Anniversary additionally needs to be a powerful sign for considerably increased crowds beginning that date. In a traditional 12 months, vacationers and locals who go to occasionally would postpone their park days till the celebration began.
Nevertheless, these two “sturdy indicators” of upper crowds are in direct battle with each other. Need to guess when the SoCal resident deal ends? Might 15, 2025. Actually the day earlier than the seventieth kicks off. It’s a very savvy transfer by Disneyland, however one which wrecks crowd calendars.
So on the one hand, there’s an aggressive ticket deal to start out the 12 months that would induce visits. However, there’s a cause why this deal is way more aggressive than regular. Disneyland followers and even informal Southern California guests (and positively out-of-state vacationers) would possibly wish to delay visits till Might 16, 2025 and later, even when it’s dearer to take action.
The underside line is that there are countervailing components, they usually’re two big ones that might usually have outsized impacts and be bullish indicators for bigger crowds. It’s doable that’s true this 12 months, too, and that the ticket offers draw discount hunters and the Disneyland seventieth Anniversary attracts a separate viewers of Annual Passholders (who already paid for his or her admission) together with celebration fanatics.
Frankly, that is what I’d usually predict–that Disneyland would merely see heavier crowds because it attracts from two distinct swimming pools of visitors. In 2025, I’m much less inclined to imagine that would be the case. That might require a year-over-year improve in attendance, and that’s a daring wager as pent-up demand has burning out.
When excited about the vary of outcomes, I’m reminded of early 2015, which not-so-coincidentally was a decade in the past. Within the lead-up to Disneyland’s sixtieth Anniversary, the corporate mainly threw the towel in on the primary a number of months of the 12 months.
Sleeping Magnificence Fort was behind scrims for a lot of the winter and the moat was drained. As Disney did infrastructure work to arrange for the brand new Disneyland Ceaselessly fireworks, the park offered the a lot shorter and old skool “Fantasy within the Sky” fireworks.
There have been simply a half-dozen “vital” points of interest in every park that have been down, from the conventional winter closures of water rides to uninstalling seasonal overlays to doing different plussing at Fantasyland darkish rides, as that was one of many advertising factors of the Diamond Celebration.
There have been additionally a bunch of placemaking initiatives, together with the conversion of Condor Flats to Grizzly Peak Airfield (closing off a big part of the entrance of DCA). If I recall appropriately, there have been no nighttime spectaculars (except for “Fantasy within the Sky”) offered in both park.
What I do keep in mind have been the complaints on social media. Individuals would publish images of the scrims or checklist of ‘quickly unavailable’ points of interest posted exterior ticket cubicles, and bemoan the truth that Disney was charging full value for admission. Virtually all of whom have been locals with Annual Passes, however they however had a degree.
What I additionally keep in mind is how wonderful this was. The parks have been completely lifeless. Not simply mild crowds, however lifeless lifeless, with attendance extra just like the post-reopening interval at Walt Disney World in 2020, lengthy earlier than “revenge journey” was a factor.
We have been newly-minted Disneyland locals, and we took full benefit of being inside driving distance of Disney for the primary time. We additionally didn’t actually care about rides being down or development partitions. We needed the locals’ expertise of hanging round, and we certain obtained it. Our #1 attraction throughout that interval was the “Operating of the Goats” and we in all probability spent extra time sitting round Rancho del Zocalo and Flo’s V8 Cafe than we did using something.
To not get too far off-topic, however it was only a totally different period. We attended one thing referred to as “Wednesdays with Walt” each week, and obtained to partake in free AP events celebrating Indiana Jones Journey, Dixieland at Disneyland, Disney Parks Blogs Meetups, and extra. Consider this stuff just like the Disneyland After Darkish events now, besides free and higher.
There’s the temptation to foretell that the lead-up to Disneyland’s seventieth Anniversary shall be corresponding to the lead-up to Disneyland’s sixtieth Anniversary. The circumstances will not be fairly the identical, however they’re related.
Nevertheless, it is a very totally different period. The explanation I went on that tangent above is to underscore simply how a lot has modified with Disneyland. These occasions that have been free then would price $150 at present. Go forward and search for Annual Go costs–or don’t, except you wish to be depressed. Ditto SoCal ticket offers. FastPass was free. There was no Galaxy’s Edge, and the goats have been operating freely.
