Disneyland is preparing for the craziest week of the year during the busy Christmas holiday season and we’ve got a few tips to help you navigate what promises to be the Busiest Place on Earth.
The 10-day period between Saturday, Dec. 23 and Monday, Jan. 1 is shaping up to be the most crowded week of the year at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
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“The only thing to say about this coming week is that it’s going to be busy,” according to MousePlanet.
Disneyland’s variable ticket prices serve as a good indicator of the overall popularity of various dates — and often a good barometer of crowd size.
Disneyland tickets will be at their most expensive price of $194 from Dec. 23 through Jan. 6.
Tickets are sold out for Christmas Day, Dec. 25 at Disneyland and Dec. 27 and 28 for both parks at the time of publication. Check the Disneyland availability calendar for updates.
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Disneyland used to close its gates on the busiest days between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day when crowd levels hit their peak. But that shouldn’t happen any more with the reservation requirements that remain in effect since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic closures and allow Disneyland to control capacity.
The Is It Packed forecast for Disneyland predicts crowds will reach “Forget About It” levels on six of the next 10 days. The best bets will be on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day when the parks will be at “Yup, It’s Packed” levels.
Touring Plans warns that peak crowd levels can push wait times to more than an hour for Incredicoaster, up to two hours for Rise of the Resistance and nearly three hours for Radiator Springs Racers.
Several bands of rain are forecast for Anaheim through the first week of January — which could dampen crowds.
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What should you do if you’ve already made reservations for Disneyland or DCA? Or simply can’t resist the last chance to see Sleeping Beauty Castle dripping in icicles?
MousePlanet offers five tips for Disneylanders brave enough to tackle the parks between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
1) Get to the front gates at least 30 minutes before the parks open. Disneyland and DCA open at 8 a.m., which means you should be there by 7:30 a.m.
2) Use the early park entry option if you’re eligible. Guests at the three Disney hotels can get in 30 minutes early at 7:30 a.m. That means hotel guests should be at the front gates by 7 a.m.
3) Buy a Genie+ line-cutting pass first thing in the morning and hit all the Lightning Lane attractions first. The Lightning Lane selections get worse and the lines longer later in the day.
4) Place mobile orders early in the morning for pick-up times later in the day for lunch and dinner. It might seem ridiculous to place your dinner order before breakfast, but available slots will disappear quickly for hot-ticket items and popular restaurants. Don’t wait until you’re hungry to look for a place to eat. You can always cancel your order.
5) Skip the first parade and opt for the second performance of A Christmas Fantasy Parade when crowds are lighter. The second parade kicks off at 5 p.m. on most days (5:15 p.m. on Dec. 27 and 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 31).
Crowd levels typically start improving after New Year’s Day — but you still may want to wait until after Jan. 7 when the Disneyland holiday season ends if you want to avoid the crowds.
All Magic Key annual passholders are blocked out of Disneyland and DCA from Dec. 20 through Jan. 2. No reservations are currently available for any Magic Key levels before Jan. 9.
Inspire Keyholders get back into the parks first on Jan. 3 followed by the cheaper passes. Each passholder group will want to get one last glimpse of the garland along Main Street U.S.A. and one final ride on It’s a Small World Holiday before the holidays officially come to an end.
