Disney theme parks in California including both Disneyland and California Adventures are open year round. Part of it is because of the ideal weather in that part of the country. The downfall is those same ideal temperatures cause Disney theme parks to be overcrowded during the summer months when everyone has time for a vacation.
Here are some great reasons to take your family on a vacation to Southern California in October instead of July.
Disney has Magical Beginnings. Every year between August 26th and October 20th Disneyland treats small children and their families to special concerts by The Wiggles, The Doodlebops and Playhouse Disney, special guest appearances by characters of the popular Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, character dinners with the likes of Winnie the Pooh as well as an extra “Magic Hour” in Fantasyland. Magical Beginnings is a relatively new package Disney has put together. It features age appropriate activities in every part of the park from the clothes shopping to the dining in Goofey’s Dining Room.
Halloween the Disney way. Trick-or-treaters get more than just candy at Disneyland. They also get to enjoy a special fireworks display, a parade and cool costume party. Probably the coolest thing about spending Halloween at Disneyland is that trick-or-treating takes place all over the park. How cool is that!
The park closes earlier. Parents that plan on taking young children not in school will find this time of the year to be the most beneficial. There’s no worry about keeping them up late at night to see the fireworks display. Walking and waiting for long amounts of time for a whole day tends to tire out small children, and parents, and vacations are made miserable by overly tired, cranky kids and parents.
The winter weather is perfect. Southern California temperatures vary from day to day in the fall and winter months where as summer months are predictably warm on average. Your child might need a light sweater in the morning but will be comfortable by mid-day.
There are less people vacationing in October. Once school starts back up in September there are less families taking vacations and this means that Disneyland resorts have less crowds. Less crowds means shorter lines on rides. During the summer time the line for rides can be an hour or longer in sweltering heat with high coastal humidity. Visitors can typically expect no waiting time for rides during October. Having a RideMax pass is not necessary to shorten wait times like it is during the busy summer season.
It’s cheaper. Tickets for a one day pass at the Disneyland theme park usually cost around $66 per adult but once October hits there are several specials offered that lower the price of admission. Sometimes you can find tickets through eBay or other individuals who purchased hopper passes during the summer but haven’t used them. Just be careful of the seller; this scenario is usually best if it’s amongst family members. Disney offers a special admission price for those taking advantage of the Magical Beginnings package.
Bottom line, the reason any parent considers taking their child to a theme park in October is for comfort. Small children are hard to vacation with and the more crowded it is the harder it is. It’s way easier to enjoy a great vacation with your kids in the off season and Disney caters to parents of young children for that very reason so take advantage of it and check out Mickey this fall.