Clearly, Disneyland is and all the time has been a enterprise. But when there’s one distinction between then and now, it’s that the revenue motive is now entrance and middle, the primary and arguably solely precedence. Every thing has been optimized to squeeze visitors for as a lot cash is feasible.
One other manner this period is totally different is that we’re more and more see visitors be extra conscious of pricing and planning their visits round reductions or dates when tickets are cheaper. This didn’t exist within the lead-up to the sixtieth Anniversary. Fairly actually, as Disneyland didn’t introduce seasonal (worth, common, peak) ticket pricing till the next 12 months.
Extra to the purpose, we haven’t actually seen date-based ticket pricing (now with way more tiers) having a big redistributive impact on crowds at Disneyland till the final couple of years. That’s in all probability as a result of the price distinction is now not pretty insignificant–the vary is at present $104 to $206. That’s proper, the most costly day is nearly double the price of the most affordable!
Throughout these final two years or so, the affect of cheaper dates on crowd ranges has been way more pronounced. Whether or not that be through precise ticket reductions, dates with tiers at cheaper costs, and even decrease tiers of Annual Passes being unblocked.
We’ve actually observed that this 12 months, particularly for the reason that begin of Halloween season. Within the closing 5 months of the 12 months, the very best predictor of year-over-year crowd ranges has been costs. For instance, it had been the case that October was extremely busy regardless of increased costs over the course of the final a number of years.
With Halloween beginning in August for the primary time ever this 12 months, we noticed demand pulled ahead to dates with cheaper costs and ticket offers. October nonetheless had loads of reasonable to excessive crowd dates, to make certain, however parts of August and September have been comparatively busier, exceeding expectations.
To make sure, peak season dates round Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Yr’s Eve, Ski Week, and Easter are nonetheless each busy and costly. There’s a lot demand for these temporary faculty breaks that even sky excessive costs isn’t sufficient to dissuade sufficient folks from visiting. These are the exception, reasonably than the rule, although.
These tendencies are actually extra concerning the comparatively random days which can be considerably kind of costly than adjoining dates. There are days in early November, for instance, which have worth season costs proper earlier than days with peak season costs. This may quantity to an in a single day swing of $65 per ticket! And this isn’t simply occurring round vacation vs. non-holiday weeks.
It’s the same story with late October, when even random weekdays are among the many most costly dates to do Disneyland. November arrives, and costs plummet. That in all probability explains why October 27-31 was amongst one of many least crowded stretches of this complete 12 months at Disneyland, with 1/10 crowd ranges day by day. Friends with flexibility waited a couple of days for November 1 to roll round, which introduced with it considerably cheaper tickets…and heavier crowds.
Cobbling all of those classes collectively as greatest as doable, listed below are some issues I’d anticipate to see of 2025 Disneyland crowds…
First, winter shall be busier than Disneyland followers anticipate. That is low-hanging fruit, admittedly, as a result of there’s nonetheless this ingrained perception that winter is the ‘sleepy season’ at Disneyland. It’s a time when refurbishments are achieved. Climate will get chilly and wet, inflicting vacationers to not make journeys to Southern California and locals to remain dwelling. There simply isn’t a lot occurring at Disneyland. Crowds ought to be decrease.
That’s the notion, a minimum of. A few of that’s actually true, however the half about it being a gradual and sleepy low season time at Disneyland is antiquated. It’s additionally Lunar New Yr, Disneyland Half Marathon, a couple of winter breaks, when Magic Key APs are unblocked after a couple of weeks away, and the season of reductions. Winter hasn’t been low season for a couple of years, which is a development that ought to proceed in January by means of March 2025.
These months are additionally when there are overlapping ticket reductions (see above) for each most of the people and Southern California residents. That’ll deliver a whole lot of deal-hunters to the park, simply because it did final 12 months.
After that comes Spring Break. That is a kind of peak season home windows that’s proof against overarching tendencies. It’ll in all probability be much less busy than 2024, however it doesn’t actually matter. Most visitors who go to throughout weeks that Orange County, Los Angeles County, and different West Coast faculty districts are on break will understand crowds as being pretty heavy. The higher query is what occurs after Spring Break.
Right here’s the place issues get attention-grabbing, and my intestine says it’s when Disneyland begins seeing a noticeable pullback in year-over-year crowd ranges. My considering right here is that the price delicate visitors usually tend to go to earlier within the ticket promotion intervals, and the nearer the Disneyland seventieth Anniversary Celebration will get, the extra doubtless persons are to postpone visits till that begins.
The seventieth will nonetheless be months away firstly of the 12 months, and fewer front-of-mind for guests. (There will even be dueling offers and decrease base costs for different journey elements past tickets, making January by means of March extra engaging for value-seeking vacationers.)
As soon as the seventieth attracts nearer, it’ll enter the equation for visitors, extra of whom shall be prepared to attend and pay extra for a greater expertise. This isn’t to say all visitors or perhaps a majority will do that–only a bigger quantity than originally of the 12 months, and sufficient to maneuver the needle on crowd dynamics.
Not solely that, however many budget-conscious locals and longtime followers shall be prepared to wager (in all probability appropriately!) that there shall be one other ticket deal through the summer time. So why reap the benefits of the winter and spring deal when there’s a bunch of nice leisure and one other particular provide proper across the nook?
My expectation is that it will create a unusual dynamic the place crowds drop precipitously following Easter. I’d additionally anticipate decrease crowds in March earlier than Easter, since Spring Break season is later this 12 months, and never all of these weeks from mid-March by means of late April shall be actually busy. Weekly crowd ranges will doubtless be up and down earlier than Easter, relying upon what number of main West Coast districts are on break.
Crowds will fall off a cliff round April 21, 2025 and keep low till a minimum of the top of the month. Perhaps even for the primary full week of Might 2025. After that, there would be the regular final hurrah as SoCal ticket holders scramble to “use it or lose it” earlier than remaining unused dates on the discounted tickets expire. That final week of the deal shall be busy (despite the fact that it’s throughout shoulder season and earlier than the seventieth begins), which is one other protected prediction as a result of it all the time occurs.
The beginning of the Disneyland seventieth Anniversary Celebration is the place issues get difficult.
My guess is that first two weeks received’t mirror increased crowd ranges, that are primarily based totally on attraction wait instances. That’s as a result of a disproportionate variety of visitors shall be Annual Passholders and different locals who’re there primarily for brand spanking new leisure, meals & drinks and merchandise–not rides. There shall be an enormous disconnect between attendance or “looks like” crowds and wait instances.
After that, I’d anticipate summer time to warmth up regularly, with the majority of the vacationer crowds to reach beginning in mid-June and persevering with till late July. One development during the last couple of years has been for summer time crowds to be backloaded, with there often being a rush earlier than colleges return into session. That is a minimum of partially pushed by offers, which regularly aren’t introduced till summer time begins (or is underway), resulting in a lag earlier than vacationers can journey to reap the benefits of them. Regardless, a repeat of that is in all probability a protected wager.
In the end, my expectation is that Summer time 2025 sees increased year-over-year attendance and wait instances. I’d additional forecast that almost all dates earlier than which can be down year-over-year, together with Winter 2025 however particularly March by means of mid-Might 2025. Despite the fact that there’s an growing variety of Disneyland visitors who’re cost-sensitive, the celebration and leisure shall be considered as sufficient of a value-add to win out over decrease costs.
All of those are my greatest bets as to what’ll occur in 2025 with Disneyland attendance, wait instances, congestion, and many others. It needs to be burdened, as might be apparent from the foregoing, that these are guesses I’m making primarily based on a wide range of current (Fall 2024) and not-so-recent tendencies (Disneyland’s sixtieth Anniversary). All of this could possibly be utterly and totally incorrect, therefore the caveat originally that we’d warning towards over-reliance in crowd calendars.
Planning a Southern California trip? For park admission offers, learn Suggestions for Saving Cash on Disneyland Tickets. Find out about on-site and off-site inns in our Anaheim Resort Evaluations & Rankings. For the place to eat, try our Disneyland Restaurant Evaluations. For distinctive concepts of issues that’ll enhance your journey, try What to Pack for Disney. For complete recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Trip Planning Information. Lastly, for guides past Disney, try our Southern California Itineraries for day journeys to Los Angeles, Laguna Seaside, and tons of different locations!
Your Ideas
Do you could have any predictions for 2025 Disneyland crowds? Count on year-over-year will increase or decreases? Assume reductions or the seventieth Anniversary may have the larger affect on attendance? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation about Disneyland crowd calendars, California climate, particular occasions, faculty schedules, or the rest right here? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
